It’s the summer solstice…already!? Well then, here’s the latest updates from the Potter5.
Caution to the Wind?
Almost. We let you know last week that we were at the Mayo clinic for our second round of appointments with the specialists there. They went well and like the first time, we did end up there overnight, which was a good/God-thing.
This time around we saw an Immunologist regarding Bethany’s rashes and she ruled out some of the possibilities that we came across in our own research as well as educated us a bit about what exactly might and might not be happening to Bethany. Overall, she wasn’t able to give us any indicator of what was going on, except she insisted that a biopsy of tissue when Bethany is breaking out, would be key to moving forward. While we were disappointed to have some strong possible candidates as far as diagnosis’ went, we were reminded by God that this journey would be a journey and not a short 5k where we quickly sprint to restored health.
With that done, we amazingly were able to get the authorization and space in the sleep center for Bethany to take a sleep test. So she wired up and slept under close observation for the night and we consulted with the physician the next morning. He was thankfully able to rule out sleep apnea as the cause of Bethany’s pervasive fatigue throughout this journey. The sleep issues are likely “just” another symptom of the root issues.
And speaking of the root issues, later the second day, we consulted with a dapper, bow-tied, experienced Dermatologist who was incredibly sensitive and validating (in a good way). After a thorough examination as well as a review of photos of Bethany’s various skin issues that she documented (good girl!), he concurred with the Immunologist’s conclusion about a few possibilities and also insisted that we come back as soon as Bethany breaks out in a rash again, in order to biopsy the tissue and do more blood-work.
That’s where throwing caution to the wind comes in. Bethany’s not taking all the precautions she has been for the last year when it comes to covering up and avoiding the sun…and I think she’s kind of enjoying it too. But the end goal is breaking out in a painful rash again, so there will be a price to pay. It’s just a matter of when; when will she break out again? So for the time being, we’re waiting on the biopsy and will circle back with the Internist who’s coordinating this symphony of medical specialties as we try to give Bethany a better quality of life. We’re so grateful for the pervasive prayer we know is present when we’ve been up at the Mayo Clinic!
Summer Time…
Summer is in full effect and Bethany is facing the expanded time with the kids with some cool plans. They’re riding trains downtown to Orlando to take advantage of the big library, the kids are in a few summer camp type events and Kate’s taking a mini gymnastics camp…cue even more tumbling around the house (and bumps and bruises).
All six of us (including Lynn) had the chance to start the summer with some time away up in Florida’s panhandle with some of our closest friends. We have a few other trips planned, including a road trip near the end of the summer, up to Pennsylvania to speak at NTM’s “Enrichment” conference. This is a week-long event designed to encourage and refresh missionaries coming back to the US on their home assignment. I’ll be speaking a few times to them about communication tools and best practices and hopefully encouraging them along the way.
