Good News

We just received word from Dr. Bond that Chelsea's Biopsy from this morning looks much better than what he saw on Wednesday.  His exact comment was that he would be hard pressed to actually call what he saw "rejection." It appears the last couple of doses of medication we're exactly what we needed.  Our fingers are crossed hoping that we finally have this rejection beat.

Hopefully Chelsea will be able to start to enjoy some of the goodies the staff here at CHP have brought in for her.  Today it was Pina Coloda Cup Cakes (non-alcoholic of course!) and Pretzel M&M's.  Yesterday it was Rita's Italian Ice.  Stacye also enjoyed an Italian ice.  (Note to self: Stacye loves Ritas' Chocolate Italian Ice).

Chelsea has really enjoyed seeing her big sister Kelly this week.  Even thought she hasn't felt very good, Kelly can always bring a smile to her face.  Kelly - Thanks for everything.  You are always a big help and we love you.

Tonight the plan is for Chelsea to get some sleep.  Sweet Dreams - Sunshine!

Another round of rejection meds

Hi Everyone-

Looks like we are not quite through with rejection, latest scopes indicate that we need to get back on the anti-rejection meds.  Not the news we wanted or needed, but we do want to stay on top of Chelsea's condition and be proactive in addressing any change in status.

Chelsea is staying optimistic and trying to keep her spirits up.Please keep her on your prayer lists and thanks for all the notes and emails!
Stacye

Sunday July 24th

Hi Everyone-

Chelsea is doing much better. Her rejection is under control and in recovery. She is back to regular diet and has been allowed to leave the hospital on day passes for the past several days to get some fresh air and some rest back at Ronald McDonald house.

Chelsea had craving for PF Chang's so we went out to lunch on Friday. It was so fun to go to a restaurant with her again. It is funny how the little things mean so much more now! We also went into Target to pick up some new pjs for her and she seemed just like her old self walking the aisles. Who says shopping isnt great therapy?

We miss everyone and thanks again for all the cards, emails and prayers. Michael, we are looking forward to your visit soon - it will definitely lift her spirits to see you! Six weeks in-patient is a long time for a teenager to handle, but Chelsea is doing so well. She really is one in a million and we are so proud of her.

Stacye

Rejection status still good!

Hi Everyone-
Quick update that Chelsea's scan yesterday still showed improvement and Dr Soltys stopped the anti-rejection meds last night. That is great news for Chelsea because she was having a lot of side effects with that medicine - the worst being leg pain and cramps that kept her up all night.

Chelsea and Dr. Soltys are in the midst of a prankster battle. We are writing limericks about him every day on the white board; he has started changing her "status" signs posted on her door. He wrote on her sign yesterday - "Chelsea says do not come in; in fact do not even look at me".
He is so much fun and is definitely keeping us entertained.

Our limerick for him today:

A surgeon, a doctor, a prankster;
Kyle rocks his Converses like a gangster.
Of all the surgeons, he's trendy,
But not as sexy as Dr. Sindhi,
Mazregios says "Kyle is money in the bank, sir"

"Rejection on the Run"

Hi Friends and Family -
Chelsea has her 1 month transplant birthday today!  And with it, some amazing news!

To backtrack, the scope on Thursday did not show any improvement in rejection status so we were pretty concerned (scared to death is really more accurate).  The doctors continued the steriods and anti-rejection meds and scheduled another scope for this morning. At 2pm Dr. Soltys called and said that of the 3 samples taken, one was the same (not worse, not better), but the other two showed almost normal!  His exact words, "we have rejection on the run!".  We will stay on the current rejection meds and do another scope Monday.  So we arent out of the woods but boy are we encouraged that we are on the right track and that she is responding!  Thank you to all who are praying for her.  God is so good to us and we are so grateful.

Dr Soltys also gave Chels a four hour pass and we left the hospital and celebrated with a picnic by the river.  The weather was perfect and it was incredible to spend some time outside after a month in the hospital.  I honestly couldnt keep my eyes off of Chelsea the whole afternoon.  I am just so happy to be around her every single day.

July 16 2011 will go down as a wonderful birthday!

A Message From Your Big Sis

Hi Chelsea,

Tonight I am only thinking about happy times with you and hoping that you can
feel all my love and positive thoughts for you- and that somehow it will lift
you up and give you even more strength in this fight. In many ways, you and Eric
were like my "first babies" and I have so many great memories of you two growing
up. God truly blessed me when he brought you into my life. So, here are some fun
memories I have of you and maybe they will make you smile when you read them.

