Monday, September 3, 2007

Please Pray For Our Family

So I have been terrible at updating lately. But here's the reason--I get up at 5 a.m. and don't go to bed until midnight. I never get a break during the day, seriously, I am not exaggerating. In fact, 2 days this past week, I have gone all day at work without peeing. That's how packed my days are.

The reason is not only back-to-school but my husband Dee. He is having a lot of health problems right now. It all started about 3 1/2 weeks ago when his left ankle got really swollen. To make a long story short, severe joint pain has spread to his other ankle, both wrists, and neck. He has been running fevers and has a dry cough that won't go away. His blood sugar is going haywire, up and down; he has no appetite and has lost over 10 lbs. He is miserable, sad, and not himself. He comes home from work in so much pain that he literally can't move. That's why I am up so late; I have to do so much to get ready for the next day, clean up the kitchen, wash bottles, etc.

3 visits to the ER and 5 or 6 doctor visits later, they still have no idea what is wrong. They have done tests for gout, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, lyme disease, and lots more. Last week, he was finally able to see the rheumatologist where they are testing him for some rare types of arthritis. It could be some type of autoimmune disease, but there are so many of them out there, and some are really rare that it could take a while to solve the mystery. He's been on different non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, but for the most part, the only thing that makes him feel better is vicodin and staying off of his feet. And driving 25 minutes to work, teaching high school, and coaching is not really compatible with that regimen.

Please keep him in your prayers that they can hurry up and find a diagnosis and treat this thing. If you have any questions about what has been tested or any other symptoms (because everyone seems to be playing detective here), feel free to ask. I was just trying to post this in a concise manner as I have a few moments of spare time. There were literally 2 nights last week that I didn't get to check my yahoo email because I have no spare time. Hopefully, things start to smooth out with the 2nd week of school.

Oh, and you can keep me in your prayers while you're at it--I am having a hard time handling all of these responsibilities, lack of sleep, and remaining patient and nice with my children, students, and husband.

A few other items of stress that happened last week, the first day of school, we forgot to bring the breastmilk to daycare, so Ty had to have formula until I pumped and could run some over there. And then, they decided to feed Ty solids even though we haven't started him on solids yet...but I think we have everything straightened out now.

3 comments:

Dawn said...

Oh, honey. I don't know what to say, but we'll pray that we find out what's causing Dee's sickness soon. What a nightmare! Dedra just found out she has mono, and she just moved into the dorm this weekend. School starts this week. You'll be in our prayers...hang in there! Solids!!! OMG...I would have been mad. Deep breaths....lol. Love and hugs,
Dawn

Dawn said...

Shall I mail you a "pee bottle"? I could make a pretty sticker for it. LOL.

Dawn said...

Just playing detective...here's a few things I found. Worth a shot, right?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/polymyalgia-rheumatica/DS00441/DSECTION=2

Here's another one, that I'd definately rule out since it can be serious.
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7300

Has he been checked for Hep B?
http://www.medicinenet.com/hepatitis_b/page4.htm

and maybe lyme disease??? Any chance he was bitten by a tick?
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/l/lyme_disease/symptoms.htm#symptom_list

Anyway, just a few I found. Keep us posted. Love you both!