Off More Meds!

Going down to 25mg a day starting Thursday! Happy New Year to us! So close! Hopefully soon he will be off totally! He went for photo today and did well. Dr. Salzman saw him and she told him he could come down on the immune medicine. GREAT NEWS! Karen's immune system is taking over! They will continue the photo for a while making sure the GVHD does not show its ugly head! Pray that is doesn't! Three years ago he was diagnosed and told he could not make it! Through God answering all your prayers he is still here with us!!!! GOD BLESS YOU ALL! Happy New Year! We love you all! Alyce

Made It Through It!

Well, today is Dec. 27th and we made it so far without any fevers so far! As soon as I say that something will happen! I even got a new device to take his tempature for Christmas. He of course did not give it to me, my Dad and Barbara did. Its cool! I like it! Now I don't have to wake him up in the morning to take it. He actually goes for his photo Tuesday and Wednesday this week and we should see the doctor. He's wanted to go fishing but has not (Thank you Don)! Hopefully they will let him go down to just 25mg of immune suppression medicine and stay on it for 2 more weeks and hopefully will come off of it. That is wishful thinking though. The doctor told us it wouldn't be much to stay on 25mg for a long time, its so little but would keep things in check hopefully! I think he will visit the gastro doctor within the next few weeks. Eating all this food has been tough for him. Swallowing isn't getting any easier and he will not eat a whole plateful like he should to keep his weight up. Things are fixing to get busy, I just thought it was a few weeks ago. My brother will leave and go back to Vancouver until after the Olympics are over. He is working there providing transportation for the atheletes, committees, etc... Our buses are transporting the hockey teams. So I will be very busy here REAL soon. Kristina and I are leaving on Jan 14-18 for Garretts graduation in Great Lakes, Illinios. Talk about cold!!! Terry and John will have to fend for themselves! We had a GREAT Christmas, just him being here is Christmas enough for me! Can't imagine it without him! Looking forward to bringing in 2010 with him and so much is going to happen this year. Mainly Kristina getting married! I am just so thankful T is here to go through all of this with me. God knows what he is doing! He has a plan! We hope all you had a very Merry Christmas and looking forward to the New Year! It will be 3 years from his diagnosis in January! And he is here to celebrate it! May will the next test when he will get his bone marrow test. This I know he not looking forward to! Hugs and kisses to you all! God Bless You All! Alyce

Off More Meds!

He is coming off more immune suppression medicine! He went today for labs to be drawn and they took him off 25 mg more! This is where we were when he got the GVHD back in January of this year. So PRAY,PRAY, PRAY this does not come back or it will set us back so BAD!!! I have faith God has put him on the track to better health! We are looking forward to celebrate another Christmas together! It will be 3 years in January he was diagnosed with AML. So I know God has a better plan for us. We celebrated Kristina's graduation this past Saturday and thanked God for letting T be here to see it. Three years ago I wasn't sure! It was so awesome, we are so proud of her!!!! Now to the real world getting a job! But again, God has pulled us through this and she will be the BEST nurse ever! We(Kristina and I) are going to Chicago in January to see Garrett graduate from Navy boot camp. Will be cold but I think it will be awesome to see him go through this! So far so good in he has not gotten anything from anyone that has made us go to the hospital. God is watching over him! We are about to start going through all the family gatherings so please pray he stays well through all of it! We(our family) want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and remember why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. God Bless You All! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Great News!

We saw the doctor last week and Terry got a good report! The doctor brought him down on some more meds especially the immune suppression med. This is sososososo great! This means his(I mean Karen's) immune system is getting stronger! He is still having problems with his lungs and most likely always will but thats ok as long as he does not get an infection in them! That would be very BAD! We are celebrating Kristina's graduation this weekend from UA College of Nursing! Something we were not sure T would be here to witness. God is good!!!! We are excited!!!! She and I went today and bought her wedding dress! She is beautiful in it! Garrett will be so surprised! We have heard from him through letters and it sounds like he is being tested! It will all be worth it one day and that is what I told him in a letter I wrote to him this week!!! Sorry so late posting this! He is doing good and hopefully will continue through the holidays! God Bless You and Merry Christmas! Alyce

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lots to be thankful for!!!!! We just got home from our annual family gathering for Thanksgiving and it was so "blessed"! I feel so guilty not updating this!!! I guess with facebook on now, Kristina keeps everything more up to date than I do! I apologize! He went fishing yesterday with Mike and didn't catch much but still a day on the lake beats any day for him. At least the weather was good! We loved seeing everyone today. This only happens once a year so usually there are ones that are not with us anymore that were there last year. Just glad we were able to go. Karen and Rick brought Ruth and she looked so pretty and was in such a good mood and seemed to know everyone. I am thankful they went and got her!!! Tara brought the newst addition, Parker. He is so precious and has the darkest hair! We all ate real good and are stuffed! Time for a nap, at least that is what Terry is doing! T goes Wednesday and Thursday next week to have his photopheresis and we will see the doctor. Hopefully, we get to discuss coming off some more meds! We didn't get to last time because of him getting the swine flu! Tomorrow is the only day we go seperate ways, Auburn/Alabama game!!! Split family! All I can say is ROOOLLL TIIIIDE!! And he would say "War Eagle" although he know's Bama is going to win! We'll see, anything can happen on Iron Bowl Day!!! Sorry to all you AU fans! We love all of you, JB we got your message! Thanks for calling and leaving such a sweet voice mail! God Bless You and Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy 51st T!

We celebrated T's 51st birthday on Sunday! Wasn't feeling so great though and still isn't. His fever has not come back and he still has a cough. But hopefully with everyday it will get better. We are not really sure when he will go back to be tested to see if he still has it. Dr. Vaughan was quick to get us out of there with masks, even me! He was scared his other patients would be infected with it. I can't blaim him! So far I have not had any symtoms of the flu and God willing I won't! God knows I have to take care of him. We are supposed to go to a family gathering on Saturday for Garrett before he leaves on Monday. Maybe wearing masks! We'll see, I am going to call the doctor to make sure it is ok to go. Would REALLY hate to miss this!!!!!! Kristina is working at DCH to finish up her preceptorship and hopefully will be through soon! Dec. 12th can't get here fast enough for her!! Please keep us in your prayers! God Bless You and lots of BIG hugs and kisses!!!! Thanksgiving is almost here and there is SOSOSOSOSO much to be thankful for! Alyce

Got the Flu!

T has been in the hospital since Wednesday. What we thought was an infection in his port turned out to be the flu! One day he is fine, the next he's not! He went fishing on Tuesday and had a GREAT day with Garrett. They caught alot of big fish and had a great time except the flat tire on the boat trailer. Then on Wednesday after his photopheresis he got to feeling really bad. When Kristina got home his fever was 100.5, then when I got home an hour later, it was 101.4 and 30 minutes later it was 101.6. So we got ready and Kristina and Garrett went to the hospital with us and they admitted him immediately. He got lots of antibiotics through his port and fluids and they thought his port had gotten infected. But today after they decide to let us go home, after he had no fever last night or today, they told us it was the flu! He is on Tamaflu for 5 days and hopefully it will get out of his system. Please pray for him and pray we don't get it! I cleaned everything with anti-fungal spray and cleaner when we got home! Tara had Parker yesterday and they are both fine and are going home tomorrow! Kristina is graduating in December and we are SOSOSOSOSO happy! Garrett is leaving in a week to go into the Navy! Keep us all in your prayers So much going on, don't have time to be sick! God is good and I believe he will see us through all this! Sorry, I have updated earlier! Just too tired I guess! Hugs to all of you and God Bless! Alyce

More Great News!

T went to the eye doctor on Monday and was told he does not have GVHD in his eyes. That is SOSOSOSOSOSO awesome!!!! He does have the beginnings of cataracts and that is from the steroids. We were told they could cause them and because he was on such a high dose I guess he couldn't dodge them. They aren't bad enough to have surgery yet but are very aggrivating to him because it is effecting his eye sight. He wears his glasses most of the time now. I am sure there will come a time he will have to get them taken out. But because the GVHD is gone and hopefully will stay gone he can continue to come down off meds especially the immune suppression medicine. Prayers have been answered and hopefully God will let him continue to get better and better every day! Just wanted to let everyone know the GOOD news! Love to you all! Alyce

Great News!

