Day + 5

They woke Terry up at 6:30am to do an ultrasound on his kidneys. Later in the day they got the results that they are only functioning at 30%. They took him off the Vancomycin antibiotic because it has adverse effects on the kidneys. He has had several cups of grape juice but NO food today. They have not started the TPN (nutritional IV) yet. He is on a Morphine pump and Kristina said when he has a grimace on his face (because he is having nightmares) she presses the pump for him. He is running a low grade fever. The nurses wanted him to get up and walk, so Kristina got him up and walked him down the hallway and back. They did a chest Xray to be sure he did not have pneumonia but he is doing breathing treatments anyway. He is scheduled to get more chemo tomorrow and then next Wednesday and that is all the chemo they are supposed to give. His white cell count was .4 today and his platelets are up to 26. They did have to give him a unit of blood today. Terry has slept most of the day. Kristina is spending the night to give Alyce a good night's rest in her own bed. Please keep checking the blog and keep praying. ++++++++++++Karen

Bad to Worse

I talked with Alyce this morning and again tonight and things have seemed to go from Bad to Worse today. His white cell count is .5 which is extremely low. His platelets dropped to 16 so they had to give him a bag of platelets today. Dr. Vaughan removed the old port this morning because of the staph infection and Terry was put on a morphine pump. He is getting dehydrated and not urinating enough. He now has sores under his tongue and in the sides of his mouth. He has only had a few ice chips and 2 small sips of grape juice all day. He has talked very little and has slept most of the day. Even though they prepared us for this, it still breaks my heart to think of him feeling so badly. I am feeling better and made it through work all day today. Please pray for Terry. Thank you all for your genuine concern. Love, Karen

Just Sleep Through It

Kristina spent Monday night with Terry and said he slept pretty good. She got him to eat a piece of toast and drink an Ensure but he then got sick and didn't keep it down. He was still feeling very badly all day and they think he has a staff infection in one of his ports. They will know for sure tomorrow. They did start him on a strong antibiotic today because he started running a fever. He had a reaction to that so they had to give him Benedryl and are still giving him Oxycodone for the pain. He only had 2 Ensures and a small glass of grape juice all day. They will probably start him on TPN (Nutrition by IV) very soon. He was feeling so blah and was so sleepy, he told Alyce he wished he could "just sleep through this whole ordeal." I went to work today but left around 1pm because I was not feeling well. The nurse at the hospital said I was probably pushing my body too fast and need to really take it easy until I am feeling better. I feel good in the mornings except for headaches but start feeling weak and lethargic. I took 2 Tylenol and took a long nap and felt better. The pager in Terry's room is still beeping so we know you are still praying for him. ++++++++++++++Karen

Memorial Day 2007

Hope you had a relaxing Memorial Day. It was pretty uneventful for us. We did get out for a little while and ended up buying a new King sized mattress to hopefully help my back. It will be a couple of weeks before it is delivered though. I talked with Terry and with Alyce today. He did eat breakfast and got a shower but was not feeling as well as he did yesterday. He was hurting so they gave him some pain medicine. They had already started him on a blood thinner yesterday afternoon because he and I tested positive to Factor five which means we have a propensity to get blood clots. They had tested for this since our Dad died from a blood clot. Since Terry will be sedentary most of the time, they did not want to take any chances. I really hate that he has started feeling worse but they had prepared us for this from the beginning. Please pray that his pain will not be too severe and that his body will accept the Stem Cell Transplant. I am feeling better but still having bad headaches and a little dizzy sometimes. I hope to return to work tomorrow. I will continue to keep you updated. +++++++++Karen

Happy Birthday! (Transplant Day)

