Rhoads 7014
Dear Fod's,
This afternoon we properly installed Debbie into her new room and she is now back into her own PJ's, sheets, comforter, books, computer, microwave, etc. She was able to shower and change into new PJ's. Jessie came up for a quick visit and was able to help with the unpacking. This room is bigger than the other one and has a nice view of the Penn campus.
Debbie is still in a lot of pain and is being medicated. It will take a few days for her to lose the extra fluids so she is still uncomfortable. The latest wrinkle is that she now has pneumonia and she is being treated for that as well! Hopefully, by the end of the weekend, she will be feeling more like herself.
Deb sends her love to all.
posted by Joe @ 4:03 PM
30 Comments:
Hi Joe..
we're waiting... give us some good news...please...the FODs
Hey Deb--Sweet girl, I can't believe what you've been through. And your family . . .you know I've always loved Joe and the kids, now I really admire their courage and strength as well. Your family has certainly shown what family is about. They always seem to be there when you need them. And then there are your friends--can't say enough about them.
Get better quick, Deb, and feel better. I'll see you next week if you're feeling up to company.
Love,
Cathy
Dearest Debbie and all the T's
What a stressful and horrible time for all of you. I know ONLY too well the need to rattle cages with the coal shovel at HUP. I am visualizing the room and the view (I believe we had the same view a floor lower)... I have to say Debbie, what a girl will do to get a room upgrade these days is too much.. a UTI AND pneumonia ! (indeed we will all sound like a pack of nurses by the time Debbie is sipping her next cosmos).
Sounds like you guys have it all worked out though, the comforter, the laptop, brilliant.. just bloody brilliant - can you hear the guinness commerical lads.. that's what I sound like! not anything like John Wayne in the Quiet Man!
As you can see.. I'm trying to bring humor to your room but please know Debbie that I know there is NOTHING funny about what you are going through ... I just know for sure that you're going knock the socks off this stage real soon...
I do ask myself.. how can I care so very much for a woman I have never met, or had the chance to hug yet.... and then I think for a quite moment about how I have got to know you, and care for you so much, and it's all been through such amazing grace.. that's all I can say.. it's been amazing.. just like you Debbie.. and your FODs et al...
I've got those stupid happy/sad tears in my eyes now and just want to blubber... you get well real sooon so I can finally hug ya..
Lots of love visitor Alison.
hey deb,
here is our good sign of the day -
there is a little write up in the reporter about our buddy joe radvansky. joe participated in the transplant olympics. apparently he is an ace tennis player and has only improved post transplant. by the way, he is ten years with his new heart and certainly can beat me and the duardo girl on the court. i think he could whip mo in her present condition. also, if anyone deserves A ROOM WITH A VIEW, it is you. another good transplant story is my little buddy dave who comes into the sandwich mill. he is 20 years into his new heart and doing so well. so there you have it, good day to be transplanted/potted. bask in the love of your family and keep mending. xoxoxoxoxoxoxokm
also, i am writing a play. i know mdf has one as well but my play is a suspense/drama. it will be held at a cosmo party near you. it's a whodunnit cliffhanger involving a raw pork chop. in a baggie.
Debbie & Joe,
It must be a boost to everyone's spirits to see Debbie back on Rhoades 7, & hopefully, the medications will take care of the excess fluids & aches & pains associated with being bloated. Debbie having pneumonia is frightening & hopefully the meds are on top of it. We were sorry to read about what you had to go through yesterday until they found the correct medication. It must have been a treat to see Jessie & we're sure that her smile brightened up the room & in particular Debbie's spirits. We'll be looking forward to tomorrow's blog & hopefully it will state that you had another good day, & that the excess fluids are slowly being drained away. Love, Mom & Dad
Hello Debbie,
Well girl, I'm glad you've got your baby back at your side. I know how anxious Jess is being out of town. What a comfort you will be for each other...not to slight the T-men...it's just that "sisterhood" thing again.
Deb, I wish I could bear some of this pain that you are going thru right now, but we are praying for you and here if you or the gang needs anything at all.
