In many ways we are really pleased to say goodbye to 2007. It's been a tough year for us as a family. From spring until the autumn O was ill and we were overwrought with worry and stress. Seeing your child in pain which you can't immediately take away with a kiss and a hug is a harrowing lesson in parenthood. At one point she could hardly walk and it still makes my eyes prickle to remember my active little girl sitting on the ground saying "Please chase me" because she couldn't keep up with the children around her. She went through days and days at 3 different hospitals, was examined, poked and prodded by an entire orthopediac team, had numerous blood tests, ultrasounds and x-rays and was heading for investigative surgery before we saw a wonderful pediatric rheumatologist who diagnosed her with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Throughout it all she was uncomplaining and did her best to hobble around and get on with things. Our amazing little girl, she was astonishing.
Once we got the diagnosis, she was treated quickly with steriod injections under general anaesthetic deep into her affected joints, and combined with physiotherapy, she has responded really well and you would not know she had been ill. The general anaesthetic was frightening for us, but again our little star was unfazed and an hour after her surgery was sitting up in bed, smiling, flirting with everyone and wolfing down a bowl of pasta. It's hard to say how the disease will run it's course, and she has to have check-ups every 3 months until she is 5 but at the moment she is doing so well and we feel so thankful for this. I still feel relief and so much happiness when I see her running, jumping, skipping and climbing. She has such a joy and excitement for life. I wish her never to lose that.
So the main things we are thankful for in 2007 are the wonderful team of physicians who have given her such great care, that her diagnosis is something which can be managed and she may grow out of in time and also that we had private healthcover. If we had to wait to see her rheumatologist as an NHS patient at Great Ormond Street she would still not have been treated as sadly his waiting list for surgery is over 6 months long.
And our main wish for 2008 is that she will continue to be healthy and happy. We love her so much.
3 comments:
Oh Lindsay, poor you and poor O, I can only imagine how hard that has been for you all. We can all easily forget how lucky we are but when those we know and friends have something happen, we remember to be doubly grateful. I too wish particularly hard for only good health in your part of the world this year and going forward.
Thanks for the well wishes for the babe's birthday as well - she is a cutie.
Thanks Victoria, it's been really tough but if you'd seen her racing around the playground today you'd never imagine it. The worse thing is the niggling worry that's always there in the back of my mind. Everytime she is out of sorts I think is this it, is it coming back again?
I wouldn't know how it feels to have a child in pain. I have seen my familys pain when my brother had cancer, and I know it's the sadest thing. With a New Year comes new hope and wishes. Good Luck with your baby she's very cute!
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