Celebrate!!!

Today was a banner day for Amy on campus. To try to explain it all would take the rest of the night, and I doubt anyone wants to read that much anyway. Let me just say that all of Amy's goals/hopes/dreams for the next school year came together in a HUGE way for her today! She was flying high when she called to tell me all that happened when she talked to professors & administrators at lunch. Things are looking up, and it brings tears to my eyes to see something good happen for her after all of the rough days she's smiled thru when she was really hurting. I'm sure her grin was from ear to ear. My mother-in-law said it well..."I firmly believe that it's all because of the many prayers being lifted up for Amy." And it's true! So many times God's very clear answer wasn't what we'd hoped for, but we trusted it was best. His plans are perfect whether we like them or not. Today it was so awesome to see his emphatic "YES" to Amy. Will things be perfect from here on out? Not likely. Will Amy's pain go away? Not unless He chooses it to be so. Will we continue to trust Him thru the days ahead? You bet!!
Many, many thanks to the incredible prayer warriors all over this planet who lift Amy up in prayer. My parent's church and their good friends ask about her every week without fail. We receive postcards and "thinking of you" cards from people we've never even met. Brian's parents and their church friends in AR pray for Amy regularly, as do my brother Tom's friends in Indiana. I know people in Alabama and Bloomington, IN and Golden, CO and Pueblo, CO and San Diego, CA who are praying for Amy. We even have awesome friends who are in Beijing right now who continue to pray for our girl. We love you all...we appreciate you so very much. Tonight you can smile along with Amy as we celebrate her day.

Little Miss Bethany

Tonight I heard some really touching words from little Miss Bethany..."hey mom, let's watch a movie!" And we did! I want to always be available when my almost 17 year old wants to hang out with her momma. These days will pass much too quickly and she'll be spreading her wings to fly. I love that girl so much. She's fun...she makes me laugh...she reminds me to lighten up...to think positive...to be 'in the moment.' She's a treasure.

Lots of silver linings!

We're finally home after a quick turnaround in Denver with Amy. So much good came from this trip, and Amy said we took care of about 75% of what she needed to get done for the weekend. So many things to be thankful for...how awesome that we had a wheelchair to take to her...that Brian was in town and had the time to go with me...that RA training didn't go as long yesterday. Amy met us at the door of her dorm on crutches and was barely able to hobble along. We loaded her up, fed her, bought groceries, got the office supplies she needed, kept her with us overnight, fed her again, helped her with door decorations for her floor, loaded the laundry card, did laundry, headed across campus to help cut out more decorations, got her a microwave, got her internet working, and fed her again. Whew! We accomplished so much in a short amount of time which would have taken her SO much longer if she'd done it by herself! She was able to stay off her feet, and by the time we left today she seemed to be doing much better. One more day of taking it easy and she should be in good shape for training on Monday morning. Although we could tell she was a bit homesick, she's holding up well and still has a smile on her face. We met several of the other RA's who all seemed pretty great. She already is enjoying new friendships on campus. One more week of RA training and then things can settle into a more "normal" routine again. BA was awesome...helped SO much without complaining one bit...drove us all over Denver...just enjoyed being with us. Now it'll be a quick turnaround for him as he heads off to California in the morning.

One really cool thing is that my older brother, Tom, was at mom & dad's when we got home. I didn't expect to see him until tomorrow evening, so that was an awesome surprise. Anytime I get to see any of my brothers is just fine with me...they're all really terrific guys and I'm quite blessed to know and love them.

Time to pack up BA and prepare for another week of unknowns. Seriously, I just never know what's going to happen next around here! One thing I DO know...God gives us the strength to make it thru each day even when we don't think we can keep going. HE is my rock!!

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."
2 Samuel 22:33

Ready to roll...

