Ok, so I thought this was funny. I just got back from running errands, started dinner, and got on People Magazine's website. Well in the column on the side was an article about my second cousin! Obviously, we were never close as she grew up in Oklahoma. I did see her compete at the gymnastics World Championships when they had them in Indianapolis, but my contact with her was always through my grandparents giving our family updates on how her gymnastics career, etc.. was going. My sister and I used to practice gymnastics at home FOR HOURS in our Shannon Miller brand leotards (she had a catalog of gymnastics stuff). My grandparents did fly out to Oklahoma to attend her first wedding, and so my sister and I loved going through the 6 photo albums of pictures they brought back. Her wedding party was made up of all of our favorite gymnasts, so we were so jealous my grandparents got to attend! Haha, but anyways, they hadn't told me yet that she was prego too - so I found out new information today when I just randomly went to People Magazine's website! Maybe for once I can tell my grandparents something first! =)
Here's the article:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20275267,00.html
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Florida FUN!
So... a little over a month and a half ago I went to Florida with my sister, her husband Zach, and my niece Addie. Because of everything going on with Sam at the time (his first MRI, the one of his lower back was scheduled the week I was going to be gone), I wasn't going to go. BUT Sam insisted I should, b/c the reason for the trip was to go visit my dad, and my dad was going to be having a big back surgery a week and half after my visit. Also, it had been a few years since I had been to my dad's house to see him! My sister and her husband were driving, and being in my third trimester my doctor didn't want me to fly. So I tagged along with them on the trip, and really it honestly did take a LOT out of me, driving that far, 30 weeks pregnant! And on the way home, their SUV broke down and we were all SO TIRED. So I think we all agreed, when visiting dad it is best to fly! =) Also, while I was in Florida, Sam's dad came up here to Louisville to stay with him, and go to his MRI appointment, etc. They must have had a good time, because Sam's dad told me he thought he gained about 15 pounds during his visit =).
In the picture above, I was playing cheer coach with Steph and Zach =).
First thing Steph, Zach, and Addie did when we got to my dad's house was to jump in his pool! =) Addie loved the water.
My aunt and uncle had visited dad the week before, so they sent a fruit bouquet. Yah, we helped dad and Janie take care of it =).
Night swim - Addie trying out her dad's goggles...
So one of the days we were in Florida, we went to Orlando to visit my mom and Jack (they went to Disney World for Spring Break). Steph, Zach, and I got in free using Disney park hopper tickets from our family vacation in 1996!!! Anyways, we waited in line for Pooh Bear, and Addie was terrified, so we didn't wait to meet any of the other characters.
Addie on her first ride @ Animal Kingdom... the triceratops
One of two rides I could go on the whole day... the train that takes you from one side of the park to the other... lol
This was how Addie kept me company while everyone else went on a roller coaster.
Steph and I in front of some mountain
Addie and I
Steph and Zach
Jack and Mom
Rainforest Cafe... perfect meal since we were at Animal Kingdom
Then we went over to Epcot for dessert.. this is the singing amigo ride, the second ride I was allowed to go on! =)
The resort we stayed at for the night close to Disney.
Back at Dad's ... Addie with her first Easter basket
Trying out a peep...
I think she had a hard time smooshing it in =)
Dad, Janie and Rudy
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sam's blood tests...
CAME BACK NORMAL!!! We have really appreciated the support and prayers from family and friends about this! =) The doctor's office called to tell us around 5:00 p.m. yesterday (after being bothered with phone calls from me all afternoon wanting to know the results =)). So now the specialist has officially diagnosed Sam with multiple sclerosis. The nurse is calling us on Monday, to have Sam and I come in to learn how to give himself shots into his muscle. Sam will then have to get an MRI in three months and follow up with this doctor to see if his head scans are improving. So we are praying for a good reaction to this medicine! =).
Thanks so much for the prayers,
Brooke and Sam (and Brylee Reese =) )
Thanks so much for the prayers,
Brooke and Sam (and Brylee Reese =) )
Friday, April 17, 2009
I'm not going to click that button...