On the lighter side...MDF has a play?...did I miss a blog...and what is my role, dare I ask?(I better have one that's all I have to say, well about the play anyway). And km, in my "present condition" as you put it, I'd venture to say that even Deb could beat me at tennis right now...Hell, I bet even Kim H could beat me!!!
Well, I have one last thing, which I'm probably gonna regret, but in reference to that first blog, I have to say that anonymous comments really get me peeved. First of all, Joe is doing a damn fine job keeping us informed, something that neither he nor Deb have to do at all. They have both graciously chosen to share this journey with us and it is not easy. As the spouse of someone who spent nearly 7 weeks in the hospital, I can tell you it is physically and mentally draining, especially when you consider that Joe must keep working, and Deb is critically ill in a hospital in the city. The drive alone to HUP everyday is its' own form of torture. I know we're all anxious about Deb, but we have to school ourselves in patience. And lastly if you're writing something you don't want to put your name on, chances are high that you shouldn't write it at all. Sorry, but that's the way I feel, and I think Joe desrves better.
Love to all the T's. Deb, hope you're taking any and all drugs they are offering and you can sleep away these crappy days.
Love, Mo
What a girl won't do to get a room with a view!!..but,my dear, you surely deserve it and much ,much more ...thank goodness you have all of your "cozys" back..you need them too,for healing sake...I know you were worried about pneumonia,so of course ,you HAD to get it...THIS TOO WILL PASS...just do the deep breathing and meditate on healthy lungs ,clear and clean and lo they will be yours..anyway,Debs,my love and continued prayers are with you...AND a bit of great news for us....Jen has a heartbeat!!! she had an ultrasound on thursday and the little blip was right were it should be,,THANK THE LORD...talk about answered prayers...we are over the moon with glee..also talked with Nancy today,she of course sends her love(keep that pecker up)she left you a message on your cell phone( I'm not sure if it's with you or not)...she is not coming over (in view of the terror plot etc.) a bit jittery for now ( she was here for 9/11,and is a bit gunshy..no joke intended)...kick pneumonia's butt honey and get better fast love XX OO:)Bev...Hey to Jess,it's great she got up to be with you..that can only make you feel 100X better!!
What a girl won't do to get a room with a view!!..but,my dear, you surely deserve it and much ,much more ...thank goodness you have all of your "cozys" back..you need them too,for healing sake...I know you were worried about pneumonia,so of course ,you HAD to get it...THIS TOO WILL PASS...just do the deep breathing and meditate on healthy lungs ,clear and clean and lo they will be yours..anyway,Debs,my love and continued prayers are with you...AND a bit of great news for us....Jen has a heartbeat!!! she had an ultrasound on thursday and the little blip was right were it should be,,THANK THE LORD...talk about answered prayers...we are over the moon with glee..also talked with Nancy today,she of course sends her love(keep that pecker up)she left you a message on your cell phone( I'm not sure if it's with you or not)...she is not coming over (in view of the terror plot etc.) a bit jittery for now ( she was here for 9/11,and is a bit gunshy..no joke intended)...kick pneumonia's butt honey and get better fast love XX OO:)Bev...Hey to Jess,it's great she got up to be with you..that can only make you feel 100X better!!
Transfered the bog to my home computer so I could check on your progress over the weekends and at night when I am too busy at work to check. Let's get through this big hurtle and get home to have those cosmos. What a family - such strength and courage. Deb - keep the faith - you are almost there. Love ya. Shelly Geib
Debbie:
Lots of hugs from us. I think they need to resanitize your room. This shouldn't be happening.
All is well here. Last night we kicked off the football season by attending the Jamboree. Colin actually saw some playing time. Amazing that he is the biggest on the team as a sophmore.
I attended day 2 of Brendan's 8th grade retreat. Sounds like it was a hit. The boys apparently came a long way from day 1. The girls are way ahead of them as far as the maturity goes. It was very obvious when it came to working in groups. Hopefully they will come farther through their 8th grade year.
Mere is working, studying and fretting over the college thing. It will come to you, I keep telling her. Right now she is focusing on Xavier in Cincy, Marquette in Wisc and SLU in St. Louis. Time will tell.
