loving that sun...

the river held and we are dry...

we are very thankful that we didn't need to bail...it was not just the water issue that we were worried about, but more importantly it was the mold and mildew issue of the mess after. but, all is good and we can stay.

tim walked the farthest distance yet today and did very well. he hasn't fallen in about a week and seems pretty steady on his feet. he is still losing some weight and that has him a little worried. they are keeping a close eye on all that stuff-i guess they will let us know if it becomes too much of a problem. i may need to start sneaking in some of those high calorie shakes once in a while-but he can't jump right back into the dairy yet-his immune system has forgotten how to tolerate the milk products-we are working on that slowly.

well, as usual-thanks for checking in.

we will be in touch.

tim and tammy

quick update...

basement is dry and we are off to RITA's

so far, no pool

the hospital appt went well today-the liver enzymes have fallen and this is a good sign. they are not changing any medication yet, but they are very pleased that the labs are all good.

the basement is damp, but we are not swimming yet. the french drain is pumping 24/7 and we have a backup if necessary. megan and i spent a big portion of the day rearranging the basement-totes on bottom and other stuff on top. for not feeling well, she was a real trooper.

we still have a few bugs-but where else are they going to go??? the river is still rising and it is expected to crest sometime tomorrow. we went for a ride earlier...you guys up north really sent us a lot of junk and a lot of water. we have been hearing that some of you out there have had your own issues with the waters...hope everyone is safe and didn't get hit too hard.

tim is still pretty quiet...we watched (he watched) a marathon ball game today-NYY pulled it off i guess. (poor meg). once this weather breaks i will get him out a bit more. that may help.

well, it is storming again-and i think it is about time for his evening snack. gotta go and check on him and the basement.

thanks for stopping by.

tim and tammy

early update...

well, you are all checking to to see how tim is doing and i am out watching the river rise.

tim is doing physically OK, but this may have been the worse emotionally draining 24 hours he has had. as many of you know things have been kinda crazy around here lately...and although i think that i have things pretty much under control (like megan getting better and the bug situation and now the rains keep coming ...) he is REALLY struggling emotionally with not being able to actively participate in helping out around here.


we go around the house singing "and the rains came down and the floods came up..."

for those of you familiar with that song...our spiritual foundation is strong and built upon a rock, but we certainly have our physical house built a tad too close to the river this week. (thank you steve and heather for the pump and thanks to ALL who have called and offered help with lifting and moving "stuff"). so far the rains are still only on the outside of our house, but with the river cresting at 25+ tomorrow night, we may get our built-in pool we always wanted.

we will keep you posted...so far we are fine. but like i said there is a lot of work to be done and it is killing him not being able to help. in some ways this is harder on him than anything so far i think-i guess it could be called a "guy-thing" and i suppose most of you husbands and dad's would know how it would feel to be unable to help out and just have to sit back and watch.

so, we are off to the day hospital this morning and i will update a bit later on when i get a chance=but pray for his emotional status through this "little crisis week" we are having and i am sure that things will all work out.

thanks for checking in.

stay dry.

tim and tammy

ps...hi mom

and the winner is...

...amoxacillin. strep infection.

megan has a fever, sore throat and a cough that won't quit. now, the big challenge is to make sure that she gets better without anyone else getting sick. it is sad, because i am even leary to cuddle with her when she feels like crap-i guess this is when you are torn trying to be the best parent you can be at the same time being the best caregiver you can be...and i am NOT liking it a bit. pray for us.

the bug problem is being resolved...unfortunately there is no instant fix...but things are slowing down. for awhile it was a challange to go anywhere in the house and not see three or four at a time. now, you almost have to look for one-and boy, do the girls look. every now and then you hear a flip flop attacking the floor or the wall. it has been a long couple of nights.

well, meg just took a popsicle back to her room, i may do the same thing-that looked good. hoping for a quiet hour or so to catch a couple winks. between kelsey's lingering cough and megan's new cough i feel that i am in a TB asylum. it is a wonder that tim hasn't moved to a hotel himself. pray for his protection from all these bacterial and viral bugs that are flying around in this house-the boy in a bubble is pretty "unrealistic" in real life with three teenage kids in the house.