So yesterday afternoon was filled with me running around between different departments at the hospital to finally leave with about 5 pounds of film and a CD of Sam's brain scans. Before I had left to do this, I called the original neurologist's office (the one that called Sam with the news), to ask them to fax a copy of the report from the radiographer. Neither Sam or I had been given a copy to read, plus we will need it for our second opinion appointment.
Well, Sam calls me from work as I'm leaving the hospital, and he's like Brooke the doctor wasn't lying when he said this report wasn't good. Sam wanted to start telling me different things about the report. But I stopped him after he told me the first phrase he wanted to discuss, "there are many lesions on his brain, too numerous to count.."
Hmmm... yah, I didn't want to hear anymore. Sam forwarded me the report in an email, and I had about an hour before I had to tutor my client that I could have looked at the report. I even actually clicked on the report once and started to upload it to my screen. Nope, I cancelled the upload. I just had no desire to read a report that describes my husband's situation in dire terms, and him as a science project and not a person.
When I got done tutoring later, Sam was on the phone discussing the report with his father. I can tell the report brings him down, so I grabbed it from him, and said we are done with this report. There is no point to read anything that isn't positive, and as the second neurologist said...the radiographer was definitely very "excited." (Ok, so he didn't actually say "dramatic" like in my last post, but that's the context he used the term "excited" as). The neurologist didn't think we should get as "excited" as the radiographer about it, and the neurologist is the one that deals with MS patients. I'm sure it was a more "urgent or excitable" scan than the broken bones, and herniated discs the radiologist probably spends 90% of the time looking at. The radiologist also probably has to make it sound bad, or write anything that could possibly happen, just because of all the medical lawsuits that occur today.
But anyways, Sam and I did look at the brain scans of his head together... and I know I'm no specialist, but I didn't think his lesions looked "too numerous to count." Actually Sam and I didn't think his brain scans looked too bad at all, and hopefully this medicine helps reduce and stop the spread of the "white spots."
Last night before we fell asleep, Sam was like "Brooke I don't want my neurons to keep fighting with each other." Trust me cutie face... ME EITHER!
***We find out the results of the blood tests this afternoon... so say a prayer! =) And in the last post, I forgot to request prayers for our little girl too. I've been really trying not to worry about everything, and after I blog about it, I try not to talk about it anymore either (unless of course, Sam needs to). Because we in no way want this situation to cause any stress for our little Brylee Reese!***
Well, Sam calls me from work as I'm leaving the hospital, and he's like Brooke the doctor wasn't lying when he said this report wasn't good. Sam wanted to start telling me different things about the report. But I stopped him after he told me the first phrase he wanted to discuss, "there are many lesions on his brain, too numerous to count.."
Hmmm... yah, I didn't want to hear anymore. Sam forwarded me the report in an email, and I had about an hour before I had to tutor my client that I could have looked at the report. I even actually clicked on the report once and started to upload it to my screen. Nope, I cancelled the upload. I just had no desire to read a report that describes my husband's situation in dire terms, and him as a science project and not a person.
When I got done tutoring later, Sam was on the phone discussing the report with his father. I can tell the report brings him down, so I grabbed it from him, and said we are done with this report. There is no point to read anything that isn't positive, and as the second neurologist said...the radiographer was definitely very "excited." (Ok, so he didn't actually say "dramatic" like in my last post, but that's the context he used the term "excited" as). The neurologist didn't think we should get as "excited" as the radiographer about it, and the neurologist is the one that deals with MS patients. I'm sure it was a more "urgent or excitable" scan than the broken bones, and herniated discs the radiologist probably spends 90% of the time looking at. The radiologist also probably has to make it sound bad, or write anything that could possibly happen, just because of all the medical lawsuits that occur today.
But anyways, Sam and I did look at the brain scans of his head together... and I know I'm no specialist, but I didn't think his lesions looked "too numerous to count." Actually Sam and I didn't think his brain scans looked too bad at all, and hopefully this medicine helps reduce and stop the spread of the "white spots."
Last night before we fell asleep, Sam was like "Brooke I don't want my neurons to keep fighting with each other." Trust me cutie face... ME EITHER!
