Still Just a Trace . . . . .

Our journey continues, but we're pretty much on an even keel.  Anna had an appointment with the pediatric ophthalmologist about two weeks ago, and her right eye is clear of inflammation.  The left eye is ALMOST clear--the doctor thinks there's just a trace of inflammation---almost too minimal for him to see.  He's willing to have the Humira decreased if the pediatric rheumatologist is willing.  We visit the pediatric rheumatologist next Tuesday.  At that appointment, we'll hopefully get the results of Anna's MRI on her TMJs.  We haven't yet heard about that, but it's okay (if I were worried about it, I would have e-mailed or called earlier)---I know from past discussions with the doctor that even if Anna continues to have active arthritis in the TMJs, there needs to be a lot of thought and care regarding the frequency of injections.  Over the long term, too much cortisone injected into any joint can affect the tissue, and cause other problems.

In many areas of my life, I've been thinking a whole lot about trust . . . . the people I trust, the people I don't trust, how I react to both groups, etc.  I am so glad that I'm at a place in my life where I feel that I can trust Anna's doctors---not to be perfect people or to make the perfect decisions, but to make wise decisions, and to know that they are carefully considering and weighing our options for Anna (with a whole lot more knowledge and intellect than I have myself!).  I continue to pray for them as they make decisions for us to choose from (and they do give us the background information and pros and cons we need to think about those decisions---I'm thankful for that!).  I pray for our family to know the direction which we need to go when various options arise, and I am so very thankful to God that Anna's quality of life is almost as "normal" as a teenager's life can get (if you don't count the Humira shots every ten days and the Methotrexate and Leucovorin pills she takes each week).  God has used this journey for her to develop in her a compassionate heart for people (among other character qualities).   Our Creator has promised that He can use any situation for good for those who love Him---there's always some joy to find in the journey when we have a solid Anchor for the Soul!