October 19, 2010

It has been awhile since I updated so here we go:

Sadie had a cast put on her right ankle by Dr. M (surgeon) the end of September. The point of the cast was to see what immobilizing her ankle would do – would it help the pain? Not help the pain? Sadie was to give it at least 1 week to adjust to wearing it before we reported back. 1 week went by and the pain was worse than when it was off and it was very hard for Sadie to discern of the pain was the same pain as before just worse, or different. She was pretty sure it was a different pain as the cast was really heavy and dependant on the way she held her foot would depend on where extra pressure was being applied. So, long story short, just shy of week 2 the cast came off. AT this point we have no plans to see Dr. M – the plan is to let Sadie drive this… when she is fed up with the pain, she will let us know and we will try re-casting one more time with the knowledge that it might be 1+ month of non-weight baring.

Since the last update Sadie has had another round of Remicade and she saw Dr. W (rheumatologist) and there was some very good news. It appears that there is no active arthritis anywhere (expect the right ankle which we know treat as its own problem). Sadie had x-ray’s done of her hips to confirm this as she has some limited range of motion, but could be due to very tight hamstrings. That said, Sadie will continue Remicade treatment (which seems to be the right medication for her) and we will finally (after years) start slowly reducing her prednisone.

She is due for her next Remicade next week (um... today - wrote this last week) and will not return to rheumatology until the end of December. Sadie continues to have pain in her right ankle and we treat that as it comes, but we have learned some valuable information about what works and doesn’t and continue to pray that her ankle is healed along with the rest of her body.

On another topic…. This year Sadie has decided to take more active role in getting Jingle Bell participation. Take a moment to read what she has put together:

Join My Team Sadie’s Stars

The Jingle Bell Run is a fun way to start of the holidays with friends, family, and co-workers. This fun filled 5K Run/Walk raises funds to fight the nation’s number one cause of disability, arthritis. So get in the spirit this holiday season and join my team Sadie’s Stars to have fun while helping find a cure for arthritis.

Arthritis is a medical condition characterized by inflammation of the joints, which results in pain and difficulty moving. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic (long-standing) joint disease that damages the joints of the body. The damage is caused by inflammation of the joint lining tissue. Inflammation is normally a response by the body's immune system to "assaults" such as infections, wounds, and foreign objects. In rheumatoid arthritis, the inflammation is misdirected to attack the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is often referred to as RA. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. This means that the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the tissues it is supposed to protect.

I live with this autoimmune disease every day. This means my joints, particularly my right ankle, causes pain every day. This is why I don’t run as fast, can’t walk as far, play sports, and other things that will cause more unwanted pain. I do this walk every year to help support the researchers who are working to find a cure with the money we raise. So I do this for myself, the other 46 million people living with arthritis, and for the next generation. Because if we find a cure tomorrow or even in thirty years it will not only benefit this generation but also the next.

This year Jingle Bell run/walk is celebrating its 26th year of family fun, holiday tradition and raising funds to prevent, control and cure arthritis. This year the event takes place on 12.12.10. This walk starts at Westlake Center in Seattle. The last day to register for just $25 is October 31. On November 1 the registration fee will increase to $30, and will remain at $30 until event day.

My goal is to raise $5,000 dollars this year, but to get to this goal I am going to need your help. Please join me and help support a cure for arthritis. To register logon to http://www.seattlejinglebellrun.org/ and click the “Register” button on the left side of the page. Then read the wavier and click “I Agree”. To join my team the “Sadie’s Stars” click “Join a Team” and then enter in the search box the team name “Sadie’s Stars”. After you will see in blue in the select a team box my team name highlighted in blue. Under the action section click “Join Team”. Then you fill out the form shown with all the necessary information needed for you to participate in the spaces provided. Even if you cannot participate you can show your support by donating to our team. You can do this on the same website as registration under “Donate to a Team”. Thank you for all your support. I hope you will join us this year at the Jingle Bell run/walk!!!!!

~Sadie

Blog readers: you can click the link on the right side of the page and it will take you directly to Sadie's site.