Christmas blessings

First we thought John would be released Tuesday. However his GI doctor didn't want to release him....he wanted to remove more fluid and get cultures since it previously showed a bacterial infection. So on Christmas Eve, John received platelets and plasma, and had his stomach tapped again, this time removing 2100 ccs. The cultures won't be back until Monday or Tuesday so I figured he'd be in the hospital at least till then. The next day his admitting doctor was pleased with his bloodwork and said he could go home. It was the best Christmas present! He felt good enough to join us for Christmas dinner. He's tired, but in much better spirits. Praise God. We're not sure what's ahead for him, but we're just taking one day at a time.

I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas. I'll be heading back to Florida on the first.

Merry Christmas!

Arrived in PA very late last night. The flight was delayed an hour. Left Orlando at 9:30, arrived in Pittsburgh at 11:30. Spent most of the day with John today. He will probably be released tomorrow. They want to remove some more fluid and test it for bacteria. I'll explain more in a later post. He's in good spirits and looking forward to going home.

Wishing you all a blessed, peaceful Christmas and a healthy, happy 2009. May God richly bless you in the coming year!

Much better

John had a decent today, THANK YOU GOD. They gave him 2 more units of blood and he has his appetite back. Not sure what's next on the agenda. Thanks for all your prayers!

John Update

John had a much better day today. Yesterday was a bad one for sure. He rested comfortably most of the day. I think he just had bloodwork and an ultrasound today. They removed 2400 ccs of fluid from his abdomen, roughly 72 ounces. That helped relieve the pressure on his diaphragm which was making it difficult for him to breathe. I truly appreciate your prayers and please continue to pray. I'm looking forward to getting up there, mostly to provide moral support!

I had a breast MRI today. I moved around a bunch of appointments to January since my holiday plans changed. My cold/sore throat/congestion is getter better.

I had a great time with Steve, Kim, the kids and Kim's mom, Judy. I spent Wednesday afternoon and evening with them at Disney. The prior Sunday, Joe, Linda, Angela and I met them at the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. We were craning our necks trying to check in on the Steelers-Ravens game on the TV above the bar. Afterward we spent some time in a huge Disney store and we kept checking the last few minutes of the game on Steve's Blackberry! It was pretty funny, us standing there amidst all these shoppers staring at the Crackberry. LOL

Rough day for bro

Yesterday John received a blood transfusion. Today he was given frozen plasma and platelets. His blood levels are all out of whack. He also had a port installed for blood draws and his stomach was tapped. Please keep John in your prayers. I'm flying up there Monday. Sitting here in Florida isn't doing it for me. I want to be able to keep him company and keep an eye on what the docs and nurses are doing.

My brother John

Please keep my brother John in your prayers. He has been suffering from liver disease and is being admitted to the hospital today. He has been bloated from excess fluid. I don't have any other info right now.

Road trip

It's been raining since early this morning and it looks like we'll have rain as we head down to West Palm Beach later today. I think we're going to stay Friday night at my cousin's so we have more time to visit. We'll head back Saturday morning. Sunday afternoon we'll meet Steve and his family at Downtown Disney. I probably won't post again until Monday, so have a great weekend everyone! xoxoxo

If I ruled the world

Before this devolves into a self-centered rant, I would first rid the world of cancer, and liver disease and well, a host of other diseases.

Besides that..
Our pets would live as long as we do
It would be okay to eat cookie batter
Someone would put away our clean laundry for us
And empty the dishwasher
And clean the baseboards
Oh heck, why don't I just say it: I want a maid!
And a personal assistant
We would have no trouble growing tomatoes in Florida
All of our clothes would fit
We would only have sweet dreams

I could go on, but what about you? What silly things would you ensure if you could?

In other news, I have a sore throat and a cold I'm trying to shake before Joe, Elizabeth and I head down to South Florida on Thursday. The plan is to stay at our cousin Karen's Thursday night. We have an appointment with the Italian Consulate in Miami Friday morning. Actually, it's in Coral Gables. We hope we have everything in order to obtain dual citizenship. It's taken us nearly 2 years to cut through all the red tape, but I think we see the finish line!

Please pray...

...for Amy Taylor. She is at a very critical juncture in her treatment. You can visit her blog at the link on the right sidebar of this page. Amy is too sick to post, but her loving husband and other family members do so on her behalf.

Say what?

On Wednesday I had a transtympanic (through the ear drum) injection of dexamethasone in my right ear. A compounding pharmacy mixed the solution, which I picked up on the way to the office. I had my third hearing test before the procedure. No improvement, in fact, a little worse. After the test, the doctor numbed the inside of my ear, then injected the steroid. I then had to lay with my head tipped to the left for 30 minutes to let the fluid settle into my inner ear. Felt kind of weird, but it didn't hurt. I have to keep water of out that ear for 2 weeks and don't you know I forgot to plug it up with cotton yesterday when I showered. I even wrote myself a note left on the bathroom counter and I still forgot! Hopefully I won't do that again. I forgot to ask the doc how long it will be before I know if this worked or not. He wants to see me in 3 months for another hearing test, so I guess that means it could take awhile.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon volunteering and I was actually kind of busy. A patient came in to find a wig and I spent about 45 minutes with her. She found a wig she liked and 2 caps. I think it's helpful when someone who knows what it's like to lose her hair assists you. I know whenever I encountered cancer survivors in the hospital it was very comforting. I also sorted and cataloged new wigs for the gift closet and ordered brochures that were in low supply. As usual, I was exhausted when I got home. I had a busy week and it doesn't take much for me to overdo it.

Today I decorated my tree, did laundry, walked the dogs and cooked. Yep, I'm tired. I listened to Christmas music all afternoon and it always amazes me how talented Karen Carpenter was. I used to make fun of the Carpenters in their heyday because they were so middle of the road, but geez, her voice is beautiful. She's singing with the angels now I imagine.

Tomorrow is Sunday, which means I'll be somewhere watching the Steelers play. Go, boys, go!

Better pack some heat when you go Christmas shopping...

...or wear full-body armor. You may end up participating in a shootout at the OK Corral, better known as Toys 'R Us or you may find yourself under the feet of delirious shoppers in your local Wal-Mart. Pretty sad that we covet TOYS and GAMES so much that we're willing to disregard the safety of others. I don't think that's why we celebrate Christmas, but when there are people who are offended just because you say, "Merry Christmas," well I guess we shouldn't be surprised...we get what we deserve. There's your "Bah, humbug" moment for the day.

We had a great time with my nephew Steve last Sunday watching the Steelers crush the Pats. We watched the game at my bro's house. He'll be back in 2 weeks with his family to do the Disney thing. I have to admit, Disney looks great decorated for Christmas. Very festive!

Today I get to have an injection of a steroid in my ear. Gee, can't wait. I truly hope it helps.