Dan Update

Dan's life has been moving a tad quicker this past month. A few weeks ago he was told he was going to deploy to Bahrain this summer. Everything was moving along for this deployment except his medical clearance. About a week before he was going to be cleared he started having a lot of joint pain and stiffness especially in the mornings. Finally it got to the point where he couldn't use his hands for a few hours after waking up and he had to see the doctor. They ran a ton of tests - blood work and x-rays and have diagnosed him with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), moderate in his feet and severe in his hands. If anyone has seen his hands an arthritis diagnosis probably doesn't surprise you. He has been on meds now for 2 weeks and has show a lot of improvement. He has a consult in to see a specialist and his deployment has been officially canceled.

For the nurses out there here are a few of his test results:
Anti-CCP 92 (Normal 0-5) A test for RA
Westergren 46 (Normal <15) A type of sedimentation test showing inflammation
RF-QUANT 10.8 (Normal 0-12) This is a standard RA test and his was in the normal range, but other tests are more clearly positive for RA
C-reactive Protein 36.5 (Normal 0-10) Generalized inflammation test

At least on the cancer front his follow up checks have been normal and he has established himself with an oncology doctor here in Albuquerque for his routine check ups. Here is a picture of the family - It was about 90 degrees out so me, Dex and the dogs are dressed for the weather. One of Dan's new prescriptions warned him about sun exposure...so he goes outside in full sweat pants and top. What a silly boy, surprised he didn't pass out from heat stroke.