.JPG)
 |
| 2012 Lengthening Class |
Now for an update on Daniel. Four months ago, we sent Dr Paley one of Daniel's progress x-rays. After reviewing Daniel's x-ray, Dr Paley advised us to, "Try and keep him from running and jumping for the next 3-6 months". Talk about the impossible! How would we keep a four year old from running and jumping?
Well, it is lucky for us that Daniel is just the kid to deal with this. He did get frustrated not being able to run but only every now and then. The first month involved me repeatedly saying, "No running Dan!", "No jumping Dan!" but after that he was pretty good about it. He has found ways to adapt like hopping on his left leg rather than jumping. He also spends a lot more time playing with the girls whose activities are not as physically active. I think he is used to being told what he can and can't do and just accepts it now. He is such a good kid!
Today, though Dr Paley gave us the go ahead to return to running and jumping. I am so excited to tell Daniel when he gets home from the playground! (Update: His reaction? - like Christmas and all his birthdays had come at once - the photo on the background of the blog was taken when we told him).
A few weeks ago, Dr Paley asked us to get an MRI on Daniel's hip because the x-ray did not tell him enough information. Because it is difficult for a four year old to lay still for long and the MRI machine can be a bit scary, he had to have the MRI under sedation.
For those who know Daniel's history of getting a cough about the time he needs a general anesthetic, you will not be surprised that he got a cough. This can no longer be a coincidence! Anyway, after two weeks of postponing, Daniel had his MRI on 29th February.
He was not too happy about seeing the dreaded Sleep Doctor again. We watched a video about MRIs on YouTube which really helped and we talked about it being an exciting adventure. Even though he would be asleep during the whole process, it helped to distract him from the general anesthetic aspect.
This was the first time I had seen Daniel go under general anesthetic. Usually only one parent is there and Shane bravely volunteers. This one involved putting an IV in his hand rather than the mask. He was crying about the needle hurting and in about 5 seconds he was completely asleep. The MRI took about 30 minutes. Daniel was a bit grumpy when he woke up and wanted us to go away so he could continue sleeping. After about half and hour, we were able to get him dressed and take him to McDonalds for a Happy Meal (his choice).
.JPG) |
| Hanging out with Puss In Boots and Kitty Softpaws before the MRI |
 |
| Paparazzi like shot of Daniel in the MRI room before they shut the door |
The next day, I went and picked up the MRI DVD and the report from the hospital. Next time remind me that I should NOT read the medical report. I should destroy it before I get tempted to look at it. It sounded awful. Here is an except:
As you can imagine, we felt pretty devastated. Shane and I couldn't sleep that night with worry. Shane rang Caroline (our angel) at Dr Paley's office who told us that Dr Paley would not spend any time even reading the report because unless the radiologist has a working knowledge of Daniel's hip they do not really understand what they are looking at. That gave me some sense of relief but I was still thinking how something positive could come out of a report that seemed so negative.
This morning we heard back from Dr Paley. He said that he couldn't really tell anything from the MRI. Caroline later told us that Dr Paley's looked puzzled, but not frustrated and there was no grunting and groaning which he does do when he is not happy with an MRI. Dr Paley said he would need to assess Daniel's hip for motion and pain when he sees him in Finland in April. We booked Shane and Daniel's flights to Finland this afternoon. We were holding off in case Dr Paley told us we had to get on a plane to West Palm Beach. So we are really none the wiser and hope that we know more in six weeks time.
There has been some exciting news in the field of leg lengthening recently. Dr Paley is the first surgeon to trial out a new lengthening device which may be used on children in the future. It means no more pin sites and less pain during the lengthening process. Here is a good video explaining it.
Moving on from medical news, Daniel started preschool at the Australian International School in January. He has settled in really well and
absolutely loves it! He is going four days a week and catches the
school bus to and from school everyday with his great friend Maya who is
the year above him. The bus picks them up and drops them off from our
condo. Mummy, Daddy and Max wave goodbye to him every morning and he
always has a big grin on his face. I was a bit worried about Daniel moving from a small nursery to a school of 2500 pupils up to the age of 18 but the school is very supportive of individual needs and values diversity and respect for others. The preschool kids have been learning and talking about these values this term.
.JPG) |
| First Day of Preschool |
 |
| Daniel telling his class about his family |
 |
| Daniel and Maya hanging out after school |
.JPG)
Before I sign off, I usually like to add a little bit about Daniel's little brother Max who is turning 3 in a couple of months. Daniel and Max are great friends, even closer since Max started to really talk. Here is a video showing what a caring little bro he is. Just some background information - at Christmas time in Singapore, one of the malls has a Christmas themed outdoor area where they have giant machines pumping out soap suds to replicate snow. As you can see, Daniel loved it and got completely covered in bubbles. The video shows Max taking a lot of care to clean up Daniel's prosthetic leg afterwards.
Posted By Kristen (Daniel's Mum)
