medical update.

I've had quite a few people asking for updates on the latest medical drama in our home so I thought I'd just post a note about it rather than several status updates.  ;)

After months of increasing problems it appears that eliminating the common chemicals I am allergic to has finally begun to make a difference.  My enlarged lymph nodes are finally decreasing and some even seem to have gone away.  Better yet, I haven't developed any new  symptoms, which is more than I could say for several months in a row.   Maybe we really did figure the bizareness out and maybe, just maybe, I really can go back on a diet and lose this way for real and safely.  :)  The one sad thing is that I have found that I can't wear many of my pairs of earrings anymore.  The holes they go in just start itching and driving me crazy.  This really is sad.  I love my earrings.

We have been trying to figure out the cause of frequent migraines W has been having.  I had assumed it was due to allergies for a long time.  However, increasing allergy regimens didn't seem to help and his nose was so constantly congested even with treatment that the doctor sent us for allergy testing.  I was shocked to find out that he was negative for everything (especially after learning I am allergic to nearly everything).  The pediatrician and a neurologist both confirmed he has been having migraines, rather than just headaches.  Thinking perhaps it was still related to his nasal congestion, I took him to my ENT.  He has been having dizziness frequently with these headaches and complaining of his head feeling 'funny.'  So I also thought it would be good to rule out any vertigo issues I and my grandpa have.  Anyway, the allergist and his pulmonologist both sent him for a CT of his sinuses and chest xray.  The chest xray looked fine (yay) and I reviewed the CT with the ENT just yesterday.  He does have some narrowing and possible sinus disease.  His turbinates (if you know what those are) are really rather large.  He has what may be a cyst or what may also just be sign of infection in one side as well.  However, the ENT doesn't think these are enough to warrant the kind of headaches he has been having.  Thankfully, adding a nasal antihistamine (to treat non-allergic rhinitis) in addition to his nasal steroid has really helped his being able to breathe through his nose.  The ENT is inclined to wait until the neurologist deems it necessary to do anything about his sinuses, after ruling other things out.  He had an EEG today to rule out seizures being a cause of the dizziness and 'funny' feeling (he sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night with it).  He did great for it...holding still and falling asleep just like he was supposed to so it was a relief he didn't need to be sedated.  He will, unfortunately, have to be sedated for his MRI at the end of the month though.  After seeing how nervous he was about staying still for the CT though I was glad they were going to sedate for the MRI.  We won't get any results on the EEG or MRI until the middle of May unfortunately as that is when he has his follow-up so that they could go over both together.  I do like his doctor, which was more than I could say about my pediatric neurologist.  He has really excellent credentials too so I have high hopes.  It's a bit of a pain but I'm glad they are anxious to be super thorough.  Billy's family has a history of migraines.  I was technically diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager.  My dad had an AVM.  I have a brother with a tumor on his optic nerve.  And then of course there is my mom and her brain aneurysm.  Soooo yeah.... happy to be thorough. :)

Then there is K2.  He had an endoscopy and colonoscopy last week.  He is doing well.  They showed that his reflux medicine is adequately treating him so that is good.  The doctor couldn't find the polyps that we had seen.  This is a good thing in that polyps would've been really rare, likely bad, and certain regular checkups for the rest of his life.  It's a bad thing in that if it wasn't polyps it was a rectal prolapse (or a miracle happened and it was polyps and they went away on their own- something I'm not discounting).  The doctor wants us to keep an eye out for it happening again and to watch his weight closely.  His concern is that it could be an early sign of cystic fibrosis, something a cousin of mine had.  Like I said, we will just watch and monitor him.  Hopefully he will just improve and improve and all this will go away on its own.  :)  He has tested positive for allergies to milk, eggs, and wheat but they are only minor allergies so we don't have to do much.  More like irritants.  I have just tried to cut back on those in his diet where I can and be aware that he may have issues if he has a lot. 

So there you have it. That's the general update for the time being.  I'm grateful I was blessed with a desire to learn about medical things from a very early age.  Reading medical texts has served me well. :)