SERVICES FOR DELIGHT

1st Baptist Church
Idabel
Dollarhide Cemetery
Foreman, AR


3:00pm Friday



A scholorship fund has been set up for the grandkids at Idabel National Bank or donations maybe made to the charity of choice in lieu of flowers.


Kaye

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

Walter was telling me this morning how Delight got her name. Their daddy named her Delight because she was a "DELIGHT TO THE EYE" But as we all got to know her she became a "DELIGHT TO THE HEART" as well as a "DELIGHT TO THE EYE"

She will remain in our hearts forever.....

We will miss her.....

I look forward to seeing her again one day.....

She was one of a kind.....

Kaye

NO PHONE CALL TODAY PLEASE

Delight has taken a turn for the worse. Breathing is SO difficult for her. She is only just seeing her close family now.

Pray for God's Peace & Mercy for this family during this difficult time.

We ALL love you Delight. You are the best friend anyone could ever wish for.

We all wish we could be with her....

Kaye

:Friday Night @ 10:15 PM

My computer shows the time of posting erroneously and I don't want to fool with figuring out how to change so I'll just type it in as I just did. Last night was pretty restless for us. Delight kept waking up afraid and a little panicky. I think the pain meds, her difficulty breathing, and the length of her stay here probably all contribute to that. Anyway, we didn't get much sleep so she has been pretty tired today. I am really concerned about her breathing. She seems to struggle a little more with it each day. She has so much congestion, rattling, and wheezing. Sometimes the breathing treatments help and sometimes they don't. I know both Dr. Mirtsching and Dr. Shulkin are aware and are doing all they know to do. Delight got up and sat in the chair for an hour or so today and tried to do some physical therapy but was just too weak. They were going to try to get her to walk with a walker and assistance just to the door (about 10 steps) but she only made about 2 very short steps and had to sit down. She is so weak that just getting her out of the bed, it takes the nurse and one assistant to do it, completely wears her out. As Charmyrle mentioned to Kay, the Doctors are considering giving her a blood transfusion tomorrow to boost her white blood cell and platelet counts as well as to hopefully boost her energy. She is still not able to eat anything. Today her sister made her a chocolate milkshake and she drank a little of that and maybe ate 5 or 6 potato chips. Yesterday she had one small piece of cheese and a couple of potato chips. I know she is aware of the importance of trying to get some nutrition but she just has no appetite. Hopefully the IV nutrition will boost her strength and if they do the blood transfusion that will help also. Dr. Mirtsching again said that the x-rays of her lungs are not looking any better but also that they are not looking any worse. At least we're not losing ground there. On a positive note the fluid from her left lung seems to be gradually slowing down. Not as rapidly as they would like but anything that is happening in a positive direction is good news. Jennifer, Blu, Charmyrle, and Windell are all here. Jen and Blu are staying at the hospital tonight and the rest of us are going to the motel. Charlie and Windell left about 9:00 and I will shortly if Delight is resting OK. Jen will call me if anything goes wrong. I trust Jen a great deal and so does her mom. Oh, Delight's foot is much better. Glad that was caught quickly as cellulitis can be quite serious if it gets a good headstart. Every time I post I hope I have the presence of mind to thank everyone, even if my thank you's get monotonous. There are so many people praying, thinking, and tugging for Delight that I'm uncomfortable singling out anyone. We both appreciate all of you and miss all of you a lot! I will try to post something over the weekend if possible. I'm still a little uncomfortable doing this but reading your comments about it meaning something to you makes it easier. I have read Gail's message to Delight several times as did Kaye. I know that comforted her.

2:15 FRIDAY AFTERNOON

I just talked to Charmyrle and she said Delight was about the same. She just had a breathing treatment. She said that Terry Joe said her foot is much better than it was yesterday. Charmyrle said they got the nutrition drip started. They want her to sit in the chair. The doctor is thinking she may have to have blood or platelets because her white blood count is so low.