-Going to see you and Eric at the hospital on the day you were born, in my prom
dress! When Eric came out, he sounded like a little cat when he cried. you came
out and didn't make a peep. Your eyes were wide open and you were looking all
around, just taking it all in. The quiet didn't last too long though because
after a few months you were nicknamed "Chelsea Rhyan, a fussin' and a cryin'"!
You both were the cutest babies I'd ever seen.

-You and Eric had your own language as babies and you would sit in your little
"apartment" (playpen) and talk and die laughing and no one could understand you.
Then when you got a little older and no one could understand Eric (sorry buddy,
you know I love you), you were the only person that could translate for him. You
would say "He SAID that he wants a cookie!" and look at us like we were deaf AND
dumb.

- You two took off your diapers and ran around the house like maniacs saying "We
are nakey just like Chucky and Tommy" from the RugrAts.

- You would let me dress you up and do your hair and makeup just like a real
life baby doll. And then you would do a million poses, just like you were on a
photoshoot. You have always been our little model!

-The first time we went to Disney, you drove Stevie crazy in the car on the way
down because you kept singing the song from that show "Party of 5" on  full
blast. You were only 5 and you only knew the first line which was "I don't want
to wait for our lives to be over....". Mom and I thought it was pretty funny,
Stevie- not so much.

-Speaking of your singing, you had a very creative interpretation of that tune
"Killing Me Softly".  You would sing "Killing me softly wis his finga....
killing me softly wis his fing-a!" I recorded you singing this and used it as my
answer machine for years because it cracked me up so much.

-I still have the picture you made for school of the two of us together when you
you came to Chapel Hill becAuse I was "graduwaiting". We both have side
ponytails and bubbles by our mouths saying "Kelly!!!!" and "Chelsea!!!". It's my
most cherished possession.

-I remember one time mom was fussing at me in the car (yes, I deserved it) and
you were in your car seat and you turned to Mom, shook your finger at her and
said "You need to quit fussing at her!" . You have always had my back even as a
toddler! That's what sisters do!

-Remember when we were in the tram at Disney with our family and other people
and you were sitting on my lap and you said "Kelly, you need to shave your
legs"! The people in the car started dying laughing and then later you said to
Stevie dead serious "Did you pass gas?". You have always been spunky and tell it
like it is! I love that about you.

- Remember that time I surprised you and Eric by showing up Oak Iskand for
vacation? You and mom were on the beach looking at the water and you told her "I
wish that Kelly was here". Mom told you to close your eyes, make a wish, and
maybe I would show up. Right when you opened your eyes, I came up behind you and
you had the most genuine expression of surprise and happiness. See Chelsea- keep
making those wishes and they will come true!!

Well, this post is getting pretty long and I still have 1,000,000 more memories
to post to make you smile. Maybe I will roll them out at different times when
you need a pick-me-up. I love you more than words can say and I know you are in
good hands with mom, Bryan, and all the wonderful docs and nurses in Pittsburgh.
Sweet dreams tonight.

All my love,

Kelly

On the roller coaster

Hi- Some not so good news to share. Chelsea is experiencing a rejection and is currently on steroids to address. The doctors have assured us that this happens in almost half of intestinal transplants, especially at the 4-6 week mark. They are addressing aggressively with IV meds. But needless to say, it is worrisome and the medicines that Chelsea are on are not making her feel too good. But she is hanging in there and is trying to stay positive in attitude. She has another scope tomorrow to see how well the meds are working. Please keep her in your prayers.

The better news to share is that she had the NG tube taken out earlier this week and is now back on regular diet. We ordered some crepes from a local restaurant today and the food was really excellent. Hoping that this helps get her appetite back but it will take some time before she feels like eating back to normal level. Chelsea is doing so well otherwise that she is able to leave the 7th floor each day for a couple of hours. The change in scenery is much needed and does help us realize that this is not forever. We will be at four weeks in-patient tomorrow so cabin fever has definitely set in.

Thanks to everyone for all the cards and letters! Special thank you to Aunt Joy, Uncle Frank and Aunt Margaret. It was so nice to receive your cards today and Chelsea feels the love and prayers!