It's been a rough week for our chef. RA training has been really long hours and a couple of days she had to be on her feet a lot. She tried explaining to her boss what happens if she's on them for many hours, but I don't think he believed her. She finally asked me to engage by sending him an e-mail, which I did. Thankfully, I also copied a couple of other people on campus who needed to know what was going on. The lady from the disability office called me back and we talked for quite awhile about Amy's pain levels & physical challenges over the summer. Unfortunately, it wasn't soon enough to save Amy from 6 hours of picking up trash in a park yesterday. Brian and I got a phone call in the afternoon..."Will you please send my wheelchair up with Janis on Sunday?" We knew she was in trouble. So yesterday afternoon BA and I headed to Denver to get her out of the dorm for a night. We took her out to dinner at Olive Garden and let her spend the night in air conditioning, and I think that was just the boost she needed to get thru another week of training. She said with no consistent cell phone reception in her room, no internet access, and no A/C in her room it's been kind of rough and she was rather homesick. I hope she'll feel better when she wakes up. The wheelchair was a lifesaver and I'm so glad we decided to invest in one "just in case." My biggest concern is that her dorm isn't wheelchair accessible. I'm not sure how she's going to navigate getting to the laundry room and out the door to head across campus. She has to go down 2 steps once she leaves her room to even get to the front door. Hopefully there will be others around to help her out. We've done all we can for now, and she and the disability office will have to address those issues. For now, we're praying her boss will learn that she doesn't cry wolf...that she knows her limitations. Maybe in the future when she tells him she'll be in trouble if he asks her to do something that involves being on her feet for long periods of time, he'll believe her. She said he's really a nice guy. But he's probably never worked with someone who's disabled before. And really, how can anyone understand just what she's going thru unless they've been in her shoes? I just hope and pray that this episode doesn't last long and she'll be back up and "running" soon. By the way...when she expressed concern about trying to do an internship in the spring, Jean from the disability office volunteered to go with her to talk to whomever she interviews with to help explain her situation...same with talking to the career counseling office. It seems that Jean is an awesome advocate and will do everything she can to help Amy with some of these issues. Bless you, Jean!

If it isn't one thing....

I finally got to talk to Laura last night for about 2 minutes. She sounds really good, but it's clear she's one crazy busy RA. I think classes started today, so maybe things will settle into a routine for her soon. She said she's barely seen Ian this week; I'm sure that's been hard for both of them.
Amy called last night, too, and she sounds a little bit better. Finally she can breathe thru her nose again. Things seem to have moved into her chest, but at least she's hanging in there. Her dorm is insanely hot, so she had just taken a nice, cool shower and said that helped. She and Phil (her boyfriend, not her grandpa) were getting ready to head to the store to get a couple more fans for her room. I think the lack of organization in the RA training was frustrating her. They had 1 1/2 hours for lunch, and the meetings seemed redundant. The 4 RA's in her dorm were told yesterday afternoon that they had to fix breakfast for the team of 40 at 6:30 this morning, and they had to go out last night to buy ingredients. I got a text from her this morning that said the breakfast burritos were a hit, so that's good. Tomorrow they're doing a "team building" thing till 11pm. My guess is they'll go to a Rockies game. Amy explained to the head guy that her feet won't allow her to do some of the things he has planned, but he told her she'd be fine. He really has no clue. Amy doesn't think he's ever worked with anyone who's disabled before. He'll get an initiation if he tries to push her beyond her limits and has to carry her! If they go from 6am till 11pm, she'll pay for it big time the next few days. So my prayer today is that she'll be able to explain things to him that will make him sympathetic instead of frustrated with her...preferably in a timely manner. The last thing we need is for her to relapse before classes even start.
My back is slowly getting better after I pulled a muscle last Friday. I'm still moving kind of slow and not twisting as I bend. Each day is better but it's been rather frustrating. And today we woke up to Annie having issues, so I headed to the vet for more medicine. She's been up for about 6 hours and still won't eat. I can hear her tummy rumbling across the room. She just can't seem to get comfortable. As mom says, "Life is what happens when you're planning something else!" I guess I'll be staying close to home until she feels better. (I'm really just using her as my excuse...I sure don't feel much like being on the go anyway till my back is better.) Brian and Bethany are being very patient and supportive. That's a pretty good silver lining for the day!

