Tuesday, December 27, 2011

December 28, 2011




Oh, I am such a bad blogger. It has been five whole months since I've posted here. I am so so sorry! The past couple of days I have been working on my New Years Resolutions. Blogging is at the top of my list. I have got to get a better handle on my time management. Well, the only reason I am still on the computer at this time of the morning is that I am off work tomorrow. That makes things a little easier for tomorrow. Which I think I will get off of here and go work on my schedule for tomorrow. Hope to be back tomorrow well, I mean later today.

Friday, July 1, 2011

July 1, 2011



The first day of July...wow how this year has flown. What an amazing journey so far this year. On a lighter note, I have found my newest and favorite TV series....Game of Thrones on HBO. We had gotten HBO to get ready to start watching True Blood since it was coming back on. But, we found a new favorite...if I had to choose between the two...it would always be Game of Thrones.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

June 19, 2011



Life has thrown DeWayne and I a huge curve ball the last few months. DeWayne lost his job the third week of March. The following week we found out that his kidney function was down to 10% and he was going to have to have dialysis access. DeWayne had a kidney transplant eleven years and 8 months ago. It is failing now. Well, it's been failing for about nine years. The doctors at UAB hospital expected DeWayne to go back on dialysis before now. So, the following week he had a catheter placed into his peritoneum so he would be able to do dialysis at home. This was his preferred method of doing dialysis as opposed to going to the center three days a week. Most of those treatments are between 3-4 hours long. With the peritoneal dialysis, he could do that at night while he slept. Usually it takes those catheters a month to heal. For whatever reason, DeWayne's took two months to heal to be able to use. So, the last week of May we started training on doing the peritoneal dialysis at home. The process is you have the fluid drain in, let it dwell for a while, then you drain it out. When it drains out, it brings out all the toxins in your body that your kidneys can't filter out now that they're not working any longer. The first day, it worked fine. The next day....it didn't. So, on June 2nd DeWayne went back to surgery to see if they could manipulate the tube and see why it seemed to be obstructed. When the surgeon was done, he came out and talked to me. He said the transplanted kidney was laying on top of the tip of the catheter. So, he pulled back on the catheter and placed it on top of the transplant. He had to let those incisions heal for about a week before they could try to dialysis again. Well, once again the first day it worked fine...the second it didn't. So, on June 15th, he went back to surgery once again to find out what the problem was. They put nearly a liter of saline in and only 200 ml(approximately 6 ounces) came out. So,the surgeon replaced the tube. So, now we're off to waiting for another month(hopefully) to see if it will heal and work. They're not holding out too much hope at this point. It's looking like he might have to end up doing the dialysis at the center after all.

We have definitely learned in the last few months patience and taking each day at a time.

Monday, April 4, 2011

April 4, 2011



DeWayne and I are about to start a new journey. DeWayne had a kidney transplant 11-1/2 years ago. But this transplant is failing. His kidney function is down to 11%. They usually start back on dialysis at 10%. So,he had a catheter placed today to be able to restart dialysis at home. When he did dialysis several years ago, he did it while he was sleeping. His sister is currently being tested to see if she's a match for a kidney transplant. But, he's not going to be able to wait until the transplant for dialysis. So, we're are surely taking one day at a time.

Sunday, March 27, 2011





This is a beautiful flower arrangement my mom put together. She picked these from her backyard. Before May 2010, she wasn't even able to walk outside. She had been crippled with osteoarthritis so bad. She broke down and had double knee replacement. Yes, you heard me correctly...double. I knew before the surgery, she was one more brave woman. But, after the surgery and the coming weeks....it became more evident to me. We had a couple of scary nights though. She lost so much blood she had to spend three days in ICU. But, it was all worth it in the end. Now, nine months later..she's able to work out in the yard as much as she wants.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

January 25, 2011




On Thursday, January 20th DeWayne,Zachary,Rhonda and I went to the Birmingham Museum of Art before we left to take Rhonda and Zachary back home to Selma. DeWayne and I have been there numerous times in the past. It was great to be able to share it with Rhonda and Zach, especially Rhonda. We were able to see it through her eyes this time. She seemed to have such an amazing time.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

January 15, 2011




On Tuesday, January 18th, we head back to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, AL for a follow-up appointment for DeWayne on the 19th. After his appointment on Wednesday, we head to Selma, AL (about 87 miles south)to pick up DeWayne's sister Rhonda for her evaluation appointment on Thursday the 20th. She is a match for a kidney transplant for DeWayne. She has to go through a round of tests such as an ultrasound of her heart and a stress test....to determine if she's healthy enough for surgery.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

January 13, 2011






On Monday, January 10th North Alabama was hit with the worst snowstorm in decades. Most areas got between 8"-12".

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

January 12, 2011





Wordless Wednesday....this is exactly how you find Jasper most days!

January 12, 2011



I haven't posted about Annika and her family in some time. She has been taking radiation and chemo treatments in Birmingham for about three weeks now. This week, her hair started coming out. So, she decided she wanted it shaved. Annika has been such a trooper through all of this. She's so brave...much more than I would be in the same situation. When we think that we have problems in our lives, we need to think of Annika and her family and we will be very thankful for what we have.