Emma Update:
The MRI of her jaw showed bone marrow edema. That means swelling. In her BONE MARROW. I didn't know that could even happen. The doctor was looking for swelling in her synovial fluid, at the joints, to confirm the presence of arthritis. There was NO swelling there, though, and there was zero visible joint damage, so... good news! However, the presence of swelling in the marrow and the symptoms of pain each morning gave her doctor and me enough reasons to say: Time to restart Enbrel.
This was the longest unmedicated remission she has experienced yet, so that's a small victory! Still, exactly seven months after her last injection of the stuff, I gave Emma her first weekly dose of Enbrel this time around. That was eleven days ago. She started feeling relief just four days after her injection. She says that chewing in the morning is completely pain-free now. I am a happy mommy. Hopefully it stays that way.
What now? Every week for the next year or more, I will poke her in the back of her arm and inject 1mL of her wonder-drug into her body. Every week she will get a piece of candy after her injection, because she deserves it. We will monitor blood work regularly. We will keep our fingers crossed that Enbrel continues to work its magic and life goes back to normal.
I'm okay with all of it. This is my normal, after all.
You know what's not normal? Going to work EVERY SINGLE DAY. Okay, not every day, because I don't work Sundays and I only work about half of all Saturdays, but still. Also, I know that it actually is pretty normal for most folk to go to work daily, but it wasn't my normal for about seven years, so I'm still adjusting.
I drop the kids off at school and go to work. I leave work and pick up kid #2. We have about an hour before we go back to school to pick up kid #1. Sometimes I squeeze in a quick trip to the grocery store. Sometimes I spend the entire hour trying to get kid #2 to eat his after school snack. Sometimes I sweep the kitchen, catch up on dishes, or start a load of laundry. Once both kids are home, it's more snacking and homework, and "PLEASE practice your piano!" Some days it's a trip to the library and swimming lessons. Some days it's karate and piano. I squeeze in making dinner, packing lunches, feeding all of the pets twice a day and cleaning up their poop, starting a fresh batch of kombucha every 10-14 days, vacuuming twice a week, and cleaning various pieces of the house here and there.
It's busy, but I'm managing. The only thing I can't seem to fit into it all is a non-weekend shopping trip at Costco. I need to figure that one out soon.
How are you?
Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteYou are a good mommy.
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