***We find out the results of the blood tests this afternoon... so say a prayer! =) And in the last post, I forgot to request prayers for our little girl too. I've been really trying not to worry about everything, and after I blog about it, I try not to talk about it anymore either (unless of course, Sam needs to). Because we in no way want this situation to cause any stress for our little Brylee Reese!***
Thursday, April 16, 2009
All you need is "faith the size of a mustard seed." - Matt. 17:20
Well, where do I start? This may be a rather lengthy blog, but it is time to update our friends and family on some of the things going on in our life. Sam and I have only told a select few family members about what has been going on, but as always, the more people praying, the better right?
First of all, I don't know how well everyone knows Sam, but he is the guy that NEVER admits when he isn't feeling well. He hates going to the doctor! So back at the end of September/early October he started coming home from work and telling me he felt like his legs had been going numb from time to time. Well, I immediately thought it might be something cardiovascular, but his blood pressure has always been fine. Also, things were so hectic with us just moving in August, finding out I was pregnant, and Sam being so busy at his new job.. that we just didn't have a lot of time to really think about it. Plus, the numbness wasn't happening that often.
Well, as time progressed, he started to talk to me more about his legs. At the beginning of January, he decided to join his work basketball league. That first Wednesday he played, he looked like a totally different player than I had seen when we were working out together for the wedding last summer. Two minutes into the game he would start to not be able to feel his legs at all, and would even fall down at various times while playing. He spent a lot of the game sitting out that night, and was really stressed on our way home. I was like we've got to go to the doctor, and Sam was thinking maybe this was all happening b/c he was out of shape. He played basketball two more weeks, and was falling down so hard he was bruising up his legs, and I was scared he would break a bone. While Sam and I noticed the coordination and lack of balance issue, we didn't think other people did. Well, the next day at work one of the engineer's asked him why he kept falling down at basketball last night...and that's when we knew this couldn't be just an "out of shape" issue.
So, I scheduled Sam's appointment with our General Practitioner and she made him an appt. for an MRI. Well, we get the MRI back, and her office calls and tells him he has degenerative disc disease. Sam calls to tell me (I was gone for a week in Florida visiting my dad, and Sam's dad Roy was visiting Sam in Louisville while I was gone), and we both thought there was no way he had that. Even with us playing Dr. Google on a simple internet search, it showed us the symptoms of degenerative disc disease did not fit what Sam was experiencing. He had no pain in his lower back!
I get back the next day from Florida, and call the doctor's office and tell them we want to take our MRI to a specialist. Well, the General Practitioner didn't want us to see a specialist, she wanted Sam to come in and talk to her about degenerative disc disease. I had to call three days in a row to finally get them to refer us, b/c we wanted a second opinion.
So now we have an appointment at a neurologist's office. We go and see him last Wednesday, and he evaluates Sam, looks at the MRI, and says his lower back looks like any normal 30 year olds. Degenerative disc disease is NOT the problem. The specialist seemed pretty confident that the problem might be in Sam's upper back (like a pinched nerve or something), and said he will have his office schedule us an MRI on Sam's upper back. If nothing shows up on the upper back MRI, then we would have to get an MRI of Sam's head and look at "more serious issues."
Well, his office had told us they would call us on Thursday or Friday to let us know when the MRI is scheduled for - but they never called. On Saturday Sam felt terrible and was experiencing some numbness in his face (which can also be the sign of a stroke). So I have Sam smile for me, and I could see nothing from the outside, but the inside of his face felt like his legs did 6 months ago. With everything piling up, I was just getting so concerned about him.