Kaye

Dr. Mirtsching Just In

Well, it seems Delight has cellulitis in her left foot. It is an infection caused by a Staph bacterium. Her foot just started swelling suddenly today with redness and heat. The Dr. didn't seem happy about it but also didn't seem overly alarmed. He said her white blood cell count was really low and he may have postponed chemo under normal conditions but with the cancer being active he didn't feel he had the option to wait. He said the x-rays of Delight's lungs that were taken this morning did not look any better but they didn't look any worse either. The fluid draining from her left lung has slowed down some over the last 24 hours and that is a good sign. It was 475 mL where it has been running 600 to 800 mL. He said he was going to start Delight back on IV antibiotics (Vancomycin) for the infection in her foot. He also mentioned we should limit visitation to maybe a 2 hour time frame some time during the day and be extra cautious that any visitors sterilize their hands before entering and when leaving the room. He said she is very vulnerable to all types of infections right now due to her low blood count. He also said she needed all the rest she could get. (Almost impossible in this place) Next time Delight is awake and alert I will visit with her and see just how much visiting she is comfortable with. The ultimate goal here is to get this girl back on her feet. I will post if there are changes or recommendations on visitation. I know everybody wants what is best for Delight so I will try to keep you informed, or Kaye will. Oh, almost forgot, thanks Kaye and Tonya and sorry I almost snored you out of the waiting room. I almost had Bobby and John convinced I had quit until they heard your story. Bob , Kathy, John, and Sheila came by. Sheila and Delight had quite a nice nap together. She won't admit it but I think Sheila was snoring! Thanks John and Bob for dinner. Really enjoyed seeing y'all. A very nice lady from Beth Ann's church came by today and said a really nice prayer with us and gave Delight spiritual encouragement. Also, Jennifer's cousin Stacy came by and prayed with Delight. We so appreciate all of the prayers. Jennifer and Blu are coming tomorrow. I think Delight's sister Charlie and her husband Windell are coming tomorrow or Saturday. Delight got a large kick out of the poem from the tellers. I read it and think you girls need to give Gail a break! You hang in there Gail and don't let them mistreat you! I know Delight missed all of you a bunch and is really looking forward to getting well and getting back to work. Hello to all my friends at school. Thanks to all of you, again. I miss you guys and wish I could be there to help "get the ball rolling". Hopefully it won't be too long before I see all of you. Please continue to pray for Delight and love to all. p.s. In case you were wondering I do this when Delight is sleeping and sometimes have to do a lot of starting/stopping so if some of this is incoherent I hope you will overlook it.

1:00 THURSDAY AFTERNOON

Delight had her chemo treatment this morning and she slept during most of it. They gave it to her while she was in bed. It was only 20 minutes long. Tonya is sitting with her now. Terry Joe is out here with me in the waiting room eating a sandwich Tonya & I brought him. He said that they gave her some pain medicine after they did the treatment and so she is sleeping now. She is still so very weak. She was completely exhausted from getting out of the chair, sitting a while, getting back into bed. I'm sure it is from no food intake for so long. I don't think they have started the food--nutrient IV. Terry Joe said that he needed to check and see when they are going to start it. He thought maybe they would after the chemo. So maybe they will shortly. They gave her something for nausea before they started the chemo. I think that's it for now. Terry Joe ran to the car to get some of his dirty clothes. I'll post again before we leave.

Kaye

9:30 THURSDAY

I have just come out of Delight's room. She talked quite a bit. She ate a couple of bites of eggs. She looks a lot better today. She was sitting up in a chair when I went in. After an hour she was ready to get back in bed. While I was sitting with Delight....Terry Joe went to the cafeteria to eat. He's back in there now. Tonya is going back shortly. She is supposed to get her chemo this afternoon. I will post again after while.

Kaye

4:00am THURSDAY MORNING

My shift is just now over. I have been in Delight's room since about 12:15. Tonya is back with her now. They had just came in to do an xray. Terry Joe is asleep (snoring loudly) on the couch. Delight has been sleeping fairly. Her vitals have been good. Her pressure was 109/85 when I left. She is a lot more alert today than she was on Friday. The nurse came in at 2:10am and wanted to give her a sponge bath....she looked at the nurse and said now??? And the nurse nodded her head yes and Delight said softly not right now. When she left I just busted out laughing and Delight just shook her head. She has been in a couple of times changing IV bags. I have spent most of the night watching Delight try to sleep and trying to figure out what the building was I was looking at out the window. People are still in the waiting room moving around. oops I think they woke up Terry Joe. No...the snoring has started back. I will post again later this morning.

