SARAH'S JOURNEY : I WISH YOU COULD COME HOME MOMMY

        I know that it's been awhile since I've updated you all on Sarah's journey and it's for a good reason.  You see, every time I begin to write an updated blog with Sarah's condition something is changing within the split of a second.  Rather than posting a roller coaster full of false worrying and a play by play I think it's most suitable to let time run it's course. 

          Since my last update Sarah has made several hospital visits.  All throughout her battle with Crohn's Disease Sarah has been going to local hospitals and Doctors because it's most convenient for her as far as transportation goes. It's very frustrating because when she has a flare up all that they do is pump her full of fluids to hydrate her, prescribe her another steroid/antibiotic, and send her home.  She is okay for a few days, but as soon as she tries to eat just about anything she is back to square one.  Her latest flare up occurred around Thanksgiving.  She became severely dehydrated and unable to keep food down, like usual.  On top of that she developed a UTI that's caused from some of the medications she is required to take. Her family finally had enough of the waiting game so they made the decision to take her to the Cleveland Clinic in hopes that she could receive better treatment. 

Sarah during her stay at the Cleveland Clinic.  If you know Sarah then you will know how much weight she's lost just by looking at this picture she took.
 

     
            Unfortunately, I was unable to be by Sarah's side for this hospital stay because of the distance.  Sarah is literally withering away before our eyes. When she last stepped onto the scale she weighed in the 130lbs range, which is close to 100lbs lost within the past 7 months.  This is what led her family to the decision to take her elsewhere for the time being.   Not only is this extremely hard on Sarah, but her family/friends who were unable to visit her regularly, her 4 year old son who misses his mommy dearly when she has to leave, and her Mother who is doing a hell of a job emotionally supporting Sarah and caring for her son while she is in and out of the hospital.  It broke my heart into a million pieces when Sarah told me what her son said when they spoke over the phone. 


The most recent picture of Sarah after she lost all of her weight
from her battle with Crohn's Disease.

Before Sarah's most recent weight loss back in
August.

 

















                 " I wish you could come home mommy "...  If that doesn't tug at your heart strings then I don't know what will.  Children are so much smarter than we give them credit for.  He may not understand all of the details, but he definitely knows that his mommy is sick.  So, pretty please with sugar on top;  While continuing to pray for Sarah please include prayers for this young boy and all of Sarah's family.  I know that we don't intentionally neglect their feelings and emotions, but this whole journey is just as difficult on them as it is for Sarah.  They may not feel what she does, but it's definitely effecting them just as much, but in a different way. 

               I originally began writing this specific update when she was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic, but I held off on posting due to all of the random decisions being made by her team of Doctors.  She was put on a diet of strictly liquids and once she was hydrated enough they began letting her have solid foods again. We expected Sarah to have a longer stay at the hospital, but to our surprise she was discharged after just a few days.  I'm happy to say that my best friend has been doing extremely well for the past week.  She's been put on a steroid that has been helping tremendously and she's been able to resume some of her normal daily routine and mommy duties again. This steroid is by no means meant to permanently replace her Crohn's medication.  As I've mentioned before she is unable to take the Humira because it can negatively interact with her upcoming surgery and radiation to remove her thyroid cancer. Once that part of her journey is complete she will be able to resume it again.  I want everybody to realize that these are 2 completely different medical conditions that are not caused by one another.  Sarah was unfortunately, dealt a bad hand of cards though I fully believe that both your prayers and the Cleveland Clinic combined are what have drastically improved her health within the past week. I want everyone to also understand that her condition can drastically change at any time, especially since she is unable to take the medicine that is specifically designed to prevent flare ups in her colon due to her Crohn's Disease. 

                 We're taking it one day at a time because that is all that we can do.  In just 10 days Sarah will go into surgery to have her thyroid removed and while she is happy to be feeling much better the stress and worry of her upcoming surgery is beginning to overshadow that. I will update you all when I feel that it is appropriate.  Right now we are in the process of planning a day to bake holiday treats before her surgery.  This is something she looks forward to doing every year and because she is unsure of how she is going to adjust after the procedure we want to do it before hand.  I thank each and every one of you for your kind words, prayers, and concern.