Patience and Wisdom

Hi Friends and Family,

Tonight we are praying specifically for patience (for Michelle especially) and wisdom for the doctors.

Michelle has experienced an increase in pain this past week (as I think I mentioned before) as well as increased headaches. She contacted the immunologists late last week - one doctor recommended going back on to steroids for another 3 months as she felt this was a "flare-up". The other immunologist (in the same clinic) is recommending that we wait another week and re-assess. He said Michelle's "muscles had a big injury so he's not surprised that she hurts all over". Therefore, he increased Michelle's pain meds as he (and we) want to keep Michelle off steroids if possible as she's already been taking them for 2 months. She is still taking the methotrexate for at least another 6 months as well.

Michelle mentions that the pain she is experiencing now is a different kind of pain than before, in that "the muscles feel like they've all been pulled, not the burning pain she originally had." Also, her headache has improved somewhat, although we don't know if that was related to steroid withdrawal or if the pain meds are having some affect on that too. Regardless, it's been a rather difficult week for Michelle.

So, we try (and pray) to wait patiently on the Lord asking Him for wisdom re: the course of treatment/action we are to follow and that the doctors can effectively diagnose the cause of this new pain. We give praise too that the results of the abnormal mammography/BSGI all came back negative! Even though that wasn't the biggest concern for us, it's good to be able to close that window. More to come later this week... We thank God for each and all of you standing in the gap for us in thoughts and prayers! Thank you!

Jack (Michelle, Julia, and Jaclyn)