We had a GREAT visit today! They said his liver enzymes were down and they are trying an experiment and taking him off his liver meds for two weeks and then he will have to go in and get a test done to make sure they are staying down. So we were happy about that. And then Dr. Vaughan decided to bring him off some more of his immune suppression meds too! So we were very pleased when we left there! Just hope nothing comes up to make them have to put him back on the meds they took him off of. We were hoping when they started taking him off the meds he would be off of them by Christmas. Not sure that will happen now but just have to be patient I guess! Men do not have alot of patience!!!! He wants SOSOSOSOSOSO bad to be "normal" again. Not sure if that will ever happen but we can come close to it at least! The prayers from all of you are making the difference and for him to come this far it shows the power of prayer, God will answer. We also went to the vascular doctor on Wednesday and he had nothing but good news for us. His blood flow is good and they think the purple color in his feet are just another side effect of the heavy chemo he received and the meds he is still on and the only thing they would do is give him coumadin, which he is already on. So we were very happy when we left there. Kristy, the one that had the car accident last summer had come back to work and she had to have major surgery yesterday. They told her she would be on a respirator and in intensive care for several days and she came through it with flying colors, no ICU, no respirator, just straight to a regular room and may go home this weekend. So God does answer prayers! My mom is doing better and my brother had cancer taken off his face today and is re-cooping at home. So much going on at one time! Kristina is studying hard for tests, the last ones before graduating. She is stressed to say the least! We are celebrating her and Garretts engagement this weekend so she can relax for a day! He leaves for Navy boot camp in November so he is getting ready for that! So no wedding date yet, but maybe next summer? Thank you all so much for your love and prayers! We love you! Alyce

Update So Late!

Sorry so long in updating this! Its been CRAZY around our house lately! T went fishing last Wednesday with Don and the next day was running a fever. Not because of fishing Don!!!! They thought it was pnuemonia at first and he was put in the inpatient part of the BMT. Only for the day thank goodness. They did a CT scan, chest x-ray and took multiple tubes of blood and cultures. Only thing they could come up with was a bladder infection. Thankful for that! They gave him 2 rounds of antibiotics and fluids and even put him on oxygen. I had left to go to the office because I had not prepared for this and when I came back they had him on oxygen. He felt much better that afternoon and they even let us go home around 4pm. He had to go back the next morning for more tests and antibiotics. We even had to go in on Saturday morning(cuttin in on football time). My Mom had an arteriorgram on Friday so John took T into the hospital for me on Friday while I went to take care of her. She stayed over night at the hospital and then I brought her home with me. She is doing fine and hopefully the stint they put in will last longer than the last one did. Kristina turned 24 Saturday too! Makes me feel SOOOO old!!! We watched the Auburn game(close one) and Sunday I took my Mom home that afternoon. Tara had a baby shower that we did not get to attend(Sorry Tara) and Terry even had to go back today to get his INR taken(coumadin level). They can't get that straight for some reason. He goes in Wednesday and Thursday for phtopheresis and sees a vascular surgeon on Wednesday for his feet. His toes on one foot especially are a purplish color. So they are sending him to another doctor to look at his feet. He had some tests done for that last week too! Like I said, so much is going on I can't even keep up with it all! I will update after these doctor visits! I promise! Hugs and kisses to you all! Alyce

Great Sunday!

We went to church at Heritage Place today and heard Pete(Sherri's husband)preach today. He is a VERY good speaker and I might add preacher! He preached on compassion and how we should show more of it to others around us. Afterwards we all went to eat together so it was great being with the family and catching up on things. Tara has 7 weeks left and Parker will be here. In time for Thankgiving. It was great seeing family and friends we have not seen in a while at the church. Dr. Frank Sutton being one of them. He was such a GREAT help and inspiration when Terry was diagnosed back in 2007. He made us understand what was going on and prayed for us that night when so many came to the hospital. I will NEVER forget it and to this day be grateful for him coming to our rescue. So many things going on right now! We are going to see a vascular surgeon at some point. T's feet are not getting the right blood flow especially in the foot that the blood clot was in. So they did a test and are sending us to the vascular doctor to get advice on what we should do. He went fishing and brought fish back to put in our lake. He likes doing that! John's CD release party on Sept. 25, hope we can stay up that late. My Mom is having an arteriorgram on Oct 2, Kristina will be 24 on Oct 3, an engagement party for Garrett and Kristina on Oct 10 and he is leaving going to boot camp in November. I am just SOOOO grateful T is here going through this with me. God knew I could not handle it all alone! T has eye glasses now and we are supposed to go back to the eye doctor to see about some contacts that might help too! He still has the GVHD in his eyes so they have stopped letting him come down off the immune suppressiom meds. So for now we are at a stand still. I will update after we visit the vascular doctor. Hugs and kisses! Love you all! Alyce

Great Sunday!

Bleeding Again!

We went to the BMT today(T went yesterday too) for photopheresis and we saw the doctor too! He had bled some yesterday after he got home but had stopped by the time I got home from work. He started bleeding again while they were doing the photo and continued to bleed after they pulled the BIG needle out of his chest(his port). They applied pressure, cold packs, vitamin K pill and shot and it finally stopped. We got there at 9 am this morning and left at 6:30 pm this evening. Terry and I are so tired!!! I guess I had forgotten how tired it makes you feel to sit there all day! I had mentioned the color of his feet and his toes hurting all the time. The doctor looked at his feet and did not like the color of them(purple) SO, he is going tomorrow for an arterial study on his legs and feet. Not sure exactly what they are looking for but he goes back to the BMT Monday for an INR test(coumadin level) and a dobbler on his legs and feet. I will fill you in on Monday when we get some results. I am going to check on him to make sure he has still STOPPED bleeding! We found out that another patient we had gotten to know passed away this past week. She was a very nice lady and we are very sad we will no longer see her at the hospital. Hugs and kisses! Love to all! Alyce

GREAT 26th Anniversary Present!

Well, we got the present we were wanting! He got to come off 75 mg a day of immune suppression meds! Starting on Friday he is only taking 100mg in the AM and the same in the PM. That is a BIG step! I am having to stay on him about putting the drops in his eyes for the GVHD(the drops make his eyes sting REALLY bad) so he doesn't like doing it at all. But the stinging is hopefully the healing of his eyes. He got his glasses on Thursday, we had a really big day and a great day for our anniversary! It was nice just taking it easy with him and just being together and remembering what we did the day we got married. Sometimes people forget what it meant to them on that day. We enjoyed a very nice dinner at Flemings Steakhouse, a treat in itself! We go to the BMT for photopheresis on Sept 9 and 10 and will hopefully get to come off more meds if the doctor will let him. We will meet with the doctor on the 10th to discuss anything that may be happening(GVHD in the eyes) and then they will decide if he can continue to come down off any meds. We love you all! We learned that Victoria(8 year old with AML)got to go home this past week. She is doing much better! Still don't know if she is in remission. All the prayers are helping!!! My step-mom is fixing to go through radiation for the next 6 weeks. She had breast cancer and they removed the cancer but think she needs the radiation to keep it from coming back. Please pray for her speedy recovery! Hug your loved ones, you never know what is around the corner! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

High School Reunion

We got to go to Terry's Tarrant HS reunion last Sat. night. He almost didn't go but was glad he did afterwards. The doctors approved it and I had him cleaning his hands with hand sanitizer every five to ten minutes. They served Dreamland b'que for dinner and it was at Vulcan Park. That is a very nice place! We had a good time and he saw alot of people that night that have been praying for him and wishing him well. Always nice to know! He is doing well and we are to call the doctor's this Thursday to make sure he can come off more meds. This Thursday is our 26th wedding anniversary and I hope for our present he gets to come off more meds. He went to the eye doctor last week and he still has GVHD in his eyes and has to have glasses to see far off now. He has always been eagle eye to me. He could see things so far off and now he cannot. We know alot of patients that have it their eyes and it is very hard to get rid of when its in the eyes. He is still putting the eye drops in and hopefully this will help. Please pray that it does or it can spread again and we will be back where we were in January. Not a good thing! We love you and thank you for still reading this! I don't realize people rely on this until someone says to me " I have not seen a new post on the blog lately" and I really feel bad! I apologize for that! Karen did a MUCH better job at this, but I am just so glad I can do this instead of being in the hospital and her having to do it! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Coming off Meds!

