Oscar was feeling better by this evening. While he is still having bouts of lightheadedness and gas pain, his color and chatter have returned, and he has stopped complaining that his head hurts. What a relief. Our best guess, but we don’t really know, is that the gas, plus sensitivity to the narcotics we were giving him, were wreaking havoc. Such a common issue in PWS, but apparently even our significantly reduced doses were too much for his system. We got rid of some gas, we stopped the narcotics, and he’s a little more like himself. And no complaints of “surgery pain” at all!

Helping his spirits were visits from Sarah, the music therapist, and Holly, the therapy dog. Sarah brought her guitar and marimba and sang soothing songs she seemed to make up on the fly. And Holly’s visit motivated Oscar to sit upright for longer than usual—she perched next to him while he gently stroked her fur. Susan, Grandpa, and Audrey also visited both today and yesterday, and Pappap came yesterday. Pretty wonderful that both our families live nearby!

We also got him up walking again. He was fighting it, but moved well. Hopefully in a day or two he’ll be in a place where I can walk alongside reading a book, distracting him with adventures and plot twists.

Meanwhile Abe and Ruby are having fun with Pappap and Pat—playing golf, swimming, and making peach pie. Tomorrow they’ll explore a little in Philadelphia and hunt down a Philly cheesesteak. I don’t think my California kids have ever had one!