HEADING FOR THE BEACH!!!

We will be heading for the beach tomorrow. Lee is feeling fine and the Dr. doesn't want to see him until Dec. 3rd. So we will come home and rest until then. Lee still has the staples in but the Dr. said he could do whatever he felt like doing except drive and lift anything more than 5 lbs. He still has to stay away from crowds and also anyone who has a virus or cold or flu symptoms--which is a lot of people this time of year. We would appreciate anyone not visiting if anyone in the family is not feeling well. E-mails and phone calls after 10 AM would be fine. No phone calls after 9:30 PM please. He needs his rest. He is still weak and needs rest. We enjoyed supper at Red Lobster tonight with Russ and the boys. We will stop by Russ' house tomorrow to leave some of the duplicates we had to buy--like thermometer, blood pressure guage and scales. We have all at home but didn't know we would need them. Lee has developed ulcers in his mouth--which they say can come from the immuno-drugs. Pray they won't get any worse and will improve. God Bless you all. Thank you for your concerns and prayers.
IN HIS SERVICE
The Bullucks Sing
Carol B

DRAIN OUT!! WHAT A RELIEF!!

Lee had his clinic appt. today and Dr. Collins took his drain out. He was really happy to get that accomplished. He still has the staples in and will have them in for another two weeks. The Dr. said he could do what he felt like doing. When a new Dr. came in she starting asking "me" the questions like I was the patient and Lee was answering the questions and I finally said "he" is the patient not me. She apologized and starting talking with Lee. I told Lee later that he must have looked better than I did if she thought I was the patient--HA! HA! After his appt. we drove to Winston-Salem to be with our daughter Rhonda after she had her hysterectomy today. We waited 2 hrs in the recovery waiting room and Jerry said the Dr. said she did fine and in about an hour they would call him to see her. After two hrs I told Jerry that they must have forgot us and Rhonda was probably in her room. Sure nuf she was and had been for an hr and a half. We visited for a while and then went out to eat with Jerry and then came back to the hotel. I'm very tired so must close. Thanks for your prayers. Pray that all the germs we were near will not effect Lee badly. Also pray that the mouth ulcers will not develop any more and will go away. That is another side effect of the anti-rejection drugs. God bless you! Love to each!
IN HIS SERVICE
The Bullucks Sing
Carol B.

STATUS QUO

Just a few minutes to let you know the Status Quo. All things are going well. Yesterday Lee's temperature was a little elevated but went right down after a few minutes. Please pray specificly that he will not get an infection or fever. Also pray that his medicine will not continue to cause him high blood sugars. So far we are doing okay in a small space--pray for patience for both of us. So far we are doing fine. Lee still has his drain and it is a little painful. He also still has staples (26 of them)! I am managing to cook with a low watt microwave and 2 eyes on a stove top, Also have limited pot and pan--yes 1 pot (actually one big and one little pot) and a skillet that likes to stick. Tonight we had pork chops, collards, sweet potatoes and cornbread. And of course "sweet" tea not like Lee likes--it's sweetened with Splenda and not sugar! We are getting used to a lot of "New Norms" and that is okay! We can change what needs to be changed for Lee's benefit. We are finally getting to play a new game I bought last Dec. to have when he had his transplant in Jan. When that didn't happen I just saved it until now. He was impressed that I hid it from him almost a year. It is called Blockus and it is a stragedy game. Needless to say Lee usually wins. Of course we have just played one game and he won. We are going to play another game now and I have all ideas that he probably will win--but I'm going to try real hard to win. Don't worry if I don't blog each day our days are busy, busy. Lee will go back to clinic on Wed. and we will know more of what is going on then. Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes.
IN HIS SERVICE
THE BULLUCKS SING
Best wishes,
Carol B.

FIRST CLINIC APPOINTMENT AFTER SURGERY!

We went to the clinic appointment this morning. I dropped Lee off at the front door--they offered him a wheel chair and he said no (he didn't realize that the walk to the clinic was so far). He was tired when he got there. Needless to say we found a wheelchair to leave the clinic with. His labs were good. He still has his drain tube (which he was hoping to loose today). He also still has his staples (which he also was hoping to loose). The Dr. said at least another week and maybe two for the drain and the staples. The drain had some clogging and the surgeon took the drain apart and cleaned it out. It is not draining as much today. The progression for monitoring the drain is (it looks like tomato juice first--rather thick--then cranberry color and clear and then apple juice color). When it gets to the apple juice color and there isn't much of it they take the drain out. And that is really more information than you wanted to know! We are getting to know the new normal of measuring stuff. Temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, input and output. The kidney function is excellent!! PRAISE THE LORD!! We just thank the Lord for all the prayers you are praying--they are keeping us going! Keep those prayers going upward!! Keep those good thoughts going also! The telephone # here is 919-402-1700 ext 1799. Call us on that phone and we won't be using our cell phone minutes up.

