Still Coming Up

Tuesday and Wednesday were good days again as far as Terry's blood counts. He had to get magnesium on Tuesday but not Wednesday. His white blood cell count on Wednesday was at 8.31 and his platelets were at 131. He is having some shoulder pain and the medicine he is taking makes him sleep. He is still eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crust cut off. Thanks to all of you who have sent food. He is gradually trying a bite or two but the rest of the family is enjoying it very much. Alyce said today that they will be so glad when they can skip a day going to the hospital and just sleep late. "Normal" life is still a long way off, but we are so thankful for his progress. We got Mom in the Trussville Healthcare/Golden Living Nursing Home on Tuesday. I was at the hospital at 8am along with Butch but nobody got in a hurry so it took until 2pm to get her to the Nursing Home. She is confused, hurting and sad. Please pray for Rick's family on Thursday as we have the funeral and burial of our little angel niece, Chloe. Thank you for caring, Karen

Day +28,29 & 30

Terry is doing GREAT!! His white cell counts are continuing to come up and his platelets count is still at a good level. He did get some Magnesium today and is now getting shots in his stomach of Lovenox and is getting Coumadin to prevent his risk of blood clots. He will continue having to go to the hospital daily for 4 to 5 hours for blood tests, etc. He is eating a little now and his favorite is PBJ sandwiches. I have some tragic news to tell you. We received a phone call at 4am Saturday morning from Rick's baby sister, Susan. They had gotten to a condo in Pensacola about 1:30am and were expecting her son(our nephew)Chris and his wife Danielle and 7 month old granddaughter, Chloe, to arrive around 3am. She received a phone call from Danielle saying she was at the hospital because they had been in a bad wreck. They were 10 minutes from the condo sitting at a red light when they were hit from the rear by a 40 year old drunk driver. It was estimated the driver was traveling about 80 mph. Chris had a concussion, Danielle had a fractured hip and pelvis and their precious little baby girl had a fractured skull and swelling brain. They had put her on a ventilator. We began calling our friends and church family at 5am to start praying, but the baby tested with no brain activity about 12:30pm, and she has gone to live with Jesus. When this news was given, Susan's husband, Mark, had a seizure and fell and cut his head open and was taken to the Trauma Unit to see if he had had a heart attack. When it was determined that he had not, he was released. Susan was going from room to room because they had Chris and Danielle on stretchers and would not let them move because they were afraid they might have spinal injury. Meantime, she kept seeing nurses and doctors running back and forth to baby Chloe's room. She was also going to the room in the Trauma Unit checking on Mark. After he was released, they were standing at the elevator to go see about the others and Mark had another seizure and fell, ripping open the sutures and biting his tongue. They decided to admit him to the hospital and do an MRI. I had to go to the hospital to take care of Mom Saturday but as soon as I got back home we began to pack to go down to Pensacola to be with them. We left about 2pm and our daughter, Traci went with us. I made arrangements for other relatives to see about Mom. They put Chris and Danielle in wheel chairs about 4pm and dressed little Chloe in a cute outfit and brought her in for them to hold before pulling the plug. She "coded" (heart stopped) before they had to make that decision. All that were there got to go into the room to tell her goodbye while she was held in the arms of her Mommy and Daddy. Mark was released Sunday and sent back to Birmingham to get out of the stressful situation. Several family members and friends have been there in the waiting room and their room crying with them and trying to comfort one another and helping make plans to remove all stress and financial burden that we could. Chris has been released and Danielle was supposed to be released today but had an allergic reaction to the pain medication and now her release will be tomorrow. A wonderful friend is using his Company's corporate Jet to bring her home Tuesday morning. Visitation will be 12 to 2pm with funeral at 2pm this Thursday at Heritage Place Church of Christ on Hwy 78 in Irondale. Burial will be at Oakwood Cemetery in Gardendale. This is the WORST thing Rick and I have ever experienced. This was their only child and Susan's only grandchild. I just don't know how they will cope. We all have a big hole in our hearts. I have been talking to the social worker at the hospital and 2 nursing homes while I was in Florida. Butch and I will go tomorrow morning to have Mom moved by ambulance to the Golden Living/Trussville Nursing Home. The doctor is telling her it is for rehab, but it will also be long term. PLEASE pray for us.

Day + 27 Homecoming

Well, I talked with Alyce about 2pm and they were just waiting on the pharmacist to come by so they could leave. I never heard back from them, but they had to go by to get several prescriptions filled. I am sure that just going home was a major physical and emotional drain. I am sure Terry is so glad to be able to sleep in his own bed tonight. I will tell you more tommorrow after I talk with them. They have to be back at the hospital by 8am.

