Medical Procedures

We've had some fun times taking advantage of our met deductible this year, let me tell ya!

During mile 11 of our half marathon on September 1, my knee gave out. I started to see my physical therapist about it and we thought it was my loose joints, so we taped it. Still couldn't run. Then the pain (which was only in my knee, and only when running), migrated down my entire leg all the time. We thought it might be my back too (it's been giving my trouble for 12 years), so we worked on it. After 2 months of this and still no change, I went to a sports medicine doctor. He thought it might be my back or my knee, so he x-rayed both. My knee looked perfect (YAY!), but my back looked questionable. So I got my back MRI-ed. Yep, bulging-disc pushing on a nerve; bummer, but at least it's an answer!!! That was 2 months ago. 

After prednisone treatment, more physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, and a cortisone injection in my spine (pictured bellow. Not fun, by the way), still nothing. So, we MRI the knee...55 minutes of laying still in a machine is WAYYYY harder than it sounds! MY knees look good! Except a little irritation that is common with runners. Ice and ibuprofen...still nothing. 4 months later, I get another cortisone shot, this time in my knee, and we see what happens. After all this, I can now run for about 20 minutes before the pain gets me....it doesn't sound like much, but for someone who loves running as much as I do, it is SO GREAT!!!  

This is just an informative post...something to keep you in the loop. I'm not meaning to complain, I just think our bodies are so crazy sometimes. My friend Steve once told me that medicine is an art, not a science and he is sooooo right! Everything is connected, just like the childhood song says, and that makes it a little crazy to find what came first, the chicken or the egg, the leg or the back. I've been so blessed through all of this; its been such a good lesson in patience, perspective, priorities, and faith!!
Anyway, I am still just waiting to see how this plays out...what is causing the pain, how do I make it go away, and most importantly, will it heal in time for me to train for a marathon with my HUSBAND!!! That's what I miss most; it was so great running with him. He's a champ, by the way. He is a running fool, totally addicted. I kinda live vicariously through him.

But, on the other hand, crazy medical procedures can bring GREAT NEWS TOO!!! Archie went in for his second endoscopy to see how his EE was going, and to check on his C-Diff status. We woke up early, and waited in the hospital; we know the drill, we came prepared this time: the iPad.

Then they put him in his adorable oversize scrubs and little (I mean LITTLE, it is so cute!) blood-oxygen monitor.

They let him watch cartoons, but he was most interested in the remote control. Then they wheel him in and put him under (it's horrible, by the way, to see your little guy knocked out like that).

The procedure took less than a half hour, and they give him something to wake him up! He was crying when they put him under, and he picked right up where he left off when he woke up. He was inconsolable for 45 minutes after they woke him up; very unlike him. He usually gets distracted after just a moment or two.  Nothing worked, not even the magic of Dad or the iPad could snap him out of it. We think he just wanted to leave. Once they discharged us, he calmed down pretty quick.

It was a hard day for all of us, so Mike and I treated ourselves to our favorite meal: Boise Fry Company. Don't worry, it wasn't just for us, Archie likes the fries too.

A few days later, the news was in...Archie is 100% eosinophil-free!!! There is absolutely no inflammation in his esophagus, and it is now looking like he may have one of the rare cases of EE that isn't true EE at all, but just a sever allergic reaction (to milk most likely) that causes the EE to gather. Basically, he will most likely outgrow the disease that most kids have to live with all of their lives. And, as  if that wasn't enough, the C-Diff was totally gone too!!!! We are so blessed with this great news!