No Thyroid Issue ....

The good news is that all the blood work came back normal, so supposedly there is no issue with the thyroid. The thinking is that the combination of several medications (for hives) was causing an increased heart rate. I decided to stop all medication last night and see what happens. I think I just need to go several weeks with no medicine. I feel like I've been taking medication for the longest time. I was having horrible heartburn and was feeling shaky w/all the medication. Today has been a better day of feeling well w/no new hives. I am still drinking special herbal tea from the acupuncture specialist.

I get the foot stitches removed Friday morning at 8:15am. I had students today at work and walked a lot, so I'm feeling it somewhat tonight. Keep praying that the incision will remain closed, no infection will develop and healing will occur naturally as it should. Thankfully, the swelling has been minimal. It has been nice to be able to put full weight on the foot. I've been at mom & dad's house this week (no driving this week), but probably will go home this weekend.

Toe motion has continued since the surgery, so I'm thrilled that it wasn't lost. Tired feet tonight .... need to get them elevated and am looking forward to a foot soak this weekend. Many thanks for your prayers!

Love,
Jenny

Hardware Out!

We are home from Chicago and all went extremely well. Many thanks to those of you that prayed! We relaxed on Monday afternoon and shopped in Chicago at a few new places. On Tuesday morning we spent time visiting with friends in their home in Glenview, which is the same area as where the surgeon is located.

The surgery this time was at a surgery center (new place for us) and they were fantastic. Very efficient, caring, sensitive to us traveling, and concerned about pain relief. I met with my surgeon before the procedure and it only took about an hour. The surgery center wasn't super busy, being the afternoon near Thanksgiving, which worked to my benefit. I got to keep the hardware that she removed. The plate and six screws are gold! I required more anesthetic than usual and therefore it took longer to "wake up" afterward also. In the process, we suspect that there might be an issue with my thyroid ... my heart rate when sleeping was WAY to high. We'll explore that further with blood work at the end of the week, but it is simply a matter of medication if there is a problem.

Hive update .... hives were very minimal this week, for which I'm very grateful. Some on my hands on Tuesday morning, but nothing like last week. Itching skin is a characteristic of having a low thyroid issue, so maybe it all relates.

We drove to central IL late afternoon on Tuesday and stayed with relatives. Today (Wed.) we returned to St. Louis. The post-op pain has been minimal and easily controlled with medicine. This surgery has been the easiest yet - to the point that it almost seems too easy. I am able to put full weight on the foot and it is just bandaged. Stitches come out on November 30th. She (Chicago orthopod) stitched differently this time to try and ensure that the area would remain closed.

Very thankful to be home and all went so smoothly .... God continues to be faithful and is in "all the details." Wishing you a blessed, peaceful, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Jenny

Hardware removal surgery this week ...

I apologize for being slow with updates this week. All went well with traveling to Tampa (work conference) this week. It was a long week of meetings and I was only able to leave the hotel once during the week, due to a packed schedule. Amazing enough I was able to manage luggage, taxis, airports, and the hotel scene all alone. I was thankful that I could wear tennis shoes, when navigating Chicago airport terminals. I didn't make it to the beach. My hives returned with a vengeance at the Chicago airport and then were awful Friday morning (first day back to work). I am starting to think that they are "stress" induced, although the dermatologist says it is a definite allergy & we've yet to figure out the cause. I may be more "stressed" than I realize. We did more acupuncture on Friday, too. The antihistamine that I was taking was starting to dry up my foot incision so much that the skin around the incision was breaking open, so now we're trying to get it to clear up.

The hardware removal surgery is scheduled for 12:30 on Tuesday (Nov. 20th)in Chicago. We (mom & I) are driving to Chicago very early Monday morning and will likely return on Wednesday. Pray that all the foot movement that is there now will remain, surgeon skill, no nausea, and that the hives will subside (at least through mid-week). Pray also that we won't have any issues with the incision closing - it is a new spot. I think it is the only place that doesn't already have a previous incision. Today (Sat.) the hives have been minimal, so there are "good" and "bad" days. I will stay at mom & dad's house at least through the holiday week ... maybe two weeks, if I can't drive.

Trusting in Him that He will continue to be faithful with all the Tuesday details .... wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! The Eickhorst family has a lot to be thankful for this year and I'm hoping that you do too.

Love,
Jenny

Quick update ....

I had acupuncture done on Friday afternoon last week in an attempt to stop the hives from continuing. It seems to have helped ... nothing new "developed" over the weekend, which is a record. I woke up Friday morning with an ear infection also, so I'm taking medicine for that now. I am in Tampa this week (Monday through Thursday) for a work conference. The weather is supposed to be beautiful - 70's and sunny. Pray that I am healthy when traveling. I'm the only one going from my office.

The hardware removal surgery for the foot is still scheduled for Tuesday, November 20th. It is an outpatient deal at a surgery center near the Chicago orthopod's office. Not sure of a time yet - probably late morning. Our plan is to spend Monday & Tuesday night (20th & 21st) in Chicago, unless I am up for driving back right after the surgery.

Keep praying that I remain healthy between now and the surgery ... you know how it goes - they squirm at a sniffle going into surgery.

Hope you have a great week!

Matching Shoes ....

New "shoe" pictures .... yeah! These are my normal sized tennis shoes that I wore before all of this began. The black loafers are new and came from the New Balance store. I can wear them for a short time and then the "hardware spot" becomes bothersome ... it will be much better when the the metal is removed. Thankful to be wearing matching shoes!

Hardware removal soon ....

Hives are back! I have never seen something appear and reappear like this. It continues to be the worst on my face, but really they are everywhere. We are going on the better part of eight weeks, so this is definitely getting old. We changed medications late afternoon today, so we’ll see what the next few days bring. Pray for relief and permanent disappearance!

I scheduled surgery for the hardware removal. I had hoped to wait until later in December, but my surgeon was already booked. Obviously, her skills are in demand.
We are going to do it on November 20th (Tuesday before Thanksgiving) – there wasn’t a lot of choice in timing … so much for my after Thanksgiving shopping. It is outpatient, no cast, and full weight can be put on it right away. It is a metal plate and 4 screws that the Chicago orthopod will remove. We will likely do immediate follow-up care in St. Louis. It is supposed to be a small procedure, but start praying now that it is simple & nothing else gets altered. We are not taking all the hardware out … only what is bothering me. The hardware is not needed; as it has been in for over a year & is fully the inside area is totally healed.

I’m in Tampa for a work conference November 12-15th and have six visit days with students during the first two weeks in December. I’m speaking to a large group of kids at E-Free on Sunday. I read today that prayer is God’s opportunity to work – neat thought.

je