Another Injectionand Another Joint Affected

Remember the Tin Man in the movie The Wizard of Oz? Remember how he stood there, totally stiff in the woods until Dorothy found him and discovered the oil can would "loosen" him up so he could move?

I am starting to feel like Mia is the "Tin Man" and the "oil can" is the steroid injections. I'd venture to say her rheumatologist is "Dorothy," but if you met the man you'd agree with me that, while he is very kind, he is definitely not "Dorothy" whatsoever. :)

Moving on from my pale attempt of making "light" of Mia's current situation (one just has to be able to laugh these days!)...

Another Injection...
We just returned from Boston...again. Dr. Lopez met with us and examined Mia's knee, post-procedure. He was very happy with the results of the knee injection she had done on May 7th. However, after looking at her elbow he decided she does need to have it drained and injected, as well. So, we head back to Boston next Thursday, June 4th for her second "oil can injection"...I mean, steroid injection. ;o) Since this joint is smaller than her knee, after putting her to sleep, they will inject a dye first so they are able to locate exactly where they need to inject the steroid. Since it is a smaller joint, the doctor mentioned there may be some pain for about 48 hours after the procedure. And, after that, she will be dancing around like the Tin Man again...hopefully! :)

Another Joint Affected...
Last week at Mia's PT appointment, Mary noticed that Mia's middle knuckle on top of her hand looked swollen. So, I mentioned this to Dr. Lopez today and after examining her hand, he agreed - she now has a THIRD joint affected. And, since this joint is so tiny, he said they can not inject it.

So, she will stay on the ibuprofen to alleviate the pain in that joint and any pain she may be experiencing in her other joints. We will meet with him four weeks from now for another follow-up appointment.


...for now. :)

PT Update and a Chat With The Doc

Today's PT session was a challenging one. Mia would barely let Mary touch her arm. She did allow her to put some heat on it, but when it came to massaging it and stretching it, Mia would not let Mary go near it. The session went by fast today, which was a good thing. When we left the house to go to PT, Mia cried the entire way there, begging me to not take her today. I almost didn't.

I spoke with Dr. Lopez today. He agreed with Dr. Natter that I should start looking for the steroid again because he said she will need to have her elbow drained and injected. So, after we take Mia in to see Dr. Lopez next Tuesday, he wants her to also be seen by the pediatric orthopedist to have him/her take a look her elbow and determine when the procedure should be done.

With that said, does anyone out there know where I can find a steroid (Triamcinolone Hexacetonide - Aristospan) that the manufacturer has stopped making?? Emails and comments welcome!

Elbow Injection?

Mia has been complaining that her elbow hurts. So, I paged the doctor on call - Dr. Natter (he works with Dr. Lopez). He thinks she needs to have it drained and injected (same procedure as her knee). Which means...

I am steroid hunting, again.

This time, the doc told me to contact the FDA directly and see where I can get it. He said since it takes so long to get it that I should start looking now since that is the direction she is heading. Great. Let the hunt begin.

He also mentioned that it sounds like to him that Mia has psoriatic arthritis (????) and told us to mention this to Dr. Lopez. Interesting. So, we'll mention it to her doc and see what he says. Dr. Natter told me that they tend to be a bit more aggressive with meds if it is psoriatic arthritis, meaning they would definitely do the elbow draining and injection and start her on immediately start her on methotrexate.

Our appointment with Dr. Lopez is on May 26 and he will be the one to ultimately decide if Mia need to have the elbow procedure done. If she does, the pediatric orthopedic department will do the procedure - not rheumatology.

In other news, Mia's stomach has really been hurting from the ibuprofen. The doctor recommended I take her off of the ibuprofen for now until her stomach calms down. Great...and what about her elbow then?? Take her off and no stomach pain, but elbow and possible knee pain. Or leave her on it and no joint pain, but continued stomach pain. UGH! I didn't agree with him. I don't want to take any chances here. Can you blame me?? So, he wrote me a prescrip for Zantac. She was on Zantac last July when she was experiencing the same stomach/G.I. issues. It seemed to work well and she had less irritation and stomach cramping when she took the two together. So, we'll try that for now and see what Dr. Lopez has to say next Tuesday. For now, we have been wrapping her arm with an ace bandage for about 30 mins. several times throughout the day. She said it feels better when it is wrapped.

Up on deck for this week:
PT - Monday and Thursday.

PT Update and "New" Knee Pics

Mia went to see Mary (PT) on Monday. JJ tagged along because my husband was out of town and I couldn't find a sitter. I gave Mary a "heads up" that The Screamer would be joining us today. She didn't mind at all. We *heart* Mary!

Being this was the first time Mary has seen Mia's knee since the procedure, she was quite impressed! She did some warm-up exercises and massage to her joints and then took some measurements...

Left knee:

Before procedure: -30 degrees

After procedure: -8 degrees (YAY!!)

Right elbow:

Before procedure: -15 degrees

After procedure: -10 degrees

Spine and hips:

no signs of JRA or scoliosis

Leg length:

left is still 2cm longer than right

We went to the park on Saturday because Mia seemed to be feeling better. It was the first time she has been outside to play in weeks! We were so thrilled as we watched her go up and down the slide. However, she may have overdone it a bit because the next morning she was stiff and limping again. So, now we know what is too much for her. Everything in moderation. :)

As promised, here are a few pictures of Mia's "new" knee. You can see her "old" knee here.

side view:
YAY!! Much straighter than before!

We can see her kneecap again!

front view:
She is bearing her weight
on the left side again

The injection really helped! Mary thinks that with some PT twice a week she will be able to get Mia back down to 0 again.

As for her elbow, it really needs some help. The muscles around the joint are starting to harden, making her forearm look larger than it should look. Mia would barely let Mary touch it on Monday. She told Mary it was "ouching" her. So, we are going to focus on that now...wrapping at nap time, icing the joint, extra PT at home, etc.

We go back to see Dr. Lopez in a about two weeks and we will see what he thinks the next step should be for Mia - another leg brace? brace for elbow? a "lift" inserted into right shoe to balance her out? We will see. :)

Oh, wait! One more thing...

Last week was a long week for Mia...physical therapy sessions, eye appointments and finally her knee procedure. So, on Friday, with her doctor's permission, Mia went with her cousin, Isabella, to see Dora The Explorer Live at the Boston Opera House. Mia was so happy to finally have a FUN night out! "Thank you" to Grammy and Papa for treating all of us. :)

So happy to finally be out of the house
and doing something FUN!

left to right: Lori (SIL), Isabella (niece),
Mia, and me (sporting Mia's Charlie and Lola backpack!)

We Are Home!

Everything went well with Mia's knee procedure. She did an amazing job! She wasn't too thrilled with the IV and cried and cried for her little brother, JJ, but after it was in she wanted to know if she could take it home with her. I think she had big plans to add it to her pretend doctor kit. :)

The procedure was fast and smooth and before you knew it we were back in the room with her. The fluid was clear, so Dr. Sgarlat was able to extract about a teaspoon of fluid from the knee. Then they injected the steroid and massaged it into the joint. About half-an-hour later, Mia woke up. She was very upset and groggy at first, but after she had a few crackers she was doing better. And then, The Mia Show began. She told the doctors and nurses present she went to see The Grinch with her friend Alizée and then proceeded to entertain them with very slurred rendition of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch." The audience loved it! That's when I knew she was okay. :)

Dr. Sgarlat told us that she needs to take it easy for the next 24 hours...no major activity. She said walking was okay, but we tried to do that with Mia since she's been home and she seems to be in some pain still. I am really hoping this procedure bring her some relief. But, for now, she is still asking us to carry her. Which is fine by me...my baby has been through a lot!! :(

Thank you, again, to everyone for praying!! We really appreciate it!

And now, my kids are napping and so shall I! :)

Sed Rate, ANA Test and Knee Procedure Day!

First, a few things to record...

Spoke to Dr. Sgarlat yesterday. Mia's sed rate is very high right now - 60, to be exact. When she was initially diagnosed, she was at 40. Then, a year later, we were able to get her down to 15 (normal). She was not happy with how high it currently is.

When we were at Dr. Foster's office on Tuesday, Dr. Hinkle as us about her ANA test results. So, I checked with Dr. Sgarlat on that, too. She said that Mia tested positive for ANA, indicating to them that, besides her joints, there is some other inflammation going on in her body.

What is an ANA test, you might ask?
It is an antinuclear antibody (ANA) test. The ANA is a screening test. It is a protein which is made by the white blood cells. The ANA test is the most common test to be positive in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It is often called the "lupus" test. However, in children it is more common for patients with a positive ANA to have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, since lupus is uncommon in young children. The ANA test is positive in about 2/3 of children with pauciarticular JRA Type I and about 1/3 (or more) of children with polyarticular JRA. Also, the ANA is a marker for patients at higher risk for development of eye inflammation.

With that said, we will continue to take Mia to see Dr. Foster every three months to be checked for uveitis.

Moving on...KNEE PROCEDURE DAY!

Dr. Sgarlat and Dr. Miller will be doing the procedure on Mia's knee. Provided the fluid is clear and not bloody, they will extract the fluid in her knee and inject the steriod (aristropan) directly into the joint. Oh yeah...about that crazy steroid hunt I have been on! After calling several pharmacies and about ready to rip my hair out, I spoke with Dr. Lopez, explaining that we were having a hard time finding it and he said to just bring her in and to not worry about it. I sure do hope they have enough for the procedure!

So, no breakfast or liquids for Mia this morning. We will be heading into Boston soon...hopefully traffic isn't as bad as it was on Tuesday! She has to be there at 9:30 a.m. and the procedure is at 10:30 a.m. Mia's favorite little lamb, "Baa," will be joining us today, for comfort before and after the procedure. Theu told us it would be helpful to her for us to bring something familiar...so, "Baa" it is! :)


I will write more later on how everything went. "Thank you" to our family (near and far) for your prayers. We ask that you stand with us today and pray for Mia. And, "thank you" to all the JRA moms who have emailed me or commented on my blog. Your words of encouragement and prayers have meant a lot these past few days.

Last PT Before Knee Procedure

Today was a good session, considering Mia is at her worst right now. The PT took some measurements of her joints (0 being "normal:):

Left knee:
Initial Diagnosis: - 20 degrees
A Week Ago (when we started PT again): -10 degrees
Today: -30 degrees (EEK!!)

Right elbow:
Initial Diagnosis: - 8 degrees
Two Days ago: -20 degrees
Today: -15 degrees

Currently, when she is able to walk, she is walking on the ball of her left foot and not putting her heel down at all. She was in a lot of pain today during the session...MUCH resistance to stretching and massage. :(

Up on deck...
Tomorrow: Knee Drained/Steroid Injection at 10 a.m. at NEMC

"The LORD gives strength to those who are weary. They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind. "
- Isaiah 40:31

I Am THRILLED To Report...

...there is NO INFLAMMATION in Mia's eyes!!! God is GOOD!

We have just returned from our visit to MERSI where she had her eyes checked by Dr. Hinkle and he confirmed...her eyes are CLEAR!!!

So, I am not sure what Dr. Lopez saw/thinks he saw, but there was nothing there. They checked several times. We plan to stay with this new doctor. The service was outstanding - everyone was so friendly and helpful! Plus, we are happier that she is seeing a uveitis specialist now. So, we will go back there every three months from now on to Dr. Foster's office to get her eyes checked.

You have no idea how relieved,happy and OVERJOYED we are right now! It is soooo wonderful to finally get some good news amongst all the bad. YAY!!!

Up on deck:
Wednesday: PT with Mary
Thursday: Knee drained and steroid injection
Friday: rest from a very loooong week! :)

She's the Bee's Knees!

Here's a bit of trivia for you, which I find highly enlightening and encouraging!

A bee's "corbiculae", or pollen-baskets, are located on its tibiae (midsegments of its legs - knees). The phrase "the bee's knees," meaning "the height of excellence," which became popular in the U.S. in the 1920s, is a term indicating excellence - the highest quality - because bees carry pollen back to the hive in sacs on their legs. The allusion is to the concentrated goodness to be found around the bee's knee.

