You can reach Sue at (314) 452-3685 or (314) 726-2032. You can write to her c/o Rose Holt, 905 Barnard College Lane, St. Louis, MO 63130


Hi, it's Rose with an update, Saturday at 6:00 pm. Kim and Sue are with Den. He is doing o.k. He has some swelling which his primary care physician, Dr. Merrens, says is pretty normal given his health problems. He has had to have two blood transfusions today, and they should help his overall condition. He was scheduled for an ultrasound to assess the condition of his blood flow through the liver shunt, and we haven't heard yet the results.

Dr. Merrens thinks Den will be able to travel some time next week. When he can fly, Sue (calling on help from her various sons) will arrange for his trip to St. Louis to an inpatient physical rehab center, SSM in Clayton she hopes. Den is in for a period of intensive physical therapy and a long-term balancing of his blood problems and his liver problems. Dr. Merrens explained a lot of this to Kim, Sue, Mike, and me today. Merrens has been really great for communicating and explaining all that is going on. Den will get a primary care physician in St. Louis who will find a gastroenterologist specialist to oversee his ongoing treatment. Mike is familiar with many specialists in the St. Louis area and will review the Blue Cross & Blue Shield provider list to help Sue select one.

Merrens told us the noninvasive treatment Den had yesterday was at one time done with major surgery, a surgery that Den could not have survived because of the stroke he suffered. He still has trouble finding the words he wants, and he has limited use of his left arm and hand. With help from physical therapy, he has tried walking but has trouble right now with strength and balance.

Kim and Mike arrived last night around 9:30 pm and came in again early this morning to be here to talk with Dr. Merrens. Mike has to leave tomorrow, and Kim will stay until Monday. Sue and I travel to Chicago early in the morning and will return here on Tuesday.

It is cold, cold, cold here. There is snow to the south. This is beautiful country, and this hospital is in a particularly beautiful setting--a woods of oak and pine set high on a hill (mountain?). Last night Sue and I went to dinner and got lost. We ended up in Vermont, we think. After wandering for a time, we went back to a restaurant we had already been to and had a good meal. You know how it is with hospitals: the only thing to look forward to is the meals.