tim is doing well-under some stress i think because we are dealing with some other issues outside of his safe world. i am not sure what we are going to do now that the beavers have won...no more college world series until next year. i guess there is still some soccer left to watch.

well, thanks for checking in.

i imagine someday we will enjoy sitting back and reading all these blog posts and it will seem like a dream...or a nightmare...or something from some bizarre fiction novel. but, until then-ONE DAY AT A TIME>

tim and tammy

ps...to sara and bernie-she is beautiful. you done good!!!

monday update...

well, i know that you are all wondering how tim is doing after this weekend off-and so i am updating now for you all. i would have to give a "cautious OK" . the bladder/kidney thing seems to have improved and his kidney function test are good. he got some more fluids today just for good measure. the liver enzymes are creeping up a bit-so we are going to have to watch that closely. it is probably because we lowered the steroid dose a bit.

all in all things are pretty good from a patient perspective...BUT...at the very least the rest of our world is nuts.

we are under a "boil water" advisory until further notice...
we have been infested with "earwigs"-you know those little pinchy bugs-they are everywhere-the basement the kitchen the bathroom the bedrooms the beds...
meg isn't feeling well and has a doctors appt this afternoon...
the heavy rains broke our shade tent (tims fathers day gift-he can't be in the sun)...


so, i am boiling water and killing bugs and waiting to hear from terminix if they can come today and trying to keep meg away from her dad and figure out a way to fix the shade tent-other than that life is good.

more updates to follow...

thanks for checking in-speaking of checking in...i am ready to go check in at a hotel with a nice pool and jacuzzi and room service.

tim and tammy

T + 38

i guess when we consider the fact that we are 38 days past transplant...things are going pretty well. tim had a very sleepy day today-perhaps because of the BK virus or maybe just the rain. we didn't do much today-back to day hospital in the morning for more fluids and to check on the labs. we are dropping the steroids, so they are going to be watching the liver closely.

i actually went to church this morning with ashley...tim was not quite ready yet, but soon.

i will update when we hear how things are going.

thanks for checking in

tim and tammy

a lesson in virology...

has anyone out there ever heard of BK VIRUS? today was our first experience with it...tim was having symptoms resembling a UTI and we called the doctor. we thougth that they would put him on yet another antibiotic, but instead they think he has this BK virus.

apparently 80% of adults have the antibody to this virus, BUT when you get immuno-compromised like tim has been you can reactivate this bug. the most frequent times it appears is in transplant patients...

what do you do?? DRINK...drink lots. (easy for someone to say that does NOT have bells palsy). we are trying. he will get more fluids when we go back on monday-but until then we guzzle. if the pain get too bad he is to take some pain meds. so far that has not been an issue.
i guess it just has to run its course just like any other virus.

other than that he is still weak, but hasn't fallen at all today-that is good.

keep praying...

thanks for checking in.

tim and tammy

another weekend approaches...

...the kids are home.
...the kids are tired.

they all are home and accounted for and all had a wonderful week away. how one child can wear that many clothes in one week totally amazes me.

the day hospital trip went well today from a lab perspective. all counts are falling into place, unfortunately that is not the only thing falling. because of the high dose steroid that tim is on, his muscle mass is being broke down (especially his thighs) which causes him to fall quite often. i don't know why he can't be on those "other" steroids??? today i found him laying on the front porch, yesterday he fell at mom's...he is very unsteady on steps and uneven pavement and it is hard for him to get up off a chair. luckily he hasn't fallen really hard-only a few scrapes and bruises.

today we got the OK to start dropping his steroid dose a bit...but they are going to go VERY SLOW and be VERY CAREFUL not to aggrevate the liver in the process. his overall mood is somewhat in the "discouraged" range. i know that he knows that things are "on schedule" as far as the transplant stuff goes-but he is struggling with the day to day little things that he wishes he can do. patience never was his strongest quality...we are working on that-BIG TIME.

pray that he regains that strength in his legs and that he can get some better rest at night. (we think the high dose steroids have also messed up his sleep schedule).

as always, thanks for checking in.

tim and tammy

we are finally here...