So this Monday morning I call the neurologist's office and tell them about my concerns. That my husband is having problems walking, his face went numb this weekend, and that we don't have time to keep waiting two weeks inbetween appointments and MRI's and that we need to figure this out SOON. Yes, I even played the "we're having a baby card" to see if it would help get them to speed things along, because it was just so frustrating b/c I felt like no one was taking us seriously! And I asked the secretary that with Sam's new symptoms was it possible for us to go ahead and do the head MRI at the same time as they do the upperback. Well, the girl on the phone said the neurologist was in surgery that day, so she wasn't sure if she would be able to get a hold of him, and that the earliest they could probably get us in for an MRI was one week. Well, she called me back at 11:00 a.m. that morning and said the doctor DID think Sam should have his head scanned as well as part of his spine, and that his MRI was scheduled for the next day (Tuesday)at 5:30 p.m. (Because of this change to an MRI of the head, they couldn't scan Sam's whole upper back anymore, b/c that would just be too much radiation for Sam to have at one time) I was so thankful, and I feel like this is one of the ways God got doors opened up for us and things moving! Because seriously, had we waited, it would have been another two weeks before we had the MRI, and then they would have seen nothing wrong with his upper back, and then we would have had to wait another two weeks for them to do his head... The whole process was just so frustrating!
Tuesday night we go to Sam's MRI, and it lasted around an hour and a half. He had to be injected with contrast, and received electric shocks during the first one. The whole thing was obviously not a fun experience for him. After his MRI he and I went out to eat, and the poor guy, I start crying at the restaurant...the whole thing was just very nervewracking, b/c honestly I was terrified they were going to tell us he had a brain tumor.
Well, yesterday morning my cell phone rings at 9:00 a.m. It's the neurologist's office. They ask me for a phone number they can reach Sam on immediately, and tell me that the neurologist wants to speak with Sam personally. I know that this is not a good sign, b/c every other time it's just been the nurse leaving a message with me. So I give them Sam's office number and call Sam to tell them they are calling him. I'm five seconds into my phone call with Sam and the neurologist is beeping in on his other line.
The neurologist tells Sam that the radiologist (the specialist that reads MRI's) called him at home at 9:00 last night (Sam and I had left the hospital at 8:00) to tell him about Sam's MRI results. He actually said that the good news is that Sam does not have a brain tumor and will not need surgery at this time, but the bad news was that they think Sam has "rapidly progressive multiple sclerosis." He said that Sam had a lot of spots on his brain and spinal cord. He asks Sam if he is local, and if he can refer him to a different type of neurologist to see that afternoon. Obviously the doctor seemed very serious during this phone call, there was no pleasant tone to his voice. Sam calls me and just tells me the doctor said he had MS, I was sooo relieved. I was so happy he didn't have a brain tumor, and that with MS, while there could be physical difficulties along the road, we could still have a long life together. Well, not so fast... Sam didn't tell me until he got home from work that the doctor said "rapidly progressive."
So we look up "rapidly progressive MS" and basically both of us had the scare of our lives. Apparently it's a very very rare disease that only .01% of people that get Multiple Sclerosis have. "Rapidly progressive MS" is described as malignant (aka cancer), and the person usually passes away within a few months of finding out.
Put yourselves in our shoes yesterday. Here we are, just nine months into our marriage, absolutely crazy about each other, the happiest either of us has ever been, and having the best time being husband and wife, our beautiful little girl is due next month, and we get news like this from Sam's specialist. When you say your wedding vows you think you'll be given 50 plus years to live together, not be given news like this nine months later.
So Sam and I decide to go to the doctor's office early. And my husband is by far the absolute, strongest man I know. I, of course, start crying on the way to the doctor's office. I was trying so hard not to, but it was just the most nervewracking few hours of my life. And our drive was just so normal, and I was just getting so sad, b/c it was like what if we don't get to ride like that in the car with each other for very much longer? I honestly didn't know how we would be able to handle if it was true and he really did have "rapidly progressive MS" and we were told he only had a few months to live. And poor Sam, he's the one going through all of this, but he just kept being his cute self on the drive and trying to make jokes so that I would smile and quit being sad before we get to the doctor's. The whole thing had us in such shock, that we didn't even tell parents before the appointment that the doctor had said "rapidly progressive." We just told them MS and that is it. Neither of us wanted to say it.
Well, we get to the doctor's office 40 minutes early (probably the first time we've been early for anything, ever). We finally get called back, and we're not taken to any type of examining room, he takes us straight to his office. He starts asking Sam questions about how he's feeling, symptoms he's had, going over his medical history, etc. I could tell Sam was really nervous and was just ready for the doctor to give us the news. But this guy keeps taking his time with us and getting all the details.