He had a GREAT visit today! He is going to start tapering off the immune suppression meds tonight and every two weeks come of a little more each time! This is going to give Karen's immune system a chance to take over! YEAH!!!!! He is also going to come off one of the meds tonight and every two weeks they will take away one more! YEAH!!!! He is getting stronger every day and he is starting to fill out more and more! He will continue the photopheresis once a month to help keep the GVHD from coming back! As long as GVHD stays away they will continue to come off more and more! We're down to 26 meds now! He can now drive according to the doctor, she gave him permission. Praise the Lord! He is looking after him! And our family! Hopefully this will all go well and by Christmas be totally off the meds! Thank you for hanging in here with us! Couldn't have done it without you and all your prayers! Please continue to pray for little Victoria, she is having a really bad time with infection and the doctors are not sure what is causing it! That is NOT a good thing! BIG hugs and kisses! Love to you all! Alyce

Too Long from Posts!

So sorry I have not updated this in soooo long! Lots been going on! We have not been to the BMT unit since July 17th! He will go this Wed and Thurs. for photopheresis. We have been to another doctor and they ran some tests on him and he will not be having surgery. Good and a bad thing! Too personal to go into too much detail! We have been in Mobile and Gulf Shores the past week. Wore him out and me too! We had a great time but always good to be home. We haven't slept in a strange bed(except the hospital)in so long it was hard to sleep away from our bed. T is doing well it seems. Has had many good days! John has moved back in temporarily I am sure. But it is good to have him around again and He and T are having a good time down in the studio. Thats what it was built for!!! Kristina is engaged to Garrett Hodges(going in the Navy in Nov.) so our lives have changed quite a bit lately!He picked out the ring she wanted so she is VERY happy! He is a good person and we hope he doesn't get sent off anywhere soon! My step-mom is having surgery again this Wed. for lymph nodes(cancer again possibly)Hopefully this will go well! After being out of the office for a week, there's lots to catch up! I know lots of you have joined facebook, so check it out. Its a great way to communicate and keep up with everyone! The little girl, Victoria, needs prayers! She is going through a REALLY rough time right now! In ICU and feeding tube and heart rate racing away! The doctors do not know why! I keep up with updates from her mom on caringbridge. Pray for her recovery! She has AML just like T. I won't be so long next time, will update after our visit on Thursday with the doctor. Hugs and kisses to everyone! Alyce

Good Weekend!

He went to photopheresis Wednesday and Thursday and they didn't seem to be alarmed about anything. We met with the doctor and they took him off two meds! YEAH! Thirty more to go! His feet are still "NORMAL" and his arms and hands look SOOOO much better!! He is most definitely getting better! We went to the hospital for a coumadin level on Saturday and then to a family gathering at Sherri and Pete's home. All the kids were having a blast and we got to see Brook for the first time and she is beautiful!! A good baby! Tara is 22 weeks along with Parker and is due in November. She looks great! It was SOOOOO good to be with everyone, we haven't been together since Christmas. TOOO long! Then on Sunday we went to see Ruth for the first time(I hate to admit) since January(when we got so sick). T went straight through to the outside and Kristina and I went and got Ruth from the hallway. She was in good spirits and seemed to know who we were and why had it been so long since we had been to see her. We explained it to her and she seemed to understand but not for long, she asked the same question again later. But we laughed and enjoyed our visit(2 hrs)and left her in a pretty good mood. We took pictures so you all that can look on facebook, you should see them soon. That is Kristina's job. She was fixing to go to dinner with Kelly. We told her it wouldn't be so long before we see her. T will just have to be outside so we make sure he doesn't get anything. She looked good and demonstrated her leg muscles for us. She is a STRONG woman! Just hate to see her in that place! Hopefully we will have a good week this week. T has more tests on July 31st, so pray they go well! Pray for my step-mom for good news from her doctor! Thanks for hanging in here with us and God Bless You All! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Happy Birthday John! 21!!!!

I am so sorry for not updating before now!!! This has most definitely been a roller coaster ride! He had a surgical procedure done Monday and they gave him a shot we think he had a bad reaction too. First time for that! Did not like it!!! He had to be taken in to the BMT yesterday(Kristina to the rescue again)and they ran tests and did not seem to know what caused him to feel so bad, other than the shot. He is feeling better, thank goodness! We were able to go and celebrate John's 21st birthday after all. It turned out to be a OK night except not getting much sleep the night before. Just glad we were not in the hospital for it. Can't believe our baby is 21! Somebody's getting old!!! T's feet are much better. Over night his feet went all the way down to he can actually wear a normal shoe instead of sandals. We went to church Sunday and he looked down at his feet and said I wish I could wear different shoes, well now he can. I can see veins in his feet, I have not been able to see them in months. He is now off the steroids and he is getting stronger everyday. They are adjusting his meds and coming down off of some of them since he is off the steroids. He went to photopheresis today and we will go back tomorrow and see the doctor. Dr. Vaughan saw him yesterday and asked him why he had to be such a mystery. That the things that are happening to him have not happened to any of his other patients. There is always a first time for learning, UAB being a research place, just hate T is the guenie pig. He is getting stronger, can get out of a chair without using his hands to push him up and out. That is BIG!!! Just had a BIG scare yesterday, just glad it wasn't too big! At one point they said he would be admitted, but didn't. Going up and down on the roller coaster!! Want to get off and back to a steady pace! My step-mom had surgery today so I am praying there is nothing to worry about there, she is OK and the doctor said good things about her. They all had a good time in Alaska last week and glad they are home! Just had to come back to this heat! I will update after we see the doctor tomorrow, I promise! We love you all and BIG hugs and kisses! Alyce

Good News!

Sorry so late in updating you! He did go Monday and Dr. Vaughan saw him and said they really could not figure out what might be wrong with him. He said if he starts having any kind of pain he needs to let them know ASAP! He said to come down again off the steroids, only 1 mg every other day! They are going to start a step down off the immune suppression meds soon. He will continue the photopheresis while he is coming down off the immune meds to keep the GVHD at bay and not come back. Pray this works! This would be SOOOOO big! He talked about him looking for a doctor to see when he has a sore throat or ear ache, cold, etc... and would only come there if there were bad problems and would have a yearly check-up with them. Man, to think maybe by Thanksgiving things could be next to "NORMAL" whatever that may be!!!! We don't go back until July 16th for photo and will see a doctor then. Kristina went with him this past Monday and I will go with him then on the 16th. John and Kristina are leaving and going to Alaska with my Dad and step-mom and Alan's kids this Sunday for a week. Cooler air for sure! I will miss them! Please pray for T and that all this will go as the doctor thinks it will, only God can control this! And please pray for Victoria Sutton, the little girl in children's hospital, she is going through a REALLY rough time right now, BAD infections! And will be in the hospital for a while! Pray she gets better! We love you and God Bless You! Hugs and kisses to everyone! Alyce

Off Until Monday!!!!!

We are off until Monday! He had that "lovely" test this morning but we don't know the results yet. We will go back Monday and they will hopefully give us the results of all the tests. Lidia said they had to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Dr. Vaughan is back so I know he will be in on all the fun now. He poked his head in this afternoon and said smart little remarks. Accused me of doing it to him. He is a funny man!!! We were supposed to go to Guntersville this weekend for my family reunion and will know tomorrow if we get to go at all. We had gotten it approved earlier last week before all this started. We just gotta have patience. On another note, when we were in the hospital there was a family experiencing so much more than we were. A man that we had seen several times in the BMT unit was admitted on Saturday while we were in there. We were down the same hall as him. I watched alot of family come in and out Monday and Tuesday. He just was not getting better. He had gotten something in his lungs and they could not figure out what it was. He has been on a respirator since Sunday. We learned today that they would pull him off the respirator at 5 pm this afternoon. My heart goes out to this family, it is all I could think about at 5 today. So I sat in silence and prayed in my office for this family. That could easily be us. So next time you see Terry and he is in a place he could get mold or fungus, get on to him! I make him wear a mask in our basement all the time! When we learn more about what the docs think is going on, I will update again. We love all of you, never knew so many looked at this! Hugs and kisses and God Bless You! Alyce

More Tests!