Mom looks great. I can't believe next month she will be 80. She thinks she is old but I assure her that she has good genes.
Week 2 on the new job was less stressful. I am getting the hang of the donation software and how to pull up donor information. Also getting into a routine which helps.
I am hoping by Sunday you are getting back to yourself and blogging to us again. I miss hearing your voice.
Love to all....COD Eileen
Hi Deb,
You and Joe are soooooo AMAZING together. What a team! How do the meek survive hospitalization ?
And how can they let you go that long without peeing and being so uncomfortable? Guess I've been away from critical care for too long. But we don't let our colonoscopy patients suffer like that. Thank God for Joe!!!!
Glad to hear you're in a better room now and resting better.
Our prayers and thoughts are still with you.
Here's a name from the past for you. Leonard Ehrlich!!! He's joined one of the GI groups in Doylestown. He's told me some interesting stories from the old days but most of them were after my time at North Penn.
Love you Deb, and Hi to Joe.
Lorraine and Bob
deb: hang in there,as one who spent 7 wks in one of those rooms,jumping everytime the staff reports a new sx, lab test or vital sign i know how nerve racking it can be to be in that position. it is a little piece of he--. remember this too will pass and it does. kudos to joe and your children, for they have their own type of stress,and they are doing excellent. lorraine: say hello to len e., iwould like to hear from him. deb, we are with you in thought and prayers. love bob
Deb,
I'm so sorry you are having such a terrible time of it these last few days. I know, as Bob says it is a living hell. And we feel so helpless. I'm sure you feel desperate, but I think I have to agree w/ Bev(you know how it pains me to say that, haha) and accept that this is where you have to be right now. Let the drs, nurses and all our prayers work together to heal you and get you home. For someone so used to doing for others and being the one who's relied on, I know it won't be an easy thing to do. But remember how we marveled at how well Bob tolerated his hospital stay(and we all know what a stonehead he can be)? He just said I'm where I've got to be right now and accepted it. That's not to say you shouldn't keep fighting. God knows, your feisty personality has taken you so far already, and it's one of the things I love best about you. So just please take care, and let yourself be taken care of. Okay, I've run out of steam finally. I know you're saying "Thank God", and you can tell me off when you get home for all the lectures I've blogged. In fact, I can't wait for the day.
Love you so much, Mo
PS, Janet...pecker of steel?...I love it.
good morning miss debbie,
i wish i could podcast all the chatter about you. it's all good stuff that would soothe your soul. people everywhere are thinking about you and sending good vibes/prayers/thoughts/intentions/
wishes and all of the above. relish them and let them 'engraft' you. so i have 2 other things to tell you today. one is that richard schneider has a hairstylist and the other is that pork chops are on sale at hennings. unfortunately they are center cut, lacking the bone. and one last thing...i think i blushed at the 'pecker of ....' whew, who knew?????? thunder, lightening and now this newest revelation!xoxoxoxokm
ps on the anonymous sos blog...i think it was harmless and just looking for a sigh of relief re: deb. i know i feel the same way at times, especially after a worrisome update. where would we be without this blog? thanks again jess..xoxoxoox
Dear FOD's, Hi ...I spoke with our Deb at lenght this A.M....she needless ,to say is at the end of her rope (this comes from Deb) her strenght is wanning and she believed she was going to die this past week...she needs all the help we can give her...at one point she God and our prayers carrying her,and this .she believes is what got her through...Deb still has axx long way to go..her kidneys are not working and she still has an enormous amount of fluid trapped in her skin tissue..this is making her very uncomfortable...the medication she got to help with this pain gave her a bad rash,so she can no longer get the respite she was getting when they gave her this drug...when you are in severe pain it takes away all of your "where-with-all"..that is, she can't even muster enough energy to meditate, pray,breath,smile etc.WE must pick up the slack and do it for her..double time...and triple time..this, I am convinced , will hold our dear girl up in God's eyes...He will see how much we love her,and honor our request to let her heal and come home...Debbie's journey has brought us all closer to God..this journey of hers is a journey for all of us...her trial is ours...and when she "wins" ,we will "win" ....but most importantly..God will "win"....that is why I know she will come through this...but understand this, she is suffering big time..and still has a long way to go ...Debbie wanted these thoughts to be conveyed to all the FOD"s ..I hope and pray that this week will be a "turnaround" for her..she is very worried that this may not happen ( and as I said ,has little strenght to counter those thoughts)...Jessie is with her today and will give her a big uplift and of course you T-men are always a Godsend...love to all God bless :)Bev
