08-29-08 - In order to maintain this section as "Karen's" blog, updates going forward will be posted on the post-surgery section. This will keep this section as her's to post when she is able. We will make every effort to keep up to date posts on her condition.

08-28-08 - Karen is having a much better day today. She is much more alert and communicative. Speach therapy was just in and adjusted her trach (briefly) to allow her to talk and we could her voice for the first time in two weeks. The talk is now possibly moving from ICU and into a facility known as an LTACH. This is a facility that is a step down from ICU but for a patient that is not ready for a regular hospital room on the general floor. They will work on getting her weaned off the vent over the period of a couple weeks with a large emphasis on physical therapy to help her regain strength. She is open to this possibility and looks forward to getting stronger and back to life outside the hospital. Yesterday during the tap of her abdomin they withdrew a little more than 4 litres of fluid which has helped her feel better today. For now the plan is the same in ICU; continue to recover from what landed her here, vent wean, and some rehab. They have not tried to allow her to walk yet and I would be surprised if she could right now. She has really lost alot of strength; but this morning she really worked hard with physical therapy. She seems to be in pretty good spirits today with some discomfort here and there. We are hoping to speak with her liver doc this afternoon and get some more answers in going forward with transplant in the future.

08-27-08 - Today has been almost a mirror image of yesterday. She lasted an hour this morning breathing on her own. A little progress. She participated in the same excercises as yesterday. They put in a "pick" line to administer her meds and plan to remove the central line in her neck. The pick line is less prone to infection and provides more options than a regular IV line in her arm. This afternoon a doctor is going to drain the fluid that is building up in her abdomin. She looks pretty full; we'll see how many litres they get. She's a little less communicative today; she's probably pretty tired now because she hasn't slept well the past couple nights. Let's hope that tonight she can get some rest.

08-26-08 - Today Karen has been more active. This morning she was up in a chair doing a spontaneous breathing trial and lasted 45 minutes on her own. Speach therapy had her swallow some ice chips with green dye to see how her swallowing reflex is. They will keep an eye on her trach and see if they see any green dye show up. If there is no dye she is swallowing into her stomach. If they see green dye she aspirated into her lungs. Time will tell. She is more alert and communicative. Physical therapy came in this morning, did some excercises with her and showed us some excercises to do with her to help her gain some strength again. They were able to assist her in sitting up on the edge of the bed and support herself. She is making progress now but is extremely weak and sore. They also removed an arterial line in her leg that gave a constant blood pressure reading. Slowly but surely they are removing lines that can create further infection. All good signes but still a long way to go for full recovery. Thanks again for the support and prayers.

8-25-08 - Karen received her third tracheostomy this morning. Right now she is still sedated but should begin waking up this afternoon. There is no longer anything in her mouth which she will be glad of when she does wake up. The plan is for her to wake up today, interact some and then tomorrow get down to business. Orders are being put in for occupational therapy and physical therapy to begin working on rebuilding her strength. Speach therapy will also come and evaluate her ability to swallow which may have been compromised with the tube in her throat for a week. If she can swallow ok they will give her pills orally again. If she is unable to swallow they will put a small feeding tube in her nose to avoid anything in her mouth. The task for her now will be to once again build the strength to breath on her own. She has done this two times before when she was still in UPMC after her transplant. Please now pray for strength to breath on her own and her ability to wean off the ventilator. It could still be a tough time for her in the coming weeks.

8-24-08 - Karen continues to be about the same.  She has not done well on the breathing trials.  Plans are to do a tracheostomy tomorrow.  This will make her much more comfortable and will make it easier for her to wean from the vent.  All of the sedation has been removed and she was awake today.  She was very uncomfortable and was having a hard time not biting the ventilator tube.  The feeding tube was inserted again..her medications are given through this tube. Late this evening, Karen was sedated again to allow her to get some rest during the night.  Thank you for all of your prayers and support.  Please continue to pray for her--we know the prayers are working. 

08-23-08 - Karen is more stable today. She was ok through the night and this morning the pulmonary doctor said she is the same as she was 24 hours ago even with the challenge of last night. She is now on a medicine to keep her heart rate stable and in a normal rate and rythm. With time they will probably stop this drug; we'll see. He is still optomistic that she is heading in the right direction. The plan is still to allow her to have breathing trials later today and tomorrow and put the trach in on Monday if necessary. She had a small amount of blood coming from her stomach yesterday so this morning a G.I. doctor looked at her esophagus and stomach with a scope. She said there were no problems such as ulcers but believed the bleeding was coming from the stomach tube that may have been rubbing against the inside of the stomach wall creating some irritation. The stomach tube was removed to allow her stomach wall to heal. She has been sedated all morning with the scope and will probably sleep the remainder of the day. Thank you for the posts on her message board. She will definitely read them once she recovers.

08-22-08 - Karen is struggling again today. This morning they tried another breathing trial and she did not do well. The lung doctor said he will give her through this weekend and if she is not off the vent he will have to put a tracheostomy in to assist her. This will make it easier and more comfortable for her as well as cut down on other complications that come with having a tube down her throat. Throughout the morning she seemed to be a bit more relaxed and trying to breath more than the machine was giving her. Late this afternoon she had a bad episode though. As they were moving her around (as they have to often to prevent bedsores and such) her heart rate shot through the roof and topped out at about 190 bpm. Her mom and dad was in with her and they had to leave when the medical team came in to start working on her. Her heart rate was up and down along with her blood pressure. They worked on her for the better part of an hour trying to get her heart rate down with various medicines. They brought the crash cart in but thank God they did not have to use it.  The underlying issues are complicated and numerous right now but just know that she is fighting. Once again we ask for prayers to help her through this difficult time in her continued recovery.

08-21-08 - Today Karen has been completely restless and agitated with her current surroundings. She tried a breathing trial this morning and did not have much luck. She was not able to breath in enough volume, her respiratory rate increased and her heart rate and blood pressure increased. These are all signs that she was distressed and not ready to be free from the vent. The remainder of the day she has been miserable. We knew this would be the hardest part of this ordeal. They gave her a sedative again to help her relax this afternoon and right now she seems to be sleeping. Please pray for her to gain strength again and for her find comfort while she deals with this difficult time. They are doing two breathing trials a day now so let's hope that each one shows some improvement.

