Medical Updates...

I am truly ready for 2012 to arrive!!!  I'm looking forward to a fresh start with our medical needs.  Until then, many medical updates continue...

Rylan recently had the allergy scratch test done...NO allergies!!!  Of course this was great news. Yet, it left the doctor perplexed. Therefore, a CT scan was ordered. The scan results are in... Chronic Rhinosinusitis. Rylan's sinuses are ALL completely filled with yuck. The doctor doesn't know how Rylan is breathing at night :(  He wants to go aggressive on medication in hopes of no surgery. Rylan started a 30 day, hard-core antibiotic this weekend to attack the bacteria.  Two anti-inflammatory pills daily because his sinuses are also extremely inflamed.  Nasal spray twice a day was also prescribed.  We go back in 6 weeks...if this doesn't work, Rylan will need to have surgery to have his sinuses drained.  Once we get his sinuses under control, he will begin a preventative for future.  The doctor believes that this was caused by acid reflux.  Those meds will begin shortly down the road.

Last week Bryce had an expander put in his mouth.  He was such a trooper!  After the appliance had been put in his mouth, I asked how they would do his adenoid surgery.  Yes, I got that call last week too.  Bryce's adenoids are Monster Huge and we were referred to an ENT.  The dental hygienist tells me that they won't do the surgery with the expander in his mouth, well they don't think so.  Bryce will have this in his mouth until April!  I've been talking with some friends and decided NOT to crank Bryce's expander this weekend.  I'm calling tomorrow to chat with an ENT nurse since our appointment isn't until October 5th.  We may be taking Bryce's expander out of his mouth to do the surgery and then put the appliance back in afterwards.

Braydon is actually doing well!!!  He got his braces on a few weeks ago and he is doing great with his new silver smile :)

My physical therapy will be finished this week...yahoo!!!  I am SO ready to be done with this schedule but am nervous how I will do without the therapy.  I no longer have numbness and tingling in my feet and arms...no longer have swollen hands, feet and knee...no longer have vertigo at night...no longer am I off balance...no longer have extreme cognitive issues, and my migraines have eased up considerably.  My back/neck is much, much more tolerable!  The medications and therapy have done wonders!!!  My fatigue is also WAY better now that I'm on thyroid meds.  All in all, I feel like I've gotten my life back...praise Jesus!!!  I'm praying that I can continue this upward climb...I really don't want to have surgery on my spine.

No major issues with Jeff...he is doing well...yahoo!  He helps me pour out the meds each day.  Just last week our medications cost us over $700...in ONE week!!!  Rylan's alone was $428...yikes!!!

Grace - Oh yes, we can't forget about our pooch!!!  She must have been feeling left out!  We took her in to get spayed last week and the vet's office called to tell us that her routine blood work before surgery came back with an issue.  Of course it did!!!  Her BUN level is extremely high.  This has to do with her kidneys.  So, they went ahead with the surgery but had to do some extra things to keep her comfortable and safe.  We go back in a month to redo the blood work.  If it is still off, they will need to do more exploratory tests on her kidneys.  We are hoping that the test was just a fluke!  She is recovering from her surgery well :)  The kids were very concerned about her this week with a shaved belly and arm.

There you have it, all of our updates for today.  Although I am truly ready to be done with doctors and medical bills, I am truly, TRULY grateful that of all the possibilities that were laid before us earlier this year, these are the issues that we are dealing with!  God has answered our prayers thus far.  We continue to pray for healing before surgeries are needed.  However, we know that if surgery is a must, we have faith in our doctors.