...did you miss us?

this will be a short update because all i have to is say four little words for you to know how things are going:

WE WENT TO BERWICK

yes, yesterday afternoon we decided to take a ride (to RITA's of course) and we ended up at the one in shamokin dam...that went well, so since we were half way home, we decided we could make the trip. we snuck in and snuck out...sort of...stayed a little over 24 hours at my parents house and came home this evening.

it was nice-exhausting for tim, but much needed for both of us.

thanks to all who have offer help with transportation. looks like another three or four weeks and i will be going back "part-time". they (hershey med) are being very generous and flexable with my time and my hours...so things should work out just fine.

thanks for checking and checking and checking...

tim and tammy

another day of rest...

very nice.

i have to get up early today and go to the hospital to meet with my HR dept about my time off...wish me luck. i am trying to get another 45 days off before i have to go back. i hope that i can, but if not we will work it out. i may just need to get some friends to help provide transportation to and from the day hospital once in a while. (unless they have "take your husband to work day").

tim is being able to stay awake a little longer each day...and he is eating great and drinking better-although we still feel the need to hit RITA's twice a day for those much needed fluids. he loves the wild berry ice. it get's him out of the house for a bit and sometimes we take a little ride to change the scenery too. we still walk every day.

well, that is the update for the day-labs are still good. his platelets held at 40 for three days now, so we feel that they are leveling off and will start to rise again soon. this is good.

lots of good-tim says it is a SLOW good, but a good. he never was the patient one in the family.

thanks for checking in-

tim and tammy.

it's VERY quiet around here...

almost scary. the kids are all gone-no one fighting, no one coughing, no cell phones going off, no house phone ringing, no music blasting...i am going to have to go out and buy a good book.

tim is also very quiet these days...i think his exhaustion goes way deeper than anyone can imagine. i think sometimes he is too tired to even think. but we are seeing improvements every day and for that we are thankful. his eye is much better and he only needs the patch at night. his lip is still an annoyance.

we go back to the hospital today at 9am to check out his bloodwork and see if he needs platelets today. he still gets a liter of fluids each time we go back to help keep him hydrated ( he hasn't been drinking alot since the bells palsy hit).

more updates to follow when we hear anything...hopefully they will soon start to wean him off the steroids. they are not pleasant to be on for very long. thanks for checking in.

tim and tammy

a new week has begun

and things are pretty good. the steroids are fixing one thing (the liver) and messing with some other things, but all fixable things. the most obvious fix will be that tim's platelets are falling rapidly-the reason he would need platelets is to prevent or stop bleeding (like nose bleeds and bruising). they have gone from up over 100 to 60 to 40 and are still falling. once they get to 10 or below he will get a platelet transfusion, which only takes about one hour once they are prepared (by the wonderful lab).

other than that, the other stuff looks pretty good. they seem pleased.

today the twins leave for youth camp-and megan is still at the beach-we have a nice quiet week without the kids (?). i think tim will really miss them this week...he enjoys just watching the activity around the house. they will come out and sit with him and watch sports with him-he likes that. sometimes they will walk with us too. they have really been great through this whole process. we have three wonderful girls.

well, it is early and i think i may try to get back to sleep for a little bit. the birds are chirping and the newspaper just arrived, but i still think i may catch a couple of winks.

enjoy your day.

tim and tammy

3am and all is "up"

yes, for the third, fourth, fifth, ???, night in a row-people in this house roam around during the night. either it is a bathroom run or a child with a non-stop cough or a bad dream...someone is up and about every night about this time. tonight i think it was a combination of a few things and then i am up and unable to sleep--so here i am with a quick update.

tim had a another pretty good day off-he slept in until the PM again and then got up and around. actually watched some college baseball this afternoon and ate more RITA's and then we went up to a youth group party for a little bit-he did well. it was nice to get to visit with a few people outside our little safe circle. (a little nervous about venturing out like that, but i think we all survived).

we came home and i think he was asleep in about 5 minutes...any little change to the routine still tires him out-but i think it was good mental stimulation for him. we are back to the hospital at 9am this morning.