IN HIS SERVICE
THE BULLUCKS SING
Carol B.

FINALLY HOME TO APT TODAY

Lee came home today and we are getting used to "the new normal". We are getting used to insulin shots and fixing new meds. It is a new ballgame and we are getting used to the new rules. We have a clinic appt. on Wed. Tomorrow we will walk around the neighborhood. His blood sugars are high and his other numbers are fairly okay. The cardiologist wants a stress test in 3 months. We thank all of you for your prayers and support--keep those prayers going upward. We are collectng a lot of data for the transplant team to evaluate.
In His Service
The Bullucks Sing
Carol B.

JUST HANGING OUT IN HOSPITAL!!!

We are patiently waiting to get the green light to go to our apartment. Lee's blood sugars are not stable yet. Some of the meds cause high blood sugar. They are giving him oral meds and also insulin. He had an Ear, Nose, and Throat Dr. consult this afternoon. He found that the oxygen had dried his nose and made it bleed--so he is treating that. He had an hr and a half treatment with inhaled antibotics this afternoon. His lab numbers were better today but the Dr. said nothing about when he might get to leave the hospital. So we are just hanging out and waiting. The address you can send cards to can be obtained from Ann Jordan. She also has the phone # for our apartment. Keep those prayers going upward.
Love to each
Carol B.

NO RELEASE FROM HOSPITAL TODAY!!

Lee's Drs decided to NOT release him today. His blood oxygen level is low. His heart enzymes are high. His blood sugar is high. So until they can get all the numbers to be in a good range they will keep him in the hospital. He is sleeping good. Today he walked around the circle 4 times doing 2 loops each time--without oxygen! He is eating good. Kidney function is excellent!! He is going to the bathroom well. He just has some bad numbers that have to be monitored so that he won't have some major problems. When he does get out of the hospital he probably will still have a drain in his incision and they have already started teaching me how to take care of that. It won't be too difficult. We will just do what we have to do. I'm doing fine. I must close and get some rest. Rhonda went home today and she will have surgery on the 19th of this month. She will have a hysterectomy. May God Bless you all real good!! Keep those prayers going. Be specific and ask the Lord to stabilize the numbers. Thanks!!
IN HIS SERVICE
THE BULLUCKS SING
Carol B.

PROGRESS BEING MADE!!!

Lee is making slow progress. They are having to adjust his medicines. He can't take the normal antibotics because he is allergic to penicillin and sulfa drugs. The antibotic that they put him on to prevent pneumonia is making his blood oxygen be low---so they will change that. Also the predisone they give him is making his blood sugar be elevated. So they have started him on oral meds for blood sugar as well as insulin on a sliding scale depending on his blood sugar. His incision is doing well and still draining but has decreased in amount. He took a shower today with a little help from me ( his feet and legs). He is walking around the circle at a slow pace (without a walker or oxygen)!! The surgeon said "perhaps" he can be discharged tomorrow. I will let you know the Homestead Suites address when I get it. God Bless you all!! Keep those prayers going upward. The transplant coordinator told us that when he went back to church he was to come in late and leave early (to avoid crowds). So our life style will be changing at least for 6 months to a year. Rules will change a little after that. We don't want to risk infection or rejection! She also said if he walked into a room and people were coughing for him to turn around and walk out. Please bear with us and keep those prayers agoing!! Thank you for being understanding! Love to each!!
IN HIS SERVICE
THE BULLUCKS SING
Carol B

PROGRESS MADE!!!

Today Lee made lots of progress. Both artery IVs have been removed. He has walked quite a lot. His creatine level was 1.2. The Dr. said that was lower than most people with two kidneys had. He looks good and says he feels good. He still has an issue with his intestines--they haven't woke up yet. And his throat still is clogged with phlemn. He still has a drain tube in his inscision. His surgeon says he may be able to go home Saturday (maybe)! He also has an issue with blood sugar. He has to take insulin before meals either 2 or 4 units depending on how high it is. So we will deal with whatever has to be done. He has a real positive outlook. When he does come back to church--no hugging and no handshaking! That will be quite a change for him. I'm doing fine and exercising and keeping an eye on my sugars. Tonight my reading was 85--that is pretty low so I ate a more sweet snack. All is well! I'll blog more tomorrow evening when I get back from the hospital. Keep those prayers going upwards and thank you for doing so!!
IN HIS SERVICE
The Bullucks Sing
Carol B.