We got to come home today!! YEAH! Not at the doctor's choice but she made the mistake of giving him a choice and of course he chose to come home, who wouldn't! He had two more tests done before we left and we have to be back at the BMT at 8 am for bloodwork and then go to Kirklin for another test. A fun one! Then we will go back to the BMT and discuss the results of the tests they have been running and what they think is happening although I am not really sure they know. They have their theories and guesses but don't really know why he has an air pocket in his body cavity. They think something has burst or has a hole in it or had a hole in it and has sealed itself. I guess that is why they are looking at all organs and all around the organs. He's just happy to home tonight and in his own bed. I will update again tomorrow when we find out more! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

A Night In The Hospital

Kristina took him to the BMT unit today to get his phospherus(6 hrs worth). I was taking them some lunch and she called an told me they were admitting him and a surgeon was coming to talk with him. Of course, I got there as soon as I could. Well, two surgeons came to talk to him and examine him. They ordered another test and made him stay overnite to get more tomorrow. He is NOT a happy man!!! He is not having any symptoms of any type of illness except a pocket of air trapped under his diaphram. This is dangerous according to all the doctors. We know fluid is in his lungs but his oxygen was up today and that is a good sign. They are doing a ultrasound of his heart tomorrow to see if fluid is around his heart and look at the heart muscle. I just talked to him and he told me to tell everyone he is going to be fine and don't worry! You know him!!! Just wanted to update everyone and thank you for all the prayers! Will update tomorrow! God Bless You! Alyce

Not A Good Father's Day!!!!!!!

We just got home from the hospital(10:30 pm) We just thought we were going in JUST for a coumadin level. The nurse took his oxygen level and it was low so they made him walk around the unit 2 times and it went down, not a good thing!!! So they drew more blood and sent him for a chest x-ray. It looked fine so Dr. Salzman decided a CT scan needed to be done today. So we were there 3 hours on Saturday and today we spent 8 hours there. He had 2 CT scans today, one on his chest for the lungs then we were called back for a lower scan on his abdomen. He has air trapped right below his diaphragm(don't know why)but suspected a "perforated bowel" but it wasn't, thank the Lord! That would have meant surgery. His feet are still really swollen and they did blood tests that proved he has fluid in his lungs. He is now on lasix and potassium to get the fluid off. They suspect fluid around the heart so he is going back tomorrow to have an ecocardiogram done. He is losing all his electrolytes so today he drank potassium and also got an IV. He got magnesium through an IV too and pills! This is all related to the heart and the nurse asked us if he had a certain kind of chemo(Donarubison) and he had gotten it in Carraway. This chemo can do alot of damage to the heart and a body can only stand a certain amount in a person's lifetime. I am very tired but wanted to let everyone know to keep him in your prayers. We have made it this far with God's help and your prayers! Will update tomorrow after we get home. Love to all! Alyce

Port Pulled Out!

We went to the BMT today for photopheresis and met with Dr. Salzman and she decided his temp port should come out, so they used it one last time. Then one of the fellows pulled it out. We discussed his swollen feet and the color of them and they did not seem to be TOO concerned. This will all go away in time after he is off the steroids. He is going down on the dosage tomorrow to 2 mg every other day. He should be totally off by July 16th. We asked about going to the family reunion(Thrasher's) in Guntersville next weekend and a trip to Mobile the first of August. They seemed to be ok with it as long as we did or didn't do certain things. We just have to be SO careful! He goes back Saturday for a coumadin level to make sure his blood stays this enough not to get another blot clot. We are discussing some surgery but won't know for sure until some tests are done in July. I will update again soon! He doesn't go back for photopheresis until the middle of July. YEAH!!!! Butch is taking him tomorrow for his second round. There is a little girl in Children's that has AML just like T. She is 8 years old and is going through her third battle with chemo and when I say battle, that is exactly what it is!!! It's not a fun thing and it is making her very sick. Her name is Victoria, please pray for her! You can visit her caring bridge site and look at her story. It is at www.victoriasutton.caringbridge.com. She is a brave little girl! We love all of you for hanging in here with us! BIG hugs and kisses! God Bless You! Alyce

100% His Donor(Karen)

We found out today that he is still 100% donor and that would be Karen! I had asked that question two weeks ago when we had gotten our great news but the test was not in yet. So today I made sure we found that out! That is SOOOO great! Many patients have problems and sometimes loose their transplant or keep having to get t-cells from their donor. We are SOOOO blessed! We came down on the steriods again, only 6 mg every other day. His feet are looking better but definitely NOT normal! Hopefully soon he will be able to get around more people and go back to work soon! But not TOO soon! We are getting together with Butch, Jackie, Rick and Karen this weekend to celebrate with them. I thank God for Karen and for being here for him! God always has a plan for all of us! We love all of you and thank you again for hangin' in here with us! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

We Made It!

We always would say, "if we could make it two years, they would say you are cured!" I can't believe it has been those 2 years! We are so blessed! We celebrated by praying to God, thanking him for seeing us through it and getting us to where we are today. Thanking him for Karen and her being able to give Terry a new life! We ate homemade tacos and had ice cream cake from DQ! We gave him a picture of the Beatles walking across Abbey Road to hang in the studio! Patrick had one in his and he admired it! It is great to be able to celebrate his 2nd birthday from transplant and hopefully we will celebrate for years to come! Again, thank you to all of you who have prayed with us and for us!!! Couldn't have done it without you! God Bless You! Hugs and kisses! Alyce and Terry

God Has Answered Our Prayers!!!!!

Well, it has been 2 years since his transplant this May 26th! We got great news today! Terry is leukemia free! There are no signs of leukemia cells at all! Praise Our Lord and Savior! He has listened to all of you out there praying so hard for this! We are so blessed! He is one happy man, I mean woman(Karen his sister), just kidding! We can breathe a little easier for another year, it will be done again then(the bone marrow test). Thank you to all of you who have stuck with us through this journey(that is what it says on the UAB journal they give when you go into having a transplant)It is a journey! Nobody could have told us that we would experience what we have the past 2 years and a half!!!! I just thank God for seeing us through all of it! He will go next week for his photopheresis Wednesday and Thursday and we will again go down on the steriods. Hopefully in a couple of months he will be able to return to work, but he will have to take it slow. Yeah, take it slow! He's not a take it slow kind of person! But we have learned patience through this all! Especially me! We love all of you and appreciate all the prayers that you have sent up on our behalf. God Bless All of You! BIG hugs and kisses! Alyce

2nd Year Tests Done

We had the two year tests done today. Pretty much mostly blood work, chest x-ray and a pulmanary lung test done. The biggie was the bone marrow aspiration. He didn't get that, instead he(Dr. Vaughan) went into his chest to the sternum. Because of his coumadin level, they chose not to go into his back bone. Less chance of bleeding doing it in his sternum. Looked painful to me but he said it wasn't as bad. It took three times to get what he needed but he did not stop until he was satisfied. Kristina watched very closely as he did the procedure then offered her to do the next patient in line. She is very observant and knew all the medical termanology he used. Its "greek" to me! He has slept most of the day which is expected, they gave him some ativan and demerol. But who would want to stay awake while someone drilled three holes in their chest bone. I'm sure he will be sore tomorrow! Dr. V is supposed to read the tests results in the morning and I expect a phone call some time tomorrow. I will update after I get some results from the tests, just wanted you to know what was going on and keep praying the results are good! Hugs and kisses to you all! Alyce

Big Test Next Week

We went to the BMT unit today and Dr. Vaughan said he was very pleased on his liver counts and everything looked good. His platelets are a little low and not sure why but not low enough to get platelets by no means! His arms and hands are so damaged from the steroids, coumadin and now low platelets. He has really bad places on them. He went to photopheresis yesterday with Butch and today with me because we see the doctor on the second day. He will have his "BIG TEST" next Wednesday, all the tests for his 2 year birthday from the transplant. Two years and a half you have been with us through all of it! Can you believe it! We have made it through 2 years! That was our goal, but so much more to go! His feet are REALLY swollen and it makes it hard for him to walk. His feet hurt with all the fluid in them. We will come down again off the steroids and will continue each week to reduce them! YEAH!!!! He should be totally off them by June 11th. Pray everything goes well next week and the leukemia is still gone! God is good and is watching over us! There are so many people up there that are relapsing, that is VERY scary! We hear of someone every time we go up there. We are leaving it all in God's hands and trust he will take care of it! We love all of you! God Bless You All! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Better News!