With that said, here is what my daughter's knee look like right now. The left knee is bent at -10 degrees...that is the furthest she can straighten it at this time.

(side view)

(front view)

But STAY TUNED because her knee is not going to remain this way! Her knees will be of the HIGHEST QUALITY once again!

(Mia Grace - almost 3.5 years old
and still smiling through the pain)

“Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!”
Proverbs 3:8 (Msg.)

Full Steam Ahead!

We have a busy, busy, BUSY week ahead of us. Lucky for me, my husband is home again, providing an extra set of hands around the house (PHEW!). It makes such a HUGE difference. Not to mention, someone who knows exactly how to care for Mia with what has been going on as of late.

To update everyone, last week was a rough on for Mia (and me). She had back-to-back appointments last Thursday and by the end of the second one both she and I were in tears. It had been a loooong week. On top of getting back in the "JRA fight," I came down with tonsillitis and a double ear infection. Great. Just what every mom needs when they are trying to care for their child who is dealing with a chronic illness. As I mentioned before, I am very happy my husband is home!

Moving on...

To Mia's dismay, I switched her eye doctors. Her current doc was a pediatric ophthalmologist, but not a uveitis specialist. So, at Mia's three year check-up last week I spoke with her pediatrician about switching. I've always liked her pediatrician, but now I like him even more. He actually took the time to open up his laptop, check out the site I directed him to (thank you, Joanne!), review the list of uveitis specialists with me, and agree that we needed to get her in with a specialist. So, I canceled the appointment she was supposed to have last Friday and got her in to Dr. Foster's office for this Tuesday (tomorrow). We are believing for a CLEAR report for Mia's eyes. I still can't figure out why her old doctor never saw the cells and why her rheumatologist did. Very puzzling. But, hopefully, Mia will like this new doctor. I am sure she will...she has a knack for immediately warming up to strangers/new doctors and making them laugh within a few seconds of meeting them. Case in point - while we were in the elevator last week at NEMC, Mia introduced me to all of her new "elevator friends:"

Mia: "Hello, everyone! I am Mia and this is my Mommy!"

Elevator Friends: "Hello, Mia! Hello, Mia's Mommy!"

Me (quite embarrassed!): "Hello! Hello, everyone in the elevator!"

My husband (jokingly): "Pay no attention to the guy pushing the stroller..."

Elevator Friends (laughing): "Hello, Mia's Daddy!!"

Mia: quite pleased with her self. :)

Me: embarrassed, but laughing. :)


Up next...

Mia goes in this Thursday to have her knee drained and for steriod injections (aristopan) directly into the joint. I have been trying my best to make her as comfortable as possible this past week. I have found that long car rides, sitting at the dinner table does not help her knee or her circulation. When I get her out of the car or down from her seat at the table, she can barely walk. She has been asking me to let her scoot on her bum in order to get around. That is too heartbreaking for me. So, I tell her that I'd prefer to carry her than have her scoot on the floor. :(

I have been trying to think of special things that will put a smile on her face since she can't be as active as she'd like to be. That has been the toughest part - finding a balance between sitting and walking/trying to walk. Too much sitting results in stiff joints. Too much walking results in swollen joints. Ugh. So, to keep her happy and smiling I've been allowing her to take "picnic meals" on the couch while watching her new Winne the Pooh movie. We have a chaise where she can sit with her legs out in front of her - the best position for her. We have discovered then when she sits at the dinner table, her left foot becomes ice cold - obviously a ciculation issue because of her swollen knee. So, "picnic meals" it is! Plus, it is something special for her, something we wouldn't normally allow. :)

So, that is about it. Mia is not able to go to school right now, per doctor's orders. I was able to get her in for two sessions of PT before the "big day." She has an appointment later on today and another one on Wednesday. While the appointments are pretty tough physically for her, Mia always manages to make everyone laugh. Last week, at the end of her appointment she took a bow in the hallway and said "Thank you, thank you!" to her therapists. Everyone enjoyed the Mia Show. :)