Crazy days

Yesterday, I went back to the Rheumatologist. I definitely have Rheumatoid Arthritis... and so begins an aggressive treatment plan. The medicine I'll be taking can also be used in cancer treatments - it is that potent. The side effect risks are high and who knows how my body will react to it. It is immune-suppressing, so I had to get a flu shot and pneumonia shot and I'll have to stay away from sick people this winter. They also took 4 vials of blood (again) and did both hand and chest x-rays to have a baseline to compare to later. I will start on three medicines - one will be eased into as another is eased out of. The third is to combat the effects of the other two. I'll be taking two different supplements as well. I feel happy that we finally are progressing and will be treating this icky disease, but I'm also frustrated with the fact that I'll likely battle this the rest of my life. There is no cure. Only treatment. I just keep reminding myself that God is bigger than any disease and that I need to rely on Him for strength when I feel that I have none left.

Right after the boys went to bed last night and the moment I finished telling Tommie all about my doctor's appointment, the phone rang. It was my father-in-law (Tommie's dad). Linda (Tommie's mom) was taken to the ER yesterday afternoon where they discovered a brain aneurysm. (That news certainly made my problems look small.) They flew her via helicopter to a big city hospital and had a neurosurgeon standing by. Last night, they put a catheter into her brain to drain the blood/fluids that were pressuring her brain. That offered some relief, but not enough. Today, they are doing an angiogram to determine the next step and to see whether brain surgery will be required. She is in the neuro ICU and is stable, but serious. The results of the angiogram will tell us how severe this is and whether we need to head up there right away or not. It is kinda scary, but we know that she is in God's hands. As my father-in-law said this afternoon, if it's her time to go, at least we know where she'll be - with our Heavenly Father. I pray that the outcome is quick and positive. Hopefully, they are able to stop the flow and that she recovers in a few days with no lasting problems.

Crazy couple of days... I'm so grateful that God is in control, not me. Somehow, I don't think that I would do a very good job. :)