Then he takes us to an examination room, and checks some different things, and then finally tells Sam to get his clothes back on, and while he does that he's going to look at the MRI. So, Sam and I are like we finally get to know what's going on.
Well, the doctor basically tells us that he thinks the radiologist was being "dramatic" and that he thinks Sam does have Multiple Sclerosis, but he doesn't think it's the "rapidly progressive" multiple sclerosis. And ya know what? I know most people probably wouldn't want to ever be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but compared to "rapidly progressing" and a potential brain tumor situtaion... this was like the best news ever. Two people have probably not ever been so happy to be told news like that.
So anyways, the diagnosis isn't official YET. Sam had to give about 8 viles of blood so he could be tested for all of these other diseases we had never heard of...but if that comes back negative (which we will know by Friday afternoon). Then we can start treatment for multiple sclerosis (which involves a daily shot) and move on with/from this.
Some things to pray for:
1) We are getting a second opinion. We just feel like it would be a good idea, since we had a radiologist say it was progressive, and then this doctor said it wasn't. We just want to make 100% sure, and that we are told the same thing by two doctors that specialize in multiple sclerosis. So if everyone could pray it really is just regular MS and not "rapidly progressive" we would appreciate it. We feel really good about this doctor (I think he is pretty much the main doctor regarding MS in Louisville), and I'm sure he's right - but just to put our minds totally at ease we want what he said confirmed by another specialist =).
2) That the blood tests he took don't come back with anything. I don't know what all he was tested for, but we saw the sheet listing the diseases, and 99% of them I had never heard of.
3) And just that Sam remains positive and he responds well to the medication. I know that all of this is harder on him than he lets on (even to me), and I just hope that the first medication we are given, works and we don't have to try a bunch of different ones to have a fit for him!
I feel like with everything that Sam could possibly have, God has definitely blessed us in this situation. As far as normal MS, many many many people go on to live totally normal lives and just take their medication everyday and have no problems! Also, as far as it affecting our child, the doctor said it is not hereditary and that he would never tell a patient to let MS stop them from having more kids. There are a number of famous people that have MS, from professional baseball players, to Olympic gold medalists, to everyone's favorite talk show host (lol) Montel Williams. http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/famous.html So the doctor said as soon as we get Sam started on medicine, if his legs feel fine, he can play sports and do everything he was doing before these problems started.
As for the title, my mom quoted something from Matthew 17:20 to me this morning. And she's right... Jesus said all you have to have is faith the size of a mustard seed to move a mountain. And luckily, since our diagnosis yesterday was normal MS, we don't have to move a mountain, just a very small little hill =).
First of all, I don't know how well everyone knows Sam, but he is the guy that NEVER admits when he isn't feeling well. He hates going to the doctor! So back at the end of September/early October he started coming home from work and telling me he felt like his legs had been going numb from time to time. Well, I immediately thought it might be something cardiovascular, but his blood pressure has always been fine. Also, things were so hectic with us just moving in August, finding out I was pregnant, and Sam being so busy at his new job.. that we just didn't have a lot of time to really think about it. Plus, the numbness wasn't happening that often.
Well, as time progressed, he started to talk to me more about his legs. At the beginning of January, he decided to join his work basketball league. That first Wednesday he played, he looked like a totally different player than I had seen when we were working out together for the wedding last summer. Two minutes into the game he would start to not be able to feel his legs at all, and would even fall down at various times while playing. He spent a lot of the game sitting out that night, and was really stressed on our way home. I was like we've got to go to the doctor, and Sam was thinking maybe this was all happening b/c he was out of shape. He played basketball two more weeks, and was falling down so hard he was bruising up his legs, and I was scared he would break a bone. While Sam and I noticed the coordination and lack of balance issue, we didn't think other people did. Well, the next day at work one of the engineer's asked him why he kept falling down at basketball last night...and that's when we knew this couldn't be just an "out of shape" issue.
