Taking it Easy !!!!

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to write a few words to let you all know that I am fine and to thank you all for the blogs and many Thanksgiving Day cards i received. You are the best !!!When we said grace on Thanksgiving Day i was most thankful for my family and all of you wonderful friends that cheer me on and check in on me. It is wonderful to hear from you and picture you in your homes on the holiday with oyur families. Donna C. a 31lb. turkey!!WOW! That has to be a record. Betty a healthy new grandchild to be thankful for. MaryDay a fullrecovery from your injuries and you still cooked dinner. Marianne, your trip to Breckenridge sounded like fun. I love snow and can't wait to see just a little. Cousin Mike, sory that Matthew was not home but your Christmas plans sound cozy. Bev sorry about the cold, what a differance from Louisiana... Cousin Eileen, do you eat the meat from the Doe ? We have many deer in our backyard. In fact, today Michael and i spent a half hor watching a big buck (we think 8 point) feasting on leaves.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mom and Dad stopped up before dinner for a visit and brought Joe some really good wine. Jess and Walid arrived around noon with the kids so they got to see them. The babies are ssssooooo cute!Christian is talking in sentences (he is 2 1/2) with the most adorable voice. Emma is a differant baby since i last saw her in July before the transplant. She smiles all the time (as long as mom or dad are in the room). She was sick with a cold and a very wheezy cough. Jessie had her to the doctors on weds night, and the doctor said she should stay home because she shouldn't be around me with my weakened immune system. I hadn't seen the kids in quite some time (4 months) and I thought it would help give me a boost in to see them. And it sure did. I tried to limit my kisses and really the kids did most of the work. There is nothing like babies giggles to make a person under the weather cheer up. So I had much to be thankful for to have all of my kids and grandchildren together. We mostly just hung around here with a few trips to the park because I wasn't feeling perky enough to go shopping. I am still nauseated and having some problems eating. I wish that would pass but we know that it just takes time. Back pain is still there keeping me up all night, but I am limiting sitting and anything that will iritate it. I will see an ortho on friday although I think i need a neurologist. I'm home with my family so I should not complain. I do not see Dr. Porter again until dec 13th and have bloodwork tomorrow. Hopefully, all will be well. So many many thanks again for all of your love and support. I don't think you can imagine how much it means to me. Love to you all,

Debbie

Taking it Easy !!!!

Home Again !!

Dear Fods,

HUP released me today around 1:30 and am I ever glad to be home! After Joe left yesterday afternoon, they cooked some dinner and the boys brought me down a plate of food, most of which I could eat. I just cannot stomach the HUP food any longer. As soon as the smell of the food gets into the room -- I just about get sick. But home cooked food is a different story.

I slept well again last night at HUP (good drugs!) and they tended not to bother me as much as on previous stays. They ran in all of the antibiotics I needed and gave me a script for a heavy duty oral antibiotic which I will take for the next week. Hopefully, whatever caused this infection has been nipped in the bud and it won't come back any time soon.

Joe picked me up and we were able to stop and Bertucci's for a late lunch of pasta, I took a nice bath, clean PJ's and into my own bed. It felt just great! I will turn in early tonight and hopefully I will start to get back to normal in the next few days in time for Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone -- we hope you have a wonderful holiday.

I love you all.

Debbie

Just When I Thought It Was Safe To Come Out Again

Dear Fods,

I went down to HUP on Friday for a standard check up with Dr. Porter. My sister Pammie took me down and she did a good job. I told Dr. Porter that I had been feeling a little lousy and was having very low grade fevers on and off. As a precaution, he ordered some blood work and we were home for a lunch at Bertucci's.

Saturday afternoon HUP called and told me that I had an infection in my blood. All four tubes came back positive so there was no doubt about it. They told me to come down and get admitted. On a Saturday afternoon -- admitted through the ER! Lucky for me, we got there around 4:00 and they had an ER room ready for me. Joe and Mike came down and we watched the second half of the Ohio State / Michigan game in the ER. They quickly hung a bag of antibiotics and that was running in during the ball game. We finally arrived on Rhoads 7 at around 9:30 PM. Some of my friends were on the floor and everyone helped me to get settled in for what we hope is a very short stay.

