It'sBeautiful Here !!!

Hello Everyone,

Just a quick post to let you know we did finally make it down here. I was not able to access the blog from home so I'm on Joe's lap top. I saw Dr. Porter on Thurs. and my counts were still very low but he said he felt it was important that we spend some quality time together, so he made me go back down on Monday to check my labs in case i needed to get platelets, but they actually went up a little so here we are. The resort is magnificant !!!! It just opened 2 weeks ago so it's really clean. Our Suite is huge and beautifully appointed. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms that are the size of my living room at home. Jess and Walid arrived rite before us so we met at the hotel. The kids are so cute.
We have had alot of fun with them on the beach and in the pools. Joe and Mike and Alli arrive this morning so we will all be together. Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes to get us here. Hope all is well with you and your families. I'll post when we get home. Love to you all.
Love Debbie

Glad to be Home

Hello everyone,

Well i got discharged to home midafternoon yesterday. Grandview is a wonderful hospital and the nurses and Drs. were all very nice but as i always say there is no place like home. The shingles are slowly getting better. The IV drugs were much more efficient than the oral meds but unfortunately really lowered my blood counts. I almost didn't get home yesterday because my white count dipped down to 1.4. YIKES !!! So took extra doses of (gees how did the text change? I didn't do anything) neupogen to build up the white count and hopefully this will do the trick. If not our much anticipated trip to Florida will be cancelled because i will be at high risk for an infection. As most of you know I am pretty daring, but I don't want to end up in the hospital in Florida. I am desperate to see the babies (Emma started to walk yesterday) and want us all to be together, so... I see Dr. Porter down at Penn tomorrow for labs and he will have the final say.
I hope you are all well and survived this weekends weather. Poor Grandview is under construction and they had terrible problems with a leaky roof. I had my room changed 5 times in 5 days (twice in 1 day). I felt bad for the nurses playing musical beds. Anyway spring is around the corner. This weekend is supposed to be beautiful. Iwill keep you posted. Thanks for all the continued support and prayers.
Love Debbie

Saturday Afternoon at GVH

Dear Fods,

Hey everybody. Well here we are at GVH, the local hospital in Perkasie. I have a nasty case of the shingles and am receiving IV anti-virals three times a day. I am in isolation again! Nobody to talk to and these nurses don't know me so I am a little lonely, but very thankful not to be down at HUP, although I do wonder what Dr. Porter would be doing with my case right now? The doctors did speak before I was admitted and did agree on this treatment plan. Apparently, I was sicker than I realized -- as all my labs were abnormal -- indicating that the infection was fairly widespread and growing. I still had a new breakout this morning, but some of the older shingles seem to be drying out now, which is a relief. The doctors attribute this to my still weakened immune system.

Everybody here is very nice and I am even eating the food which is very good. I may even gain a little weight on this stay. They called me a short time ago to ask me what I wanted for dinner and breakfast tomorrow! Can you believe that? And they even bring me what I ordered! What an improvement.

I am hoping to get out on Monday or Tuesday, maybe Wednesday -- but that is getting dangerously close to our trip to Florida, which we all really need. We shall see.

I hope that you are all well and staying warm. We are supposed to get 3 inches of rain tomorrow and maybe snow on Monday -- which would be a record for April 16.

Cod Eileen-- are you getting hit with snow? Congrats. to Meredith on being elected to prom Court -- she is such a wonderful girl.

Thanks for all the cards and blogs and prayers.

Love,

Debbie

Update from Grand View Hospital

Well, you read that title right, "Update from Grand View Hospital." (I can't seem to abbreviate that since GVHD is imprinted in my brain as a dirty four letter word.) Mom returned to her family doctor today to follow up on her case of shingles which continues to spread. Dr. Kuhar recommended Mom be admitted to the hospital right away for some IV anti-viral medication. Mom insisted she stay at the local hospital rather than trekking down to HUP. Luckily, everyone agreed and Mom was admitted, saw the local oncologist, and was sitting in her room (273) all within half an hour of arriving. From what I hear Grand View is quite efficient. We are all very thankful for that this evening.

The docs all seem to think that a few days on the IV meds and mom will be feeling better. The shingles had spread to another nerve path which was cause for great concern and hence the aggressive treatment regimen. Mom is frustrated to have her third case of shingles, but her doctor reminded her that her immune system has no memory of the previous cases. This is mom's first case since the transplant, and by far her worst case of shingles ever. As we spoke this evening, Mom noticed a new breakout around her ankles. Despite all this, the doctors seem confident that we will be able to keep our travel plans to Sunny Florida in 12 days and that mom can safely travel. We hope and pray this is so as we could use the special family time together to relax and bond.

Mom's doing her best to keep her spirits up. She feels like she's battling the flu - never a good feeling - but has retained her appetite. She needs her rest and we are hopeful she will be home again in a few days. We will keep you posted. Mom (and the rest of us Teklits) thank you for your cards, blogs, prayers, thoughts, and phone calls. We love you!

Jess

Happy Easter from The Khouri's

We missed seeing you over the Easter holiday. Come see a few pictures of us at: http://kids.khouri.name/april2007/. Hope to catch up soon!

Love,

Jess

Happy Happy Easter !!

Hello Dear Friends and Family,

I hope this post finds you all well and keeping warm. What about this crazy weather? I think the high today is 45 degrees. Originally, we were all headed to the shore for the holiday. Jess and the kids were going to come early and the men folk were going to join us for the weekend. We had reservations with the Easter Bunny for breakfast and an Easter egg hunt on the beach and one at our house too. Then with the frigid temps we decided Jess would just come to Lansdale and we would do stuff here. Well Joe and Joey have been sick for a week now(Joey is on the mend, but Joe won't go to the drs.) and then this week i got a bad case of shingles. Silly me, I thought that i tore a muscle the pain in my leg was so bad, but then this little rash on my leg turned really mean and blistery so I headed to the Drs. and sure enough its shingles. YIKES!!!! This is the third time I have had shingles. You are only suppose to get them once like chicken pox, but because of my "weak immune system" the drs. said i can keep getting them. So I have been house bound and had fevers again since Tues. nite. SSSHHHEEESSS!!!! But as long as I am in my house and not at Penn its a good day rite? But needless to say Jess didn't want to take a chance of the kids getting chicken pox as Emma has not been vaccinated for that yet. I am very dissappointed. Every time we plan on getting together either her kids are sick or i'm sick. Well we have our big family vacation to Florida in a few weeks so lets all pray that we all stay healthy.
No Miss Janet we are still planning on having a cosmo party. I would never let you miss it. You will be the star entertainment. Cousin Eileen and family and sweet Aunt Angie, have a nice Easter despite the winter weather. I'm still planning on coming to the big shindig on July7th and hoping to bring some of Easton with me. We had such a great time when we all got together in Feb.Rosemarie just sent me the most wonderful knitted slippers in 5 differant colors. Her poor aching fingers.
Well I hope the Easter Bunny brings you all good things. God is good and I have just about all i could ask for this holiday. Family, good friends like you and I'm home.. So God bless all of you and your families and i will write again soon. Thank you for all the Easter cards and get well cards and blogs and calls.
Love Debbie

What a great Success !!!!!!

Hi Everybody,

Yesterday the blood drive was a huge success !!! A BIG BIG THANK YOU to Bonnie and John Handerhan for opening their home to over a hundred people form 10:00 am till 10:pm.
Bonnie didn't sit down all day and that was after giving a unit of blood herself. Joe and the boys did well after donating and Joey didn't even get faint as anticipated. My brother Fred surprised us with a visit and donated too. It was good to see him as well as lots of hospital friends that i had not seen in a long while. Mary Day i so wish you could have been there ! Kim Hodge (Huver) was there with her beautiful daughter Dannie, and then Lorraine and Bob Booth came too. For both Mo and I it brought back such good memories of our days on 3-11. My sister-in-law Kim came with a nervous Laura who did just fabulously with that big needle and little tiny veins. For all who donated I don't have words to express my gratitude. Once again you all have made me feel so special. Thru you I feel like I have been able to give just a little bit back to the community
to replenish the Red Cross Blood supply. Over 70 people donated and several (10) were actually turned away because they ran out of supplies never anticipating such a huge turnout.
As far as the director knew, this was a first time event having a blood drive at a private residence. After a long day (i don't think the rc staff had lunch themselves) Bonnie had invited Hospital staff and friends over for a party. For both Dr. Bob and I it was such a treat to see old friends. We are both very blessed. Thank you to Bev and Cathy and Stella and Anita and Mo and to everyone that I am forgetting for all the wonderful food and drink. Thank you to Ann for the balloons. It was a great day.
I'm feeling great and hoping this is going to continue for awhile. Looking forward to next week with the whole family being together if all stay healthy. Joe has the flu and Emma has bil. ear infections. but they have 6 days to get better so we hopeful.
I wish you all health and good times and another BIG thank you for all of your never ending support. I love you all and cherish our friendship both near and far. I will keep in touch.

Love Debbie