Kaye

Dr. Shulkin just came in

Dr. Shulkin came in about an hour ago. It's 1:00 A.M. now. He asked her a lot of questions about her appetite, how she was feeling, etc. He said he was going to order some nutrition to be given through her IV beginning tomorrow to try and boost her energy level. He said since she was already being given some fluids intravenously he may as well add some carbs and amino acids. He thinks her appetite may return when her energy level is boosted by physical therapy and IV nutrients. She is getting a little agitated with me about my nagging trying to get her to eat. She told Tonya to get the nurse to take away her dinner tray before her husband gets back and tries to make me eat more. I was talking to Walter around lunch today, I thought Delight was asleep, and I asked him if he wanted to go get some lunch that I was fine staying in the room. Delight said eat, eat, eat, that's all TJ wants to talk about. I guess I will lighten up but after the visit with Dr. Mirtsching this morning and his strong emphasis on how important it is for her I just have a hard time not pushing. Vicky Young, if you are reading this you can come by here any time you want to. There are times when Delight does not feel like visiting, but that is so unpredictable that you may just have to "roll the dice". It is looking like we may be here for several more days/weeks? I just don't know. Anyway, the weekends seems to be when we have the biggest influx of compay so maybe a weekday would be best. I just know she loves you. I know I have mentioned food and eating several times in this and recent posts, but please do me a favor and don't be insulted by my asking but don't bring or send any food. We have a considerable stockpile of snacks, etc. in the room and the nurse has had me bag it in plastic bags and hide it in the corner so I wouldn't get her in trouble with her boss. We are not supposed to take food or drink into ICU and they have been pretty liberal about allowing us to (sneak things in) I was just afraid you might read this and feel compelled to send food but trust me, we have access to lots of good stuff, just waiting on my girl to get an appetite for it. Hopefully soon! Once again we absolutely can't thank you all enough for your prayers, concern, and just everything. If someone sees Phil Bullock, the 2nd best night fisherman in the county, tell him thanks for mowing my yard for me. (I don't know whether he sees this blog or not and hopefully with this big ol" moon he is fishing some) Come to think of it if you haven't been in the middle of Broken Bow Lake around 2:00AM on a moonlit night you should make an effort to do so. It can be an awesome sight/feeling. Sorry, I started daydreaming and got way off course. Please continue to pray for Delight and for his healing hands to touch her and allow me to bring her home soon. Love to All

11:45 WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Well it's about 11:30 and Tonya & I are in the waiting room. Terry Joe is back in with Delight. We are supposed to rotate out with him. We stayed in the room for quite a while. She did not eat the peanuts that Terry Joe went and got her. She talked quite a bit. We were telling her messages that everyone told us to tell her. Tellers we read her the poem. She smiled and said those girls. I told her that yall loved her and she said to tell you that she loved you, too. She seemed to feel a little better. She did tell me she was so tired. She also was wondering when she was going to get better. We told her we know she is tired...she would be getting better really soon. I know that her breathing is not as labored as it was. That was good to see. Her checks are pink and her color looks better than it did on Friday. She did get scared/panicked while we were in with her. She wanted Terry Joe. Tonya came to the waiting room to get him and he hurried to her room. She settled down pretty quickly. She wanted some pain medicine soon after that. They gave her some and Terry Joe told me that he would sit with her for a while. I am patiently waiting for his call. I wish I could show you what Tonya is doing. She has her a bed (with sheets) on the couch. I don't think she is asleep but her eyes are shut. It has been a trip in this waiting room tonight. People are still coming in at this hour! I will post again if I get to go back and stay with her.

Kaye

8:45 WEDNESDAY

Tonya is back with her...Terry Joe just came out. He said the doctor told her this morning that she had to eat. He has gone to find her some peanuts. He said he is having a hard hard time getting her to eat. Nothing seems to sound good to her. He doesn't know what to do to get her to eat. When he gets back I will go back. I will post as soon as I can. Maybe Terry Joe will post when I go back. I will leave the computer out in the waiting room with him. I'll be back soon.

Kaye

6:30 WEDNESDAY

I have been been in Delight's room briefly. Terry Joe told me that she was one tired girl. Delight said she had a lot of company today. They just gave her some pain medicine. She was sleepy, so I went back to the waiting room. They are not supposed to have visitors between 6:00-8:30. We are not going back in until 8:30 so she can rest for a while. I will not post again until then.

Kaye

10:15 WEDNESDAY

I just talked to Darlene and she said that Delight had a pretty restful night. She and Walter stayed with her last night. Terry Joe went to the motel to get some rest.
Delight was wanting some cream of wheat this morning so they were working on getting her that. Darlene said that her vitals were good. Her pressure was 114/68 at about 8:30 this morning. Walter had a flat this morning on his pickup and was at the tire shop getting it fixed. Tonya & I will be going to Dallas this afternoon and staying the night. I will be posting again when we get there.