So, I scheduled Sam's appointment with our General Practitioner and she made him an appt. for an MRI. Well, we get the MRI back, and her office calls and tells him he has degenerative disc disease. Sam calls to tell me (I was gone for a week in Florida visiting my dad, and Sam's dad Roy was visiting Sam in Louisville while I was gone), and we both thought there was no way he had that. Even with us playing Dr. Google on a simple internet search, it showed us the symptoms of degenerative disc disease did not fit what Sam was experiencing. He had no pain in his lower back!
I get back the next day from Florida, and call the doctor's office and tell them we want to take our MRI to a specialist. Well, the General Practitioner didn't want us to see a specialist, she wanted Sam to come in and talk to her about degenerative disc disease. I had to call three days in a row to finally get them to refer us, b/c we wanted a second opinion.
So now we have an appointment at a neurologist's office. We go and see him last Wednesday, and he evaluates Sam, looks at the MRI, and says his lower back looks like any normal 30 year olds. Degenerative disc disease is NOT the problem. The specialist seemed pretty confident that the problem might be in Sam's upper back (like a pinched nerve or something), and said he will have his office schedule us an MRI on Sam's upper back. If nothing shows up on the upper back MRI, then we would have to get an MRI of Sam's head and look at "more serious issues."
Well, his office had told us they would call us on Thursday or Friday to let us know when the MRI is scheduled for - but they never called. On Saturday Sam felt terrible and was experiencing some numbness in his face (which can also be the sign of a stroke). So I have Sam smile for me, and I could see nothing from the outside, but the inside of his face felt like his legs did 6 months ago. With everything piling up, I was just getting so concerned about him.
So this Monday morning I call the neurologist's office and tell them about my concerns. That my husband is having problems walking, his face went numb this weekend, and that we don't have time to keep waiting two weeks inbetween appointments and MRI's and that we need to figure this out SOON. Yes, I even played the "we're having a baby card" to see if it would help get them to speed things along, because it was just so frustrating b/c I felt like no one was taking us seriously! And I asked the secretary that with Sam's new symptoms was it possible for us to go ahead and do the head MRI at the same time as they do the upperback. Well, the girl on the phone said the neurologist was in surgery that day, so she wasn't sure if she would be able to get a hold of him, and that the earliest they could probably get us in for an MRI was one week. Well, she called me back at 11:00 a.m. that morning and said the doctor DID think Sam should have his head scanned as well as part of his spine, and that his MRI was scheduled for the next day (Tuesday)at 5:30 p.m. (Because of this change to an MRI of the head, they couldn't scan Sam's whole upper back anymore, b/c that would just be too much radiation for Sam to have at one time) I was so thankful, and I feel like this is one of the ways God got doors opened up for us and things moving! Because seriously, had we waited, it would have been another two weeks before we had the MRI, and then they would have seen nothing wrong with his upper back, and then we would have had to wait another two weeks for them to do his head... The whole process was just so frustrating!
Tuesday night we go to Sam's MRI, and it lasted around an hour and a half. He had to be injected with contrast, and received electric shocks during the first one. The whole thing was obviously not a fun experience for him. After his MRI he and I went out to eat, and the poor guy, I start crying at the restaurant...the whole thing was just very nervewracking, b/c honestly I was terrified they were going to tell us he had a brain tumor.
Well, yesterday morning my cell phone rings at 9:00 a.m. It's the neurologist's office. They ask me for a phone number they can reach Sam on immediately, and tell me that the neurologist wants to speak with Sam personally. I know that this is not a good sign, b/c every other time it's just been the nurse leaving a message with me. So I give them Sam's office number and call Sam to tell them they are calling him. I'm five seconds into my phone call with Sam and the neurologist is beeping in on his other line.
