Spring 2012

William has enjoyed life since his HSP scare. This past spring he had a slight recurrence and we are guessing it is due to allergies. Springtime always brings the worst of his allergies around here. His symptoms were stomach cramps and fatigue. His joints would hurt, but did not swell as they had before. We have noticed that he has a protruding belly. Pediatrician does not seem to think there is a problem since all his urine and BP comes out alright. We may seek a specialist at some point, but for now William is content with the way things are now. He's not really fond of doctors or hospitals!

5 Months Clear of HSP



William has been healthy and free of any HSP symptoms for 5 months now! We are beginning to believe that it is gone for good.

The fall months usually bring allergies for Will. He takes an over-the-counter allergy medicine daily, but we usually have to take him in to the doctor for something related to allergies each year. In the past he had hives or a sinus infection due to the allergy. This year he developed a large welt on his stomach. It didn't really look like hives and we immediately thought it was HSP. Luckily, the doctor knew right away that is was not related. He had an infection due to a bug bite. He had to get an antibiotic shot at the doctor's office and was sent home to sleep due to a large dose of Benadryl. After a round of antibiotics for 10 days, he was all better!

That experience just reminded us of how cautiously we look at his health now. I suppose HSP will always be in the back of our minds. There is peace in knowing that a reoccurence of HSP is usually less severe than the time before. We survived the first round, so I think we can manage whatever else comes along.

The Peace After the Storm

Will went in for his follow up appointment yesterday. He had been off the meds for 4 days when he saw the doc. No swelling or pain for over a week. The results of urine test came back normal. Doctor said "I think we are at the end of it." She mentioned that she hadn't seen HSP in years and now in the last 2 months she had 2 patients with it. She's thinking there must have been some virus this spring that caused it. The other family also does not have a definitive trigger for getting HSP either. We can speculate, but don't know for sure. The good news is that both her HSP patients did not suffer any of the complications or more serious symptoms associated with this condition. We will need to see the doctor in 2 months for another follow up.

So, now we can breathe a real sigh of relief! Thank God for taking care of us and sending angels to watch over us. Our eyes have been opened to see His love and strengthen our faith. All part of his plan, I'm sure! Nothing is ever by accident!

So, I'm signing off this blog for 2 months. I'll update after the next doctor appointment!

Still looking good

It has been 4 days now with no swelling and very little pain. His old bruises are beginning to fade. There are some red spots on his lower legs, around his ankles and feet. Will says his feet hurt a little, but it sounds like it is not as bad as before. We have cut back on his medicine and are thinking he will be off of it completely in the next day or two. If things continue this way, we won't need to see the doctor until next week.

What a strange, confusing few weeks! God has a plan and I am glad we don't know that plan. We would just mess it all up! Not only have we learned about Will's condition (HSP); we've learned more important lessons about the unconditional love and support of family and friends, and the courage and strength we have as a family. So, as uncomfortable and painful as it may be, sometimes it takes a storm to reveal God's blessings and perhaps to put things in perspective. God is so good!

Holding Our Breath

It's been 24 hours since any swelling or pain. Will even played baseball this morning. It's been hours and he is still looking good! However he still has some large bruises developing. He has one on his waist/hip area and another behind his knee. The bruises are painful looking, but he says they only hurt a little.

We have been gradually cutting back on the Neproxen. He is now at half the dose originally prescribed. If he continues to have no swelling, he may be off the medication completely in a couple days.

Crossing our fingers and continuing to pray!

Just a quick update....

Genitals are no longer swollen. Just purple in color.

Right ankle continues to be swollen and rash is more prominent there. New rash appearing on lower legs.

Going to try a new tactic to keep him from playing at recess. We will take his DS to the office for him to go in at recesses and play. We might need to buy a new game for it to keep him entertained. He wants to keep up with everyone and does not rest well. However, when he doesn't rest, his legs get swollen and sore. If keeping him in at recess doesn't work, we might consider sending him to school for just half a day.

Just when you think things are calm...the storm picks up again!

We have been dealing with swelling and rash that comes and goes for a while as you can see from earlier posts. We have been rather content to go with the flow. This disease has a mind of it's own. It is scary and frustrating! But, we find comfort knowing that God has a plan and He will see us through. We sang a great song in church on Sunday that expresses just what we are feeling:

He never lets go, through the calm and through the storm
He never lets go, through every high and every low
He never lets go, He never lets go of me.

Forgive me if the following information is TMI (too much information). Being a "googler" myself, I searched for some information and answers to ease our concerns when this new symptom developed and could not find anything. So, I feel it is important to post this information for people who are looking for support and answers for themselves.

Yesterday, Will discovered a red spot on his penis. He showed it to us and we reassured him that it was part of his HSP and it will go away eventually. About an hour later he went to the bathroom and it became a large purplish red spot and was beginning to swell. Another hour went by and his entire penis had swollen and become purple. He was still able to urinate with no pain. However, he was uncomfortable with underwear on and did not want to touch it. I think it was very tender! We took him in to see his pediatrician today and her reaction was that she had never seen anything like this before. So, she immediately called up to the urologist at the clinic and he agreed to "squeeze us in" (that's code for sit in the waiting room for a really long time). While we waited, the lab was testing his urine as it was darker than usual. It came out fine. We think it was darker because Will hadn't been urinating much that day, probably because it was a little scary for him to look at and touch. The urologist looked at it and assured us that it looks worse than it is. Easy for him to say!! So, he explained that all of this was on the surface. Nothing is impeding normal function. It should go away just like all other symptoms have.

As far as the patient goes, he is so brave. He stayed home from school today because of the embarrassment and uncomfortable nature of things. I think this latest symptom has scared him the most! He is taking it all in stride. I assured him that this was all normal and things will be fine. Thank goodness he trusts us and his doctor. It was scary to have to see another doctor that he doesn't know. Especially to let another doctor touch him and look at things. When we were done he said "that wasn't so bad!"

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers!