All has been quiet on the Gracie front...

for the summer... until now. After a relatively easy summer, with significant reductions in medications and doctor visits, Gracie has thrown us for a loop, yet again. It seems that she has developed an inguinal hernia. This type of hernia is located in the groin area, and is causing much more concern than her ever-present umbilical hernia. An inguinal hernia can cause a portion of the intestine to become entrapped, which can of course be very dangerous. Gracie has an appointment with the pediatric surgeons at Nemours as soon as possible, meaning 1 week from now. Of course, I am not too happy with this situation as it will give me one week to stress out and obsess over this thing until I know when it will be taken care of.

We went to our local pediatric clinic yesterday, just to have a set of medically-trained eyes take a look it. It is definitely a hernia, and while we need to quickly get it repaired, it is not a hugely pressing concern. It is reducible, which means I can gently massage it back where it belongs. It is not hard, painful or red, and it reduces itself on most occasions. So far, it hasn't managed to slow Gracie down any either. Her bowel movements are still pretty normal, and she is still all over the place, as always.

I'll keep you all updated on how things go, however, I ask you all to keep Gracie in your prayers. Pray that this hernia remains as it is, and does not become entrapped or dangerous.

And in return, I will finally make good on a long overdue promise... PICTURES!

Gracie's 2nd Birthday!