The Clip-Date

I had hoped to wait a bit longer before posting again, yet here I am.  I'll be quite quick .  Andy had his annual DEXA scan on the 11th and today we got the results.  While he doesn't technically have osteoporosis, he is well outside of normal limits and has "significant bone density loss" compared to last year's baseline scan.  The steroids have done their damage, so now he is to begin regular osteoporosis medication with the hopes of slowing/preventing further loss.  His B-cell levels were checked and he still literally has none, so the Rituxan seems to be doing its job.  They'd originally estimated that he'd needed another infusion in March, but as his immune system is still suppressed, they are going to hold off for now and redo his blood work in May.   Next week he has an appointment with an optometrist to see about getting the long-awaited glasses!  He's at a low enough steroid level that the refractive power of his eyeballs should...

Since he dropped (his steroid level) to 10mg daily last month, Andy has done quite well; thankfully he hasn't seen any significant increase in symptoms.  Our fingers are still crossed, but so far, so good!  On February 1, he had a repeat set of MRIs and this morning we received great news: Brain:  He still has a few remaining lesions but they are similar in appearance to his previous scans and there are no new lesions detected. Cervical Spine:  There is still one decent-sized lesion, but it is less pronounced than in the last scan.   Thoracic Spine:  There continue to be some areas of demyelination there, but they, too, are less pronounced and decreased in size than on the last scans.  No new lesions are observed.  While we would obviously love clean scans, receiving news like this is very welcomed.  If you recall, before he started treatment, he was losing is ability to walk, see, and having a host of other difficulties.  When look...