Mayo

2016 Winter Update

We just returned from our most recent up and back trip to Mayo.  They’re more cost and time effective than staying over night, but man – – those up and backs are exhausting.  Nothing like sitting for 7 hours to take it out of you. Cee’s arthritis is quieting down.  She’s gotten rid of almost […]

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On Friday we drove up with the kids to Rochester for Cee’s first followup appointment with our rheumatologist. Cee’s pain level is much lower than it has been, but she still has migrating joint pain.  It lasts in a certain joint for 2 days or so before moving to another joint.  She does have a rash that […]

The Saddest Room

  Early on in Cee’s illness, I think one of my lowest lows came in what I called “The Saddest Room.” Cee had been taken into an operating room for her bone marrow biopsy.  Only one person could be with her as she went under anesthesia.  The nurse told me to follow her and my mom and David […]

A Diagnosis!

  The rheumatologists just left, and they brought us a diagnosis. The MRI looked good–no damage to the bone or cartilage in her ankle.  That means there’s no infection.  According to the rheumatologist, Cee’s official diagnosis is Reactive Arthritis. We had been leaning toward Juvenile Arthritis, but that’s a long-term illness.  The rheumatologist thinks this is […]

…because it made me paranoid. I’ve got enough regular stuff to worry about without being concerned that: -The hospital will have an outbreak of Ebola, and we’ll be put under lockdown. -I’ll go to the bathroom and Cee will go from fine to cardiac arrest. -Cee’s condition will be stable, but during a routine test David […]

Cee has seen so many doctors that we joke about playing “Doctor Bingo.”  We could fill in a bingo card with all the different specialty doctors we’ve seen.  Today we met with teams from Orthopedic Surgery, Rheumatology, Hematology, and Infectious Disease.  They’re concerned that the swelling in Cee’s ankle may be an infection, so tomorrow they plan […]

A Stay at Mayo

We’ve been at Mayo since Friday.  Cee was unimpressed with the ambulance ride and having to get an IV again… St. Mary’s feels a lot like Avera in atmosphere, only bigger.  There’s definitely the same emphasis on quality of care and less emphasis on the flashy unimportant things that we’ve seen other hospitals value. And […]