(In the picture above, Anna is playing a "Toss the Christmas Card" game at a recent Christmas party, while her brother, Joel looks on)
It's been a long time since I updated! And well, you know, sometimes I'm never sure how many people read my blogs anyway, but it was so nice of Jacob's mom to ask how things are going. And since she asked . . . . sometime near Anna's birthday (in late September), we suspected that Anna might have pink eye (conjunctivitis). Believe it or not, this was my first experience as a mom with this condition---none of my kids had ever had it before. So I searched on the Internet to find symptoms, and I immediately found out that sometimes uveitis can be misdiagnosed as conjunctivitis. So I called Anna's pediatric ophthalmologist, and he was able to squeeze her into his schedule that morning. Even though I wasn't thrilled about conjunctivitis, I was actually very relieved that it wasn't a flare of the uveitis! (Her eyes were very, very pink, and I figured if it was uveitis, then it was a very big flare . . . because she had never had uveitis symptoms like this!).
So the doctor sent us home with sample drops (they were sufficient to combat the infection---we didn't even need to get the prescription filled).
The good news at that appointment was that Anna's eyes were totally clear of the inflammation. Her regular uveitis check was scheduled for about 10 days after this "Pink Eye Appointment." So we returned to the pediatric ophthalmologist for that appointment, only to find that a trace of white cells had returned to the left eye. Barely a trace, but a trace nonetheless. So we are keeping the same regimen of medication (the Cyclosporine, Methotrexate, Leucavorin, Pepcid Complete) for now. We go back in early January, and we'll see where we are at that point.
Her joints are fine. There was minimal concern about a part of her foot, but the pain she described was descriptive of a tendon issue rather than a joint issue. Anna had an appointment with the family doctor for a checkup last week, and the pain was no longer an issue for her, so it must have just been something minor that healed quickly. Anna continues to grow taller . . . she only needs to grow about an inch and a half to catch up to me! (But that's not saying much, since I'm pretty short!)
We continue to keep busy! Anna is greatly improving on the playing of her bassoon. She has a holiday concert tomorrow night at the elementary school. She sang with her dad at church yesterday (for the offertory) and received a great many compliments. :o)
Since I know some people are reading this blog, I'll do my best to keep it updated more frequently. I'm so glad that other Juvenile Arthritis parents find it helpful.
