BABY CAPERS UPDATE ... We are thrilled to share it will NOT be necessary for Grandbaby Capers to wear a
corrective brace to resolve her hip displacement issue! Capers and Mom Stefanie met with an MUSC pediatric orthopedist yesterday and an ultrasound indicated her hip displacement issue is not significant enough to require a brace and should correct itself without issue as she matures. Great news for our family and a hugh sigh of relief for parents Stefanie and Aaron (MacDonald). Capers continues to be our newest Southern "bundle of pink joy" and is "growing like a weed" ... she actually weighs a bit more than Darjeeling now ... eleven plus pounds!
GRANDSON JACK TURNS 2 !!! ... Wow Jack turned two years old (on November 23rd) ... hard to believe! We were able to share a bit of Jack's birthday party on Sunday via Skype ... not quite the same as being there but still precious. It was just two years ago Martha and I were feverishly working to move out of the Churchville house when Jack decided to make his entrance two months early. He's a handsome, happy, active toddler now with a vocabulary that's expanding by leaps and bounds. Martha and I were touched when Nana Susan called to share she and Jack were reading a book, a picture of a big boat appeared on one of the pages and Jack exclaimed "Mimi and Grandpa's boat!" ... remembering our family "bucket list" cruise this past fall! Jack's coming for a visit (along with parents Derek and Carrie!) the middle of January and we can't wait to spoil him just little bit more here on
Edisto! The dolphins are excited about your visit too Jack!
MARTHA'S SURGERY ... Following chemo this past Wednesday (November 28th) morning, Martha and I drove to St. Roper Hospital in downtown Charleston for her (planned) hernia repair surgery. Most of you are aware of Martha's stomach issues and previous past two surgeries. Well unfortunately she developed what is called an "incisional hernia" which required repair before becoming a bigger issue down the road. We were referred to a great surgeon (Dr. Baird) who performed Martha's operation. The surgery revealed the known primary hernia (about the size of a grapefruit!) as well as a few smaller hernias ... resulting in a 2-hour procedure that was a bit more complicated than Dr. Baird had expected. The good news is he was able to repair all hernias which will hopefully eliminate the stomach pain Martha's been experiencing recently for good. Martha spent two nights in the
hospital. Julie was by her side in the hospital room most of the time ensuring she was getting the care she needed when she needed it and tried to keep Martha somewhat entertained! I was pretty zapped from the morning's chemo and dozed off a fair amount in a chair in the corner of her room. Grandy was on hand to make sure everyone was where they should be and doing what they should be doing. I was able to spend the night (two of them) at Stefanie and Aaron's home and was able to wake up and give Caper's her morning bottle and snuggle just a little before heading back to the hospital. Once again we're happy to report the staff was sincerely caring, capable and professional. We continue to be very pleased with the quality of healthcare we're experiencing here in South Carolina. Hopefully Martha will be back on her feet again real soon.
CHEMO ROUND 28 ... I received my 28th round of chemotherapy at the Roper St. Francis Cancer Center bright and early this past Wednesday (November 28th) morning. Blood work continued to show improvement, although my blood sugar level was low (58), so nurse Sue made me eat some carbs and drink some orange juice prior to chemo. Blood sugar was 168 post-chemo! My oncologist wasn't concerned stating I have "great insulin production" and shouldn't have to worry about diabetes (which was a significant health issue for both of my parents). Thankfully I didn't experience any lightheadedness after this round of chemo as I did the previous round ... and my recent (second) brain MRI scan was "clear" ... I think I'm beginning to "glow" a bit however from all this radiation! It is now 6 days post-chemo and I'm actually feeling pretty good ... yeah! Martha and I sure do know how to have a "splendid Charleston date" don't we ... chemo and surgery the same day, ugh ... I think a Charleston dinner date is in order soon!
May the good Lord continue to bless you and yours ...
Dan and Martha