We met with Kara's GI doctor today and are convinced the Lord sent her to us. All of the labwork is pointing to Systemic Scleroderma. She is positive for the Scl-70 blood test which is specific for that autoimmune disease. Now there are other labs that support it.
The scope and other GI issues (dysmotility in the esophagus and intestines) are common in Systemic Scleroderma patients, as well as her muscle aches and now the morphea spot on her leg. The GOOD news is that we haven't found any permanent damage!! YAY!!
For now I have removed her from the Anaprox (Aleve) to see how she does leading up to her appointment with her Rheumatologist. If she needs to go back on something for the muscle aches/pains and the stiffness she experiences, then she will also have to go onto a medication to protect her intestines from damage caused by the Anaprox. She will be on a laxative indefinitely. Once everything is under control, we may be able to slowly wean her off and adjust her diet to keep things moving through her GI tract.
Her spleen is back to normal!!! YAY! She can participate in PE again! She is so thrilled! If you know Kara, she doesn't like to sit still. I like to share with people how she had to use a "seatbelt" when we were homeschooling. She had a beach towel that we'd lay across her lap and twist behind her chair to remind her she had to stay seated. It was quite funny...and it worked!
So our next step is to see the Rheumatologist on May 4th to see what we do about her muscle aches/pains, stiffness, and the morphea spot on her leg.
The doctors are not officially "diagnosing" her with Scleroderma because once that is on her medical file, it will affect her ability to obtain medical insurance, as well as her medical care, and the treatments for Scleroderma are taken one step at a time with each symptom.
Once again, we thank you for your prayers. They have sustained us during frustrating times, scary moments, and your words of encouragement have kept our eyes and hearts focusing on the Lord. He has great plans for His children, plans we cannot even fathom!
We are at peace with our journey...we consider it a journey toward healing. As we wait upon Him for healing, we pray that we do not miss the blessings along the way.
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