08-20-08 - Today has been somewhat uneventful. This morning they removed the last sedative at 6:00 am as was planned and later tried a breathing trial. She did ok but soon gave out because so much of the sedative remains in her system. The doctor said this morning that because her Liver and Kidney function are decreased it will take longer than normal for her body to metabolize the sedatives and rid them from her system. She has slept most of this afternoon and stirs a little from time to time. She is becoming more and more irritated with the tube, but that's ok because it's motivation for her to get it out. The plan is to try another beathing trial later this afternoon or evening and see if she can get the tube out. Her doctor's are still pleased with her progress and have now outlined her next goal: off the vent. Once she is off the vent she will have to have a swallowing test to make sure she does aspirate anything into her lungs. She continuously asks for something to drink. She has not had any liquid since last Friday. I'm sure she is thirsty.

8-19-08 - Karen continues to make progress. She is now down to 40% oxygen support on the ventilator and the settings on the vent have been reduced to minimal support as well. Up until this morning she was on 2 sedatives. They removed one this morning and she is more responsive this afternoon. She is still pretty sleepy though. She does respond when we call her name. The docs came in this morning and made some changes to her antibiotics.  Still no word on what exactly the infection was and I believe it will probably remain a mystery at this point. Her creatnine level (kidney numbers) are elevated at 2.2. They should be below 1. She is making urine though so they say this is not an immediate concern. The goal for tomorrow is to remove the remaining sedative at 6:00 am and get her awake enough to start doing some breathing trials. The pulmonologist said that if she does good she could be off the ventilator tomorrow. The doctors and nurses are extremely impressed with her progress since Friday: a testament to the wisdom of her caregivers and the prayers that have been said on her behalf. Thank you to you all.

8-18-08 - Quick afternoon update. Karen has been in and out of sedation today with brief periods of being awake. She opens her eyes, acknowledges us and squeezes our hands and wiggles her toes. Her sat levels are holding fine along with her BP. As always when we spend time at the hospital we meet other families with loved ones in rooms around Karen. Two nights ago Life Flight brought a gentleman in and he was put in ICU in the room next to Karen. He was in bad shape. He died today from complications. We had met the family and shared stories. The family decided today to donate any organs that could be because they saw first hand in Karen how organ donation can save lives. We will tell Karen this story when she fully wakes up and can communicate without the ventilator. Please keep the prayers coming. She is progressing slowly every day.

8-18-08 - Today again brings some encouraging news. Her ventilator has now been bumped down to 50% oxygen support and she is holding her sat level. The goal for today is to continue the antibiotics and maybe this afternoon have a better picture on the infection. The doctor said this morning however that they may never know what caused the infection but as long as she is improving it's not a big deal. They are also slowly reducing the amount of paralytic they are giving her. Up to this point the ventilator has been breathing for her 100% of the time. The reason for this was to allow her body to completly rest while it fights the infection. They now want to see how much she will be able to breath on her own with the assistance of the ventilator. She will still remain sedated for now though. She had a new doctor this morning and he said even though she is still very sick there is definite improvement. The boys started school today and I was able to walk them in. They were excited and I took a picture of each of them at their desk to show mommy when she wakes up. They know she is here but do not know the full extent of her new challenge. Please continue to remember Karen in your prayers.

8-17-08- Again today has shown some improvement. The pulmonlogist that has been with Karen this weekend came in this morning and said, "she may have turned a corner." She is now down to 60% percent O2 through the ventilator and she is still holding her sats. Her heart rate also continues to come down. The respiratory therapist said the goal is to get her down to 50% or less on the vent but as all other things they take one small step at a time; but she is heading in the right direction. There is still no word from the lab. They are monitoring the cultures closely and when something grows they'll get some better direction. Bottom line she is still very sick with small improvements over the past two days. Today the plan is the same; continue broad spectrum antibiotics and decrease her O2 support slowly. Thank you for the prayers; there is no doubt they are being heard and I believe they are being answered in her recovery. We don't know if Karen can hear us but we are telling her we are here, we love her and encouraging her to keep fighting. Karen's mom and I are trying to get access to her email to post any messages that are being sent but are not having any luck. I am taking the boys to their first day of school tomorrow and am going to go to the house and see if I can find Karen's password list. Please keep praying; I know it's working.

8-16-08 - Today has shown some improvement. She did fine last night and has been ok through today. Her sat level is doing better holding at 94-96 %. Last night she was on 100% oxygen through the ventilator and they have now cut the oxygen level back to 80%. Her doctor was in this morning and said she seemed to have made improvement from yesterday. He is encouraged that maybe one of the antibiotics they are giving her may be having some positive effect. She is still completly sedated while her body fights the infection. One of the infectious disease doctors told us this morning that she is producing a large amount of white blood cells. These are the cells that fight infection; so we know she is fighting. Her blood pressure and heart rate are also somewhat better. As of yet there is no information from the lab as to which bug they may be fighting. She still has a long road to go; please keep up the prayers. They are working.

8-15-08- Donnie again about 11:30 pm. Aside from Transplant Day, today has been the most difficult day of our lives. Karen is very sick and in critical condition.  After her bronch she continued to struggle with her sat level and blood pressure even though she was sedated and on the ventilator. They took her for a CT of her lungs and discovered widespread pneumonia in both her lungs apparently caused by the infection. As I said in the earlier post they are unsure at this time what bug they are dealing with and they are hitting her hard and often with a wide range of broad spectrum antibiotics. She is a little more stable now with the help of supporting medicines for her blood pressure. They have her heavily sedated and even administered a paralytic to ensure she absolutly rests while her body fights this infection.  Her dad and I are holding vigil outside her room tonight. Her mom was beyond wiped out from working the day before, coming to the ER last night, staying up all night and then the events of today. We forced her to go home and get at least a shower and a couple hours of sleep. If you believe in the power of prayer please pray for Karen tonight and in the days ahead. When we came into the ER last night we did not know what was going on but we never thought Karen would be fighting for her life tonight and in the days ahead. I will try to keep this blog updated as often as possible.

8-15-08 - Once again we ask for your prayers. As I (Donnie, or as Karen is now calling me in her blog; DJ) type this Karen is in ICU at Emory. She is being intubated and having a bronch done. We came to the ER last night around 10ish with still an excelerated heart rate (154 on admission to ER) and she was having much more difficulty breathing. She had oxygen on the way here and from the time she got out of the car and into the ER triage her O2 sat level had dropped to 73 (it should be 92 or higher). She was maybe 3 minutes without oxygen. After being stabilized in the ER she was admitted directly to ICU. This morning she continued to struggle to hold her sat levels so they put her on a Bi-Pap machine. Some of you may remember she was on and off this machine while she recovered from her transplant in Pittsburgh. She still struggled somewhat and her heart rate remained elevated so they decided to intubate her and do the bronch. The purpose of the bronch is two-fold. They believe she has an infection which is causing all this and they need to determine exactly what the infection is. They have started her on broad-base antibiotics but they need to target the bug directly so they pulled fluid samples from her lungs. They also went ahead and did biopsies to check for any sign of rejection. No reason to suspect but they want to cover all bases. As I was typing the doc came out and gave us an update. The bronch went well. Her lungs look good with some mucus present. They are putting a central line in her neck to administer any necessary meds quickly should she need it. She will be sedated throughout the weekend while she remains intubated. They will sart growing cultures in the lab of the fluid they pulled from her lungs and see what bug they are fighting. This usually takes a few days for the cultures to grow. The plan is to find the specific infection and treat it directly. Obviously when she first heard the word intubation she was not happy but as she continued to struggle to breathe and realize it was inevitable she finally said, "ok let's go." The boys are staying with my mom and dad right now. Their first day of school is Monday and Karen is sad that she will miss their first day especially with Carter starting big boy school this year. She has fought off these type bugs before and she will again. As I said at the top please say a prayer for her, she needs it. 

8-12-08 - It's me. I'm actually at the ER at Emory right now. I've been here since 3:30p. The past couple of days my heart rate has really been high. This morning I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I took my BP and pulse and my heart rate was 147!!  Talking about tachycardia. I  called my Cardiologist and she told me to take a Lopressor (to lower heart rate). She said if it didn't get down to 110 to come to the ER and have an EKG. It only went down to 123, so here we are, 10p still in the ER. My cardiologist said not to take any more Lopressor and that the ECHO of my heart looked beautiful. It's more of my fluid shifts. My potassium was low, so they started it in IV. It's 10:10p now and this takes 6 hrs. They just put another IV in my other arm to give me some Albumin which will take 4 hrs to go in. They said after all this I could go home.  Well, by then we are looking 3-4am getting outta here.....YUCK. Donnie brought me and my mom and dad met us here.****Also my x-ray results came back and she said I have Spondyosis??? in the middle and lower back. It makes my spine less flexible. She said "bone is growing over bone".  She gave me pain pills for now. So we'll see.  I go back to her in 2 weeks. Donnie's B-day was Sunday and my mom and dad came over. He's been very tired lately and has had training and range on his past couple of off days. **Anyway, I hope to get out and go home. The boys start school on Monday.  I can't believe they will both go from 8a to 2:30p. Well, I"m getting tired so I will post again later. Thanks for all the prayers, support and donations!!

8-8-08- Hi everyone! I heard back from ct scan and they said there was really nothing they saw except for some gallstones, but they said it's nothing to worry about unless my pain gets worse. I saw my primary doctor about my migrains and back and neck pain. I should have the results today.**Yesterday my dad came over and we got out of the house. I didn't do much after that. We all went to bed early last night. DJ had a training class yesterday and was wore out. I can't believe the boys are going to be back in school Aug 18th.  I will miss them not being  at the house. I guess I could finish my scrapbook and make some more bracelets. Anyway - I'll do another update when I get the results from my neck, spine, and back.  **Thanks for everyone's support and prayers**

8-6-08 - Well it's Wednesday morning and not much has been going on. Sunday was a bust as far as me getting out. I'll tell you, it's not really my usual symptoms. I'm fine as far as the liver part goes. I have had severe back pain. It starts at the bottom and goes up to the tip top of my neck, which it's done a couple of times a long time ago. This past week and a half my pain is all around the bottom of my neck in the back. I can't find a comfortable way to sit or lay. Anyway, I'm going to my regular doctor today and check that out. I also have to have a dexa scan (bone density test) today or tomorrow. My muscles have still been getting weaker rather than stronger. I've been eating like a pig when I can. The three doses of the Neupogen shots put me in bed last weekend and made me sick (vomit) all day. So, I did all that work for weight gain and just those 3 doses blew it. I'm now back down to 92 lbs. I was staying steady around 102-104lbs.**Yesterday my dad was over and helped play with the boys. I rested a couple of hours and started making thank you cards! **Monday my dad came over to get me out of the house and that was nice. **Anyway let's see what the docs say today about my back and neck. I'll update again later.  Have a great day! DJ is off and the boys are home so I'm very happy!  Thanks for your support and prayers....

8-2-08 - Well hello. So far so good today it's  11am. I got up around 8a to get a couple things on the computer done before the boys got up.**Thursday I was told I had NO infection in my fluid and NO infection in my blood cultures either. I told the Doctor about the last 2 weeks of my night sweats. I woke up during the night several times soaking wet. My hair, neck, shirt & pillow. He said that concerned him meaning I have an infection somewhere, so he started the Levaquin back again. Later we found out that something was growing in one of my urine cultures. So that was that. We were still waiting on the CT scan results. My mom had spent the night again, DJ had to work. My dad came up first thing every morning to keep me company. My aunt Helen and cousin Taylor came to see me also.**My Doctor in Pitt called on my cell phone with NO REJECTION and NO INFECTION ! Yiipppeeee. I was feeling much better by now, except for the site pain from the drain. They said there was no point in keeping me another night for the ct results so I could go home after they drained me completely! They got 3 liters in the ER and Thursday night they got 4.1 liters! That's 7.1 all together and there was still atleast another liter, but they stop when the drain site starts hurting. They will call with the ct results when they get them. *** I was finally discharged around 7:30p!! ** Late Friday afternoon I got ready and got out with DJ and the boys. I HAD to get out and get some fresh air even though I felt horrible. I wore my Oxygen in the car. I got out once and stayed in the car the other 2 stops. I laid down when we got home with an ice pack they recomended and took something for pain. **Thanks to everyone for all your cards, prayers and support. *Still a BIG Thanks to my mom's entire office and building for the fundraiser** Please say a prayer for the donor family and Brandon and his family. Going to read to the boys if they will sit still. DJ has a game tonight with the office.

7-30-08 -  Well it's me. I was admitted to Emory yesterday. I was scheduled to come in today (wed) for my same ol drain. I have been so bad off this weekend that Donnie called Tuesday morning to see if they had any cancellations or possible work me in since I was having other pains and symtoms that I had not had before. Well, emergencies happen and I was not drained in the transplant center but my doctor wanted me to be admitted anyway because of other symptons. The time had gotten very late and the clinic was closing at 430pm. I had been waiting for a bed up stairs at the hospital since 2:30p or so. When the clinic closed my nurse called in my report to the ER so they would not have to start everything over again. She gave me the report and it said I was there waiting for a bed to open, and that I had already been seen by my liver doctor and that was it.  VERY long story short..... They tried and tried to assess me, I did let the ER doctor get my "history" again. It was 2am and I kindly asked if I was going to be drained in the ER or get a bed until the morning then I could go home and come back the next day (today). They thought I had an infection in my ascitic??spell- fluid and they had to drain some fluid to test and for safety I need to stay in case it did come back postive.....so on I waited. They ended up draining 3 liters. They gave me an antibiotic thru my IV just in case.  I wouldn't risk this beautiful new heart or lungs for anything. We got a call that my bed was ready around 7:30p so I got excited. But that excitement lasted 1 min. Another person came in and said they need blood cultures also. Then they came in and told the transport guy I had to have a chest x-ray before going to by room.  My anxiety level was at a high and I kindly asked why they waited until I had a room to do all of this. I said I had been in the ER waiting for a bed for 7 - 8hrs. I asked why  couldn't they have done all this WHILE I was waiting???? Very tired and sore at this point. Well, we got in a room at 2:15am, AND of course nurse on the floor had to do the same things, go over meds, weight and order my night meds whick took about 20-30min to come up.*Thanks to mom, dad & DJ for staying late. My mom spent the night in my room.* Anyway first thing this morning I was told that me being a transplant patient and I was on a Cystic Fibrosis floor only, I would once again have to be moved off this floor. Anyway enough about that.***** I want to say thanks to everyone at my mom's office and entire building for the fundraiser going on today. I was supposed to be there....well Sorry to everyone that I couldn't be a part of a wonderful thing everyone is doing. Thanks to Jeannie for organizing, Glynda for providing most of the hot dogs and other staff who helped get everything ready.  Thanks to Deana for helping grill the dogs.  My aunt Helen even came to my mom's office and brought stuff she baked and help set up and worked it.  Thanks Helen.**** Jeannie's sister, Joyce, also came and helped by serving as cashier and brought goodies to sell.  Thanks, Joyce! Anyway.. They are coming to get me for a ct scan.... bye until tonight,unless I am feeling really bad.

7-27-08 - Hi, it's me. Sorry about the late post. We got home very late Friday night.**Wednesday I went to have my bloodwork and chest x-ray completed before 10:15a. Then we had a Very long walk to the Montifore part of hospital to have my PFT's (pulmonary function tests) done and then see Dr. Crespo in clinic. She said my numbers had gone down, but that was to be expected since I was full of fliud from my liver. She also said my white blood cell count was very low and that I would need 4 doses of the nasty Neupogen shots. They are the ones that make every bone in my body hurt and I stay sick (vomiting) while on them. They didn't take effect right away like they did last time. It hit me very late Friday night as I was going to bed. She also wants me to have another dexascan for my osteoperosis. She also said my muscle mass looked worse. I'm all bones. She asked about my MELD score for my liver/kidney transplant at Emory and since it's still low, she could help Dr. Spivey in his letter to get me a higher score. Once I get the results from my biopsy and she can assure them that I have no rejection in heart or lungs, then that means it's all liver and no other problems. I look good on paper in how the calculate their score but I'm getting more and more new symptoms and more pain. But I don't "look" sick. She also would like me to come back to Pitt soon and go thru their liver transplant evaluation and get listed theirs also. There is a decline for "good" livers and decline in liver donators also. Anyway....I'll let everyone know when the results are back. ** Wednesday is the day I can go out. Me, mom and dad went to the Cheesecake Factory and a couple of stores. I walked a lot that day, which I need to do to build muscle mass.**Thursday I had my bronc and biopsy. It took me a little while to wake up this time. I just laid around that day like usual. I was still Loopy from the anesthesia. My throat always hurts from the tube and I cough for about 3 days afterwards.**Friday we had no flight problems and we were home. I missed DJ and the boys.*Saturday and Sunday (today) I could really tell the shots effects. Mom was over and I took my pain pill and stayed in bed almost the entire day, same for today. Donnie's parents wanted to take the boys to Stone Mtn, so they left about 3p and I sent mom home. She had watched the boys for 2 days. I'm up now (6:45p) then DJ and I may watch a movie together. Thanks for all the prayers and support from everyone! I hope to have the results from the biopsy tomorrow or Tuesday.

7-22-08- Hi again. We flew in to Pittsburgh today for my 3 month bronc/biopsy. DJ has come with me everytime, so we decided to let mom and dad go. The boys will be back in school before we know it, so DJ can spend some time with them. We had a very long traveling day. Our 8:55am Flight was delayed until 12:25pm, we would have missed our 12:49pm connecting flight. They re-booked us on a 10:08a flt, we thought everything was fine....oh no! While loading the CHECKED bags that had gone thru SECURITY, or while they were tossing the bags on the belt, Fireworks...Fireworks fell out of one of the bags and of course that a big safety hazard, we were delayed again. They had to take every checked bag off the plane and RE-Screen all checked bags unless the person owned up to it. Of course no one did, they would have been arrested. As time went by, they finally said we would depart without any checked bags and the bags would be around 20 mins behind us. Most people only had  25-30min to get to their flight. I know the people going on to Tokyo and Hawaii will probably never see their bags again until they get home or later. Good luck to all of them. Anyway... We made our connection and finally arrived around 4pm....whew what a day. I have to be at the hospital at 815a for my x-rays, bloodwork, PFT's and clinic with my Doctor. Thursday I go in at 7am for a 9a bronc/biopy, we are done after that unless she wants a ct scan or drain me. I'll try to post again before we leave to come home Friday. A BIG thanks to my special "Angel" for donating her skymiles for 3 tickets. You know who you are!  Goodnight....

7-19-08 - Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in a week. I haven't felt well for most of the days. Let's see, last Sunday mom was over and she helped out and did some laundry and clean a little. I had to lay down for a couple of hours, my pain was so bad. I got up around 2p or so and then went to ride with her and the boys to get some air. On Monday, I went out with DJ and the boys to get some air, while they ran an errand or two. I stayed in the van. My pain was bad so I laid down for about an hour or so. I have also had dry heaves about every morning.Tuesday I wasn't so bad off, so we took the boys to Stone Mountain to see the laser show. I was ok until we walked to the train so the boys could ride, then the walk back to the lawn. My pain had started to come back. I laid down on the blanket and caught by breath and felt ok by the time the show started. Wednesday I was in pain again all day in fact I called Emory and talked to the on call Doctor. I explained where all my pain was and he said it sounded like a trapped hernia to him. He said he would see my doctor 1st thing the next morning and talk to him and they would fit me in somehow. Thursdays are their busiest days, All transplant recipients go in that day for blood work and dr. appts. I had bloodwork and then saw Dr. Spivey. He felt my stomach and could barely feel the hernia, but it wasn't trapped. Glad to hear that, because that would have meant surgery for the hernia. He did say my kidney crit. was down to normal for me. So he said to hold the octreotide shots and the midodrine pills and come back in three to four weeks and then see if my kidney numbers are the same or have gone up. I love not having to do 3 shots a day and 4 on Mondays! He said he will write a letter to the board to get me a higher MELD score, I seem to be having more and more pain and not feeling well. He said he could tell I've lost more muscle mass since he had been seeing me. Anyway, I'm going to try to get out with DJ and the boys....

7-12-08 - It's me. I have had an up and down week. Everyone came to my house for my mom's birthday on the 10th. I didn't feel well at all that day. I went to bed around 8:30p because I was in so much pain.

Friday Donnie's mom picked the boys up around 10:30a to give me a break. I was still feeling very bad. I don't like when I can't play with them. She took them swimming at my sister-in-laws neighborhood pool. They played with their cousin Emma and Amanda. I had dry heaves most of the morning again. **Today my nephew Austin came over before going to his dad's house to go fishing. My mom came over as usual on the weekends that DJ has to work. My dad also dropped by to see the boys and Austin. **I really felt the worst I had felt in a very long time. I took a pain pill and got back in bed. My mom watched the boys while I rested until DJ got home. I felt much better once I got up. I even went outside for a few to watch the boys ride their bikes and swim in the blow-up pool Carter got for his birthday. Not much else going on. Tomorrow I am going to see if I feel better since my rest and get out of the house with my mom & the boys...Please pray I feel better and can play with my boys and go out! I may need to adjust one of my meds or something. It's not my belly and the fluid, I'm pretty flat right now.

*I put some more pictures in my gallery that go back to my stay in the hospital. I'm still woking on it!  **Also my moms office is having a fundraiser at her office on July 30th. Thanks to everyone who is arranging it. I think it's going be a Hot Dog sale (lunch) and a bake sale with a raffle at the end! Well It's late and I'm going to bed...

Thanks for all the support and prayers!

7-8-08 - Hi! I can say that I felt great yesterday and I can tell I'm getting more strenth. I actually loaded the dishwasher and put a load of clothes in the wash!! The boys were WILD all day, I handled it and I think 1st (by myself) time since getting sick again in January with my liver & kidney.**Today was one of the bad days. I think I pulled a muscle in my arm trying to do some stuff I haven't been able to do. My dad came over because we were going to Target and get groceries. I felt WAY to bad to get out. Having liver disease has all kinds of side effects. Sometimes, well, most of the time I am confused and/or have short term memory loss, migrane headaches, throwing up only on certain times or days, don't know why. The boys were wild and didn't want to play outside, but my dad was here to help!! He folded some laundry and watched the boys. I still need to get out to pick up my Mom's birthday present..... It's this week! AAAHHHH! Anyway I'm still adding more pictures...there are some old ones of my nurses and my surgeon....etc. I'll keep updating when I can.

Thanks for all the prayers and support!

7-6-08 - Well, we are back from the lake. We had so much fun. The boys were glad to see us and dito for me and DJ. I felt GREAT all weekend. I'm trying to build my strength still. I walked (instead of riding the golf cart) down the paved way to the dock. I also got in and out of the boat with no help and climbed a hill of sand. We beached the boat on an island so the boys could swim. After I took a few pictures,Donnie's dad and I sat in the shade and watched my boys and my neice Emma and everyone else swim. It was very relaxing. The water was very low, so you had to really watch where you were going.  Donnie and Jason (brother-in-law) shot off the huge pack of fire works from far away on dry dirt/land. There were about 4 or 5 others on the lake shooting them also. We had several to watch. I'll put some more pictures up tomorrow if I get a chance. Thanks for all the prays and post!  Goodnight.

7-3-08 - Hi again! Today I felt very good. My dad dropped by and took me to the store for a couple of things. It's very lonely without the boys here & Donnie is working. We are going to the lake in the morning. I will have no computer,no service there, so I will post again on Sunday. Until then continue to pray for Brandon and his family. Also don't forget all the donor families!  Thanks to everyone for your continued posts and prayers. I really believe that prayer does work!!! Bye for now and I hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend.

7-02-08 - Well my stomach was huge yesterday. My entire body hurt. My heating pad that usually helps did NOTHING for my back or side pain. I didn't sleep a wink. *My dad took me to Emory for my appt. but of cource I was not as big as I had been this weekend. She did not want to  drain me, but she waited for my bloodwork to come back and checked all the numbers and cell counts and everything was ok. She said she would drain what she could so I would be comfortable for this weekend. She was only able to get 1.9 liters. That's nothing, she usually gets 5.5-6.5 liters. I was drained dry and I could tell because my site where she goes in was hurting. I feel better now except for the site pain where she went in. I asked about a new pain med but they didn't want to give my anything stronger because my liver cannot break down the hard meds. Another doctor suggested an ice pack on the site, so we'll see.***I worked on my scrapbook a little until Donnie got home and then we called the boys to say goodnight and we would see them tomorrow night. I'm going to go, but I'm taking my scrapbook stuff with me. I can work on it when or if I stay in for a day or half the day. They ride 45min to the beach area we like. Once we get there we sit still for an hour or two. I get tooo hot just sitting. Most of my meds say stay out of the sun, I tend to get dizzy when I get hot! *Hunter learned to ski last year and Carter said when he turned 5 (like Hunter was when he tried) he would try....so we'll see when Daddy gets there if he really will try.  He said he would TRY on the phone tonight..who knows. I met a lot of people in the transplant clinic that come in often like I do. There were 4 people there today and I meet a new one. We sat around and talked about each other's experience, although, I'm the only one who has had a Heart/Dbl Lung. Ther other's have had 1 lung, 2 lung or a kidney/liver transplant. Good talking to everyone today. I'm sure I'll see you again very soon.  Good Luck to all and I will be praying for all.....

6-30-08- Hi again. Not much to report. Yesterday I felt just as bad as I did Saturday. My mom came over again Sunday and took the boys to eat and play at the park. She also took them to her house to see PaPa for a little bit so I could lay down for a couple of hours. I'm getting very full and when I get to this point I have NO appetite. I haven't really eaten in 2 days. I lost a pound, just when I started gaining a tiny bit. I can't breathe very well at this point. ***Today I did feel better and my stomach didn't seem so big. It goes down Sometimes during the night. Both boys had appointments to get their teeth cleaned this morning and Donnie took them so I could rest and maybe get out later. We took the boys to a movie to get them out of the house. They are going up to the lake tomorrow for the 4th with Donnie's parents. Donnie has to work until Thursday, so we might go up Thursday evening or Friday morning. It depends on how I feel. I have an appt. at Emory for this Wednesday to get drained, so we'll see how I feel. I was tired when we got home from the movie and I'm going to bed early! Goodnight....

6-28-08 - Well, today is the first day I haven't felt well since way before vacation. It's all really just my stomach. I've had dry heves today and unable to eat anything. My mom came over around lunch and took the boys to Mickey D's to play. They ran a couple of errands and I laid down while they were gone. Mom said I was sleeping hard when they got back about 2 1/2 later. I got up when they got back. I did another page in my scrapbook and then Donnie was home. He fixed the kids and himself dinner and then we all went to bed. I couldn't sleep so I got on my website and changed it up a little. I was getting bored with the other one. As you can see, it's still a big work in progress. I also can't seem to get my new photo gallery posted the right way. I will work on it again tomorrow....Sorry.

6-27-08 - Well, not much going on. I have felt great most everyday since we've been back from vacation. That sure helped my stress level and get my mind off everything. My dad came over Monday the 23rd and we ran some errands and got out of the house. I like when he comes by to help with the boys and keep me company. He didn't feel very well Tuesday but he still dropped by to check on me!  :) LOVE DAD! I'm sure you all love hearing about my tests and things....so, I had to start the 24hr urine collection for my kidneys. Once the 24hr period is up, I, well (Donnie) tooK me & the boys to Emory to turn it in and they do blood work right then. How fun does that sound. It's not a short driv but we were only there 10 minutes. I think or I know, that was the shortest time I've every stayed at Emory. It's always atleast 4-5 hrs just to get drained. Which speaking of that, I have been able to go 18-20 days wiithout having to go in! The shots I do and my sodium diet have really helped out on that part. I'll probably end up going middle of next week or so.****Oh - I don't know if I mentioned it or not, Thanks to my in-laws for watching our dog Erie while on vacation. Donnie's dad is getting better from his back surgery. He got out last week and has to wear a back brace for now. Please remember him in your prayers! Please pray for my friend Mallory who had a liver transplant and Brandon for his loss and of course the donor families! **I better go for now the boys are getting wild. My dad is going to come after lunch. **I'm also still working on a new place for pictures. The picture page just wasn't working, so I figured out how to add a photo gallery. I will put up some old ones also. Infact, I'm going to try to go back to the nurses and doctors in Pittsburgh who did my surgery.....*work still in progress*

6-22-08 - Hello to everyone finally! I'm sorry but I actually got to go to the beach, first time going anywhere in three years! As you can tell by my blog, I did NOT take my computer. I loved my time with just my family, no phones, no computer, just my camera. For those of you that don't know, I am a picture fanatic! I LOVE photography of anything! My mom and dad went with us to get away also and help with the kids. They had so much fun. They had been with me since 2005 off and on while I was sick with no vacation either. I had a GREAT time! BUT-  You know me* I visited the ER Saturday night around 7pm, the 2nd night. I had thrown up ALL day almost, and I mean ALL day. I finally gave in and went. It was the big hospital that sees transplant patients come thru on vacation, so I wasn't that scared?  Yes I was. I was still sick while they were putting in an IV. Donnie told them my history and so they did all the tests from bloodwork to an ekg, gave me a bag of fluids etc...  Thanks to GOD it was nothing big. It turned out to be food poisoning... My dad had the same thing and he got sick that night, ALL night while we were in the ER. We got back in around 4:30am. *I felt 150% better after I slept and got up that morning. I had a great time the rest of the trip! I got in the pool with boys. I watched them play forever! They are water rats. They also went swimming every night we got in from whatever it was we were doing. I stayed down on the beach (under the beach tent) with my feet up and the boys built sand castles. Me, Hunter and Carter found sea shells to bring home. Dad was in the ocean and me, Carter and my mom video taped and took pictures of Hunter and daddy. My "no fear" Hunter, went parasailing with daddy. He had a great time. Hunter is getting very good with swimming under water without swimmies or anything. Carter had a small surf board and swimmies for the pool and he stayed on that most of the time. He will now also jump to me or Donnie off the side and knows we will catch him. They both made friends that they saw and played with every day. The beach had changed so much! Donnie did hear someone talking about a Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville!  Sure enough we found it! That night was the best, we ate outside on the deck with live music and of course we HAD to go the Buffett store!  They are building all new shops and things where the new pier is going. The other was wiped out by the hurricane a few years ago. They had also re-built Pineapple Willeys! That was another great night.  **Sorry Doc. but I did have the bucket of ribs and I enjoyed every last one of them!** They boys did the race track two different nights. Donnie and Hunter in one car and my mom and Carter in the other. I still don't have that much strength to turn the driver's wheel. Guess what I was doing instead?...Taking pictures of course. We only had one afternoon shower so great weather the entire time.We did have a short shower or two during the night. The boys usually sleep with nana and papa but they wanted to sleep on the pull out sofa. I think so they could see out their balcony slide door so they new it was morning and they could get in the pool.  Donnie and I had the front bedroom with a sliding door to the balcony. We slept with the windows open. I LOVE to hear the ocean waves at night......it was so peaceful. There were families staying where we were so no loud parties. I was completely calm and NO STRESS!  Let's see how long that lasts now that I'm back. I do feel great still today, just swollen belly and feet. I do have to go to Emory this week....back to the same routine now :(    Ha Ha! ***Today we went to my Aunt Helen's retirement party her husband and others threw for her. I was able to see my extended family again this year before Thanksgiving. Congrats to you Helen! We love you!** I guess I need to get to bed now. I'll put a few pictures on the pictures page if I can tonight!  God Bless everyone! Thanks once again for all the cards, donations and especially the prayers! Please remember the donor family also!

6-10-08 - Hello again! Yesterday I did go to Emory to get drained. You have to wait until your bloodwork comes back before they can start the drain.  My doctor came in and said they may not drain me yet. My red blood cell count was so low she said I needed a blood transfusion??? I was shocked. I knew my white cell count was down but had no idea about my red. I do a shot every Monday for my red ones.  My white count was the same as the last week when they told me to hold half of my myfortic (rejection med) to see if that made the white come back up, well it didn't, so I'm back on two a day of my myfortic.  They were only worried about my red count at this time.  They did go ahead and drained 5.6 liters. I had an extra bottle of albumin and had to sit and wait a few before they let me go. That explained my dizziness and feeling week this past week. My dad brought me home and I went to bed earlier because we had to leave at 5:45a this morning...Yuck.  My mom rode over to my house with him to watch the boys. Donnie's mom was at the hospital with his dad for his back surgery. My mom laid down with them to get some more sleep since it was 5:30a. They started the blood around 8a in the infusion center and it took 6 hours for 2 untis to go in. My dad would get up every now and then to get some air. It was hot in that center. I was cold and had a blanket but after the first thing of blood got in, I was getting warm.  We got out of there around 2:15 or so.  I can tell a HUGE difference. I don't feel as weak and I have much more color now. When Donnie got home frome work - that's the first thing he said and how much more color I had and how much better I looked.  I'm good to go out of town this Friday. I just have to go back and see them when I get home!! Thanks for all the support and prayers. Please say a prayer for my father-in-law. As of now, 9:45p his is still in recovery because they don't have any rooms available yet but they should have one soon.