Kaye

Just Talked to Dr. Mirtsching

Dr. Mirtsching was just in so I thought I would post this while Delight is sleeping. He said her blood pressure and blood work were all looking good. He also said that her liver function was currently OK and that is a relief. The antibiotics have cleared up the bacterial infection but with no competition from the bacteria a fungal infection has developed in her urinary tract. He said they would treat that with Difluxin, an anti-fungal agent, and did not seemed too concerned nor surprised by this development. He said the main concern to he and Dr. Shulkin at this time was the fact her chest x-rays still are not showing improvement. Her left lung has drained 250 mL over the past 8 hours and her right lung, the one they did the talc surgery on, is still showing considerable areas of either effusion (fluid buildup) or possibly tumor enlargement. He said that no response from the chemo after only 5 days is not unusual. He also said they were hoping to see a response by now but that it could, and has in other cases, taken longer and that we should continue with our chosen course of treatment for the time being. He said if her strength and vital signs allow and their are no further complications they would give the Navelbine (chemo) treatment this Thursday. He finished by saying she will most likely be in ICU for at least several more days and her transferral to a regular room would depend on how soon she regains some strength and better stability. He reassured me that he was not giving up and that we needed to continue our prayers. I haven't been able to give Delight the cards everyone sent from the bank but I will as soon as she is awake and up to it. Jennifer said she got tired yesterday just looking at one little packet of pictures of Baby Ava. Anyway, I know she will be very happy to get them and I will read each one to her. Brian, thanks for the OU news and the football magazines. Oh, and congrats on Long Drive, while the cats away the mice played! I think I could've taken you out! Thought you might need a good laugh! Mike and Cindy Williams came by just a while ago. Cindy stayed with Delight while Mike and I went downstairs for a burger. Thanks, I enjoyed visiting with Mike and I'm sure Delight enjoyed your company even though she didn't feel like talking much. If my sister is reading I Love YOu! Sorry we didn't get to visit more and sorry I was lousy company while you were here, I'll do better next time. Thanks Charlie and Windell for extraditing me to the hotel room, I really enjoyed the rest! Love to All and keep Delight in your prayers. A million thanks again to Kaye for keeping everyone updated. Hi Mom, I love you

3:15 TUESDAY AFTERNOON

Cindy & Mike made it to the hospital. When they got to the room Delight was sitting up in the chair with her eyes closed. Cindy said she talked some but not a whole lot. Terry Joe & Mike had gone to go eat in the cafeteria. They ran Cindy out of the room while they changed a couple of bandages, got her back in bed and do a couple more things. Cindy was to go back in 30 minutes. She called Tonya while she was waiting.

Kaye

11:30 TUESDAY

Terry Joe called a little while ago and he sure did sound tired. He said as soon as he gets a chance he will post again. He also wanted to tell everyone if you call him and he doesn't answer his phone....don't panic. It's hard for him to answer if he is in the room with Delight and she is sleeping. He is hoping to catch the doctor today and talk with him. He said that Delight slept last night from 12:00-4:00 this morning. Her back is bothering her and she is still having a little trouble breathing. She is doing breathing treatments pretty often. Terry Joe also said that she is worried because she is not getting better. She wants to be up and about so bad.

Mike & Cindy Williams will be going to see them early afternoon. Mike had a doctors appointment in Dallas not to far from the hospital. Cindy is going to stay with Delight so Terry Joe can get out for a while. Walter and Darlene are going this afternoon and spend the night. Maybe Terry Joe can get a little sleep tonight.

Maybe Terry Joe will post later today so we can stay updated. I'm not going to call because I know that his phone is ringing off the wall.

Kaye

READ TERRY JOE'S COMMENT

Terry Joe left a comment under 10:30 Monday.

Kaye

10:30 MONDAY

Darlene talked to Jennifer a little while ago and said that Delight was very tired & weak. Delight is also disappointed that she is not going to get out of ICU today. She is tired of the hospital and is ready to come home. She had a panic attack about 7:00am this morning but she is calmed down a little now. Her vital signs are good this morning. Her pressure is 106/70. She is resting now.

Kaye

A Talk with Delight

I couldn't help myself. I know T.J. and Delight have been swamped with calls and visitors, but I just had to call T.J. tonight to see how she was doing. After we spoke a while, Delight got on the phone to talk. Wow! A familiar voice never sounded so sweet....and so strong! Delight has been through a lot in the last week, but she sounded like her old self again.

:)

All our prayers and thoughts are with you guys. We can't wait for you to come home.