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