Dear Debbie,,
I'm praying hard, sending strong vibes, wishing there was something more I could do. Know that we are all thinking of you all the time. God bless. To all the Teklits and FODs/CODs et al.. know that I'm thinking of all of you to. Collectively our prayers, thoughts good wishes will help carry Debbie through this tough time.. there is one set of footprints in the sand right now.. God bless Debbie, thinking of you.. lots and lots of love Alison. Bev, thanks for the update, Joe you are and incredible example of a life partner, yourself and Debbie have obviously done a wonderful job raising your children to be so supportive right now. Sending every best wish your way.. love visitor Alison
Deb,
We can't believe what you have been through this week and we hope that things are improving by the minute. Everytime we see any of your "guys" outside they are always smiling and happy to give us the latest update. They are so incredibly strong and upbeat...the way we all need to be to help you get through this ordeal. With so many FODs out there, I wish we all could take an hour, a day, or a week of your pain away....you know we would if we could!
Extra prayers are coming your way this weekend. Love...Karen & Bob
Hi Deb & Joe,
So sad to hear you are in discomfort, and we hope you are feeling better very quickly. Glad to hear the Doc's seem to have things under control. Our prayers and thoughts are with you . Cathy wanted me to let you know that our Ryan is going back for his senior year this week. He will be the Senior Director of ComRadio up at Penn State. In that position he gets to broadcast the away games on the internet. They will be playing Notre Dame at home early in the season. If you would like to listen to the game on your computer you can hear Ryan call the game on the Penn State web site. PSU.EDU.COM and click on ComRadio. Its fun to hear the kids broadcast :) Talk to you soon. We love you! :)
Artie and Cathy
Come on Deb... know you must feel awful right now (was going to say worse, until i noticed dr. mazzola can't even type hell, so thought better of it) wish so much that i could take away some of that bad feeling for you!!but as easy as it is for me to say this 3000 miles away, you got to not let this pneumonia and uti get you down too much... you got to dig deep and beat it! Hopefully the antibiotics will start to kick in and get rid of them.. as i write im praying that you are feeling better already.. teklits family.. you hang in there too, you guys are wonderful.. mdf
Come on Deb... know you must feel awful right now (was going to say worse, until i noticed dr. mazzola can't even type hell, so thought better of it) wish so much that i could take away some of that bad feeling for you!!but as easy as it is for me to say this 3000 miles away, you got to not let this pneumonia and uti get you down too much... you got to dig deep and beat it! Hopefully the antibiotics will start to kick in and get rid of them.. as i write im praying that you are feeling better already.. teklits family.. you hang in there too, you guys are wonderful.. mdf
OMG, am I imagining things now? Didn't I see a post from Joe around 630 this evening? I read it plus a few comments, came back to wtite to Deb...and its gone! Is this only happening on my computer? I don't think so b/c I see Janet just wrote here a little while ago. If someone else had this happen could you please let me know. Thanks.
Deb, sorry about that. Hope I didn't confuse you. It's Saturday night but I'm writing on Fridays post cuz todays has gone AWOL, at least on our pc anyway. Hope you've gotten some dilaudid and are sleeping. Please try not to worry. Geez, I've just erased about 3 lines... everything I write sounds so trite in the face of what you're going through. Just try to concentrate on the positives. You're doing better than a few days ago, and you'll keep getting better. I think it's just gonna take a few days for the diuresis to occur. Hang in there and remember to keep those feet up, and don't cross your ankles!
I just can't stop myself from giving you lectures, can I? Lots of hugs and kisses and prayers coming at you tonight. Hope you're still feeling all your loyal FODs love. We are all with you Deb.