The first picture is of my Donor T shirt, under that is the poster/card the nurses made for Terry's Birthday Card, and the picture to the right is of Terry's nurse "J" that played the trick on me about the shot. It also shows Terry in the bed and you can barely see the bag of Stem Cells at the top. This picture was taken at exactly 10:52am this morning as they started my Stem Cells into Terry. Alyce, Kristina, John, Rick and I were the only ones in the room and we had prayer just before this began. Terry was given Demerol and Benedryl so he was getting pretty sleepy. We left the room during the 2 hours it took to complete and sat in the Family Room most of the time. We were joined during all or part of this time by Butch, Jackie, Gloria, Jim, Barbara, Sherri, Pete, Madison, Logan, Jerry, Gail, Vicki, Steve and Garrett. Alyce and the kids were going back and forth between his room and the Family Room. After the 2 hours, I went down to check on him and he was awake and feeling good. So far, NO bad reactions. We were all starving and Alyce, John, Kristina, Garrett, Gloria, Butch, Jackie, Rick and I walked down the street to get a late lunch. When we got back, we waited for him to finish the sandwich Alyce brought him. After the nurses had finished his card and gotten a Birthday cake, we all went into his room for a minute and sang Happy Birthday. Alyce cut the cake and passed it out.

Terry was sitting in a chair playing "Bass" Monopoly with John and saying he wanted to go home. Of course we all realize that this is just the "calm before the storm", but we are elated that so far today he has done SO well. We have certainly felt your many prayers with us today and are confident that God has Terry in his hands. Alyce asked that I repeat this: Please no phone calls or visits to his room for the next 2 weeks or until I give the "green light" on the blog. Just keep up the cards and prayers.

They checked my vital signs this morning and took blood to test. I had a bad headache and during lunch got very light headed. When we returned, the nurse told me that my Potassium was still low and to take more as soon as I got home. Other than feeling tired, I am fine. I just asked God to bless each one of you that prayed for me this week. I wouldn't say it was a "piece of cake", but it was much easier than I expected. I know that was because of your prayers. I will keep you updated on Terry so keep signing on the blog.

Love to each of you from Terry, me and the family.XXXXXXOOOOO

Donation Day

I had to be there at 8am today to begin my final part of the Stem Cell collection. I was able to sleep last night after taking 2 Phenergan and was not in too much pain this morning. It was about 10am before they finally got the two lines coming out of my neck hooked up to this amazing machine that magically pulls the stem cells from the white and red blood cells. It was not painful at all. The only strange thing happening was that a couple of times my lips and nose tingled for a few minutes. They gave me Tums calcium tablets to chew and it stopped. I took movies and magazines but they never came out of the sack. Rick was with me the entire time and my good friend Debby took the day off to drive over from Trenton, Ga to spend some time with me. Also, Alyce and Terry came down for a long time and then my daughter Tara and granddaughter Morgan came too. Then later Kristina and then John came. We even put a puzzle together. There was someone with me the entire day, so I did not have a chance to get bored or scared. Some of the nurses asked Terry to play the guitar and sing so he sang 2 songs for us. He sounded great even through his mask! Jerry Jenkins, Terry's preacher, came by this afternoon to have prayer with us. Dr. Vaughan came by about 5:30pm and said he was stopping the collection because they had the exact-perfect amount. He also said they would not have to manipulate it (add or take out anything) because we both have O+ blood and are such a good match. (this is unusual) By the time they gave me a bag of potassium, magnesium and calcium and then removed the catheter from my neck it was 8pm. They will start his Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant around 10am tomorrow. I told Terry I would see him then. He knew how tired I was and said he did not expect me to be there. I told him that the doctor and nurses said that tomorrow would be his new birthday and he could not have a birthday without the person who was birthing him!! Please, please pray for him tomorrow and the next 2 weeks, which will be critical. I need to ask you to please not call his room anymore at this time. Just continue to call the prayer pager at 325-0081 or send him a card at:

Terry Davidson

c/o Room P-350

University Hospital

619 19th St So

Birmingham, AL 35249

You may also email him at heytwd@yahoo.com .