We went to the BMT unit today and he had his photopheresis(yesterday too with Butch) and they had to give him 4 hours of phosphorus while he did the photopheresis today. For some reason he is losing this particular element it takes to make your blood cells work correctly. They do not know exactly why either. So he will get this when we come in for the photo in 2 weeks. They will most likely remove the temporary port since I will not need it any more! That is the next good news! We will finish up the fluids next week and the antibiotics are done. The virus he had is gone! God is blessing him so much! His liver counts have improved too! His skin color and his eyes have improved, it is a REALLY big difference since he started the photopheresis. Whoever invented that machine is a billionaire! He is also starting another step down from the steriods. Will be SO glad when he is completely off them! He is SOOOOO weak and it makes me worry about him falling. He is doing all the excercises he can to keep himself from getting weaker, almost too much! If you know him, you know he is a stickler about things and staying on them to make them work! Watch out salesmen for SCS! He will be calling you soon! Congrats to Mike and his first baby being born! Don't think I have left out anything, so many things were discussed today! He will have another bone marrow test done in May to make sure there are NO leukemia cells in it. It will be 2 years on May 26th since his transplant! We made it! Thank you Dear Lord! God is good! We love you all and thank you for staying with us through all this! Its a long journey and nobody could prepare you for this! Please pray for T to have patience, he is wanting to "Get Back" fast and thats not going to happen! He needs more patience! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

GVHD Disappearing!

Good Morning! Its a beautiful Saturday! Terry went to the eye doctor on Thursday and got a good report! Dr. Parker told him he did not see GVHD in his eyes any more. There is a residual left in them, but that he did not see any active in his eyes! That is great news! Praise God! He is feeling stronger every day and the excercise he is getting is helping. He and Butch went fishing this week in his boat and caught 5 fish, he was sooooooo happy! They kept them and took them up to the BMT for Lidia. She has been begging for fish from him for 2 years. Butch of course did all the handling of the fish, T had on gloves and a mask. T said she hugged his neck and she never wants to hug his neck, she always hugs me! I don't know if it is because she is around so many sick people or if he acts smart with her she doesn't want to have anything to do with him! Which he has done alot in the past! She calls him Dr. Davidson when he tells her what to do or what he is going to do instead of what he is told. Sometimes it is funny and other times it is NOT! He tells me he feels like he is on the road to recovery and he feels better and better every day. He has been very active lately and that is a good thing! We go to photopheresis this week and Butch will most likely carry him one of the days, T has really enjoyed spending time with his brother! We will see the doctor on Wednesday or Thursday and hopefully will let him come down again on the steriods, that would be nice! Will update then, but before I go Jr. Jenkins passed away Wednesday night and our prayers are with his family. He lived next door to T for a long, long time. We were their neighbors for ten years! He was special to all the people in Tarrant! Please pray for comfort for his family! God Bless You! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Coming Off Steroids!

Dr. Salzman gave us the good news that he could come off some of the steroids! He is now on 24 mgs and that is a GREAT thing! So happy! All his bloodwork looked good and they are happy with what is happening with him! His skin looks so good and his eyes have improved so much too! We are decreasing the IV fluids and antibiotic but still having to do them at home. That means I can sleep a little longer in the mornings!!!! We were told not to come back until 4/22, can't believe that! So long for us! God is blessing us that is for sure! He is good! Hopefully nothing will come up that will ruin this! We love you and thank you for hanging in here with us! Bone marrow test soon! God Bless You! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Good News and Bad News!

We have some more good news! We have another addition to the family, this time on my side! Patrick and Tanya Thrasher had a baby girl last night, her name is Jade! So 2 baby girls born this week new into the family! Congrats to Mommy and Daddy, parents for the first time! Terry had a really great day yesterday! Gil, Davis and Rick came out to the house for their annual board meeting and caught T up on whats been going on at SCS. He really enjoyed them coming! Then they dropped him off at the BMT unit just for bloodwork and I picked him up! We went and got some lunch and Kristina met us and brought him home. Then David and Jeff came over and did some recording with T. He had a full day and was tired but really enjoyed being active and with his friends! I had to go to the doctor with Kristina yesterday morning early! She's ok just needed to be checked out! But now the bad news, while I was there I got a phone call from Mark Ward. He is the father of Mark I have told you about that has been going through the same thing as T since Christmas. Yesterday he went to be with the Lord. Please pray for his family, they are heart broken! He was 25 years old. We have to be blessed by the Lord and knowing what can happen he is not through with T yet! He goes for his photopheresis Wednesday and Thursday and that is helping tremendously! I will update after we see the doctor next week! God Bless You and hugs to everyone! Alyce

Unexpected Visit

We had to go into the BMT yesterday because T got up at 4:30 am to go to restroom(in the dark) and got dizzy and fell. I found out I cannot support his body weight. He sat down on the bed and then decided to try to make it to the bathroom. He made it as far as the door and grabbed the door facing and went limp as a noodle. He did not remember doing that, anyway, I checked his blood pressure and it was SOOO low! Of course he fussed but I called the doctor and it took Lidia to convince him into coming in. They kept him and did blood pressure sitting, laying and standing. The standing is the problem, his pressure bottoms out and heart rate goes way up! They started him on a new med, so 32 medications he is on now! Hopefully this will take care of it! Butch came and stayed with him today so I could go into work and they had a good visit! We have a new addition to our family! Tracy(Karen's daughter)gave birth to Brooke yesterday! Don't know the details, but Kristina said she is beautiful! Her pictures have already graced facebook. Hopefully the rest of the week will be uneventful! Pray it is! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Great News!

We had a GREAT visit today! They are bringing him down on the steriods and the immune suppression meds as of today! That is HUGE! He is going back on the fungal meds to protect him and that is a great thing too! We have been so careful because we know it could be deadly to him if he were to come in contact with something they could not get rid of, especially in his lungs. We only have to do the antibiotic iv now once in the morning and fluids in the afternoon(only 7 more days left of the fluids), not sure how long he will have to be on the iv antibiotic, just depends on how the test results come back. We know at least 14 more days. He has been doing his excercises the pt gave him and it is helping his strength. Dr. Salzman was in a crazy mood today but a good mood! You can tell T is special to her! His eyes are SOOOO much better and skin color is too! So the liver counts are going down, but she said they may go up after starting back on the v-fend, but that is expected. So we really feel God is helping him get better to do more good work here on earth! They also gave him a shot to build his red blood cells or should I say Karen's blood cells! Ha! That's so GREAT! So many people are going through this that don't have the match that he and Karen did! God is SOOO Good! We see people up there that are struggling just like we did and each person that has this done is different. Everybody's reaction is unique. It takes these smart doctors, that God has given them the knowledge, to figure it all out! We talked with Dr. Vaughan today and he is SOOOO smart! His language is way over my head! I know all of you were waiting for an update, sorry so long! We love you and God Bless Every One of You! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Good News!