The neurologist tells Sam that the radiologist (the specialist that reads MRI's) called him at home at 9:00 last night (Sam and I had left the hospital at 8:00) to tell him about Sam's MRI results. He actually said that the good news is that Sam does not have a brain tumor and will not need surgery at this time, but the bad news was that they think Sam has "rapidly progressive multiple sclerosis." He said that Sam had a lot of spots on his brain and spinal cord. He asks Sam if he is local, and if he can refer him to a different type of neurologist to see that afternoon. Obviously the doctor seemed very serious during this phone call, there was no pleasant tone to his voice. Sam calls me and just tells me the doctor said he had MS, I was sooo relieved. I was so happy he didn't have a brain tumor, and that with MS, while there could be physical difficulties along the road, we could still have a long life together. Well, not so fast... Sam didn't tell me until he got home from work that the doctor said "rapidly progressive."
So we look up "rapidly progressive MS" and basically both of us had the scare of our lives. Apparently it's a very very rare disease that only .01% of people that get Multiple Sclerosis have. "Rapidly progressive MS" is described as malignant (aka cancer), and the person usually passes away within a few months of finding out.
Put yourselves in our shoes yesterday. Here we are, just nine months into our marriage, absolutely crazy about each other, the happiest either of us has ever been, and having the best time being husband and wife, our beautiful little girl is due next month, and we get news like this from Sam's specialist. When you say your wedding vows you think you'll be given 50 plus years to live together, not be given news like this nine months later.
So Sam and I decide to go to the doctor's office early. And my husband is by far the absolute, strongest man I know. I, of course, start crying on the way to the doctor's office. I was trying so hard not to, but it was just the most nervewracking few hours of my life. And our drive was just so normal, and I was just getting so sad, b/c it was like what if we don't get to ride like that in the car with each other for very much longer? I honestly didn't know how we would be able to handle if it was true and he really did have "rapidly progressive MS" and we were told he only had a few months to live. And poor Sam, he's the one going through all of this, but he just kept being his cute self on the drive and trying to make jokes so that I would smile and quit being sad before we get to the doctor's. The whole thing had us in such shock, that we didn't even tell parents before the appointment that the doctor had said "rapidly progressive." We just told them MS and that is it. Neither of us wanted to say it.
Well, we get to the doctor's office 40 minutes early (probably the first time we've been early for anything, ever). We finally get called back, and we're not taken to any type of examining room, he takes us straight to his office. He starts asking Sam questions about how he's feeling, symptoms he's had, going over his medical history, etc. I could tell Sam was really nervous and was just ready for the doctor to give us the news. But this guy keeps taking his time with us and getting all the details.
Then he takes us to an examination room, and checks some different things, and then finally tells Sam to get his clothes back on, and while he does that he's going to look at the MRI. So, Sam and I are like we finally get to know what's going on.
Well, the doctor basically tells us that he thinks the radiologist was being "dramatic" and that he thinks Sam does have Multiple Sclerosis, but he doesn't think it's the "rapidly progressive" multiple sclerosis. And ya know what? I know most people probably wouldn't want to ever be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but compared to "rapidly progressing" and a potential brain tumor situtaion... this was like the best news ever. Two people have probably not ever been so happy to be told news like that.
So anyways, the diagnosis isn't official YET. Sam had to give about 8 viles of blood so he could be tested for all of these other diseases we had never heard of...but if that comes back negative (which we will know by Friday afternoon). Then we can start treatment for multiple sclerosis (which involves a daily shot) and move on with/from this.
Some things to pray for:
1) We are getting a second opinion. We just feel like it would be a good idea, since we had a radiologist say it was progressive, and then this doctor said it wasn't. We just want to make 100% sure, and that we are told the same thing by two doctors that specialize in multiple sclerosis. So if everyone could pray it really is just regular MS and not "rapidly progressive" we would appreciate it. We feel really good about this doctor (I think he is pretty much the main doctor regarding MS in Louisville), and I'm sure he's right - but just to put our minds totally at ease we want what he said confirmed by another specialist =).
2) That the blood tests he took don't come back with anything. I don't know what all he was tested for, but we saw the sheet listing the diseases, and 99% of them I had never heard of.
3) And just that Sam remains positive and he responds well to the medication. I know that all of this is harder on him than he lets on (even to me), and I just hope that the first medication we are given, works and we don't have to try a bunch of different ones to have a fit for him!