well, i need to try and put my mental stimulation to rest for awhile-it is 3:36am and i think i just heard one of the girls cell phone alarms going off-who would do that??? maybe they are getting ready for youth camp hours--they leave on monday for church camp. gotta check that out-

thanks for checking in-have a great day!!

tim and tammy

ps-

i should call midnight mary and see if she is still up. (hey mary...miss ya + thanks for all the comments and hugs)

another weekend has arrived...

and we have come so far from the last one.

once again they have given us a day off. this is a good sign. tim's bloodwork is holding well-we are just having to watch the kidney function a bit-drink drink drink. (we have found RITA's to be helpful for this also)

we actually went to a portion of kelsey's softball game last night AND he cruised through a grocery store with me and the girls too. he still has to be VERY CAREFUL when he is out and he wears a mask in public and we sterilize often...but it is nice (and exhausting) to change the scenery a bit.

his energy level is low-but improving. they say that the high dose steroids will deplete some muscle mass-so he is to keep moving when he can-he has been doing very well. we are struggling to find that magic place where you are still being beneficial and yet making sure that you not over-doing it...it is a challenge.

well, we hope that you all have a wonderful father's day weekend-ours is off to a good start already. my girls have a great dad-he is a real fighter!!! and tim and i have great dad's too-they have been so supportive and helpful in making us who we are today-gosh, i am beginning to sound like a hallmark card-

have a great weekend-

tim and tammy

ps...thank you RW for making sure my buddy PW gets on-line each and every day to check on us.

the day off...

...was a much needed one. i had a lot of running to do, so i left the house early and when i got home at 11:30am there was not much movement in the house. tim slept in until 11:30 and then i think he only got up because of his meds.

we had a pretty decent day-he got to visit with his dad today and we celebrated fathers day a little early because megan is leaving for a week (going to the beach with a friend tomorrow) and fred was down.

i think we really needed the break today-hopefully all the bloodwork held steady and next week we can do the same thing.

have a great friday...i will update later on.

tim and tammy

ps.

good to hear from "super tech".

wednesday update

good news...tim's lab work is so good that they are going to give him OFF tomorrow. he gets so tired from the trip into the hospital every morning that they felt it would do him good to get a break and be able to sleep in a bit and relax. (i was in favor)

he is doing a bit better each day-but it is a slow process. we try to get in a second walk every day and each day he is determined to walk a few steps farther than the day before-and he does.

he feels that his eyes are getting just a little bit better each day so he tries to go with out the patch for a couple of hours each day-this is a really good sign. now if the lip could just cooperate and pitch in a bit things would be good.

we are making some minor medication changes here and there which can be a struggle at times-his poor body must be sooooo confused!!! he is still on the heavy dose steroids for awhile-they don't want to chance changing that for fear the liver will act up again.

all in all things are going as well as expected-and in some ways better than expected-GOD has been faithful.

stay tuned for more updates as they arise...

tim and tammy

ps...H.H. i hope you are still checking up on my husband-he can't be held responsible for his wife's actions.

about the same...

it is getting harder and harder to update our blog. i suppose soon the medications will change a bit and the trips will be spaced a bit more (hopefully). we had a decent day again-walked a little farther than yesterday, which is his goal each day.

it is 10:30pm and he is up eating cereal again-he is on a BERRY KIX fix. hopefully this bowl will hold him through the night.

not much else to post tonight-be patient-i will add more updates whenever we hear anything new. right now we are just watching him for any changes that may develop that would indicate any rejection issues. so far all is well.

thanks for checking in-

tim and tammy

another boring blog...

and we are thankful for that...bloodwork is gradually improving and everyone is thrilled that the liver decided to calm down. kidney function is back to normal.

another day to the hospital and another long nap afterwards.

we did walk in from the parking lot today and that is quite a walk...and this afternoon we went for another short walk outside. then another nap. but, i think each day i see little improvements and we don't want to rush things (well, we want to, but we can't).

the drug levels are staying the same for now-eventually they will reduce the amount of steroids, but for now things are going to stay the way they are.

