Shots

It's been a few weeks since my last entry. We've been running around with checkups and things, but I think things are finally getting better.
Following Mike's sudden improvement a few weeks ago, things seemed to plateau a bit. The pressure and inflammation seemed to level out and the doctor said he thought it was time to proceed with methotrexate injections into the eyes. We agreed. Mike received an injection into the left eye and when the eye was re-checked a few days later, the pressure was down to 21 (basically normal) and the lymphocytes and inflammation appeared a lot better. The doctor said he was "as pleased as can be" with that eye. We were so relieved. Mike then agreed to get an injection in the other eye.
When they treated the right eye (the first eye treated over a week ago), they also drew fluid and we have not yet heard any biopsy results. We expect the results to be normal, just as the fluid drawn a few weeks ago was normal. Still, we hold our breath whenever any biopsy results are hanging out there.
Since the first eye injection, Mike says his vision has greatly improved. He calls it "HDTV." The second eye treated is also improving. We hope that eye is as impressive to the doctor when we see him again on December 3.
Obviously, we had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Miracle

I myself have never witnessed a miracle -- until Tuesday.
The past couple weeks have been hell. Truly. Mike and I were trying to remain hopeful, but inside we were each convinced that Mike's eye trouble had all the earmarks of a cancer recurrence. But we prayed, were prayed for, and we tried to listen to what God was speaking to us.
I will go in to a more detailed explanation of things later, but here is what I posted to everyone on Facebook on Tuesday evening following Mike's eye checkup that afternoon:

OK, very looooong story shortened..... For those who don't know, Mike's been having eye troubles lately (what we found out was a condition called uveitis). Two weeks ago when things really hit the fan, his eye pressure was triple the normal level. He went on VERY aggressive steroid drops which didn't help. They were worried about a cancer recurrence in the eye. Things weren't looking good (no pun intended). They drew fluid from the eye last week and the results came back negative for cancer, but that also meant they had no idea what was causing this and couldn't understand why treatment was having no effect. On Sunday at church, we got some very intense prayer. Yesterday morning, Mike's eyes were nearly back to normal. Today, at the followup with the world-renowned eye specialist we've been seeing, he came in and said he thought we should proceed with injections of methotrexate into the eyes in order to try to treat this condition. He then began to examine Mike's eyes. He paused and said, "Wait, things have changed here." He proceeded to say that the inflammation was down significantly and he instead recommended a "watch and wait" approach. I grilled him a bit about different things that might account for this change, and if it's "normal" for someone to not respond to eye treatments for nearly two weeks, then suddenly have a change. He couldn't explain it. But we could. This miracle wasn't just given to us for our sake, but for our families and friends. God does exist, and he cares.
Oh, and by the way, we also learned later today that Mike's bone marrow and spinal fluid are clear as well......

So there we have it. Next checkup on Monday morning.