2012 Summer Update

On Weds I had another quick trip down to Baltimore and a visit to the Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center to see Dr Wigley. It was 3 months since my previous visit in May and 6 months since I went back on the medication to help suppress my immune system which seemed to have jumped into overdrive again. It is just around 6 years now that I found out I was initially diagnosed with Scleroderma.

Overall I feel better then I did 6 months ago which is good news. My weight was down a couple pounds but I think that was more being weighed in shorts vs jeans. Dr Wigley and I discussed how I was feeling and what changes I've noticed. Internally (heart, lungs, etc) everything appears fine. He then examined me and seemed to feel that overall my skin looked good but my hands and ankles seemed to indicate a slight decrease in elasticity/flexibility. Not all great news but not bad news either.

So we decided to stay on the maximum dosage for another 3 months and see how it goes. In 3 months I will check in with Dr Wigley and let him know how I feel and if anything has changed. If things seem to have improved, we might drop the dosage a bit. Otherwise, we will keep it as is and head back there in February for a 6 month checkup.

Dr Wigley mentioned they also have some new medication they are trying out so if the Cellcept immunosuppressant doesn't work, there is another option to consider. I didn't ask the specifics on the name or type of drug and hopefully it won't be necessary. I then gave 6 vials of blood for research purposes and was on my way.

On my way back home I hit a traffic jam a mile short of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. There were 2 lanes closed off for the entire span because a distraught guy got out of his car and was sitting on the edge with his feet dangling off. A newspaper article on Thursday indicated he was there for 7 hours before he decided not to jump. Can things really be that bad?

So that's a wrap for this update. If anything noteworthy happens over the next 6 months I will send something around. Otherwise, you should hear from me again in February. Be safe, enjoy the rest of the summer, and stay well!