April 22, 2008 Update
Dear Fods,
Hello everyone. It's me typing on my own so please disregard any mistakes or typo's. Thank you all for continuing to blog even when we are silent. You all so inspire me with your loyal blogs and cards and calls. It's been a rough couple of weeks. I received round #4 of Dacogen without much of a problem (the usual fatigue and nausea and lingering dizziness and sinusitis). Then we received some very sad news. Our beloved "Aunt Angie" who you all know from the blog passed away 2 weeks ago. Aunt angie was diagnosed with mylodysplasia last fall and was undergoing treatment and getting frequent blood transfusions and platelet transfusions. She was in the hospital for about a week and was expected to go home on hospice but then died fairly quickly from kidney failure. Thankfully, COD Eileen (her daughter) said it was very peaceful and quick. I know that most of you didn't know her personally, but she was a hoot and a holler. Who else do we know at the age of 81 could navigate the blog the way she did? I have such great memories of her from my childhood and lately her trips to the Jersey shore with Eileen and her family. Can you imagine making that trip from St. Louis with 5 other people in that SUV? Well i was determined to fly to Missouri for the funeral but Dr. Porter was not very encouraging in this regard. I was not going with his blessing as my counts were at there lowest point from getting the chemo. An hour after speaking with Dr. Porter about making the trip i came down with a fever of 104 degrees and once again got a very serious case of sinusitis and bronchitis which i still have. I've had all the usual blood cultures and several trips down to Penn to see Dr. Porter and several trips to see Dr. Chiu ( the ENT doc.)I had yet another CATscan which was terrible and the end result was i need surgery to clean out my sinuses and straighten my deviated septum which they think is also contributing to poor drainage in my nose. YIKES!!!!! Honestly they have been telling me this for months but i just could not imagine going thru this with low platelets and an always low white cout..BUT>>>>>Dr. Chiu made it perfectly clear this time that i will not live long with these continued sinus infections and was at greater risk at dying from the infection then from the surgery. Dr. Porter strongly agrees. So as soon as my WBCand Platelets recover i will have the surgery..(probobly next week or the first week in May). It may even help the dizziness since PT didn't do much except make me very sick to my stomach.
On a lighter note God bless Jessie and Allison who both have made several trips with the babies to see me to brighten my spirits. They are all co cute and just lighten my heart.Christian will be 4 in June. Emma turned 2 in March and precious Isabelle was just 6mos. already. We have such a good time with them. I have not been out much other then to Dr. appts but my friends come by for visits and Joe is becoming quite the host and cook.
I hope all is well with all of you and your families. Hasn't this weather been beautiful. The trees and flowers look just glorious this year. I've enjoyed all the animals in the yard and all the varieties of birds flying around.I think i've been forced to "take time to smell the roses" and i watch alot of the cooking station Joe never knows what new surprise awaits him for dinner.
Well anyway I think of you all the time and wish you all the best and THANK YOU again for all the good wishes. We will keep you posted on the coming "events".
Love you all, Debbie
posted by Joe @ 7:49 PM
22 Comments:
Debbie,
Geez, what the heck... you need surgery now for your sinuses? Well I'm sure you'll make a hasty recovery and feel MUCH, much better. I'm very sorry to hear about your Aunt- I don't know any 81 year olds who can turn on a computer, let alone write blogs to Miss Debbie! Prayers go out to you and your family.
It is definitely SOOOO beautiful outside this week! We go on walks all of the time with Matthew and he LOVES it. Unfortunately last night when we were out the bugs were biting me- so I ran in b/c I didn't want him to get bit as well. I know your enjoying the weather as well! Just think... it's almost MAY and MAY means grillin', the boardwalk and OCNJ!!!
<3 MEG
I have not written in awhile our computer was on the fritz. Sorry to hear about your troubles. I am glad you are enjoying the Spring. I am very busy with work and the boys. 2 in baseball is crazy.I signed Hayden up for kindergarten! Rich has a new job, he works with my brother now. My Dad is traveling alot and seems to be doing better than I thought. I hope to stop by some afternoon. Enjoy the day!! Jenny
Debbie,
I was so happy to see your post! I think of you often & wonder how you are doing! I left good ol' HUP last month & am now working in radiation oncology at Lankenau. It's 3 minutes from my house, free parking & no city wage tax so I can't complain! Things are going pretty well there so far but I do miss HUP sometimes & esp. miss seeing my old patients there! I'm sorry to hear that your sinuses are still giving you some major problems! Dr. Chiu is great though, so you'll be in good hands! I wish you all the best with the surgery, whenever that time comes. I hope your family is all doing well too! Please send them my regards! I miss seeing you at HUP but am happy to be able to check in on you through the blog. Send me an e-mail if you are feeling up to it...I'd love to hear from you! As always, you will be in my thoughts & prayers.