And she's off...!

Amy officially moved into her dorm yesterday and she seemed quite happy to be back. Brian and I stayed around long enough to help her get most things unpacked. She'll have to figure out where it all goes, but the room actually looked pretty good by the time we left. Unfortunately, her allergies are getting the best of her and she's feeling pretty nasty. Hopefully with some meds and lots of kleenex she'll get things under control soon. Her boyfriend, Phil, helped us a bit but we had to glare at him when he mentioned that his dorm (which is right next door) has air conditioning. We were sweltering, so that comment didn't exactly make any bonus points for Phil!
The next 2 weeks will be RA (resident assistant) training for Amy. There could be some long hours ahead for her. I stressed how important it is to take care of her health, but she's at the mercy of the ones doing the training. I heard something about midnight tag. Hmmm. Meanwhile, Amy continues to wear her leg braces and she tucked the crutches into the corner of her tiny closet as a back-up if she has a rough day. Here's hoping she'll never need them!
It's been about 9 days since Laura went back to her campus. I have yet to hear her voice. She's also busy as an RA...one of the senior ones (this is her 3rd year to be one.) I suppose if she needed something we'd hear from her, so no news is good news, I guess. But dang, I miss that sweet voice!

Packing things up...

Well, our Amy is almost packed up and ready to head back to campus. She's sure everything will fit in the car. Me? Not so much. But we'll do our best and hopefully it will all go in. As we were packing yesterday, she commented that she needed her suit for one of her classes where they'll give presentations. Given the new leg braces and her difficulty wearing anything but athletic shoes, I asked what she planned to wear on her feet. "My Asics, of course!" she replied. Even though we both know her days of wearing "pretty shoes" are probably in the past, I still felt bad that she'd already accepted that she'd wear white athletic shoes with turquoise or purple stripes with her suit. So today we headed to Kohl's and found black Asics. (Thanks, Nana & Papa!) Ok, so they have aqua stripes...at least they're mostly black! I'm amazed at how well she's accepted her situation and is making the best of it. We've now purchased about 25 pairs of crazy knee socks to go with the leg braces...argyles, stripes, animal prints, etc. She's having fun with this instead of crying about it. So I guess for today the silver lining is that Amy is choosing to laugh instead of cry....once again. Yep, she's my hero!

His perfect plan...

I read a great quote today...

Christianity doesn’t deny the reality of suffering and evil...Our hope...is not based on the idea that we are going to be free of pain and suffering. Rather, it is based on the conviction that we will triumph over suffering.
Brennan Manning


Isn't that great? Our God never promised that a life of following Him would be without pain. But He DID promise to walk with us each step of the way as we journey thru trials and tribulations. If we no longer feel Him near, it's we who have pulled away. He'll never leave us or forsake us. I'm so thankful that Amy continues to walk WITH Him instead of away from Him. I'm thankful that when we cry out to Him, He hears our voice. And I'm thankful that His plan for our Amy is perfect...whether we understand it or not.

Looking up!

Things are looking good with our Amy this week. We don't know if it's the new leg braces or the new medication, but she seems to be bouncing around a bit easier. Today she went back to her old high school to talk to the cooking classes. She didn't wear her leg braces and seemed to do just fine. And now, at almost 7pm, she's still going strong. So things are looking up! Ahead for us this week is to get her packed up and ready to head back to campus on Saturday. It's going to get kind of quiet around here. We're continuing to pray that she'll do well physically once she's back. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of being back and we don't want her to forget that her health is a high priority. Thanks again for loving her thru. It just blows her away how many people ask about her and are praying her thru everything. Mom & Dad's friends at their church have been especially amazing, and we're so thankful for their love. Blessings everyone!

