Paul's Update - 10/04/06

Dear Friends:

Most days are pretty much the same it seems lately. Paul continues to do well with his walking. He is up several times a day to transfer to the wheelchair or walk to the bathroom. His steps have become increasingly better. Although Dad still has to hold him he does a lot of the work himself and Dad is only there to balance and direct him. He seems to understand things more clearly as well. When you ask him questions he seems to have a definite answer for most everything. Especially if the answer is "no"! He is also using his right hand more and more. He picked up his water bottle on Tuesday night with his right hand and proceeded to drink it while holding it with that hand. After he took one drink he wasn't able to do it again and promptly switched hands ... but he was able to use it a little!! Tabby has been catching up on some organizing of the house. The baby's clothes are sorted by age and item. Now she can find more of the cute clothes that Max has! Max is very cute and enjoys playing with his mobiles and the toys on the jumper chair that PapPaw (Carl) bought for him! He is such a happy baby and he is a joy for us all. Wednesday Tabby talked to Paul's neurologist. The blood test shows that the Trileptal level is good enough to begin lowering the Dilantin. Paul currently takes 400mg of Dilantin and the doctor wants to decrease it by 200mg starting right away. He is a bit concerned about the liver count that came back in the blood tests. Evidently Dilantin is processed by the liver and can cause damage in high doses. Hopefully that problem will go away with the elimination of Dilantin. Dad will be staying at Paul's house for the next two days (the first 48 hours after decreasing the medicine). This has become a regular procedure for Dad. Paul will be going to the dentist on Thursday. This will only be a consultation in preparation for the dental surgery he may have. Overall ... things in the Johnson household are going well. We thank God for so many blessings!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl