Well, where do I start? I know its been a few months since I've posted, sorry for that, but my pain level went up and my days got busy. I guess I'll start with early August and catch you up . . .
August 4 - I had an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon to look my T-8 area of my spine and the pain radiating from it. I had a full body work up last December, so we knew something was wrong with my T-8 vertebrae and at some point it would need to be addressed. Over a few months I had been having pain around my thoracic spine and that's when I knew it was time. Dr. Joseph Riina is an amazing surgeon with OrthoIndy, an amazing group of docs/therapists/facilities, and he did my 2009 lumbar fusion/discectomy to treat my spinal fracture/herniated disc. When I went to see him in August I could tell there was something wrong just by looking at the films. (You would think after all my MRIs, x-rays, and CT scans I would be good at recognizing a problem - this is only the case when there is something blatantly wrong.) Thanks to the combination of my cranio-cervical fusion and my lumbar fusion I have acquired a seventeen degree curve in my thoracic spine. But the good news didn't stop there . . . my T-8/T-9 vertebra are degenerated significantly causing pain, instability, and early onset arthritis. The bright side: I don't need surgery at this time, my nerves are not being compressed yet, and I can still treat with physical therapy, ice, TENS unit, meditation, yoga and massage. I have found most doctors like and encourage my treatment program, and since I don't like taking meds this works well for me at this time. I must admit since Logan has gone back to school my eating has not been as frequent or healthy as it should be, but that is one of many things that I need to change.
August 5 - Caleb, Logan, and I went to meet Dr. Torres-Martinez at the Riley Hospital for Children Genetics Clinic. After a very thorough physical exam, long family history review, and a brief exam of my EDS it was decided Logan was at very low risk of having my genetic disorders . . . he didn't even order an MRI! Logan is having a heart ECHO tomorrow to check on a "muffle" heard from his heart, and he is to see an opthamologist one more time - but, the big news is NO EDS, NO tethered cord, and most importantly he is NOT considered at risk for Chiari! I could have kissed this wonderful man telling me my son is healthy, and I should not be concerned. Dr. Torres-Martinez also told us that any child I have will have a 50% chance of inheriting the Elhers-Danlos Syndrome gene, which has not been identified so there is no genetic test for it at this time. This wouldn't be good, but I'm not sure it would be a serious enough reason to not have another child? Luckily, Chiari malformation is MUCH lower at around 12% chance of passing on my disorder according to my neuro-specialists in New York and the doctors at Riley Hospital for Children. My surgeons have told me before they do not feel families should refrain from having children due to Chiari, unless it would put the mother's health at risk.
I am SO thankful Logan will not have to deal with my medical disorders!!! I have thanked God everyday of Logan's life for his health, happiness, kindness, and intelligence - I'm not a religious person, but I do believe there is some sort of energy out there, bigger than all of us and I call it God, or the "the big E" as a dear friend once said. I believe things do happen for a reason and I believe something good can come out of most situations no matter how horrible it feels in the moment. Maybe, I am sick to help others learn how to see the light even on the darkest days, or so my son can be healthy and amazing. Maybe, I am here to learn patience, focus, or how to endure hardship and not forget my blessings. I'll never really know, but I do believe we all have a purpose and we are all have something to offer this crazy world.
August 6 - Caleb, Logan, and I head to Clifty Falls State Park in Madison, Indiana. We had a great time on the trails and just spending time together. I'll have to give this its own post later.
August 10 - I turned 33!! I LOVE my birthday, this year I spent my actual birthday on the lake with my dad, uncle, and Logan. That weekend we had a small party at our buddy's house, and then a boat afternoon/BBQ with all the Beems.
August 16 - Logan started 3rd grade! For the first time I made it through day one without crying, but day two there were a few tears. Between school and football I have barely seen Logan since early August! Logan is in the GT classroom, gifted and talented, which is made up of half third graders and half fourth graders. We really like his teacher, we'll call her Mrs. W for blogging purposes, and he likes his classmates - seems to be much less frustrating for him than being in a classroom where everyone is asking him questions constantly or just do things that Logan finds to be ridiculous. I found out recently that Mrs. W has had some of her own experiences with medical world that give her a unique understanding of our family and Logan's life outside the classroom. I hate to hear about anyone having medical problems, but it is very comforting to meet someone that has a true understanding of what my life is really like.
Logan also started tackle football! His team is the Jaguars, they've only won two games, but those boys have SO much fun. I'll post about our junior football adventures later, but had to mention it for my August update.
The end of August brought a family trip to Florida for my cousin Bob's beach wedding.
Well, this has been a very long winded post, so I'm going to say goodbye for now and I promise to post regularly again. Unfortunately, the past few months my pain level has been very high and I just haven't felt like doing or thinking anything beyond what is necessary. Now that life is settling down, and hopefully my pain level will go back to a 3 on the daily pain scale so I can continue writing. I'm not sure if any of you really enjoy reading about my life, but this helps me to get out some of my thoughts/stress so thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
As usual, I hope you are having a wonderful day. Oh, I discovered Pinterest.com recently thanks to one of my best friends . . . if you haven't seen it or want to check out my boards go to: http://pinterest.com/beem78/ .
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