except maybe the day you are circumcised

Monday Sam had an out patient surgery -circumcision and two other procedures to help stop urinary track infections. He did really well except, like most kids, the anesthesia made him sick most of the day. We discovered that he DOES have sensation that low...a very good thing--- except maybe the day you're circumcised. However, he was just a champ through it all. Last night, a little high from pain meds, he said, "I am not sick anymore; my Pempee does not hurt; I am SO Happy!" (Chip would want me to note that "Pempee" is Sam's word choice not his...) He has an MRI with sedation this month and another outpatient surgery in four weeks. And we are scheduled to go to Duke on 10 SEPT to get a third opinion re back surgery... So we are busy but manage to have a ton of fun through it all. Life is good. More than that--God is good...K

Ortho visit

Yesterday we went to see another orthopedic surgeon. He was far more encouraging than the last one we saw and recommended that we have spinal surgery sooner rather than later, possibly even before we leave in December. This surgeon is recommending a slightly different type of spinal surgery and and a radically different hip surgery. He said that the spinal surgery is a very serious but that "his odds are far better" than what we were originally told. So we've been give two different courses of action, two different prognoses... We have much thinking and praying to do...

Thankfully Sam is very comfortable with Dr's visits these days. He constantly entertains the medical staff. Yesterday he began giving the X-ray technicians instruction about how high the X-ray machine should be positioned. He cracked everyone in the room up and came away with a handful of stickers.

Sam is a source of constant mirth for us also ....Last week we were reviewing the Bible story of the previous night- Joshua and the Battle of Jerico. (For those of you who are not familiar- At God's instruction, Joshua and the Israelite Army marched around the walls, blew their horns and the walls of the fortified city, Jerico, came down.) Well in Sam's rendition, Joshua "huffed and he puffed and he BLEW the house down." A story now referred to as "Joshua and the Three Little Pigs"... We have a little work ahead of us...

As always -thank you for your continued love, prayers and support...K