Love,
Bridget
bridget_fonash@yahoo.com
Debbie!
It is so amazing to see that you are writing the blog! As my mom said Nonnie said that we were only able to cry once but im sure you can guess i have exceeded that. It was so nice of you to mention her.
You are totally right about the weather. It is really hard to go to class. Only 17 more days left then I will be finished with my first year of college! It is very hard to believe.
Take Care and I love you tons! Mere
Lankenau,, that is the name of the place where i was born.. thank you.. couldn't remember
Debbie, first let me send my condolences out to eileen and her family and to you. i always enjoyed aunt angies blogs.. started to kind of feel like she was all of our aunts .. very cute sounding lady,and seemed have a bit of feistiness in her.. liked that.. so, sorry to all of you on your lost..
Now on to you and your nostrils.. i sure hope they get that surgery done quickly,, is it an outpatient type surgery? or due to the leuk will you be in the hospital.. and i sure hope it does its trick and make you feel much better... you might even enjoy smelling again..
Hope the rest of your gang is doing well,, we are fine. oh,,did i mention that my father in law is still here.. he goes home on tuesday..nice guy.. easy to get along with..i think he is ready to get back to boston also..
had an eye exam today again.. im a "suspect for glucoma" since my dad had it.. funny how you inherit things like this.. not,,the pretty blue eyes he had, but the gluacoma..
Another kid at mark's school had a baby today.. kid on the high school basketball team.. wasnt sure it was his till it was born and they saw the shade of the skin.. and, apparently a girl went into labor with her second baby a few weeks ago. think i told you about her already.. her name is concepcion.. go figure..he also has a lesbian couple that have the locker above his.. they show pda..(public display of affection) often till mark tells them to take it to HBO..
Patrick is fine.. still seems to love college ..didn't do so well on his first test in human genetics.. said hes not sure how to study for that class and is still kind of freaked by the fact that the lady that sits next to him has to get home to feed her family.. ha..he loves surfing and has been going as much as possible. the beach is only about 10 min away,, and talk about beautiful weather....
let us know when you go in for this ent surgery.. want to make sure we step up the prayers.. my best to all the teks.. love..mdf
just read the other blogs.. when it comes to american idol.. i too really liked carly,, was getting used to her tatoos. husband was alittle too much but i hear he owne a tatoo shop... was a little embarrassed for her when she grabbed that tshirt and it bounced around from the "objects" underneath it.. but i think simon kind of enjoyed it..
again.. we will all miss aunt angie..but its nice to know she is watching over you..like eileen said..take care deb..love mdf
ps.. american idol fans. do you like the dreads.. i kind of do. but i don't think you would have much of a conversation with him..
Hi Deb:
So sorry to hear about your Aunt Angie. This has been a rough year for us as well. Keith's Aunt passed away in January. His father passed away from complications from a fall and MRSA on Feb. 21 and then his mother passed away on April 11 from septic ahock after pacemaker surgery. So we are reeling with everything we need to do.
You of course are in our continued prayers, which will continue as you head into surgery.
God Bless!
Cindy
Debbie,
Well I'm a dread lock fan. But blonde dreadlocks. Ha.
MEG
tomorrow is the begging of the last week in april and frist of may.. any surgery news? hope you can have it soon and get it over with,, its hot here and a little teanse,, don;t know if its the combination of heat and company.. or what.. just not enjoying it too much.. ha.. hope its all going better for you.. lots of love and prayers.. mdf
Deb, I have checked this continuously and saw nothing posted before tonight! I'm so disappointed to find that you have had such a difficult time lately, and hope that you had received my letter, with good wishes and hopes of seeing you soon.
My sympathies on the loss of Aunt Aggie-- I wish I had known her. She sounds like she was a great lift for the spirits of everyone with whom she came in contact.
Please call me or write if you can bear a visit from me.
I'm thinking of you often (actually, always)... can you feel the vibes?
Good luck; Bon Courage. My thoughts and prayers are with you and those sinuses.
Lizz
Hi Debbie: Glad to see you posting and sorry to hear about your aunt. I know how much you must miss her and wish you could go to the funeral, but your health is your first priority. Hope the counts increase so you can have the surgery and everything works out okay. You will certainly be in my prayers the next few weeks. Looked at the pictures of your granddaughter - what a cutie - you look like you are really enjoying every second with all three of them. Keep the faith and know that God is with you through all of this. Love to you and your family. Love shelly
Debbie:
Madalyn asked me today to tell you that your are "one of her 4 best friends in the world" and "she wishes you were not sick". She also added that, "Does she know we pray for her every day at dinner"?, "I hope she does". Also she added that she wishes that she could "Give her a hug and kiss", "I really miss seeing her". Dictated to Pop (Mike) We hope to come see you soon.
