Today...I am determined.

"The Lord does not in any degree leave me helpless, nor forsake me, nor let me down!" (Hebrews 13:5, AMP).

Today, I am determined. Granted, I don't feel like this every day - some days I feel overwhelmed and saddened by the battle my daughter is facing (physical and spiritual). But most days I do. Today? I am more determined than ever.

Over the last month, Mia has been doing great. We have seen huge improvements in her joints and the inflammation and fluid has greatly reduced. However, today at PT, Mary noticed that Mia is limping again and that her elbow is back to a -5 and her knee has more fluid on it than usual. Her knee has gone from a -2 back to a -5 degrees. While this doesn't seem like much, every little degree counts with Mia. Mary did say that it could be caused from the weather. She said that patients with JRA seem to be worse during a weather change or major storm (we are getting about a foot of snow today). She said it has a lot to do with the barometric pressure during a storm. Mary also has concerns about Mia's hips and wants us to keep a close eye on them. Also, Mia's big toe on her right foot, which has remained the same size for the last 10 months, is starting to turn inward (they call it "bowing").

So, these are things we will continue to pray for. I told Mary that Mia has been waking up in the morning and after naps just crying for no apparent reason - perhaps it is because she is in pain? Mary agreed. So, she wants us to start back up with wrapping Mia's arm in an ace bandage for 20 minutes each day to get a good stretch out of it (the tendons around the joint are starting to harden) and she wants Mia to focus on taking GIANT steps with her legs. This will help to straighten Mia's left knee and get a good stretch out of the tendons and ligaments around the joint.

Mia has an important check-up with her rheumatologist in Boston on January 29th. At that point she will be almost off of the Naproxen and at this appointment the doctor will want to discuss the next step he thinks we should take to help improve Mia's quality of life. Steroids. Ugh! My goal is to do everything we possibly can to improve Mia's joints - even those last few degrees - so that he is amazed at the progress she is making and hopefully tells us to continue with what we have been doing instead of doing steroids. Otherwise, we will have to go in with our fists up because Jay and I both agree that we don't want Mia to go that route.

So, today I am determined. I am determined to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit that He will guide me and direct me in the path I should go for Mia. I am determined to fight this disease with everything within me. I am determined to have a daughter who is free from pain. I am determined to have a normal life for my little girl. I have eliminated everything that is harmful to her from her diet and I am racking my brain to try to figure out if there is anything that I haven't done yet or tried. One thought I had was to switch her yogurt from Stoneyfield's YoBaby to the O'Soy. Our family nutritionist said that the lactobacillus acidophilus in the yogurt is beneficial for Mia and that it should not hurt her, but at this point I am willing to try anything. Perhaps that is what she needs in order to get her elbow and knee at 0 degrees (perfectly straight!)?

In the meantime, a friend of mine whose daughter also had JRA told me that she taught her daughter to say, "JRA go away....go away in Jesus' name!" That's Mia's new confession, as well.

Praise Report: Mia had her check-up at the eye doctor's last Friday and they found no inflammation in her eyes! Praise God!