Making a fashion statement...

Sleep with angels, everyone...

It's been a good day...time to wind down. Sleep well, everyone!

Another round...

Finally took Amy to the PCM to have her ankle checked out. It was 2 weeks ago yesterday that it began hurting and swelling and became discolored. At one point we thought it was going away, but last night it looked pretty swollen and purple and was extremely sensitive to touch. Amy iced her feet/ankles all night, but this morning it was still hurting. The Dr thinks she has a "carpal tunnel" thing going on in her left ankle...she called it something else, but that's pretty much what it is. Not sure how it happened and not much to be done other than trying another nerve medicine. As Amy says, "oh boy...another pill!" She's being a trooper, considering.
On a good note, we finally got her Colorado handicapped placard for the car, so now when she's having a rough day we can park closer to things and she won't have to walk as far. That was long overdue, so we're quite happy about it. The "aircasts" are still helping and she picked out some pretty crazy knee socks to wear under them. That's my girl! Yesterday we were having lunch out and the waiter said, "hey, nice shin guards!" Amy told him they were leg braces and he felt pretty small until she smiled to let him know she's ok with them. He said that he hoped she got better soon, and Amy had to bite her tongue to keep from joking "unless the cancer kills me first!" Not sure he would have understood her crazy sense of humor. I'm glad she's able to joke around to put people at ease but that would have been rough! Today she joked about how she could become the first ever peg-legged chef. Hmmm. At any rate, she's in good spirits today and is hanging in there.
We've had Laura home for a few days, but she leaves tonight. Ian is taking the bus down from Denver so he can ride back with her. He's been amazing this summer with all she's had going on. It'll be great to see him even if it's a quick turnaround. If only I'd had time to get to the grocery since our Arizona trip! Looks like it's a Chinese take-out night. Will things ever settle down around here?

SURPRISE!!!!

What a whirlwind we've had for the past couple of days. By the time we got back from Arizona 2 of my brothers were at mom & dad's for a few days. We've been laughing and sharing stories...we rarely get to see each other and there was a lot to catch up on. Then last night when I was talking with mom (the others were downstairs playing ping-pong), my brother, Andy called. As we were on the phone with him, he walked in the front door and shocked all of us! He flew into DIA and drove down for a couple of hours to be with us. If only my brother, Tom, could have been here as well!! I haven't laughed so hard in ages...the guys have the quickest, funniest sense of humor and we were in stitches! It was hard to pull myself away when the evening was getting late. I think having most of the family together was good for all of us. Our lives are usually on such a fast track, and it was wonderful to slow down a bit and laugh.
At our house we have a busy few days coming up. Laura will head back to Denver tonight or tomorrow morning, move out of her downtown apartment, move back into the dorm, and start RA training at 5pm tomorrow. Bethany is going to a Rockies game with friends tomorrow night. Amy & I will begin packing her up; she heads back to school a week from tomorrow. But first she's returning to her former high school to give some cooking/knife skills demonstrations to the foods classes. And Brian has a new "baby"...a gorgeous bike which he's quite eager to ride. Lots going on, but that's nothing new!

Home sweet home!

We arrived home quite weary but glad we made the trip...even more glad that we pushed hard to get over halfway last night so the drive was shorter today. Amy's doing well so far with the leg braces. I know they must be uncomfortable and hot, but she's not complaining. By the end of the day her legs ache, though. Still, they do help her to walk easier and she seems to be ok with them.

It was so nice to pull into our driveway, and even nicer that mom had already fixed food for all of us so we didn't have to think about figuring something out. Two of my four brothers are visiting mom & dad...what a blast to see them! I get to see John several times a year, but I only see Joe about once every year or two. They're fabulous and I LOVE getting to see them! Needless to say, already we've shared some laughs and stories. It's been great!

