tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344245700090998258.post3108866797221344172..comments2024-02-07T07:13:17.812-08:00Comments on Gracie's Journey: Have CourageBrien Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07495564387877214646noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344245700090998258.post-56465090034937251602010-12-27T22:10:31.224-08:002010-12-27T22:10:31.224-08:00A little over a month ago we noticed my daughter w...A little over a month ago we noticed my daughter was limping, she’s always walked funny so we weren’t too concerned at first, but as it got worse we contacted her pediatrician. I figured his response would be something minor like possibly the shoes she was wearing (she picks out her shoes every day and tends to choose the same ones), but his response wasn’t as calm as I imagined and we had an appointment the next day. Turns out limping in a child, especially one as young as her (she will be 2 in February) is quite concerning and can be a sign of some serious medical issues, Leukemia being one of them. Our doctor immediately sent us for x-rays and labs and my normally calm pediatrician who is always so good at calming any fear I have was suddenly not so calm. Luckily it wasn’t anything as serious as Leukemia, but she has been diagnosed with JRA (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis). At first her doctor was positive saying that a lot of cases tend to be one flair up that clears up and may never show up again. After 3 weeks on medication, it just got worse and we were referred to a Pediatric Rheumatologist who told us it was affecting both hips, both knees and her left ankle, we thought it was only in her right knee…because there are no tests for severity of JRA, it’s a wait and see kind of thing, she was prescribed a new med and we left the doctor’s office with a large bottle of medication, a referral for lab/urine tests (which will have to be every 6 weeks), a referral for an eye exam and a follow up appointment in 6 weeks. The eye appointment was on the 23rd and currently her eyes are okay, but we found out that inflammation of the eye can be quite serious if not caught (a person could lose their eye sight or eye), so because of this, she will have to have eye exams every 3-4 months. As of today, it’s been 3 weeks on the medication and it’s not helping in the least, and there won’t be any changes made to it until she’s been on it for 6 weeks, which is a bit frustrating. And of course, the weather is of no help. Most mornings it’s so hard for her to walk, she doesn’t even try and if she does she has to hold on to the wall or every piece of furniture in sight. It breaks my heart to watch…althou from the looks of it, it hurts me a lot more than her, she limps, but as best she can, as soon as her joints loosen up enough to let her, she will take off running.<br /><br />I just want you to know that thru this whole thing, I remember Grace. And as much as I don’t know what the future holds for Bevin’s diagnosis (once the weather clears up, it’s possible her JRA could as well and may never come back, or it may never go away) I know that I am lucky that it’s JRA and not something more serious. And this post reminds me that no matter how scary these appointments may be (because they always tell you the worst scenario) I have to have courage, not just for me, but for her. And to see how strong you have both been makes me know that I can be strong for something like this as well.<br /><br />Thank you.Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00207906868551544748noreply@blogger.com