No Change is a Good Thing!

Luke had a check up with his rhuematologist a couple weeks ago. The good news is that he is doing well enough on just the methotrexate that we do not need to start infusions yet. Nothing was swollen and he has not had a flare in months. The next step in his treatment if he did have a flare up would be to start infusions of another drug. For this he would have to go to the hospital every other week for three hours and be hooked up to an IV. This is what we most want to avoid, so no change right now is a great thing! After the doctor examined him she told us that he had some weakening in his left leg muscles and wanted us to meet with the physical therapist (PT). The PT came in and did another exam and she also determined that Luke's left leg muscle was slightly smaller and tighter than his right leg. She went through six different exercises for us to do at home every day. These exercises work on his hip, thigh and knee muscles and should build back up the muscles as well as help with range-of-motion.
After we met with the PT, we headed off to have Luke's labs drawn. He has to have bloodwork done every six weeks to make sure that the methotrexate isn't damaging his liver. This is Luke's least favorite thing to do. The nurses at the lab are very kind, qiuck and get the vein on the first stick. We also request that Luke have a numbing cream on his arms beforehand so that helps to dull the pain. His labs all came back normal. We go back again in August and hopefully there will be no change then too!