Thank you so much for your prayers, it appears they have finally paid off. After almost 11 years of fruitlessly searching for an answer to my mysterious medical problems, Dr. Calvin has probably found the answer. I say probably because I need to go to a different specialist to confirm the diagnosis but after a lot of research I am pretty darn convinced we've finally got it!

 

It looks like I have a condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, type III. Its a genetic collagen disorder that affects my skin and connective tissues. If this is what I have, it explains almost every medical condition I have except for my hearing impairment. Everything from my pain, scoliosis, and mitral valve prolapse to my flat feet, soft skin, and the ability to bend my thumb down to touch my forearm is included in this disease. It explains why all these scans and tests over all of the years showed that I was normal. Although the prognosis isn't great, it is certainly better than other things like MS and polymyositis that we have explored. The bad news is there is no cure and treatment is largely pain control and lifestyle management. The good news is it won't get any worse as it is not progressive. The only thing that tends to develop later in life is a highly increased risk of developing osteoporosis, but knowing that before hand I can start managing my bone health NOW and minimize the impact it will have on me as I age.

 

The next steps are confirming the diagnosis and treatment. This is the part where I still need your continued prayers. Since it is a pretty rare genetic disorder that I first heard about in Peggy Redshaw's genetics class, I emailed her to ask if she knew of any specialtify facilities and it looks like I will probably only have to go as far as the OU health science center in OKC to get to a good genetics program. I'll be doing a lot more physical therapy focusing on stabilization. (rather than mobility, which is what i have been doing these last few months...and gotten worse) It looks like I am going to have to just "suck it up and be a Sigma" and figure out how to live my life like this. It won't be easy, and I will need some support from you guys, but after all the shit I've been through lately I can handle this. Theres no way I'm taking another semester off, so you WILL see me back on campus in January.

 

Thanks for all your continued support and pretty pretty please come visit me in Tulsa sometime, still bored off my butt. Oh and call me or send me your number since I lost my phone at retreat and only have like 15 numbers in my phone lol. *muah!*