Hi, Sweety. So good to continue to check up on you. I don't check every day, but you are certainly in my prayers every day along with many others. Things are good for us. Jen and Thomas are in New Orleans this weekend for Thomas' 30th birthday - everyone seems to take "destination birthday" trips these days. Well, I know I was pregnant at 30 with two other babies! Jen celebrated her 30th with us this past Thanksgiving. Shelly and Matt are working 80+ hours a week in their residency. They worked together this week - Shelly administering the anesthetic and Matt doing the procedure. The nurses oooohed when she tied the back of his gown for him. They are awesome and my love for my sons-in-laws is greater than I ever imagined it could be. Katy is home for the weekend - she is at the end of one of her trimesters - will have her Masters in Psychology in July and has three more years to get her doctorate. She has a new internship starting in August in the suburbs 1-1/2 hr. drive in Chicago, but would prefer that to the in-town driving. She has grown up and at 25 I can see us becoming better friends. I think they all understand my love for them and that I always did the best I could for them even when our home life wasn't the best. My love to all of your family and grandchildren. I will definitely be needing to keep in touch with you when I am blessed with grandchildren. I don't know if I will remember how to take care of babies! You helped me along in motherhood more than you will ever know. And, I could never have asked for a better friend -- you gave me unconditional love always and listened whenever I needed a friend. My love to you and to your continued strength. You continue to be an inspiration to so many. Love you!
Cheryl Crone
hey everyone,
this is a link to some pics from our last two weekends in PA.. Enjoy!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=14am9qyu.bmkc097u&x=0&y=-mhzf17&localeid=en_US
<3 Alli & Izzy
Alli, Pics are so cute! How do you get that bow to stay in her hair?
Debbie, hope you are doing okay and feeling better? Goodluck with your surgery! I sent out evites to our baptism party but didn't have your email... don't worry, I'm still sending invites in the mail! All my love, MEG
meg,
If you mean the white bow..( I think that is the only one in the album) It is a headband, I loved it so much she has them in every color , NO JOKE! Cant wait to see you guys... Thanks for the invite to the baptism , we will let you know ASAP!
<3 Alli
Happy mothers day to all you mothers out there.. deb.. whats the latest? have you had the surgery yet? how have you been feeling? 18 more days of school,, can't wait..patrick drove up to surprise me for mothers day.. love my boys.. mark had his last game for the regular season yesterday.. starts legion ball in week and a half..
allison.. was talking to a friend of mine yesterday that just got back from ireland.. was in dublin,, kept getting lost... finally stopped in a bar and said to the bartender...give me a drink and a map.. and in that order! dublin must be hard to find your way around.. ha
Deb .. i've been thinking alot about you all.. hope your doing okay.. my prayers will continue.. love you.mdf
Happy Mother's Day!
It's been another crazy spring season. I've been working around the clock but I'm happy to say I got my orders out in record time. Scott graduates college on Saturday. We're sending him and a few friends to Myrtle Beach for a golf week and Art and I are heading to Vegas on Tuesday. I doubt we'll make it to OC for Memorial Day but if we do I 'll look for you on the beach. I hope all is well.
Love,
Betty
Debbie,
Hope you had a great Mother's Day! Thinking of you, as always,
Love,
Patty
Hey Deb:
Spoke online with Jessie this past weekend and she told me you were at the shore. I tried the number but didn't get you. Then of course...got sidetracked.
She mentioned that you are having surgery on the 14th. That would be tomorrow so I wanted to let you know that you are in our prayers here in Washington, MO. All my chicks are back in the nest and we include you in our dinner prayers.
Alli's pics were fabulous. Everyone looks so great! I was thrilled to get to see you even though it is via Kodak Gallery. It always makes me feel better.
The boys are out on Friday and Mere of course is home. That is evident by the piles of clothes and shoes scattered everywhere. Her first year of college at St. Louis University is down. I am happy to have her home.
All else is well. Miss you bunches! Hang in there. I know you are nervous about the reoovery but you will do better than you think!
Love to you and the family,
COD Eileen :)
Goodluck Debbie!!!
Hey, did anyone hear or know for sure if debbie had that surgery yesterday, and if so . hows she doing.? don't want to bother the family..thanks.. mdf
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