They think that my central line finally got infected. If so, we went for almost a year without any difficulties with the line. They are treating me with antibiotics and I hope to be discharged some time tomorrow. Joe had just arrived at around 11:00 and a Dr. Graf from IR knocked on the door. He started asking me some questions about my course of treatment, which I took to mean prep. work for a procedure tomorrow to remove the central line. When he announces, "We will be doing the procedure at bed side in 15 minutes!! YIKKKKEEEES!! I said, "will it hurt?" He said, "of course it will hurt -- we don't do anything that doesn't hurt." Just I needed, an honest Doctor!

As Joe writes this for me, it is the first time in a year that I don't have 1/2 pound of plastic on my chest and a tube into my jugular vein. Actually, the procedure did not hurt much -- just pressure as he was cutting the "cuff" of tissue that formed around the bottom of the catheter. In about 15 minutes, he was done. I was glad Joe was here to hold my hand for this latest procedure.

So the drugs are working and I am falling asleep now. They need to run another bag of antibiotics and keep an eye on the catheter site. Hopefully, one more night here and I can go home again.

That is all for now.

All my love.

Debbie

November Already !!!!!

Hello Dear and wonderful friends,
Hope this finds all of you well and healthy and keeping busy. We are all fine. Michael had his ACL repair of his knee done yesterday at Grandview Hosp. He did really well. they did a femerol block and he has been pain free so far. I know that won't lastbut it got him through the nite. Joe will pick him up early afternoon as they like to do a PT session before discharge. Joe has had it with Hospitals. He was there yesterday from 11:00am till 7pm. I couldn't go because my white count dropped down to 3.0 and i'm back on house arrest, except for my walks in the cul de sac. PT is still coming to the house but i'm pretty limited with exercise because my back is still acting up and with a reduced Hgb.i get SOB and then we stop. So progress continues to be slow. Last Friday we spent the day at Penn. The clinic for 2 hrs. and then 3 hrs. in the GYN clinic. Suffice it to say it was not a good experience. We got home around 4:30 and i went to bed. Woke up at 2:00 am with a fever and chills.101.8. YIKES !!!!I really paniced. Drs. orders are to get to the hosp. if your temp is ever above 100.5. Well i decided to wait till the am but i was awake all nite . By the AM the fever was gone and i just felt wased out,. Inever called because i knew they would want me down there and i'd spend 12hrs. or more in the ER and i just couldn't go back. So thankfully the fever never returned and i took it really easy and i'm ok. More blood work tomorrow and if my white count is down i will probably have to go down on Friday for a BMB. Would someone PLEASE transport to an island somewhere ? I'm not picky, just someplace without needles and Drs.
Now to you guys. Betty , the christening sounds like fun and there should always be baked ziti at family events because of the kids and vegans. So glad you are enjoying the baby......Donna C. I hope this new adoption agency will be able to help ou guys. I pray for you every day. Thank you and you parents for all the cards, and Wyatt too....Visitor Alison, what a coincidence with the Dixie cups. Two of my uncles worked for them and when we visited there was always a huge variety of cups. Remember this was over 40 years aga and paper products were expensive. We didn't have them at our house, so it was always a treat to go to the cousins and see what new patterns they had..It's neat your son is looking into Penn State. Great School. My son loved every minute there......MDF, i'm jealous that the boys got to go to a ND game. We had such a blast during our time there. Sounds like they got the whole ND experience too. Hows the puppy doin?.....COD Eileen, does your life ever slow down for a minute? Abig hug to all the Chalks and Aunt Angie. I will keep 7-7-07 open for a visit. (God willing) for your huge celebration....Beth, you sound really busy too. Sounds like you are having a good time...
Well lots of love to all of you.. THANK YOU for all the cards i continue to receive. When i get down which can still happen pretty frequently, thoughts of you remind me i'm not alone in this. The prayers really help...I love you all !!!!
Debbie