We have not updated in a very long time! Emilee continues to be seen at Mayo every three months. We returned home last night from Rochester! Since our last update there have been several changes ! Emilee is receiving Botox every 12 weeks for her migraines as well as continues taking Amivog injections monthly and so far we are seeing some improvement! She has had an IUD placed and did have some complications (this was done in June) but is now doing very well and this week we received the okay to start weaning her off the oral birth control. We follow up with Dr. Chatta (OBGYN) in six weeks via phone . Please Pray weaning the pills will be successful for her! We meet with her neurologist every six months to review the migraine Botox and she is pleased with the outcome Emilee is having so far. Emilee has had three rounds of Botox so far (25 injections in her forehead, temples, back of her head, neck, and shoulders each round). Round one was a piece of cake for her, round two she passed out during the procedure and became  sick after as well as had moderate swelling and some dropping of one eye for a couple days, round three  went well with mild swelling and bruising. The next round is April 9th. Emilee’s back continues to be an ongoing issue as not only does she have spondylosis she has a herniated disc as well as SI Joint edema. This can become pretty painful at times for her so she is starting physical therapy for this and this will be monitored. We will have a follow up with her pulmonologist in April as well. She was also referred to the POTS Clinic!!!! Many people ask us what POTS is so here is a summary: 

POTS stands for postural orthostatic tachycardiasyndrome. Breaking POTS down based on its name can provide insight into the condition:

• Postural means the condition is related to the posture of the body.
• Orthostatic also suggests the body’s position is involved and refers to dizziness and a sudden drop in blood pressure.
• Tachycardia means a rapid heartbeat, generally over 100 beats per minute.
• Syndrome means it is not a disease but rather a group of symptoms that are often seen together.

POTS is characterized by an increased heart rate, drop in blood pressure, and dizziness upon standing. This happens because the heart does not get enough blood when a person stands up, so the heartbeat increases to try to improve the blood circulation.

POTS is a type of dysautonomia, which are disorders of the part of the nervous system that regulates blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing patterns.

We Hope the clinic will give Emilee so assistance and help decrease her fainting episodes! Emilee is also waiting to be scheduled to see a few other specialists and we will do a better job on updating ! Please continue to keep Emilee in your Prayers !!!!!