I feel like with everything that Sam could possibly have, God has definitely blessed us in this situation. As far as normal MS, many many many people go on to live totally normal lives and just take their medication everyday and have no problems! Also, as far as it affecting our child, the doctor said it is not hereditary and that he would never tell a patient to let MS stop them from having more kids. There are a number of famous people that have MS, from professional baseball players, to Olympic gold medalists, to everyone's favorite talk show host (lol) Montel Williams. http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/famous.html So the doctor said as soon as we get Sam started on medicine, if his legs feel fine, he can play sports and do everything he was doing before these problems started.
As for the title, my mom quoted something from Matthew 17:20 to me this morning. And she's right... Jesus said all you have to have is faith the size of a mustard seed to move a mountain. And luckily, since our diagnosis yesterday was normal MS, we don't have to move a mountain, just a very small little hill =).
Sunday, April 12, 2009
♥♥♥ Honeymoon LOVE ♥♥♥
Ok, so in honor of celebrating our first year of marriage anniversaries, today is Sam and my 9 months of marriage!!! Since on other anniversary blogs, I posted wedding pics, engagement pics, etc... now here are a few of our honeymoon photos!!! =) We had such a great time together on this trip, I can't believe it has already been nine months ago! We went to the Paradisus Palma Real in the Dominican Republic. Which, you do know you're in the Dominican Republic when you have security guards with clubs on your beach... but it was beautiful and we had a blast! First view we saw when we entered the lobby!
Sammy and I on our way to dinner that first night, me by the frog at the Royal Service pool.
The entrance to the Gabi beach restaurant
We were like the only ones not dressed up for dinner that first night... but we didn't get there until late afternoon b/c of our flight, and were kind of tired from traveling (we left Knoxville at like 5:40 a.m. that morning!) =)
Paddleboating in the ocean!
Honeymoon MWUAHS!
So, they had this spa treatment area, that Sam and I didn't realize you had to pay for, and just used our room keys to enter one day when we were exploring! =) The day we got our massages, they were like now you have access for 24 hours to the spa treatment area. We were just both thinking "We've been going in there from time to time all week!" Anyways, there was a lot of hydrotherapy stuff in there, that I think was supposed to relax you.. but we just played around with it. In this picture Sammy is walking on stones and water shoots out and gets hotter the farther you go through the tunnel.
This thing had different buckets that as you kept dumping water on your head, it would get hotter and hotter.
Sammy lounging in the middle of the hydropool =)
Snorkel time! We went snorkeling with SHARKS and stingrays. Lol, yes I was terrified =)
Trying to get a picture of ourselves during the snorkel! =)
One of the sharks we saw... it's hard to tell in the picture but it was 6 feet long!
Some exotic birds by the pool!
Looking out at my hot hubbie from our bali bed on the beach! =)
Pool and ocean behind me
Sammy with a monkey!!!
On our walk to dinner one night...Prom pose - lol
A large lizard... I think I am holding most of it! =)
Sammy trying to make it to the top of the igloo!
Ready to go eat again! =)
Swimming with the dolphins! This was probably my favorite =)
The dolphins doing a few jumps for us =)
On the little tiki bus to go to the dolphin swim.
Lounging on a hammock, while we wait for the bus to take us back to the resort!
Sammy got a LITTLE bit sun burnt!
The plane behind us at the airport... it was time to go =(
Friday, April 10, 2009
Our Little Girl's Ultrasound Pics =)
So I put up a blog about our 22 week appointment, well I guess it was 10 weeks ago now, and said I would follow up with a few of her ultrasound pictures. Well here they are - FINALLY! =) I'm kind of like an obsessed mom, b/c even though some people think ultrasound pics look like ink blots, I get them out from time to time, and have to stare at them - and they seriously sometimes almost make me tear up! Which part of that could be that I'm in my third trimester, so I feel myself getting emotional whenever I see a little baby right now. But these pictures are just like a little window into my belly, and I always wonder everyday, "What and how is she doing in there?" =) She kept stretching her little legs out, she probably doesn't have quite that much room now =)
One of our 3D or 4D shots... we couldn't get a picture of just her head, b/c she kept putting her little hand up there =)
2 little feet! =)
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