Day + 26 and 1 To Go

Today was a pretty good day because Terry got a little freedom for the first time since he entered the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit on May 15th. They disconnected him from the IV machine and monitor and he was able to go "outside" to breathe fresh (code Orange) air. There is an outdoor courtyard on his floor and he enjoyed feeling the sunshine again. His white cell count came up to 5.61 today but he has a rash on his hands and heels. He has been so miserable for so long and now he is so excited that he is getting to go home tomorrow. I have not seen my baby brother since the day of his transplant (May 26)and have been longing to see him again. Rick took me to UAB this afternoon. It really worked out great because we were able to help Alyce pack up the bed, lounge chair, guitar and other things and loaded her car. She and Kristina and John will go tomorrow to bring him HOME SWEET HOME. I wish we could have a BIG "Welcome Home" party for him but that would just not be a good idea for now. He still has a long way to go. We just need to keep praying for him and especially that he will not get the graft vs. host disease. Our God is Able to deliver him. My thanks to my friend Sunny for helping me out by sitting with Mom from 9:30 to 5 for the past 3 days. Tara and Morgan my daughter and granddaughter went this evening for several hours and Traci, my other daughter will go tomorrow morning. She has been better today. I will give you a report on Terry's homecoming after I talk with Alyce tomorrow. Love you all, Karen

Day + 25

Today Terry got 2 pints of blood and 1 bag of platelets to get "re-fueled" before he gets to go home. They gave him Benedryl so he slept a lot this morning. He was sooooo upset when he got the news this afternoon that he could not go home on Thursday but could on Friday. I told John to tell him that if he has made it this far, he can surely make it just one more day! His white blood cell count was up to 3.12 and other vitals are improved. Alyce had a cleaning crew at the house this evening still helping de-germ the house. I need to make an IMPORTANT request: PLEASE NO VISITORS to the house until I give the green light which will probably be awhile. That means friends, neighbors, co-workers, kids and all. They can have some phone calls but please keep them short. As I said before, they will still be going DAILY to UAB for about 5 hours so they will not be at home much and when they are need some down time. Terry is still very susceptible to germs and infection and still is not eating. However, Alyce and the kids are still eating and I am sure she would appreciate your calling her to come by YOUR house to pick up some food so she does not have to spend her time at home in the kitchen. Her life was already pretty hectic, but now she will be chauffeur and nurse too. Mom did fine today and was cheery and talkative. But tonight she was like a different person. She has been there 6 nights but thought she had just gotten there and was not going to stay. She was very angry and insisting on going home. It was so hard to hear all the hurtful things she said to me tonight and not cry. I have to keep telling myself that this is not her talking, but the dementia. Butch (our older brother) and his family are taking a few days of much needed vacation. When he returns Sunday, we will have to make a decision about where to take Mom. Please continue to pray for our family.

Day + 23 & 24

Sorry I did not get to post last night I was just too tired. BUT, I have more great news to give you. Monday, Terry's white cell count came up to 1.56 and today it is at 2.81. He is feeling better, talking better and moving around better. He will probably have to have another bag of platelets and blood by tomorrow. Alyce is having their carpets cleaned and has taken all the curtains down to wash and is having a couple of friends come over to help her DEEP clean to try to make the house as germ free as possible. She is trying to get prepared for Terry to come home, hopefully Thursday. Of course he will still have to return daily for about 5 hours to UAB for awhile. But at least he can sleep in his own bed and sit in his own recliner and look down at the lake, and "just be home." I was at the hospital at 7:30am yesterday and today to feed Mom and help her get bathed, etc. She was up again last night and was confused about where she was. We now have a bed that alarms when she gets off the bed. I hope that will help, because I don't want her to fall and break a hip. Kristina came yesterday and stayed with her a few hours and helped her with lunch. I left from 12 to 5 and visited 5 Nursing Homes to try to find a place for Mom's rehab and beyond. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do but it is just not safe for her to live alone any longer. Unfortunately, because of the wound on her leg that will not heal, she cannot go to Assisted Living, which would be a much better option. Please pray that this transition will go as smoothly as possible. Thank you, Karen

Day + 22

Well, today was a GOOD day! Terry was feeling a little better. His white blood cell count had come up to .59. His mouth sores were a little better and he drank some Sprite. His doctor said that if his Neutrophil count comes up from the current 150 to 500 he could possibly go home by Wednesday or Thursday. That and his kids both being there made him have a GREAT Father's Day. Mom was better today too. She ate almost every bite of her breakfast. Her thinking was much clearer today and she was very pleasant. She is still in a lot of pain with her leg. I have NEVER seen a wound any worse than hers. Please continue to pray for Terry and for Mom. A friend told me something that Mother Teresa said that I can certainly relate to....."God has promised never to put more on us than we can bear.....I just wish he didn't have so much confidence in me." Love you, Karen