Sun July 10

Chelsea has had a couple of bad days- her stomach was distended on Friday so they re-placed the NG tube (down her nose and into her stomach) to give her tummy some relief. Chels was not thrilled about this (to say the least) but afterwards felt almost immediately better. Vicrim, the Transplant Fellow who placed the tube, could not believe how tough she is. He said there is no way he could have handled it the way she did. I think she would like to prove that theory (with Vicrim being on the business side of the NG tube next time). I told her that once she gets through all this transplant recovery, there is absolutely nothing that she can't do. Everything else in life will be cake compared to this!

Chels had an x-ray this morning and her tummy is back to normal. She can drink whatever she wants today and then we hope to have the NG tube taken out tomorrow.

Chelsea has increased her activity even with everything going on with her tummy -she did 7 laps yesterday around the 7th floor. We also watched the Chopped marathon last night - which was a welcome diversion. I would not be surprised if Chels says to heck with a undergrad degree and decides to go to culinary school instead. The awesome thing is that once she gets on the other side of this, she can do whatever the heck she wants to do!

We want to thank you all again for the love and prayers. God does deserve all the praise for Chelsea's recovery. Prayer Warriors, please keep her on your prayer lists. And please say a prayer for her doctors, nurses, and donor family - none of this would be possible without them all.

3 weeks Post-Op

Chelsea has now hit the three week mark post surgery.  She didnt have too memorable of a day however.  She really hasnt felt too good today so maybe eating regular food will take some time.  Chels had a craving for hummus and baklava so we ordered takeout last night.  The food was really good but Chelsea was only able to eat a very small amount.  Based on how she felt this morning, it may be awhile before we order it again. She has not felt like eating all day today.

The transplant team is still very happy with her progress - it is just going to take time before she fully recovers.   This is definitely a marathon, not a race, so we are staying positive and celebrating every day!  We have come a long way in just three short weeks.

Thanks to all for the comments, cards, gifts, and prayers!  We are so lucky to have such good friends and family.

20 Days!

Chelsea had another excellent report this morning by Lisa the Transplant PA. Lisa said Chelsea's stomach sounded great and decided to move her to regular diet starting today! This is great news and shows just how much Chelsea is progressing.

Chelsea has to start tracking her calories and writing down everything she eats. She really isnt too hungry yet so it is a challenge to tempt her with anything. She has been mostly interested in Brisk tea and orange sherbet push-ups so far but will have to expand that today. She has to limit fat and stay away from carbonation. Other than that, she can basically try whatever she wants.

She has to continue walking today but other than that, we expect a quiet day. Chelsea wanted to read some cookbooks but the library here doesnt have any so I am going to check out the library at Ronald McDonald house to see if they have any there. It is great to see Chelsea interested in things again and that her energy is starting to return.

One day away from the 3 week mark!

Once around the floor!

Hi Friends - Sorry in lapse in blogging. We have been very busy around here.

Chelsea had a setback at 3am on Saturday when she had trouble breathing. We were sent back to ICU where Chelsea spent an additional day and a half getting breathing treatments. The upside of this trip back to ICU was that Chels finally got some sleep! It also seemed to be the start of a huge improvement cycle!

Chels went back to regular room on Monday evening and has been walking! It was like night and day when she got back to her room. She walked to the couch; she walked to the sunroom, and even went to watch the fireworks Monday night! And she just got back from one time around the whole 7th floor walking with her therapist April.

The doctors have been so impressed with her progress that they accelerated her diet. She basically has skipped the liquid diet steps and has moved straight to soft food. She has had yogurt, sherbert, and cereal so far.

Kelly has been a huge morale booster too! As soon as she came into ICU Saturday afternoon, Chelsea has shown nothing but improvement. I really dont know what we do without Kelly - she is one in a million.

Thanks again to all of our friends who are praying for Chelsea - her progress is truly miraculous and to God goes all the Glory.

Two weeks down!

Chels made great progress yesterday with her physical therapy - she stood on a scale by herself and walked a short distance.  She is just moving more freely overall although the pain is still an issue, as expected.   She is just so tough and resilient!

So happy that we are at the two week point!  Everyone here that has seen previous transplant recoveries states that Chels is doing remarkably well so we are very encouraged!

Chels has been watching some movies on and off.  Still very tired so doesnt have energy for much else with all the medical routines around here.  She is getting very little sleep, just naps here and there.

Kelly coming in for the holiday weekend so we are psyched about seeing her!  That alone should perk us all up!  Happy 4th to all!