Thanks again to all of you who have kept us in your prayers. Thanks to Cynthia for getting Bethany to school at 6:30am this week...thanks to Janis for zucchini bread for the road...to my parents for doggie day care and keeping track of things at home for us...to Liz for offering her help after being gone herself. Everyone has been awesome and we really feel so blessed and loved. Mostly I want to say a huge thank you to BA. He drove most of the way there and back...never complained...ate where we wanted to eat...dealt with my hotel mix-up with a smile...and was just amazing. What a guy!

Strange...

So, many of you thought I'd have an update earlier in the day from the Mayo Clinic, and I sat in the waiting room and typed it after we saw the ortho Dr. But for some reason, it didn't post...dang it! So the short version (since we've been up since 5:15 am...)the Dr didn't feel he could do anything to help Amy's pain but he seems to think the neuropathy will get a little bit better in time. It'll never go away...she'll always live with chronic pain. But he's hopeful it MIGHT get better. No promises. He gave her some new leg braces which look like soccer shin guards, and they help her walk a little bit easier. Instead of walking like she has cerebral palsy, she can walk more upright and doesn't have to hang onto my arm anymore unless it's been a really long day and she's been on her feet a lot. As for the mystery health issues, he really didn't say much about any of them since they weren't ortho related. So much for getting a team of Dr's for a comprehensive consultation! He did suggest new, thicker orthotics, so the ones we just bought are no longer ideal. But he wants us to wait and see how she does with the leg braces first. One very good thing that came out of this consultation is that he filled out paperwork so she can get a permanent handicapped tag for the car. He's amazed that she hasn't already had one. If the Arizona paperwork will transfer to Colorado, we're good. If not, we'll have to take it to our PCM so she can write for one in-state.
At one point, as he watched Amy walk down the hallway with the new braces, he turned to me and said, "you have a really amazing daughter!" Yeah, I already knew that. As a matter of fact, I have 3 amazing daughters! But I didn't want to brag too much, so I just smiled.
All in all, we spent about 2 hours with ortho today. At one point as the Dr was testing her feet to see where/what kind of pain she had, he apologized for making her hurt. She said, "do all you need to do, but that comes with a "kick warning!" And when he told her he wanted her to try leg braces she said, "I like making a fashion statement." Yeah, she really is amazing.
Thanks for the many prayers and good wishes. It's been a long few days, but we're glad we made the trip. The news is kind of bittersweet, but we're still confident it's all part of God's perfect plan. More to this update as I recall things when I'm not so fuzzy...remember the 5:15 wake-up call?!!!

Our (mis)adventures in Arizona...

In all of the hustle and bustle of getting ready to head to Arizona, I concentrated on packing, copying files, making arrangements for Bethany's schedule and Annie's "doggie day care." I figured there would be time to think about the Mayo Clinic details once we got here. Since I'd originally contacted the Scottsdale Mayo Clinic, I just assumed that's where Amy would be seen. Brian made our hotel accommodations accordingly. Last night I pulled out the paperwork they'd sent and realized we were being seen at the Phoenix campus...not Scottsdale! So all this time we thought we just had to zip across the parking lot, when in reality we had to get across town...by 6:30am! I started to get upset until I realized there wasn't much I could do about it. Might as well make the best of it. So we packed the car with most of our things, told the front desk we'd be checking out early today, and we settled in for a good night's sleep. Bright and early this morning we were on our way, and we even managed to get here early. When Amy checked in, they said we'd need an insurance pre-authorization and would we prefer to self-pay? Uh...NO! They finally determined we did NOT need to be pre-authorized, thankfully. (We'll see how it all plays out in the end.) After registration, we headed to Radiology where the x-ray machine promptly broke down! Finally, things were wrapped up and we headed to the cafeteria for breakfast...close and quick. And now we have almost an hour until our appt with the orthopedic physician.
For the past 2 days Amy has been walking without much trouble since she's basically spent most of the time sitting in the car. But yesterday afternoon we played in the pool, and by last night she could hardly walk. Today we had to get a wheelchair to take her from one building to the next...there's no way she could have walked it. It's pretty sad when you're happy that she's having trouble just so the Dr can see what her reality is. If I could take her pain on myself, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I feel like seeing an orthopedic dr is kind of unnecessary...what we really need is a pain mgmt one. But this is where they want to start, so we'll play it their way. I just hope and pray things fall into place for her to see everyone she needs to see this trip.