I cannot begin to tell you how much your love, concern and prayers have lifted us up during this extremely emotional time. No matter what the outcome, we will give God the glory for his abundant love and mercy. Only God can determine the outcome of the battle but we who have been washed in the blood of Jesus are assured the eternal victory. I pray that you have that assurance too. Because without it you could never go through the depths of despair that has faced us these past few months and still feel at peace because you know that God is with you EVERY step of the way.

I have attached a picture of us made earlier today during the collection process.

Much love,

Karen

Great Day!

Day 4 for Me

Nothing to eat or drink after midnight then be in the BMTU by 11:00am today. I got to go down to see Terry before time and he was sitting there in a chair next to Kristina watching some of the video of the Sunday night event. I then had to go down to another room where they took my blood pressure, temperature and several vials of blood. They then gave me my 4th shot of Neupogen in the tummy and inserted an IV line into my arm. A little while later they arrived with a rolling bed to take me to another building in the Cardio Lab to do an EKG and start the meds to put me under. They then took me into the surgery room to place the catheter lines in the right side of my neck. It took about 1 hour and then recovery about 2 hours. Terry walked down to see me when they brought me back to a room in the BMTU. Alyce bought me and Rick a Chic-fil-a and drink because I was so hungry but did eat about 1/2 of it. I have a big patch covering the place with the catheter enters my jugular vein and it has 2 tubes hanging out that come about 1/2 up the middle of my ear about the size of straws. I am in quite a bit of pain and have just taken 2 phenergan to help knock me out because I am afraid to try taking the Lortab because I don't think I could handle being sick. My body aches ALL over but I know that I can stand this another day or two. I will have to be at the hospital tomorrow at 8am for about 10 hours. Terry's levels are going down fast. A few of us are going to find a waiting room close to the BMTU on Saturday to show our support for 2 or 3 hours during his Transplant procedure. I will let you know what time and exact place if you want to come by to join us. God is on our side and we still believe in the POWER of positive prayer. P.S. I washed my favorite fleece TV cuddle-up blanket and took it to Terry today. It has 2 bears - - a big one -- and a little one and a big red heart is exchanging hands. The big caption above their heads says "The Greatest Gift" I told him I wanted him to keep it during his stay in the hospital so he can cuddle up with it in his chair. The Greatest Gift is not the gift of Stem Cells, it is the Gift of LOVE!! These are very emotional days, but our Love for God and each other will pull us through. Please keep praying. Love to you all from Terry and me. xxxooo Karen

Day 3 for Me

I slept in today because I was not feeling well. Rick took off 1/2 day and came home to take me to UAB for my 3rd shot around 2pm. We had a great visit with Terry and Alyce. He had a visit from a man named Todd this morning that had gone through this procedure 11 years ago. He had even gone into a coma for 7 days and was on a dialysis machine. His wife was told that he would not make it. When he came out of the coma, the doctors said he would probably live only 2 days. He said he felt the Hand of God on him and told his wife that he Would make it. That was a great story for Terry and Alyce to hear right now. I have no doubt that God sent this man today. Terry will not have chemo Thursday or Friday. They are letting his body rest in preparation for Saturday. The doctor told him that May 26th will be his NEW birthday! I have to be at UAB by 11am tomorrow to have the catheter placement and also get the 4th shot. I feel your prayers and have a peace that all will go well. Please flood him with cards and notes of encouragement. Send to Terry Davidson, University Hospital, 3rd Floor West Pavilion, Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Rm. P-350. His room phone number is 975-0710. You will have to call the hospital to get the zip code. Sorry, I meant to get all that information. Call or go by for very short visits Thursday or Friday because after that, he will not be allowed to have any visitors for awhile.