6-8-08- Hi! We have had a busy week. Carter's actual birthday was Thursday the 5th. Me and my dad took the boys to Chuck E Cheeses.  We had a bunch of tokens left over from two previous parties we had attended. So I split them up and it was plenty. I thought it would be busy, I guess a lot of families are on vacation or something? After that we ran by Build a Bear and let them pick out what they had been wanting.  Hunter is not really into "bears" and things but I knew they had a Dinosoar! He knows almost all of them by name.  He has a few books we read about dinosoars and loves the Jurassic Park movie so he gets it from that movie also. Carter of course pick the Husky Dog. That was the first stuffed animal I gave him, I think it's a webkin.  He sleeps and drags it around every where. He know has the bigger one he stuffed. He had a great birthday! Donnie got home and played with both the boys until bedtime.****I was miserable that day but like I said before, I will try my best to take them out with help even in pain.  It was my swollen feet that made it so bad. I could hardly walk and put pressure on them. ***Donnie was off Friday and he set up the bounce and table ect... for the party. The boys played and help daddy all day. I stayed off my feet all day while they were entertained. We did Donnie's dads Father's Day friday night. One reason is he's having back surgery Tuesday and will be in the hospital and the other reason is we will be out of town on Father's Day. He wouldn't felt up to it then anyway.  I didn't go because my of my feet and I'm very full of fluid and was hurting all over. I took a pain pill and went to bed. Please say a pray for my father-in-law for his surgery. I did get to see him Saturday at Carter's Party. Carter had a blast at his party! It was hot, but we had two fans going and plenty of drinks for everyone.  We did the cake and other stuff inside. He had a Monster Truck cake. Today they opened a few of the toys to  play with while Donnie and I rested. One of their friends from the neighborhood came to play. He's a very sweet and polite boy. Nothing much - I am at my fullest now and I'm going to Emory in the morning for bloodwork and to be drained. I better go for now..it's late and I have to get up very early to make it to Emory on time!  Thanks again for your emails, posts and prayers.

6-4-08 - Hi everyone. I'm feeling really good right now and the past couple of days. Everything would be fine if my feet would stop swelling soooo bad. Donnie was off the past two days. We stayed in Monday and cleaned house blah blah blah. The boys cleaned their room so they could go out and play.  Tuesday we went out to pick up one more thing for the birthday party and grabbed a bite to eat.  It was so pretty we got back home quick so we could stay outside on such a nice day. Donnie stained the swing set and added two things to it.  It looks brand new again. We got the outdoor toys like their water play table and such. The playground is finished!  We should have a great party Saturday! Donnie's aunt has a Monster Truck bounce she is letting us use also! Tomorrow is his actual birthday so my dad will go with me and take them to Chuck E Cheeses for a little bit.  Today my dad came over and took me to pick up Carter's big gift in his truck. They are at my in-laws today so we could get that and get things wrapped while they were not here. I've had a great time lately playing with the boys outside.  I guess my fluid is going to my feet now.  My stomach is not that huge yet. I'm going to go next Monday or Tuesday to get drained and comfortable before going to the beach!! ***Thanks to everyone for their support and prayers. They are working because I have felt good these past few days!!   Love to all!  

6-1-08 - Hello. It's me again finally!  Not really much to report. Tuesday (27th) Donnie's mom wanted the boys over so they went and played with their cousin Emma.  I had a follow-up appt. with my pulmonologist Wednesday - I don't really know what it was for. I had the appt. when I got out of the hospital a while back. He said everything sounded fine in my lungs. He wanted me to see my liver doctor instead because my feet are staying SO swollen I'm having a hard time staying on my feet. I've been trying to gain my muscle back. I actually can feel a tiny calf muscle returning! He said walk and do what I need to do for strength and then come in for the day and keep my feet up.  I want to be a little stronger before going to the BEACH!  My white blood count is very low so they told me to cut my Myfortic (rejection) med to one a day for a week and then have my blood checked in a week. I hope it goes up. If it doesn't I will be put on the horrible Neupogen SHOTS that make my very sick and every bone in your body hurts.  Pray my count goes up!! That would be three shots everyday and four on Mondays..Yuck. Donnie, the boys and I all went out and eat and did some errands. We met our friends and took the boys to see Indiana Jones. The boys went to the lakehouse with Donnie's parents for the weekend. I had three days to myself. I actually did some beading and relaxed.  My mom and dad came by to check on me.  I was so excited to see the boys Sunday evening when they got home. They had a blast even though they were not allowed in the water. I want to make sure their pneumonia is all gone.  They fished, rode on the wave runner with paw paw and played in the sand at our favorite beach area. Thanks to my neighbor Amy and her daughters for bringing dinner Sunday night. It was perfect timing. Donnie had just worked 3 12hr shifts in a row and I was unable to have anything ready.  Thanks to everyone for their support and prayers. xoxoxo.  I guess I'll go now. We have some work to do before Carter's Birthday Party. Well, Donnie will do the lifting and things like that! Have a great day.

5-27-08- It's me - late again as usual. I've had a very busy week.

I've been walking a lot more. Mom was over Sun (18th) and for some reason a was in MAJOR stomach pain so I didn't do much at all that day. The next was the same - the worst pain yet since my surgery. It was in the middle, where my hernia  is and in my lower abdomen. My dad took the boys out that day and went to McDonald's to play on the playground and to the park so I could take a pain pill and lay down. He really helped me out. I have felt free fluid in my left lung when I lay down. So I slept with my oxygen a couple of nights. I had an appt. with Dr. Spivey to get drained on Wed (21st) but I was not half as full as I normally am so I didn't have to go. Carter started to have a fever and started coughing really bad so I took him in and he has 2 meds to take right now. Hunter is also coughing. Every season change he has to do the nebulizer breathing treatment for a couple of weeks.  This time his cough actually was getting worse. It was over the weekend so I called the advice nurse and she heard how often (every 3-5 sec)  he was coughing. She said to get him to the ER immediately so his throat doesn't close. We've had to do this twice before. They give him steroids and did a chest exray. The went ahead and did one on Carter also. The both have pneumonia. Now they are on 3 meds each and Hunter also the breathing treatment every 3 hrs. I couldn' t believe they both had that. They have been playing around and on the playset, not groggy or tired. Anyway I have to keep my distance as much as possible so I don't get it.***Friday we all went to Hunter's Award ceremony at school for Kindergarten and end of the year party. He got 2 awards, diploma and a free Six Flags ticket for reading more than 600 words!! Saturday my mom took them out to eat and to granddaddy's house to play, I rested. I felt very good Sunday, so me and mom went the mall and went shopping. I got a couple of shirts that would fit me for now until I gain my weight back. Memorial day Donnie had to work and my mom and dad came over to keep me company. I've been feeling fine now except the swelling in my feet. I have an appt. tomorrow at Emory with my pulmonologist.  He wil check that out and do a chest xray. Donnie's mom is keeping the boys today. I going to relax and do whatever I want to today. I might make some more bracelets or other things. ******And we ARE going on a vacation while we can. We haven't had one in at least 3 yrs because I've been sickl Please pray nothing happens before the trip !!!!