All our love,
Bob and Mo
Mo-
You aren't losing it. That post was there. Man, talk about weirdness. Especially since Joe was disobeying orders by posting it in the first place
Never under estimate the power of my Chizzie! Wow. Zapped that post right out of the blog. She told him not to post!
(Might be a blogger problem too, though. They happen often.)
Still praying and thinking of all you Teklits dammit!
Debbie - For some odd reason I decided to open my spam folder tonight and guess who was in there? Tessa! Well, not Tessa, but an email from her. Another sign if ever you were looking for one! I tell you I NEVER open my spam folder. I shared the prayer we had together on Friday with her. I'm praying that one over and over again, honey just so you know.
Also called Ms. Dianne Carlton Jensen Ware and told her to throw another prayer log on the fire. She was going to hang right up and get a hold of her mom, Frances to put her on the caper. You know you want Frances on your prayer chain, she's got the power!
I love you - K
Just a goodnite prayer for you and the fabulous "T" family,Debs honey, sleep tight sweet girl and feel renewed and refreshed in the morning...I went to 4:30 mass at Corpus and you were on my prayer list,saw Bobby O'Sullivan and family , he said he'd say prayers for you too....you are also on the main prayer list request from the alter...lots of people are praying for you to get better...not to mention those little grandbabies of yours...you need to be around for them....so get "peeing" girl...did you ever think so many people would be so concerned with your peeing habits...go figure... eat more protein,gag it down if you have to ,just DO IT!! Goodnite and sweet dreams ..I hope..:)Bev
Hi, Deb...
You are constantly in our thoughts.
Bon and I and KM would love to see you if only for a few minutes if and when you feel up to it.
Give one of us a call or message via Joe or MaryEllen if it's a possibility.
Love to you.
LizzieK
Debbie and Joe: We continue our thoughts and prayers - Luanne and I really hope Debbie gets to feeling better soon - we so admire your courage and fortitude! All the best, Steve and Luanne Trehern
Donna and all-
Just a quick GOOD NEWS update. I just got off the phone with our gal Debbie. Didn't get to speak long because Mr. Joe had just arrived. The really GOOD NEWS? She sounded much better and stronger. She has started making little bits of pee-pee (just talking about it makes me have to go!)and has lost four pounds! That fighting Chizzie spirit is back too!
All I can say is thank God for answered prayers.
(and urine!)
Taking the liberty of posting this because I know if the rest of you FOD's have been as out of your mind with worry like I have - this is something you need to hear sooner rather than later.
Feel like we've turned a corner here...Go Deb!!!!
Love - K
Hi Deb,
So glad to hear you're sounding better...and 4 pounds...thats fabulous. Hope you're feeling better too. Did you get a good nights sleep?
Just got back from mass a little while ago...we prayed for BETTY Teklits. Bob and I looked at each other and started chuckling, under our breath of course. It says Debbie in the bulletin, so I guess the lector has a little visual acuity problem, either that or she's dyslexic and actually said Beddie...ooh that was bad. I apologize in advance for my political incorrectness toward all dyslexics. Anyway, I'm pretty sure you're the one getting the credit for the prayers...I doubt there's a Betty T at Corpus. So like Bev said tons of prayers going up for you every day, honey.
So stay the course, pecker up, and eat your protein...please.
Love you, Mo
Dear Debbie,
You are continually in my thoughts and prayers.
This morning I had a 45 minute trip in the car I had to take, and during that time I prayed and also (as strange as it sounds) talked outloud to each of your vital organs and your stem cells...asking that they all step it up a bit.
I'm home now and read the update from Kris--that she had talked to you this morning.
Thank you Thank you, Kris for your post!
Day by day--one day at a time--I pray that God gives you the strength and stamina you need.
I'm with Kris and all your FOD's cheering you on...
Go Debbie!!!
Love and continuous prayers xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
tessa
Dear Deb, I just read the blog, I feel so bad that you had to go through all that. I wist there were something I could do to make it easier on you. Like I've told you often you're an amazing person and I know that you will get through this! I can't wait to visit you, If Joe needs a break please let me know, Cathy and I want to come and spend time with you, so we'll fill in for him. Please tell the boys that I will make some meals for them. I really miss you.
love, mary
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