It was a hot, hot, hot, hot, hot day...

As we pulled into Scottsdale today I glanced at the temperature gauge to see 107 degrees! Yikes! Heat and I have never been good friends, but I tried my best to stay focused on the mission instead of wilting. In just the time it took us to eat lunch along the way, though, my sunglasses got too hot in the car to put on my face when we got back in. So one of the first things we did in Scottsdale (after getting frozen yogurt) was to buy a sun shade at the Toyota dealer for my car. We're now checked into the Marriott right next to the Mayo Clinic. Even though they're technically within walking distance from each other, we'll still probably take the shuttle just to avoid feeling gross before 7am. We have to be at registration at 6:30, radiology at 7:30, and the ortho Dr's office at 9:50. Sorry if I'm repeating myself. It's all kind of a blur. It's hard to not get our hopes up that they'll be able to do something for Amy. We're hopeful, but too many times we've been frustrated. The unknowns are hard. But we trust that things have fallen into place for a reason and we're meant to be here. Yet realistically, we know that at this time tomorrow we could be on our way back home, too.
We're looking forward to hearing from the "experts" about the things Amy has been dealing with. We're praying for a miracle! No matter what happens, we'll keep on praising God for His provision for our girl and for all of us. His plan for us is perfect!!!

Gallup, NM

It's been a smooth ride so far, and we finally pulled into Gallup, NM amidst a downpour. Not one of my favorite places, I have to say. But we're warm and safe and in for the night. Tomorrow is a shorter trip, thankfully. We want to get into Scottsdale early enough to check out the Mayo Clinic campus and figure out where we have to be at 6:30am on Tuesday. First stop is registration, then radiology, and we finally see the orthopedic Dr at 9:50.
Thanks again to everyone who's keeping things on track at home, and thanks to my sweet friend, Janis, for the homemade zucchini bread to nibble on in the car. Finding food/potty stops is challenging in the wide open stretches of NM, so we appreciate the gesture.
Sweet dreams!

And we're off!

So many things are falling into place for us as we prepare for our trip to the Mayo Clinic. Brian managed to fly home on Thursday evening and surprised us. He wasn't due until Friday night, so that bought an extra 24 hours for him to get some things done before we take off again. We have awesome friends/family who have stepped up to help with some of the details that need to be taken care of while we're away. Annie loves "doggie day care" at mom & dad's house, so that will be fun for her.

Amy has slowly been trying to do more and more each day, and yesterday she probably overdid it. She was on her feet a LOT...for the first time in days without crutches. Today she's paying for it. Her ankle is still dark and sensitive to touch and putting weight on it is hard. But soon we hope to have answers!!!!

Thank you SO much for continuing to pray for us. Despite everything, we still feel tremendously blessed and grateful. While this isn't the life we would have chosen for Amy, it's the hand we've been dealt and I'm constantly amazed at her positive outlook and grateful heart. She still laughs and sings and writes beautiful stories and loves to cook...none of that has been taken away from her.

On another note, Laura will finish up her internship in Denver on Tuesday and has had a fabulous time. Working for Kiewit has been an incredible opportunity for her! She'll be home for a few days this week with Bethany and then she'll move back to her campus to get ready for her senior year. Wedding plans are slowly coming along. Bethany started her junior year of high school this week which just astounds me. Between her volunteer work and homework, we probably won't see her much. She's constantly busy, but that's how she likes it. Too much down time bores her.

Well, keep checking back for updates. I'll try to stay on top of things while we're away. Thanks again for your prayers!

A waiting game...

