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ROY WATCH

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:28:07 GMT

Roy's creatin dropped to 6.4. It's only a .1 drop - but it's still a drop. This marks the first time we've had 2 consecutive days which the creatin has dropped!!!
He had a bronchotomy today - it went very well and the pulmonologist (lung doctor) was very pleased. Started talking about taking him off the respirator today. Unfortunately Roy had a 4.5 hour dialysis today and was wore out. We've postponed the breathing trials until tomorrow morning.
The've removed the heartline in his right arm. It was a site in the artery in the wrist that gave constant blood pressure readings. Since there isn't much worry anymore about his blood pressure being unstable they're relying on the blood pressure cuff.
They are removing the IV in his neck and moving it to a pic line in his arm. They are moving the site because of risk of further infection.

Roy continues to be in good spirits and is using his eyes to flirt with the nurses more than ever. He'll have them all charmed by the time he's out.

Keep your prayers coming! They're working!!!!

Love,
Julie

ROY WATCH

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:02:19 GMT

Roy's creatin dropped to 6.5. He continues to do well on dialysis and outputs more urine everyday - he had over 100 cc's when I left at 5pm.
Still not off the ventilator. He's almost there but just not quite ready to do it on his own yet. Still optimistic he'll be off it by Thanksgiving.
All the doctors are seeing signs of improvement.

And if you could include my friend Vaughn Tolle's wife in your prayers - she's going in for a hysterectomy tomorrow. She had an emergency hospitilization stay a few weeks ago and during labs they found something. Pray that they get everything they need to.

Much love to you all,
Julie

ROY WATCH

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:18:29 GMT

Roy's Creatin (kidney function) DROPPED from 7.6 to 7.4 - granted it's not much but IT DROPPED!!!!!!!!!
His CPK's (heart enzyme) continue to drop this time from 37,528 to 22,020.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was so excited I did my little happy dance!!!
He continues to do well on dialysis.

I spoke w/ Dr. Moore (the infectious disease specialist) who was pleased with the lab results for Roy. When Roy was first admitted all lab work was positive for staph - now only 1/2 are showing positive.
He's optimistic that Roy will make a full recovery and cautiously optimistic that Roy will be off the ventilator by Thanksgiving and home by Christmas. Roy will be on a 6 week dose of heavy duty antibiotics that should take care of things.

THANK YOU LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are in no means out of the woods because Roy is still very sick but the good Lord is taking care of things!!!!!!!!!

ROY WATCH

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:53:27 GMT

Still waiting on call from Infectious Disease Doctor.
Roy had a Transesophogeal Echocardiogram today. It was what I referred to as the heart sonogram earlier. It came back that the Staph had not attached to the heart valves.
Dialysis went well - pulled another 12 pounds of fluid off of him.
His creatin levels went from 7.4 to 7.6 - that's only .2 which is the smallest jump we've had to date!!!

His CPK's (heart enzymes) went from 39,758 to 37,228 thats a drop of over 2500!!!!!
His platelets increased from 129 to 187!!!
These are good results!!!!!!!!!

Of course I'd like for creatin to drop but I'm encouraged by the drop in CPK's!!!!
Prayers are working!!!!! Keep it up! We'll have him home by Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Julie

W.W.W. (Weekend Wilkenson Watch)

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 12:25:12 GMT

Julie, thanks.

I think the prayers help the people who pray them as well as Roy. Another boost of confidence is in order here.

My father had his butt rebuilt, bone, muscle and all, and ended up in worse shape than Roy.

He not only had MRSA, sepsis, and failing kidneys, but a couple of Urinary bugs as well.

YES, this whole thing is very scary. I KNOW.

Dad was incoherent, talking crazy, halucinating.

He kept wanting me to turn off his ventilator and "cut him loose".

The hardest part is just watching. That's all you can do. Shit.

Okay, that's enough of that.

Just be assured that full recovery is very very likely.

It will take quite some time, and boatloads of cash that you'll never have, but money doesn't mean crap. I just want you to know that I woke up thinking about this.

It REAAAALLLY hit "close to home".

Take care of yourself first. If you don't they'll be checking you into a room. HA!

Prayers,

Tracy

PRAYERS PLEASE

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:01:44 GMT

As some of you may know Roy was taken to the ER yesterday around noon via ambulance. He has been admitted with the possiblity of pnuemonia, infection, blod clot - they weren't sure.
Well he has sepsis. He also has a staph infection in the blood. He's also in acute renal failure and there is some major muscle breakdown occuring. They have him on a respirator.
Will know more today hopefully. Still haven't ruled out possible blood clot but the sepsis/staph/renal/muscle breakdown needs to get fixed first.
May have to go in and clean out the knee area because they think the infection started in the knee but they aren't sure yet.

And no, I'm not ok. I'm barely hanging on - I'm trying so hard not to cry in front of the kids but I'm bawling as soon as they can't see me.

Dear Lord,
I just want my husband fixed and back home with me. I want him around for a long long time.

Please Pray and pass on to all the prayer chains you know of.

Thanks,
Julie

Do Not Lose Heart

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:15:09 GMT

Julie, this was exactly what I needed to hear when I got here this morning.

Yesterday, I found myself backsliding into self-serving bitterness about my lot in life.

I truly have no reason to complain.

It's a good day to be me!

Tracy

Galatians 6:9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

There are times that we just grow tired of doing good for our friend or loved one, only to feel like we are unappreciated. It causes your soul to pause before you do something good again for someone. Don't pause next time, for the time will come when every good deed will reap its reward, in God's time.

Prayer: Lord, it was just yesterday when the good deed I did for someone was not received well. My heart and soul hurts and it cuts to the bone. Help me, O Lord, not to lose heart in doing good for someone in the name of Jesus. Amen

JULIE'S FAITH IN THE LORD!