Day 1 and Day 2

Sorry I did not get to post a message yesterday but there just was NO time. Our son, Todd and his wife Rebecca and our 3 year old grandson, Caleb were here from north Idaho. Todd has been here about 3 weeks helping us with repairs to a house that Terry and I foreclosed on for our Mom last year before Terry got sick. We have just not had time to get it ready to sell. Rebecca and Caleb had only been here one week and Todd had to take them to the Nashville airport this morning to go back. Todd will leave on Thursday. We had not seen them in 17 months. That is WAY too long. Our daughters, Tara and Traci and her husband Daniel and our other grandchildren, Morgan (age 5), Seth (age 3) and Grant (age 2) were all here at our house Monday night until late. It was the first time we had ALL got to be together during this brief visit. I will try to post a picture of my precious 4 sometime later. I worked 1/2 day on Monday before I went to the hospital to get my Neupogen shot. When I got there, they left me sitting in a room for about 30 minutes. When "J" a male nurse came back around, I told him he better hurry and bring that shot because I have always been scared of needles and just might change my mind. He told me I could go on down to visit with Terry and Alyce and he would bring it down later. About 30 minutes later, he walked in with a syringe about a foot long with a BIG needle about 6 inches long. He said "where do you want it?" I said "if you are not kidding, I am jumping out that window." He then reached in his pocket to pull out the small syringe for my shot. He was just kidding around with me and later it was pretty funny. He said they can give it in the arm, stomach or thigh. I asked where it would hurt the least and he said stomach, so I stretched out in Alyce's lounge chair and we all shut our eyes because we could not stand to watch. I still felt OK this morning (just tired from last night) so I went on to work 1/2 day again. (I am the Accounts Payable supervisor at New South Federal in Irondale) I went down to UAB about 2pm today and got shot 2 in the other side of my belly. I am having pain tonight like a bad case of the flu. My shoulders and hips especially ache. I will go back tomorrow (Wed.) for shot 3 and will not be back at work this week. I am not complaining because this is nothing compared to what Terry is going through. I have had so many sweet and encouraging cards and emails. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate your kindness. Terry did eat a little today and kept it down. His platelet count is down so I would not be surprised if they have to give him some blood or platelets this week. He is not feeling very good but sleeps quite a bit. He is also VERY bored and already tired of those 4 walls! Please continue to pray for us this week that all will go well. By the way, I think it was closer to 400 at the event Sunday night and over $19,000 was raised for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Money is still coming in. All of this was done in Terry's honor and it makes me even more proud of him than ever. It is a testimony of his MANY friendships and you can't make that many good friendships unless you have that special something that we all see in Terry. May God bless you for your generosity and support. Love you all, Karen

Oh What A Night!!

I hope you all got to attend the Concert tonight at WorkPlay put on by SCS to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Terry's honor. The food was delicious and the music was just great and the personal testamony of Mark Phillips was so very touching. He was so right in saying that we cannot let cancer "own us." Each group that performed was super great but in my book, you just can't beat those Thrasher Brothers! They've still got what it takes! I was so touched by all of you who came up to me to give me a hug and let me know that you were praying for me and Terry this week. Thank you for introducing yourselves to me if I had not already met you. I feel like I know so many of you from your emails and it is nice to put a face with your name. Please feel free to email me anytime at kdbradshaw@aol.com. I would estimate about 300 people were present tonight. It was standing room only. Thank you for coming. When I got to wave to Terry on the camera and blow him kisses and he responded by blowing me kisses on the Big Screen, I just about lost it. Alyce says he has not been able to eat in 3 days because of nausea from the chemo. Alyce's Mom, Gloria, is a member of Asbury Methodist Church and they have a prayer pager ministry. If you say a prayer for Terry (and me) this week, dial 325-0081. I understand that there will be a recorded message telling you to also dial more numbers and then the pager that Terry has in the hospital will beep or vibrate just to let him know that someone has just prayed for him. What a neat idea!! I go tomorrow for my first shot and will see him then. I will post his hospital address and more info about tonight tomorrow. P.S. Someone at my work told me that I was Terry's angel. I just wanted you to know that each of you are the "Wind beneath my Wings." XXXXOOOOKaren