Terry and Kristina went to the BMT Friday just to get bloodwork done and Dr. Vaughan told him that his liver counts were looking much better. His eyes and skin have improved greatly! I don't know if its because he is on a medicine that is supposed to help his liver or if its being off the V-fend medicine or the photopheresis. My guess its the combination! If we can get off the steroids then he can come off the V-fend(very expensive) and would welcome that! He is on 31 different meds right now, makes our drug store happy! We have a few more days of IV of the vancomyocin and he is threw with it. But we still have the gancylovir and the fluids they want him to have a few more days. We have enjoyed the beautiful weather God has blessed us with the last couple of days, next week we have avoid the sun because of the photopheresis. All this hopefully is just temporary and soon he can be fishing again(he is REALLY missing that)!!! We will have the phyiscal therapists out this week 2 days and photopheresis 2 days so this week will be full! God Bless You All! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Better Liver Counts!

We got some good news yesterday! Kristina has spent her spring break with her Dad mostly taking him into UAB, bless her heart! They told them that his liver counts had come down so that was really great news to us! His skin is still yellow and so are his eyes but hopefully the photopheresis will help that. He goes two times next week. The physical therapist came today and evaluated him and gave him some suggestions on getting up and to lessen the chances of him passing out by NOT getting up fast. Randy(the PT) will be coming twice next week so his week is about full! They also told them that since the liver counts are coming down that means maybe he can come down on the steroids, we'll see! That would be a GREAT thing! We are now giving a liter of fluid each day at home, he used to go into UAB for this. Home health has come 3 times now and delivered meds. in the past two weeks. They call us by our first names, don't know if that is good or bad! Sort of the same way at the drug store. Just thought I would update everybody! Hugs and kisses to everyone! Alyce

Better Weekend!

I just wanted to let everyone know that the doctor did not bring him off any steroids and increased his immune meds. This means his strength will continue to deteriorate and his immune system is 0. Home Health Care is sending a PT out next to work with him on exercises he can do at home to help improve his strength. We stopped by SCS and Teresa got some masks for him to wear when needed but he won't be getting out much except mostly go to the doctor. Can't take a risk of him getting any kind of fungus disease, if he did, it would NOT be a good thing! They took him off the fungus fighting pill to see if his liver enzymes would improve, just for 10 days. But they discovered a bacterial infection and now I am giving him 2 IVs a day, one for the CMV and now one for the bacterial infection. So complicated I know! I don't much understand why they do what they do, all I know is follow their directions and pray to God that the doctors know what they are doing will work. Kristina is home for the week(Spring Break)so at least this week I will be more comforted with her here. She loves her Daddy! We have had, so far, a much better weekend than the last three, that means no hospital on Sat. or Sun. I actually took a nap this afternoon on the sofa! Very unusual for me! God Bless All of You! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Nurse Davidson(unofficial of course)

Thank you Karen for keeping everybody up to date! I am at home today with T. My family(at work) gave me the day off and told me to stay home with him and rest. I hooked his anti-biotic up around 9:10 am and he should be through in about an hour. Its now 9:55 am and he is still alseep and I am going to let him sleep as long as he wants to. I got 8 good hours last night so I feel much better! Since last Friday there hasn't been much sleep! So many things going on! Thanks to Karen and Butch for helping me out, don't know what I would do without family and friends! Mike Gilbert from church was his tech from the blood bank that did his photopheresis, so glad for that! Karen was right about T's attitude, he going to win the fight and re-gain his strength and return to the life we once had but with God so much more in it! God has seen us through all this and at times I think he is testing me, but I am going to be strong just like T. We will go tomorrow to the BMT and he is supposed to meet with the doctor about coming off the steroids again.. Kristina and John have been great! Last night Kristina had to walk me through the procedure over the phone to remind me exactly to hook his port up to the tubes. John came home and spent the night and helped me with T after he passed out. They both have their lives now but we are still their #1 priority! Couldn't ask for better kids! God blessed me with them! Hugs and kisses to everyone and I will update later unless things get "Crazy" again. Hopefully this weekend will be calm and relaxed! Love to all! Alyce

New Procedures

Hi again. This is Karen filling in for Alyce. She has been Sooooooo busy trying to take care of Terry and run a business I offered to write the blog. Terry got a temporary port put in last week and Saturday night it started bleeding. He had already been taken off his blood thinners for the blood clot in his leg earlier in the week but his blood was still too thin. He and Alyce went to the BMTU on Sunday morning the 8th at 5am and stayed until about 5pm. They gave him more plasma and finally got the bleeding under control. He had to have blood work done on Monday so I met them at the BMTU about 10:30 and let Alyce go to work to do payroll. They finished with him about 1:15pm and I took him to her office. They had to return to the BMTU that evening because some of his bloodwork came back showing an infection and he had to get a bag of antibiotics. On Tuesday, they had to be at the BMTU at 6:15am. They put in a permanent port that cannot be used for 2 to 4 weeks. It is completely under the skin and must be healed before they can use it. He then had to sit for 6 hours getting Phosphorus. It has to go in very slowly. The home health care nurse came out to show Alyce how to administer the antibiotics in his temporary port last night. Later, Terry had gotten up and tried to walk to the bathroom and passed out again and hit his head. Alyce watched his pupils and he was OK. He had to start his Photopheresis in his temporary port today. Alyce met Butch about 9am this morning and he took him to the BMTU. That procedure takes about 4 hours and then he will get another bag of antibiotics while he is there. Hopefully, he will get to just stay home and rest tomorrow and then back for more Photopheresis Friday. This procedure will help his liver enzymes to get normal again. Right now he has yellow skin and eyes. They are really going through alot right now and need your prayers. Terry is still very positive that he is going to beat this and return to good health again. That is my prayer. Love and Hugs to you all, Karen

Good News!

Dr. Vaughan told us yesterday that the liver biopsy came back that the GVHD is NOT in the liver now. It had been there and has done damage that will hopefully heal itself in time. That was GREAT news, according to Dr. V!!! He got the temporary port yesterday and they will start the photopheresis on Wednesday and Friday, but on Tuesday he will get his permanent port and it has to heal for 2 to 3 weeks before they can use it. So he won't be on any job sites this week! We have to get the hang of this new schedule and see how often they are going to do this and then we can hopefully plan what days are good for working. He had to have 2 fresh frozen plasma bags again before he got the procedure done yesterday and his blood sugar is much better! They started a taper of the steroids yesterday also, so that is MORE good news. They have made him really weak!!!! This time he wants to come off them as soon as possible, last time he did not! We are taking it easy today! This is the first weekend I have had to be able to relax and get some things done around the house. Last Sat. I had to bring him home from the hospital and it took all day it seemed! God has given us this beautiful day and I think we will enjoy it! Hugs and kisses to you all! God Bless You! Love you all! Alyce

Blood Sugar too High

His blood sugar is still climbing and so is his liver counts. He will be taking his blood sugar more often and he will have insulin to take when is gets too high. That is shots not a pill unfortunately! He will have a temporary port put in this Friday so they can get started with a procedure I cannot pronounce much less spell. They will run his blood through a machine(kind of like a kidney machine)and expose it to a certain kind of light and then it will go back into him. He has to wear sun glasses while this is being performed and it takes 4 to 5 hours at a time. I do not know how long this will go on or how it will affect him. After he has the port put in on Friday, the blood bank people will talk to us about it. I hope it is Mike Gilbert from church! Then on Tuesday of next week he will have a permanent port put in that cannot be used for a month, why I am not sure but will be finding out Friday. Lots of questions and hopefully will have them all answered after Friday. We met with Dr. Vaughan after his visit about them doing a story on T. He has made it a goal of his to try to raise money for the BMT unit. We see the need! There are so many people going through this that are having to sit in the aisles getting their blood taken and most of them are immune suppressed, not a good thing! He won't be working as much so if you see him on a job site make sure he has a mask on! He cannot drive right now so I am his chauffeur. Hopefully that will change soon! Thank you for your prayers and may God Bless All of You! Will update after Friday! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Long Weekend!

