Finally-Updating Our Blog ;) Eyes, Eyes, Eyes

Thursday, September 3, 2009
9:40am Bri has a follow up with her eye Dr to make sure her eyes do not have any swelling in them. I am so thankful that she has had no flare ups, no swollen joints, her toes, fingers, elbows, knees, wrists, ankles all look AMAZING!!! She runs, jumps, and plays with no limitations:). So at today's appointment, the Dr does his usual "follow the light" w/ Bri-but this time she is not afraid to rest her chin on the "eye machine" (I have no clue what it is called:)) and look into it for the Dr. She held real still and was such a great girl! He looked at both eyes really studying them...and said he saw that her left eye had a little bit of swelling, not so little to ignore, but enough to really pay attention to! Oh no, in my mind I was just screaming saying NO Please...not the eyes!!!! But he reassured me that it is just a slight inflammation, and so far her right eye shows no sign of any inflammation. But with the left he wanted to treat it asap, so she has steroidal eye drops which are to be given every 2 hours while she is awake! I thought "oh wow, every 2 hours, I sure hope she doesn't mind getting eye drops then" I know I don't like them:). Now we have to see the eye Dr every 2 weeks for quite awhile to make sure the eyes are kept under control. She is already on Naproxen twice a day, folic acid, and Methotrexate injections once a week. That's a whole other story about the injections! So we get the prescription filled and Bri and I are at home and I had her hold her blanket and put her head on her pillow I hold her left eye open, and in one drop goes! WOW! No problem! She didn't even budge! So brave, wow...thank GOD!! So I am now trying to read up on Uveitis! Below is some info I found...but her Dr said that with her being on Methotrexate (which her Rheumatologist uped her dosage...so again we have to watch for hair loss, mouth soars, liver damage by doing monthly blood work) that we can keep this under control! I am praying that he is right!!!!!! So please as you say your prayers...pray for Bri!

Uveitis Facts and Figures (from uveitis.org)
• Destructive inflammatory diseases of the eye such as uveitis are the third leading
cause of preventable blindness in developed countries.
• Each year uveitis affects more than 280,000 people and is the cause of 30,000
new cases of blindness in the United States. Historically, uveitis was considered
a single disease entity; however, we now know that uveitis can be caused by
autoimmune disorders, infections, malignancy, and exposure to toxins. There are
approximately 85 causes of uveitis, although despite huge advances in current
diagnostic techniques, 35-50% remain in the idiopathic category or unknown cause.
• Because the treatment and prognosis of various uveitic entities varies greatly,
accurate diagnosis is imperative.
• The mean age of onset is 30.7 years (+/-15) and 5% to 10% of the cases occur in
children under the age of 16. Uveitis in children blinds a larger percentage of those
affected than in adults.

Being literally crippled from the joint disease – or suffering the side effects of the meds that keep Bri from being crippled is hard enough. Tack on your sight being taken away, and it just makes life so much worse.