5-17-08 - OK!  I know I haven't put an update on here for . He came up toa while....Long story short I did go to Emory on Wed (7th) but I was not as big as usual. I called that am to ask and he wanted to see and check anyway check and my stomach was still soft and most of my organs were still in place and not pushed up in my chest.  It's too risky with my organs still in place. They could easily hit an organ then I would have to go straight to emergency surgery and we don't want that!  We ended up going home, no drain. My feet have been swelling and I have never had that happen. He said to watch them and if they get worse to call and come in. They usually think it's your heart. I just had it checked 2 months ago and they said it was beautiful. Not much else that week. I did go to Hunter's class for "Tea w/mom" on the 9th. He made me the cutest things. I was going to get drained that day also, but I still wasn't "full" so we didn't go. My sodium diet and the three shots I do everyday has kept me from going every week-  I went 17days without getting drained.  The less often the better anyway - it's hard on my kidneys doing it so often. After tea w/mom, we all went to Donnie's parents for Mother's day and Jason's birthday party that night. Saturday the 10th I was able to go out with my family to eat and to the mall. I felt pretty good all day. Mother's day my family ate and everyone came to my house. My brother, his wife and their little boy. We had a great day! Monday the 12th I met with one the of liver transplant surgeons. We talked and said he had some he had some good and bad news. ** I'll tell that story at the end.** Hunter had a field trip to the Atlanta Zoo, Donnie went with him. Thursday the 15th Carter "graduated" from 4yr old pre-k at church.  I didn't know they did that. I mean cap and gown and everything. He sang all his songs and said the bible verses he had learned. He was so cute! **********************************************************************************************************************************************************

OK - About the good/bad news. My surgeon came in with my blood work and it was almost  normal. My liver enzymes were all normal. My liver is still "functioning" and has been. It's the portal vein IN my liver that is blocked and backs up and causes the acites in my abdomen and belly. It will eventually get worse and I will still need a new liver at some point but not right now. I asked how long it may put my liver transplant off thinking 3-4 yrs. He immediately said NO, maybe a year and a half or 2. My MELD score dropped to 15 ( the number you are on the list) because my numbers were almost normal and they don't  transplant  anyone with a score of 15 or below. I'm still "active" on the list but  I would not get a call with a number that low. My kidney numbers were almost normal, mine was 1.6 and normal is 1 or lower.  It has been as high as 6 and 4.1.  In fact, he said if they stay that way I MAY not NEED a kidney. Please remember that this can all change in a day when I have blood work again. If my numbers are up- my MELD score will go up and put me back in the range for a call. Does this make sense to any of you? Meanwhile I was told I could go on VACATION while my score is low.  You don't know how HAPPY I am for my family and especially for the boys.  We've always gone on at least one if not two vacations a year. We have not been able to go on one since 2005. I can't wait for the boys to be able to go to the beach or a park.  We all deserve one!  We are trying to go ahead and plan one in June while my score is still low. So believe me we are planning and looking at dates for that.  Carter has a Birthday June 5th, so after that weekend we will try and go.  I will still have to deal with the fluid, side effects from my meds and still getting drained as needed.  BUT, I think I can handle that! We are scheduled to go to Pittsburgh for my bronc/biopsy late July. We want to get in that vacation before that also. I'm a little stressed but I kinda wanted all this done and over with so I can get back to my normal life.  God knows when it should happen,  just like he did for my heart/double lung one last year!  Please continue to pray - I think it is working and maybe heal everything.  Thanks for listening and reading such a long blog. I again will try to get back to a daily short one. Thanks for all the cards, donations and prayers. Thanks to my mom's office and Jeannie for keeping that snack bar going and bringing in more money!   Goodnight for now.

5-4-08 - Donnie had to work so my parents took me and the boys to eat. I can't eat a big meal at once so I got one chicken strip and a hush puppy. Then we went to the mall. I'm still trying to walk and stay as mobile as possible. I bought Donnie one more small thing. Today is our 12 year anniversary!!  Time flies. Once we got home my mom stayed until Donnie got home to help with the boys. They played outside on the trampoline and swingset. I sat on the screened porch and watched.  When Donnie got home we exchanged gifts. I wasn't feeling real good by then, I had been out most of the day. Donnie was very tired also from working 3 twelves in a row so we chilled out that night.  We are going out next weekend to eat and do something. He only has to work two days this week.  A friend of ours called and offered Braves tickets for Tuesday night. Donnie will take the boys with his dad. They will have a GREAT time.  I'm not going to Emory until Wednesday to be drained so I would be miserable and not able to do stairs anyway.  It will be a good "boys night out".  My friend Rachel may come over and we can talk or go eat while they are at the game. **Over all I felt pretty good today. 

5-3-08-  I woke up this morning with the dry heaves, a severe migrane/sinus headache. I'm full again so the pressure in my back was pretty bad. I decided to lay back down for about an our on my heating pad. I felt a little better after that. The boys were at mawmaw's until about four. My parents had asked if I wanted to come eat with them but I didn't really feel like getting ready and getting out. I actually turned the TV on and watched a movie!  I usually keep it quiet in the house when it's just me. My mom came over after they ate and did some laundry and helped me go thru my clothes to get everything hung back up in the closet. I got rid of a lot of clothes to give to charity. For some reason, since the first transplant I've become a neat freak. I sat on my bed while she did all the leaning and picking up of the clothes. She was a great help as usual. Thanks to my parents for always being here for me when Donnie has to work. Same to my in-laws for watching the boys to give me a rest.  **Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers.  I really appreciate everything everyone has done for my family!

5-2-08  - Today was a great day. I got up around 10a and did nothing!  I put some pictures in albums that needed to be put up. I was going to start the boys scrapbook of their soccer season but couldn't find my stuff.  My dad called later and offered to get me out of the house and so we went to lunch and to a couple of stores. I got Donnie's Father's day gift and his anniversary gift. Thanks to my