As you saw Karen updated the blog for me, I am exhausted! Thank you Sis! He got out of the hospital Saturday afternoon and his heart went back to "normal" as Dr. Vaughan put it. We came home and crashed on the bed for about an hour then John and the boys showed up to put the equipment up downstairs. We fixed dinner and watched the abc 33/40 original artist show that Vera was supposed to be in, but did not sign, under the direction of Neil Thrasher, the contract binding them to a record company. We went to bed about 9:45 and slept until 8 this morning. When T got up he went to the window to look at the snow and I was on the phone. I looked at him as he approached the bed post to go into the bathroom and his eyes were rolling into the back of his head and he passed right on out. Thank goodness I had thrown the pillows off the bed onto the floor and he landed on them. I screamed for Kristina and she came down and we took his blood pressure and his heart rate was up again and pressure low. We got him back to the bed and made him start drinking fluids. After that he has been doing good all day. Of course, I have taken his blood pressure almost every hour and blood sugar too! After things settled down we watched our church service as we ate breakfast. The snow was beautiful today and Harlie really has enjoyed it! We built a fire and have laid around all day! Good day for it! We found out a little girl(4 or 5 yrs old)has the same thing, AML, as Terry. Her Mom(who is a singer Terry knows) called and talked to Terry this afternoon, her name is Victoria Sutton and she is in ICU at Children's hospital. Please pray for her and her family. On a happier note! Tara got married to Shawn Kelly this past weekend! Congrats to ya'll! T goes back to the BMT on Tuesday and Dr. V said the biopsy should be back and they would discuss it then. Will update on Tuesday! Hugs and kisses! God is watching over us! Love to all! Alyce

LIVER BIOPSY....LONG DAY

Hello all friends and relatives. This is Karen posting for Alyce today. Yesterday, Terry and Alyce were at the BMTU at 5:45am for blood work and liver biopsy. I got there around 7:30am to sit with Alyce. They had drawn blood and put in IV ports. Later they gave him 2 units of frozen plasma to help with clotting. We sat there until 11:20am before they came to get him for the liver biopsy. Alyce and I ate lunch, went to 2 gift shops, walked through 3 buildings at UAB, and went to the American Red Cross in the building and gave blood while we were waiting for him to get back. We could not go out of the building because of the rain ALL day. Lidia said the bloodwork did not look good and was afraid the GVHD was in the liver, but that is why they did the biopsy. Please pray that it is not there. We will not hear the results for about 5 days. If it is in the liver, they will begin a procedure called Photopheresis. Terry did not get back to the BMTU until around 4pm. He was starving and ready to go home. But because he had an irregular heartbeat and they wanted to monitor him, they kept him overnight. Alyce did not know yet if he will be released today or not. In talking to Alyce yesterday, we realized that we had both bought the same plaque for our kitchens. It says, "Faith is not believing that God can, it is knowing that God will." Our faith continues to sustain us along with your prayers and friendships. Love and Hugs to you all, Karen

Liver Biopsy Scheduled

Terry went to the bmt today and they did his bloodwork and his liver counts are even higher than Saturday's. So a liver biopsy will be done on Friday. They want to make sure that it is NOT GVHD. Hopefully its just all the meds he is taking but they have to make sure. Pray that it is not gvhd and when he comes off the steroids it will go away. He has been working hard and helping me with the shop re-do. It looks GREAT! Thanks to him and Gil for the paint and the hard work! We put John, Kaleb and Jacob to work and they learned how to put down a floor and the procedure you have to abide to for it to work right! Granny has been going through some rough times and they had to put her on oxygen for a while, but Butch and Jackie told us that Sat. she was better. Our family has really been going through some rough times lately, but as Terry always says to me "God only gives you what He thinks you can handle" Please pray this all goes away soon! Will update after Friday! Love to you all! Alyce

Blood Sugar Goes Up

We went to the BMT unit today and his blood sugar was high so we learned how to take it with one of those little machines that prick your finger. He says it doesn't hurt and he only has to do it when he wakes up in the morning and before we eat dinner. He is not on insulin yet and hopefully it won't come to that but they said we had to watch it while he on the steroids. He will be re-evaluated next week about coming off of them. He had a chest x-ray done and will do a pulmanary test Friday for the lung problem that has been with him since October. We were there from 9:30 am until 4:00 pm, a very long day. We saw a young man, whom we have become friends with as you do in the bmt unit, he had the same thing as Terry. He is only 24 years old and is battling the GVHD also. They tried the steriods with him, same regimine as they have Terry on, but it is not working so they were admitting him today and going to start a chemo-therapy to try to get it under control. I felt SO bad for him. Terry always encourages him and tells him to keep the faith and that God is watching over him. He always shakes his head and says " I know, I going to be alright". He is very swollen from the steroids and his arms are so bruised from the needles. His name is Mark, so keep him in your prayers. Lidia had a wreck this morning on the way to work, but she is OK. She is bruised and sore so don't know exactly when she will return back to work, soon hopefully! We also found out today a man who attended Terry's leukemia benefit and goes to church with my brother, Alan, lost his battle with cancer. He had throat cancer and when he and his wife attended the benefit, I remember talking to him about his fight with throat cancer and he had won the battle at that time(in May of 2007). He was cancer free for a year and it returned in the form of tumors in different parts of his body. He faught and took treatments and decided he was not going to live the rest of his life in pain and suffering. He stopped taking the treatments when they told him it could help but there was a chance they would not help. The church they attend, Mtn Top, paid for his family(wife and 2 children) to go to Hawaii to have a vacation they would not forget. He started riding his bike and worked a little until he couldn't any more and spent the rest of his days with a quality of life with his family until today. Please pray for the Joe Lent family and that they may get through this with God's Grace. I think about losing T when I hear about things like this and I have to thank the good Lord above he is still here. He has decided that the BMT unit needs more room, along with Dr. Vaughan, and is planning to start raising money to help it along. As we go up there so often we see a great need for this. He got his first donation yesterday and was so proud that Mr. Shirley was so gracious and generous in his giving. I am sure something will be in the works and we will let everyone know. We love all of you and God Bless Everyone of you for staying with us through this journey! Alyce

BAD BUG BAD WEEK!!!!!!

Well, since my last update too much has happened! I got the bad bug myself and several others that went to the nursing home have had it too! I took T to the hospital Tuesday to get his fluids and I went to work. While at work I got to feeling bad and just prayed I would make it back to the hospital to get T. I did, but on the way home, it was not pretty! Won't go into details, too bad to tell! My Dad and Barbara had to come get me and take me to the ER at St. Vincents East. We got home about 10:30 pm. I have not been back to work all week! Today, I do feel better and so does T. Not myself yet, but I think the steroids he is on is helping him. I hope this next week is much better! He will be on the steroids 3 more weeks and after that I am not sure! Will keep you updated! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Granny's 85th Birthday!

We celebrated Ruth's 85th birthday Saturday! Just thank God Terry was here to celebrate it! Karen had fixed her up SOOOOOO pretty! She bought balloons, cake, chips and dip and we had a great time seeing everyone! They had gotten her a flat screen tv with a DVD player in it. We all bought her DVD's to play, mostly old stuff we knew whe would enjoy. She seemed to really like it! It will help keep her entertained during the day. Rick showed sweet Kelly how to work it. On another note, at 2 am Monday morning Terry started throwing up and some other fun stuff I won't mention. NOT fun! We spent all day today at the bmt unit and have to go back tomorrow, more fluids! They wanted to admit him but he begged and got 2 iv's, one in each arm and they gave him 3 liters today and he will get about the same tomorrow. They think its just a bug, but not sure. John is also not feeling well either. We told the doctor about going to the nursing home and they said he could have gotten a bug there, but it could have been anywhere we had been this weekend. John had played Friday night and we went to see them so no telling where he got it. Lidia said we had to get permission to go anywhere else first. "No more parties", she said! We just knodded, but would not take anything for what we did this weekend! Just thought I would update with the lastest! I am going to bed now, VERY TIRED! Hugs and kisses, they said he is doing to much of that and I should put a sign on him, saying"I would love to hug and kiss you but can't! God Bless Everyone! Good Night! Alyce

It's Gonna Be A Fight!!!!