The Long Battle Begins

Terry, Alyce, Kristina and I all met with Dr. Salzman at UAB and Amy, the nurse practitioner. from 9am to about 3pm on Thursday and got the results of all our tests and got a tour of the Bone Marrow Unit. We matched up even better than expected. They discussed the entire procedure and told us what to expect. One of them said they prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Friday, Terry went back to get another catheter in the other side of his neck because they said that 99% of the cases get an infection during the long chemo treatment and one would probably have to be shut off. When his immune system gets bottomed out, they would not want to risk going into surgery to implant another one. This is really going to be an uphill battle for Terry, but he is ready for the fight. He went back Saturday for a little while to get more pre-chemo drugs and will go back Monday for an all day doseage and testing to see just how much chemo his body can tolerate. Then on Tuesday, May 15th, he will enter the hospital for about 6 weeks. By the way, he cannot have any flowers or any raw fruit or vegetables in the unit. His room will be larger than the one at Carraway and has a stationary bike for him to use when he feels like exercising. There is a private bath and a chair that makes into a bed for Alyce. There is a small kitchen on the floor as well as a washer and dryer. He will have VERY limited visitation from anyone other than immediate family. There is a code to get into the BMU and then we must wash our hands before entering the actual doors to the unit. My part will begin on Monday, May 21st. I will begin going daily to the BMU for shots of Neupogen. If Terry's insurance had not covered this, the 4 shots would have cost over $6,000. The doctor and nurse were concerned that I have such an intolerance to pain meds. I will be off my normal prescription strength Nsaids for a week before and then the shots also will make me have severe bone and muscle pain. These shots will make my white cell count rise really high in a short time and then my red cells and platelets will work overtime to produce new Stem Cells. On Thursday, they will put a catheter into my neck. That is the day that I will really wish I could take some strong pain meds but everything makes me nauseated to the point of dehydration. Then on Friday, May 25th, I will go in at 8am to begin the apheresis. They showed me the room where I will be hooked up and they will take my blood out, remove the needed Stem Cells and then put it back in. They told me to prepare to be there 10 hours that day. I can watch TV, read, snack or sleep. Terry and Alyce may even be able to come visit with me awhile since I will be just a couple of doors down the hall. They will monitor me during the entire process in case my calcium, potassium and magnesium levels get out of kilter. I am having to get prescriptions filled for the potassium and magnesium to take while there if they think my levels are getting too low. If the calcium level is too high it acts as a binding agent and they would have to give me something to counter that. As I said before, they told us all the worst but we will hope for the BEST. I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a little nervous about this, but God has given me an opportunity to save Terry's life and he will provide me with the peace and comfort I need. Terry's big day will come on Saturday, May 26th, when he will receive the Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant. The hours and days after the Transplant will tell the doctors if his body is responding favorably. God has brought us to it and he will see us through it. We seek your prayers now more than ever. I hope you all saw the flyer about the concert in Terry's honor scheduled for May 20th, 4:30 to 8:30. The concert and food are free for ANY size donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Terry will not be allowed to come, but he will still get to see all of us on a laptop screen. He will be so surprised. PLEASE make plans to be present so you can send him a message of encouragement. Bring the entire family and neighbors, we want to have a BIG crowd. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. Our entire family took lunch to our 83 year old Mom's house and surprised her. I love you all, Karen

You Are Invited!

Shhhhhhhhhh! It's a secret. This information is for you and for you to share....but Terry doesn't know! (You may click on the announcement to enlarge it)

Speeding Things Up

Terry had to go for a Lung test at UAB on Tuesday and the girl administering the test asked him if he was a singer. He said that he was and she said that she could tell because his lung capacity was over the 100% capacity. That was good news. They got a call Wednesday afternoon from UAB stating that they wanted to move the dates up. He will be going to UAB tomorrow (Friday) for another Bone Marrow Test and the LP (spinal tap). If all goes well, he will probably begin chemo on the 14th or 15th. They saw Dr. Yeilding at Carraway today. Terry is trying to be upbeat and positive that this is going to work but we all realize that it is in God's hands. Please pray that God will hear our pleading to grant him returning health and longer life with his family. Thank you for your continued concern and love for us. +++++Karen