Paul's Update - 09/11/06

Dear Friends:

Dad & Tabby started out early with Paul to the dentist in McLean. The adventure included having to get Paul up three small steps and over the doorway into the townhouse office. Tabby had gotten a small transport wheelchair from Area Access when we got the chair lift installed in the van so they took that with them. A portable wheelchair ramp was purchased last week to help with the steps. Unfortunately the wheelchair is not very sturdy and when they came out of the dentist office one of the wheels got hung up and Paul's weight shifted in the chair and broke the wheel. They managed to get him home safely but they went to Area Access to tell them what happened and the folks there were really nice. They traded the chair for another one (for free!) that is a little more expensive but more sturdy. What a blessing that is! Of course Tabby has spent a lot of money between the chair lift in the van and the stair lift that she will have installed on Friday!! Still ... it is nice to have this lighter weight wheelchair so we are glad they were willing to exchange it! Anyway ... the dentist's evaluation is that Paul needs to see a periodontist because the Dilantin that he takes caused inflamation of his gums and will need to be taken care of before he can work on the teeth. There is lots of work to be done including some extracting of his wisdom teeth, a few caps and several fillings. The dentist is concerned that he may not be the right dentist for the work because the sedation that he uses only makes the patient relaxed ... not asleep. The periodontist that he is recommending does IV sedation that will put Paul to sleep. The dentist will try to be at the appointment for the periodontist so he can evaluate how Paul does with sedation before he attempts to do any of the work that will need to be done. He will recommend someone if we need to do the IV sedation for the dental work. Paul's neurologist called Tabby today and left a message that the results of the blood test were back. Paul's Dilantin level is at 30!!! This is VERY high (it really should be around 15) and he wants to consider reducing the Dilantin a bit. Tabby hasn't really talked to the doctor yet but will call tomorrow. She plans to see if he will consider reducing the Depacote the rest of the way on Tuesday instead of Thursday. Then maybe we can reduce the Dilantin on Thursday. Tonight Dad & Tabby watched the football game with Paul. The Redskins were playing. It will be nice when Paul can go upstairs and watch with Bobby & Billy during the season!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl