The Unexpected Road . . . . .

We are on the rollercoaster again with this JA Journey.  We were so happy to take the Pred Forte eye drops "off the table" for Anna before Thanksgiving--about 3-4 weeks ago.  Anna has had clear eyes for several months now, and we were so hopeful that this good news would last for a long time.  I do remember that she had clear eyes without drops for almost two years before Humira stopped working for her (in early 2014), and I was hoping that we could get to that point again.

Even though Anna's uveitis is usually asymptomatic, over the weekend, I noticed that Anna's left eye was really bloodshot.  When I asked her about it (and started to think of everything that could cause this problem), Anna was telling me that her vision in that eye was different.  We contacted the ophthalmologist early Monday morning and were thankful that they had some cancellations in their schedule and could squeeze in an appointment for Anna.  The verdict:  2+ inflammation---in just 3-4 weeks without the Pred Forte eye drops (and no missed doses of Methotrexate or Remicade).  Anna is back on the steroid eye drops, 4x daily for at least the next week, and he will see us again on Tuesday.

I feel like Sunday was the worst day---knowing something wasn't quite right, but needing to wait another day to call the doctor.  Now we know the problem, and we have a plan.  That's a positive.

We still have so much to be thankful for.  A bloodshot eye that made me ask Anna some questions.  Cancellations at the doctor's office that made some space for Anna to be seen early this morning, so we didn't have to spend more hours wondering and worrying.  I once heard someone challenge us to ask God to reveal Himself to us, because that's what He's all about---He really wants us to know Him---how much He loves and cares about us.  In the middle of unexpected difficulties, we can still find some positives--we see evidence of Him working.  He helps us work through the worry to come to a point of peace and calm.

We always appreciate your prayers for Anna!