Ever since last Thursday evening Amy's had a slightly discolored ankle...swollen and quite painful to touch. About the time I'm ready to call the Dr, however, it looks/feels a bit better. Last night it was the worst yet and my normally optimistic girl had a really tough time smiling thru it. She's certainly entitled to a "pity party" when she hurts, but rarely do we see one. When the smile doesn't quite reach her face, I know it's bad. Today Bethany had to take over the babysitting job Amy was committed to, and I might be calling the Dr, depending how things look/feel when she wakes up. Our doctor's office probably thinks we cry wolf, but if they only knew the strength Amy has during the tough stuff, they'd understand that we only call when desperation sets in. Perhaps it's time to find a new local Dr? Lots to think about. Right now it's a waiting game. We're quite eager to get to Scottsdale next week. This uncertainty is so hard.

The power of prayer!

I just talked to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, and they're able to get Amy in to see an orthopedic Dr a week from tomorrow!!! This is great! She'll have this week to get some things done before her new school year starts, next week for all the time they need at Mayos, and the following week is recovery time before she moves back into the dorm. We're not sure yet how we'll do this. It's a 13 1/2 hour drive from the Springs and Brian doesn't even get home from his travels until Friday night. But we'll make it work for sure.
There are so many awesome people praying for our girl, and it sure feels like a miracle that we're able to get her in so quickly. If they're able to help her in any way at all, that will be incredible! If they tell us everything has already been done and this is just how she'll be for the rest of her life, then we'll know we've exhausted our options unless another miracle is ahead down the road. Just to know one way or the other will be huge.
Stay tuned...I'll update things as we know more. And thanks again for your mighty prayers. Satan trembles when we pray!!!

Here we go again...

It's been a tough few days for our culinary girl. After getting a second antibiotic for a kidney infection (the first one didn't help at all), she finally began feeling better. So yesterday she and her dad took off for Heavenfest...sort of a Christian Rock version of Woodstock...up in Longmont. They signed up ages ago to be security volunteers which meant they did a LOT of walking/standing on uneven ground. As if that wasn't hard enough for Amy, she also discovered that her left ankle was discolored and hot and extremely painful. Several times throughout the day she iced her feet/ankles, but still she couldn't walk last night without a lot of help. Today the swelling and discoloration is somewhat diminished, but it's not entirely gone. It kind of goes right along with the CRPS diagnosis she received after the initial surgery on her feet in 2007. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/complex-regional-pain-syndrome/DS00265) In the past 3 years since that diagnosis she's seen 2 orthopedic surgeons, her PCM, 3 pain mgmt Dr's, a wound care Dr, a medical psychologist, a physical therapist, and a pedorthist (for orthotics.) Not one of the specialists she's seen has a handle on the complete diagnosis/treatment for the past 3 years. We've been passed around quite a bit. After watching Amy use crutches today (and a wheelchair at the grocery), Brian and I decided it's time to see a team at the Mayo Clinic if we're able to get her in. Fitting a trip in around her school schedule will be a challenge. She moves into her dorm on 21 August, so if we can't do it before then we'll try either her Thanksgiving or Christmas break. The hard part is that if she misses even 2 days of class, she has to withdraw. And she still has one class from last school year to make up that she missed after her lymph node surgery. It will take every bit of prayer and determination she has to make it thru each day.
Please keep Amy in your prayers. She still faces each day with a smile and isn't ready to call it quits. But her culinary dreams are changing as she tries to adapt to the pain she faces daily. Being able to finish her degree next May is the goal for now. She'll be a Resident Assistant this school year, also. We're not sure how she'll be able to do her internship next spring, but that's a bridge we'll just have to cross later.
We're trying really hard to help her find a silver lining in all of this. For now we're just clinging to the idea that while this does, indeed, suck, there are always people who have it so much worse. Amy can laugh and smile and walk (usually) and sing and do many other things that others can't. One day at a time for now...that's what we'll think about. Baby steps.