GRADUATION FROM ICU!!!

Today was graduation day from ICU to the step down unit. He is on a regular diet now and is feeling really good. His new kidney is making lotz of urine and his creatine level is 1.8--the lowest it has been for FORTY YEARS!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! He is in room 2331 at Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC, I'm not sure of the zip-I'll try and get it tomorrow. If you want to call him the phone # is 919-681-2331. I'll blog more when I get back to the hotel tomorrow. He had a breathing problem last night with blood and phlemn in his throat from the airway. They gave him a suction tube and that cleared that up. I'm really tired and must get some sleep. God Bless you all!!! Love to each!!!
IN HIS SERVICE,
THE BULLUCKS SING
Carol B.

MID-NIGHT POST!!!

PRAISE THE LORD!!! Lee is resting and the blood leaking issue has been resolved. They changed the dressing and found it was not screwed in!! Go figure!! Keep those prayers going upward! I'm doing great and resting well. I'm going back to sleep now and will blog more later today when we get back from the hospital. Love to each!!
In His Service,
The Bullucks Sing
Carol B

EVENTFUL DAY!

Lee had an eventful day. His "A" line IV (directly into the artery) had an oozing of blood off and on all day. His artery IV line in his neck also had oozing. He had blood Drs see him and recommend that he be given a unit of blood and also a bag of platelets. This seemed to help. His enzyme levels are elevated but the cardiac Dr said that was to be expected. Visiting hrs. were over and the Cardiac Drs had just come in so I stayed to hear their report. They said that at the end of the surgery yesterday Lee's blood pressure dropped so low that his heart didn't like it and acted a little strange. They ordered an echogram and said his heart was functioning as it should and that they would monitor him closely. He said that as the kidney function improved so would the enzymes and the heart function. They also have an issue about baby aspirin. The blood Drs don't want him to have it because of the oozing but the cardiac Drs don't want another larger heart attack. They said they could deal with the oozing. They said they would talk with the blood Drs. So he will spend another night in intensive care. Hopefully he will go to a room tomorrow. Russ went home today and the Dr. told him to do anything he felt like doing but lifting anything heavier than 10 lbs for 6 weeks. He is a little sore but that is to be expected.
Rhonda and I went to the gym this morning before going to the hospital. We spent 30 minutes on the treadmill. I am very tired and have to take my blood test, snack and insulin and must close for now. I'll blog more when I know more. Thank you for passing this on to those who don't have computers.
In His Service
The Bullucks Sing
Love to each,
Carol B.

GOOD GOOD MORNING!!!

The best to each of you this morning!!

I slept well (when I slept)!

Just talked with Lee's nurse and she gave me an update!

He is stable! Off all blood pressure meds. Urine output is 90ccs and above each hour--NEW KIDNEY WORKING GREATTTT!!! (PRAY THAT WILL CONTINUE)!!!

He slept well!!

His pain is good!!

His vital signs are good!!

They have drawn more labs to be sent off and that will tell them how he really is doing--(I'll report on them later tonight when I get back to the hotel).

He does have an issue with the artery line they put in his neck-it has been oozing blood because of the low platelets. They have put a stitch in but do not want to do anymore with it because they want the blood to come out and not go back into the neck. The Drs will address that when they see him today--please pray that the Lord will take care of that situation!!!

We have an AWESOME GOD who is always with us and is able to hold us in His Hands!

May God be with each of you and give you a beautiful day!

I'll be reporting more progress tonight---until then go with God!

IN HIS SERVICE
THE BULLUCKS SING
Love to each,

Carol B.

EARLY MORNING UPDATE!!