We went to the BMT unit today and as I promised I am updating, just wish I had better news! It was confirmed that GVHD(Graft VS Host Disease) is in his esophogus. So he has it in his eyes, mouth and esophogus. We discussed about it being in his lungs and he had to spit in a cup to test what he is coughing up(sorry so gross, but you really haven't heard anything yet) They tested that and did a chest x-ray. The test came back positive for bacteria and they have him on another, stronger antibiotic and albuterol inhaler. The plan to get rid of the GVHD is this, up on his immune suppression meds and on a strong steroid for a month and will then analize his condition after the month has passed. This is the first step to get the GVHD under control, if it is not taken control of, it is fatal. So the steroid is a must unfortunately! This steroid is NOT a fun drug for anyone that is going to be around him! It drove me and the kids crazy last time he was on it. So if you see him in the next month, be aware that he is not "himself". Please pray this works and takes care of most of the GVHD problems. Pray for him and me while he is on these steroids, we are gonna need it! This is a total different battle, so all of you that have taken him off your prayer lists at church, please put him back on it. We love you and thank you for hanging in here with us!!! Hugs and kisses and God Bless All of You! Alyce

GVHD Still Here!

The biopsy of the esophogus went well and they were able to stretch him out to a 17 which is the number they got to last time. But the doctor did tell us that he thought it looked like GVHD. And right as we were pulling up to the Kirkland clinic Wednesday morning, Lidia called to tell us it was confirmed that he has it in his mouth. Did NOT want to hear that. So Terry has decided that it is in lungs because the cough will not go away. I am sure they will biopsy them soon. They have given him a mouth wash to help but it will not heal it. He is using a gel in his mouth to heal it, at least that will go away as long as he uses it correctly. Dr. Johnson told him that the pain that he had swallowing was the GVHD not because of the small esophogus. He has the "magic mouthwash" that he is going to use before he eats, this will numb his esophogus so that it will ease the pain when he swallows. He said it has helped. He is just SO tired of having so much to do to survive through this. He did go to work today and will tomorrow and that has helped his feelings alot! He will go Sunday hopefully this time after church and they will draw blood to make sure his blood clotting meds are working. And then he will go in Tuesday and get blood drawn for his labs for Wednesday's visit. We will be discussing alot this time. They will most likely go up on his immune suppression meds, this is the only way to attack the GVHD that we know of right now. That is what we are going to discuss. Karen told him yesterday if he needed her again just let her know. Bless her heart, she is going through her own tests. Pray for both of them and next time you see T, ask him if he's drinking. He is not drinking enough to keep his body hydrated I am afraid. Brother Jerry called and they talked awhile and that gave him even more determination to fight this. We thank you for hanging in here with us! God Bless You! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

BMT Instead of Church

Well, the procedure he had done on Thursday to his mouth became a problem this morning. I was waking him up to give him his shot and get ready for church when I discovered the pillow, his t-shirt and the sheets covered in blood. A big blood clot had formed in his mouth and was leaking out of his mouth. I am sorry to sound SO gross! I guess I think everyone's stomach is as strong as mine has grown! Of course, I called for Kristina to come down and look at what had happened and she said immediately to call the doctor, so I did. John dropped us off(one of the perks of him living downtown) and they called the oral surgeons to come take care of it. Dr. Vaughan was there and gave me the regimen for the shots and coumadin during this next week when he has the biopsy and stretching of the esophogus. Butch and Jackie came and kept me company for a while, which was nice, but they shouldn't have. I am sure they will let the church know tonight what is going on. He has lost 9 lbs and as of right now has not eaten anything but drank an ensure today. It is very hard for him to eat. I am fixing to make him a milkshake but I knew everyone would want to know what was going on so I am going for now and hopefully we won't have any more excitement this week! Pray the biopsy goes well and they can stretch him out so he can eat! Hugs and kisses to everyone! Love ya'll! Alyce

GVHD Still Here!

Terry went to the oral surgeon today and they did a biopsy from his mouth, 2 different places. He has stitches and will go back in a week. He also went to the eye doctor today and the doctor confirmed that he still has the GVHD in his eyes. He gave him steriod drops to try before he puts the Restasis drops to see if that helps. Don't know really what this means. Will ask doctors when we go back to the bmt unit on the 28th. He gets the biopsy of his esophogus and stretched next Wednesday. He has bruises on his stomach from me giving him the shots. I tried to get him to do it but he said he could not do it. My Dad gave me some suggestions today on how to give them so I tried it tonight and I have to admit Terry said it was better! I just can't stand doing that to him! I will update after next weeks procedure! We got to pray that this GVHD goes away soon! Should hear something on the biopsy from his mouth next week. Love to you all! Alyce

Getting Stretched Again!

Well, we went to the BMT unit yesterday and T will come off the coumadin on Sunday and start lovenox shots on Monday. He had a ultrasound on his leg where the blood clot is, its still there, so they would know the dosage of lovenox to give him. So pray for him AND me while I am giving him his shots. He will be bruised from me giving him his shots! Kristina is no longer here to help us with that. She is back at school along with Harlie(her dog)but that is fine. Not much longer and she will be back working here I hope! John and her are both back at school and John is still working at SCS and recording his music. He will start back on the coumadin after the procedure is done. They will biopsy while they are stretching his esophogus. We have had alot of deaths surrounding us lately. First Rob Bradshaw, then Dr. Darnell, Lee Ann Sexton(both of these are from cancer)and today Terry went to the funeral home for a very good friend(Wes Crim's mother) . David Hill's(from Borderline) brother, Mike Hill and Joe George(a friend and colleague at work)When it rains it pours, but it has been very depressing to Terry. We can only go back to where we thought we were going to be planning his(or I guess I go back)and can thank God for blessing us so much for letting him stay here with us a little longer. When we went to the bmt yesterday Terry asked Lidia if his blood work was ok and she said yes. We both sigh a little when she answers us. Just don't want to hear "no". May will be here soon and hopefully we will celebrate him being "cured". He has been working some so if you see him make sure he has a bottle of water in his hand so he doesn't get dehydrated and is using his hand sanitizer. We hope all of you are well, so much "stuff" going around and we have had our share! We love you and I will update after the procedure is done! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Hopefully this will be the year we are told Terry is "cured" If he makes it to May 26th without any signs of leukemia, the bone marrow doctor will consider him "cured" We won't know for sure until they do a bone marrow biopsy and that will be closer to May. They did it early last year and that is the last one he has had. His rash is still faintly there but the biopsy came back benign without any GVHD signs. That is a GREAT thing although don't know why the rash came up and is still there. They were not able to do the esophogus biopsy and stretching because he has to come off the coumadin for at least 7 days before the procedure and I have to give lovenox shots again while he is off the coumadin. We were VERY dissappointed because he really needed that done. It takes him forever to eat and some foods he can't even swallow. His appointment is January 21st and they have a plan with the coumadin and lovenox 1 week before that. We go back to the BMT on Jan. 7th to discuss it and for his check-up. Lidia has been out and we don't like to go while she is not there. She went to London with her husband for a medical conference. January 17 will be 2 years when he was diagnosed with leukemia and the doctor(Dr. Henry Darnell) that discovered the white blood cell count so high passed away last night from liver cancer. I went to see him and his wife yesterday and it was very upsetting! I have known this family since I was 8 years old. He has treated 4 generations of my family and he and his family is VERY special to me. When I saw his wife yesterday she told me of how when Terry came to him with the flu symtoms and the first visit did not do the trick(which was very unusual for Dr. D, as I called him)he had a feeling that he should do a complete CBC on him. That is when they discovered the white cells so high. I will never forget that phone call and how Dr. D followed Terry all the way through with the cancer doctor and came to see him when he was in Carraway. How may doctors can you say do that! He was the SWEETEST man and helped SO many people through his life. Please pray for his family. I know he is up in heaven as one of our angels! We have made it through all the holidays without much trouble. He even went to work this week and will continue to do so as long as his health will let him. He is getting stronger by the day and when we compared him to last year at this time he is SO much stronger and so much better. Thank you for continuing to pray for us and we hope all of you had a GREAT new year celebration. We went out to eat with some very close friends and went and watched some awesome fireworks in Blount County and then waited for midnight and at 12:01 we were headed home for the bed. Not used to staying up so late. Getting too old for that! We love you and wish you the best 2009! God Bless You! Alyce