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:20:38 GMT

Wait Upon the Lord
After starting a new diet, I altered my drive to work to avoid passing my favorite bakery.

I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning, and as I approached, there in the window were a host of goodies.

I felt this was no accident, so I prayed ....

"Lord, it's up to you, if you want me to have any of those delicious goodies, create a parking place for me directly in front of the bakery."

And sure enough, on the eighth time around the block, there it was!

God is sooooo Good!

JULIE'S LIST

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:16:39 GMT

I was gonna edit out the bad ones, but dent fine any. HA! Julie, I liked the Oklahoma Tee-shirt, and I'm a KU fan!

1.. My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God and I didn't.

2.. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.

3.. Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.

4.. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.

5.. Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.

6.. You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me

7.. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

8.. Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.

9.. I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing.

10.. Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.

11. NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-room-spinning medicine.

12.. God must love stupid people; He made so many.

13.. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

14.. Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

15.. Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

16.. Being "over the hill" is much better than being under it!

17.. Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up.

18.. Procrastinate Now!

19. I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That?

20.. A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

21.. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.

22.. Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere!

23..They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken.

24..He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless.... DEAD.

25..A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory.

26..Ham and eggs. A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

27.. The trouble with life is there's no background music.

28.. The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson.

29.. I smile because I don't know what the hell is going on.

30..Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends! Life is too short and friends are too few.

MAN'S BEST FRIENDS

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:27:11 GMT

I love dogs so much that when I remember my childhood, I judge how old I was by what dog I had at the time.-Tracy Phillips

Dog Logic

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. -Anonymous

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. -Ben Williams

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. -Josh Billings

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. -Andy Rooney

Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog. -Franklin P. Jones

If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise. -Unknown

My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money. -Joe Weinstein

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. -Mark Twain

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. -Roger Caras

If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them. -Phil Pastoret

ANYBODY REMEMBER PAT'S MEMORY PILLS?

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:20:16 GMT

Still Waiting for Answers

Surely no one beyond a handful of the most self-deluded Republicans in Congress was surprised at the disclosure by George Tenet, the former intelligence director, that there was never a serious debate in the Bush administration about whether Iraq actually posed a threat to the United States.

It has long been evident that President Bush decided to invade Iraq first, and constructed his ramshackle case for the war after the fact. So why, after all this time, are Americans still in the dark about the details of that campaign?

For that matter, why don’t Americans know the full truth about Mr. Bush’s illegal domestic spying program or his decisions on how to handle prisoners of the war on terror? And now there are new questions begging for answers — about the purge of United States attorneys and about campaign pep rallies in executive branch agencies that might well have violated federal law.

For six years, the Republican majority in Congress ignored the administration’s power grabs, misdeeds and incompetence or, worse, pushed through laws that gave legislative cover to some of Mr. Bush’s most outrageous abuses of power. Now that the Democrats control Congress, they have opened the doors of government in welcome ways. But the list of questions just seems to grow.

We hope Representative Henry Waxman, chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, enforces the subpoena of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss prewar claims about Saddam Hussein’s long-gone weapons programs. Ms. Rice, who was national security adviser before the war, says she has answered every possible question. Actually, we don’t have room for all our questions.

Just a few: Did she vet the briefing Mr. Bush got from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s rogue intelligence shop on Iraq’s alleged efforts to acquire uranium? The Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department thought, correctly, that the report was false. So why did Ms. Rice permit the president to repeat it to the world? Or did Mr. Bush also know what he was claiming was wrong?

The same applies to other claims about Iraq, including a false report about the purchase of aluminum tubes for bomb building, talk of mushroom clouds and fairy tales about links between Iraq and Al Qaeda. When it became clear the intelligence was false, why didn’t Ms. Rice make sure the public found out? Before the war, Ms. Rice was not in a post requiring Senate confirmation, but she is now. If she refuses to testify, the House should hold her in contempt.

It is imperative for Senator John Rockefeller, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, to finish two remaining studies on prewar intelligence that his Republican predecessor, Senator Pat Roberts, had no intention of completing. The first, on the errors made by the intelligence agencies in predicting what would happen after the invasion of Iraq, is expected to be finished next month. The final piece of the report will compare what administration officials said about Iraq with the actual information they had. Both reports are essential for understanding how this country got into this mess. Mr. Rockefeller will have to make sure the White House does not drag out the declassification procedure.

And then there are the questions about the purge of federal prosecutors. There is mounting evidence that many of the eight fired United States attorneys were punished for refusing to prosecute Democrats on phony election-fraud charges. Who ran this purge? And is it true, as it now seems, that others were rewarded for bringing weak corruption cases timed to close races?

For the last six years, the White House has also conducted seminars in each election cycle that certainly seem like an effort to use government agencies to help G.O.P. candidates. Did they violate the law that forbids the use of federal offices for campaigning?

Karl Rove, Mr. Bush’s political “architect,” is at the center of both of these scandals. Congress needs to issue, and enforce, subpoenas to compel him and other top White House officials to testify.

Mr. Bush’s supporters are already arguing that Congress’s much-needed investigations are politically motivated and backward looking. Actually, the baldly political act was the Republicans’ refusing to do their constitutional duty of oversight for the last six years. Mr. Waxman said his panel issued four subpoenas to the Bush administration under Republican leadership. The same leadership issued more than 1,000 subpoenas to the Clinton administration.

As for looking back, Mr. Bush has hardly given up the habit of stonewalling Congress, or shown that he has learned the limits of his power. The war in Iraq not only continues, but Mr. Bush is escalating it and repeating many of the same myths about Saddam Hussein. The country does not need any more myths. It needs answers.