Wednesday, July 2, 2014

"Uveitis" - the disease that does not go away quietly...

Lucianna and Bella - June 29, 2014
Dear Friends and Family,

Today, Lucianna had her routine check-up.  (She was inflammation free as of April, the first time in 575 days.)  That said,  I expected to get some not-so-good news today as Lucianna had been complaining of eye pain for about a week.  Some doctors say the disease is a-symptomatic, but that is not the case for us.  Lucianna does complain when she has a flare, she just does. "Coincidence", not in my opinion.  She has inflammation in the left eye, 5 or less cells which is considered, "trace" on the grading scale.  Trace is certainly not a terrible diagnosis, but any inflammation in her eyes will cause damage.  Her doctor wants to increase her Methotrexate drug dose to .8 mls, and wants her on steroid drops twice a day.  We know that untreated inflammation can cause a cataract, but so does the prolonged use of these steroid drops.  Lucianna already has a cataract in her left eye.   We asked the doctor if we could try the increase in the MTX first and see how she responds.  The doctor agreed to let us forego drops for right now as long as we get a re-check in 4 weeks, so that's what we'll do.  We don't want her cataract to worsen or for her to get another one, and really don't want her to face cataract surgery any time soon, so we are going to place all bets on Methotrexate.

On a happier note, we settled on our new home last Friday.  We are still unpacking boxes but we are already feeling the benefits of a closer work commute.  The girls love their new rooms and it's nice to have Daddy around more often!

Thank you for your well wishes, please keep Lucianna in your thoughts and we will send an update in 4 weeks.

Love,
Lucianna's proud Mama.