many of you are wondering about my (tammy) work status...i have been off on FMLA (family medical leave of absence) off and on since the start of the year. the last two months i took off entirely to be with tim and now my FMLA has run out. the hospital has a program where you can have co-workers donate PTO (paid time off) time to you and i have been blessed. i am going to try to get another short extension and a few more donations and then after that i will have to go back to work-still part time-day shift during the week and night shift on the weekends. that will be an adjustment...but i think i will be ready to go back. we are so thankful for how understanding both of our workplaces have been during this very difficult time in our lives.

well, time to wake tim up for his night-time medications. hope all is well out there.

thanks for checking in.

tim and tammy

ps
you know when you have kids and they tell you that you had better lay down and sleep when they sleep-the same should apply to post-transplant husbands. it is going on 2am and he is up and awake and hungry. it would have been better if i had gone to bed before 1am tonight.
(short night tonight)

the weekend is over...

and i would have to say that it was a decent one. tim slept through most of it, but that made it go fast for him-which is a good thing i guess. fred came down so that i could get out of the house for a bit-did you know that it got warm outside??? when did that happen??? the kids tell me that they need shorts--and sandels--and stuff. i think the girls and i need a shopping day.

from a laboratory stand point-things are going quite well. the liver is behaving and the kidneys are behaving...we are back to the day hospital in the morning and re-check everything again. hopefully soon we will be able to bring him down off the steroids a bit.

the hurtles are still popping up once in a while, but we are taking one at a time and making some progress. it is a slow process, but we are going to take it one step at a time.

thanks for checking in

tim and tammy

pretty good day

our trip to day hospital was pretty uneventful...and this is a good thing. still getting the fluids for the kidneys, but today was the first time the kidney function hit a normal range. the liver enzymes have begun to drop...and this too is a good thing. all in all today was a better day.

soccer update-won one and tied one-more games to follow tomorrow. i am glad that the girls keep themselves busy...it is good for them. tonight we hit another milestone...tim and kelsey and i played a card game (well, we made it through half a card game) and this is a HUGE STEP. he is still exhausted, but was able to actually sit up and play cards for a bit and we all watched part of a college baseball game. he is really trying!!!

time to go tuck him in for the night.

have a good one...

thanks for stopping by.

tim and tammy

friday night update...

the day hospital trip was pretty good today-still getting some fluids to keep his kidneys moving and his liver is holding steady today. the steroids must be doing their thing, although he is less than thrilled to be on that much prednesone again.

he has actually requested some food today-that is a huge improvement. we still have to work on drinking more-but that stupid bells palsy (6 1/2 weeks later) is still making it hard for him to drink.

he is still very tired and kinda quiet, but hopefully soon his energy level will get better and i think other things will improve then too. enjoy whatever plans you all have for the weekend. the twins have a soccer tournament this weekend. we will be at the day hospital both mornings but hopefully can get out for a walk later in the day.

thanks for checking in

tim and tammy

watching and waiting...

so far the liver enzymes are on the rise and the doctors are being very attentive. it has been suggested that we are dealing with our first more obvious case of GVHD. so we just watch and wait. they have increased his steriods from a moderate dose to a pretty hefty dose to try and quiet the liver down abit, time will tell.

he has had a very sleepy day today.

back to the day hospital in the morning. an average appt there is lasting about 2-3 hours. not too bad-it gets him up and out of the house for a bit. kinda quiet here tonight. the twins are at a friends and megan took off for berwick.

thanks again.

tim and tammy

so far so good....

other than the fact that i am having trouble sleeping-things seem good. i was a bit more relaxed when he was at the hospital at night-but i still am glad to have him home. i will adjust.

the day hospital appt went well and although tim was exhausted after the appt-i think the exercise was good for him. he had tons of blood work done and because of some elevated kidney function tests he received some fluids-but all seems good for now.

each time we go to the hospital they are primarily looking for something called GVHD (graft vs host disease). this is something that we have been told to look for and kind of expect (at some level it is good). the GRAFT is tims new cells (marks stuff) and the HOST is tims body. there are reasons way beyond my comprehension to expect the new cells to attack the old body!!!!

it is similar to getting a new organ transplant-tim is on anti-rejection drugs and will be monitored for quite awhile. the three most common places for the rejection to take place are:

1. the skin-a mild to severe rash-almost resembling a bad sunburn at first.
2. the liver-they are watching his enzymes by doing bloodwork and i am to make sure he doesn't turn yellow.
3. the gut-they are watching for gastro-intestinal inflamation and stuff like that.

they say the most severe reactions take place in the first 100 days and after that the reactions are a little different and usually less severe. i try to think back to the early days and how well mark and tim used to get along...pray for us!!!

today is T + 21 we have gone 21 days post transplant with only some minor signs of GVHD-this is what we are wishing for. some minor signs of GVHD are actually good for tim's new immune system and the doctors actually are pleased to see some. but, it does throw us into a very "tense" place. you want the immune system to get stronger and fight, but you don't want it to get too strong and not be able to stop the battle. please continue flooding the heavens with your prayers regarding this transplant.

we appreciate you always checking in and keeping track with our process.

love goes out to all.

tim and tammy

the first night...

it was a long one, but a good one. tim was up roaming around the house quite a bit, but i think it will take a little time for him to adjust-just switching all his medications over to oral was an adjustment. he tells me that i am keeping our house at sub-zero temperatures...we are trying to work through that one. we are at about a 20 degree difference in our comfort zones-this could be a challange. i offer blankets and hot chocolate...

we are off to day hospital today-it will be a long day today because of the first time there in two months...a lot of information to obtain. they closely monitor his medications and labs...there will be days he may need potassium or magnesium or blood or platelets or adjustments to his anti-rejection medication...they will take care of all of that on a daily basis for awhile.

last day of school for the girls...then we will ALL be home EVERYDAY...pray for us.

thanks for checking in...

tim and tammy

typing from my living room...

with my husband sitting next to me. (oops-he was sitting next to me-now he went back to bed)

yes, we made it home!!! 19 days post-transplant and 28 days in the hospital and we are finally home. like they said before--on a short leash--but that is OK.

tim is doing well...he is sleeping ALOT since we got home, but that is OK. i dropped off his 9 prescriptions at the pharmacy and got take-out chinese for the kids and things are good. it was a very emotional time leaving today-we have developed such a close bond with all the staff there and there were hugs and kisses and lots of well wishes. even other transplant patients and their families came out to see us off...what an experience this has been.

the bribe paid off-the doctors came into our room first and we were home before noon.

i will keep updating as i can...we will be back to the "day hospital" which is a large room on the 6th floor directly below where tim was for his transplant. they will monitor his progress daily for a time and we know them well and that is fine. the care we have been receiving has been second to none...

well, i think perhaps i may go keep my husband company-just in case he wakes up-i am exhausted today too. all the hype of coming home and then...CRASH!!!!!!!!

thanks for checking in...rejoice with us tonight as tim spends his first night at home with his family. thanks for all your prayers and keep them coming our way-he has quite an uphill battle from here to get his energy and immunity back. we will let you all know when he is up for company...give us a little time to re-adjust to a semi-normal routine.

tim and tammy

as of 5am

still no spinal headache.

if he can pull off keeping his pills down and eating some breakfast we may be busting out of here sometime today or tomorrow. we are bribbing the doctors now to let us go... i made a sign the says " START HERE_WE HAVE COOKIES!!!" when they start first thing in the morning, they usually do the discharges first-we have a race with the transplant down the hall to see who will get out first-let the games begin!!!

we are actually getting more anxious and excited than nervous about coming home-they told us that we would have to travel back and forth to the "day-hospital" EVERYDAY for a while (? who knows how long that is) but it will still be nice to be in our own home and he will love sleeping in his own bed. (still a little nervous, but i think he will do fine).

wish us luck...we are soon approaching daily road trips to hershey, sorting out all his medications at home, getting to know the pharmacist well, having to prepare him three meals a day, taking over the care of his central line, taking his temperature at home, monitoring his input and output, keeping him germ-free, and keeping my sanity!!!

all of that, plus take care of three teenage daughters who are done with school as of tomorrow. i may be calling out for some help!!! actually-we have been blessed with all sorts of help and offers and for that we are greatful. and YES i will call if i need help... really i will!!!

i will let you all know if and when he will be coming home and the updates will continue...although i tend to find it is easier to get computer time at the hospital than it is at home sometimes. maybe i can bribe my kids with cookies too.

thanks for checking in-

(tim and) tammy

busy day...

first off-they decided since tim had such a nightmare the last lumbar puncture that they would take him to fluoroscopy and do it down there and be guaranteed a first time hit. YEAH!!!! he didn't mind it at all-PTL- results will not be available for a while.

second-they have totally switched him over to oral drugs and we no longer have that annoying IV pole to lug around.

third-starting to eat a bit more and try to convince the doctors that he can come home soon.

we will be in touch.

