back to reality

I know, I know; take me outback and tar and feather me. It's been a looong time since I have updated this, and I know you have been waiting with baited breath to know what the heck is going on with the Durkees! Rest assured I haven't forgotten you; I just lost track of time. Summer, you see, is blissful. I have been tutoring, reconnecting with friends, planning future times with friends, training and completing a sprint triathlon, vacationing at the beach, spending time with family . . . . ahhhhh, good old summer. Monday I have a teachers' inservice day and the kids come Wednesday. Yes, Wednesday. So it's back to reality and back to blogging and back to fighting this illness with a new direction. Mike has been weaned off of the Prednisone, the med that has been addressing his endocrine issues. Prednisone has a lot of side effects especially with long term use. As he weaned off of the Prednisone, he was put back on Cortef, a med he was on to address the endocrine issues. Unfortunately, Mike feels better on the Prednisone. He had an MRI of his pituitary (part of the endocrine system that sits in your brain) and since the surgery last summer, the pituitary has not grown or changed shape. This is a good thing. Mike's endocrine levels, however, are low. When switching to the Cortef, hormone levels decreased, headaches increased and in the last few weeks Mike has had 2 new symptoms - joint point in his whole body and significant swelling of the ankles. You'd think he were 8 months prego! I digress. At this point, doctors are in disagreement as to whether Mike has this autoimmune disease that is attacking his endocrine system. He has many of the symptoms and his primary dr in Cincinnati has talked with us about treating Mike with a med that often helps with this disease. Because there aren't many risks associated with this medication, we have decided to go ahead with it. Mike will have blood levels checked and then he will start this new chemo drug. This should be in the next week. We are cautiously hopeful this will help Mike feel better and put this disease in "remission" for lack of a better word. Our prayer requests are specific. 1)minimal side effects from the medication; 2) that it works. Thank you to all of you who continue to pray, believe, hope and fight with us. Your longsuffering means more to us than you know.