A CRPS Update and Some Super Cute Little Dancers

My girls absolutely love to dance, which just makes my heart so happy.  One of their favorite things has always been to have dance classes at home.  This has been extra special to me since I started being able to move enough again in the last few weeks to actually demonstrate a little bit for them.

Multi-functional crutches:  So many supportive uses...

Today, in spite of a not-so-fun stomach bug that we picked up (It's not every day that you get thrown up on by two kids at the same time!  You're welcome...), we had ballet, tap, and gymnastics classes, complete with multiple wardrobe changes and a miniature performance of Ava's favorite, Swan Lake. 

Thank you so much for all of your continued prayers for my health and for our family on this journey--God is faithful and so good.  It's been a while since I've given you a CRPS update, so, here it is! 

This past month has come with incredible improvements--Praise God! After having four nerve blocks and only a couple of weeks of relief, we began a different (and far less risky) treatment in early February.  It's called Clonidine--it's a patch that sticks to my leg and releases constant medication.  It works primarily by lowering my blood pressure (which they were concerned about initially, because my blood pressure is naturally very low, but it hasn't negatively affected me at this point), to pull the blood vessels away from my nerves.  

Within 24 hours of beginning this treatment, I was walking without crutches.  It was AMAZING!  

Tap-dancing on a carpet may be counter-intuitive, but they certainly don't care...

Since the start of the Clonidine, I've had several really great weeks.  I've felt like a completely different person.  I've been able to walk up and down stairs a few times a day, stand for long periods of time, and I even made it all the way through Wegman's without crutches last week!  We're definitely not out of the woods, and a few of these last weeks have been a bit more challenging and painful than others (this week, in particular, has been a tough one).  But, overall, I'm improving by leaps and bounds, compared to where I was five months ago.  We're still praying for remission, and I'm working hard at physical therapy to build my strength back up.  And, God continues to be my strength for each day, no matter how my body is doing.  

If you'll excuse me, I have a couple of tiny adorable dancers to attend to...