(tim and) tammy

i suppose we have reached...

...that time when any little concern is immediately directed to a possible lymphoma-related problem. i guess they were a little pre-mature when they said the MRI was conclusive. the eye guys were back and are still concerned with the fact that tim has had this "double-vision" for almost 6 weeks now (although i can't see a problem with him seeing two of me everyday-can you?).

so, now monday he is going to have another LP (lumbar puncture. spinal tap, tim's worst nightmare). he is less than thrilled because of a bad experience a few weeks ago and a horrible 7-day spinal headache, but he has consented...like we really have a choice.

pray that this experience will go much smoother than the last one and that no headache will come and that the results will be negative for lymphoma. we believe that it is just a precautionary thing, but a necessary thing.

hope you are all having a wonderful sunday...tim is eating more and being weaned off his nutritional IV and by tomorrow should be on all oral drugs. each day we are seeing more and more improvements and they are now shooting for maybe mid-week to come home. he can't wait!!!

thanks for checking in.

(tim and) tammy

THANKS...

for all the birthday wishes. even the nurses got in on the fun-ballons and cake and card (some even sang to me).

tim is doing a bit better today. late last night they did an MRI of his head because he still has such terrible double vision and they wanted to make sure that it was not lymphoma-related. but the MRI confirmed that it is just the annoying bells palsy.

he is VERY tired today and his heart rate is dropping down pretty low...they have done EKG and all is well-i guess they are just going to watch him-which is pretty easy because all he wants to do today is sleep.

his GI issues are still there, but are improving slightly.

fred was in and mom and dad came in-that made the day go quicker-but tim is still not up for company too much. he just sleeps.

he was able to eat a little tomato soup for lunch-so far so good.

no talk today of when we may get home-my best guess is early next week, but we will have to wait and see. well, off to watch him rest for a little bit more, then get out the whip and make him walk later on-gotta keep those lungs clear.

thanks for all the comments-

(tim and) tammy

ps...happy anniversary brad and ginny

so far today...

we have seen:
SPEECH THERAPY
PHYSICAL THERAPY
ONCOLOGY
GASTRO-ENTEROLOGY
OPTHAMOLOGY
NUTRITIONALIST

plus he was up all night and still hasn't slept...so BETTER DAYS ARE COMING!!!!

we are switching some meds over to pills today and maybe try and eat a little bit later on.

MRI is scheduled for this evening...more on that later.

gotta go.

(tim and) tammy

let's just put this one behind us...

...and start all over again in the morning.

thanks for all the encouragement and support and prayers, especially during these difficult days. i don't think that it matters how much one prepares for something like this...you are still going to feel like you got punched in the gut once in a while. BUT we are going to be OK. tomorrow is the start of a brand new day. i was reading a little book tonight that i got from a good friend and there was a quote in it that made me really think.

Melodie Beattie said "live today fully, expressing gratitude for all you have been, all you are right now, and all you are becoming".

there are days when i just sit and wonder what God must be preparing us for down the road, but then i have forgotten to thank Him for all that we have been through that has prepared us for what we are living right now.

i can't imagine going through this time in our lives without the knowledge that God is right there with us every step of the way. He has not been surprised by any of this "stuff". He knew exactly what we needed when we needed it and we have the assurance that God will not give us anything that we can not handle.

thanks for checking in...it's nap time.

(tim and) tammy

some days are good...

...and some days are bad.

this one is not one of our better ones. abdominal pain and extremely sick and having belly x-rays and CAT scans and TPN (the nutritional IV). doesn't look like we are going to make it home quite yet.

i'll be in touch.

(tim and) tammy