I woke up and called to check on Lee. His nurse said that they are doing everything to monitor him and support him. They have given him blood to help his blood pressure. His enzymes came back positive for a heart episode (either during or after surgery) and they will have the cardiac team check him today. He had an inverted EKG earlier and then they gave him another EKG and an echogram and the rhythm is better. The transplant team has been checking on him and he is doing well. The new kidney is making good urine. The nurse said that they are doing everything to support his blood pressure and that he is doing fine. Visiting hours for the intensive care don't start until 10 AM Rhonda and I will eat breakfast here then go to the gym to get our exercise in before visiting Lee. My blood sugars are doing fine and I am watching what I eat and being sure I get my snacks in. I'm trying to take care of me so that I can take care of Lee. Thank all of you for your prayers--keep them going upward we are still in need of them. Lee is not out of the woods yet--but he has come a long way. God Bless you all is our prayer.
If any of you know someone who does not have internet and needs to know this information please pass it on to them. Thanks a million!
Love to each,
Carol B.

PRAISE THE LORD!!!! SURGURIES COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY!!!

It has been a very, very long day!!!

Russ' surgery began at 6 AM and ended at 11:30. All went well!! We are so thankful to the Lord for His protection. Laura did not get to see Russ until 5 PM. We saw him after that.

Lee's surgery began at 11 AM and at 1:15 they were attaching the kidney. His surgery was over at 3:15. He had Low Blood Pressure issues but they gave him fluids and medicine and that seemed to help the problem. The kidney is operating very well. Lee is in intensive care and will be for at least 24 hrs. He is alert and doing well. He is in a lot of pain but that is to be expected. Laura, Rhonda and Ruth were all with me during the day. Ruth has gone back home and Rhonda will stay until Saturday.

Russ has already gone down from the 6th floor to the 2nd floor to visit with his Dad. Before visiting in the room we have to use foam hand cleaner, put a gown on and also put gloves on. That is for Lee's protection from germs. Russ is expected to go home tomorrow. He was asking for pain medicine before we left. That was to be expected also.

I am extremely tired--we had to be at Duke at 5 AM. They took Lee back at 9 AM and we saw him again at 4 PM.

I shall take my meds, eat my snack and hit the sack. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and concerns--please keep them going upwards.

In His Service,

The Bullucks Sing

Love to each!!

Carol

GETTING READY!!

Hi Guys,
We will be going to the Fall Festival tonight. We will be packing tomorrow. Sunday AM we will go to Church and Lee will sing during worship service. We will leave for Durham right after church. I will post more later in Durham--have no time to do so before. God's Blessings be with you all!!Thank you for all your prayers--please keep them going upward!! Love to each!!
Carol

IT'S A GO!!

PRAISE THE LORD!! Lee's pre-surgery appointment went well. Russ' pre-surgery appointment went well also! They had EKGs and X-Rays and BLOOD TESTS (LOTZ OF BLOOD DRAWN)!! The transplant coordinator called today and told Lee to be at Duke on Monday at 5:30 AM. He will have a blood test then and if his platelets are too low they will give him a transfusion either before or during surgery. She said that it would not cancel the surgery they would just deal with it. We already have a hotel room at the Homestead Studio Suites. They are 10 minutes away from the hospital. We plan to stay there at least 3 weeks and maybe more. If you want to contact us you can call our cell phone. It may not be on when we are at the hospital (they sometimes require them to be turned off). Just leave a message and we will get back to you. We are so thankful to the Lord that this is finally happening. We appreciate your prayers and covet them for the first of next week.
IN HIS SERVICE
The Bullucks Sing
Carol and Lee

Lee's anuerysm Fixed

Sorry this post is a little late. Duke's computer system was having problems yesterday. Lee went in for the procedure at 9:15 and was out by 11:15. They put 18 coils the size of a grain of sand to cause a clot to block the anuersym. They said everything went well. He spent the night in Duke and was suppose to have dialysis this AM and then come home here to Russ' home. They did not pick him up for dialysis until 1:45 and they did not return him to his room until 6:30 PM. Then we had to wait for the Dr. to give the orders and then wait for a person to come to transport him to the front of the hospital. Then we had an hour drive to get to Russ' house. We arrived there at 9PM. It is late now and we are extremely tired. God Bless you all! We thank each of you for your prayers.
Carol

Carol Lines

Hi Guys,
I finally got the computer to go where I needed to be to post a blog update. We will be going to Duke early Monday morning for a procedure to find out about an abdominal anuerysm. They may fix it tomorrow or wait until next Monday before the kidney transplant. I will keep you updated as to what is going on. All of your prayers are appreciated.
So long for now.
Carol

My First Post!!!! Look Guys, I'm blogging!

Let me introduce you to Lee, the love of my life!

The main purpose of this blog is to keep family and friends updated on Lee's progress as he will soon have procedures leading to a kidney transplant.