Friday, January 21, 2011

Good evening.

Well, we are home. It was a very busy day. We left a little after 6am and arrived there at 9:40. But then we had to get xrays before David's appointment. It was kind of a fiasco, we aren't used to Pleasanton. We know all the ropes in SF, so we know where to go to get the xrays. Well, after all the usual 'red tape,' we were waiting for xrays at 10:30 (David's appointment was for 10:00!), and they told us they were having a problem and wouldn't be able to get to David for about 1/2 and hour! So Bryon went back to Dr. O'Donnell's office and told them, so they just rescheduled David's appointment for 11:00. We got in there before 11:00, which was great. Then Dr. O'Donnell came in and checked David out. He said things look good, and the xrays show no sign of local recurrence! Woo-Hoo!! He did write a 'note' saying David is medically exempt from PE since October 2007. Let's see if that makes a difference with his school; prayerfully it will. He said David walks very well, even with the slight limp, and that with his long pants you wouldn't know he had this huge scar on his leg! He is the best! We love Dr. O!! He also said David's knee hurts because of the knee cap. He said it is to move along a groove, and it isn't the grove God made so it isn't perfect. Instead of cartilage on cartilage, it is cartilage on metal. So that is just something David has to 'deal with' for the rest of his life. There is nothing they can do about it. Anyway, David's revision surgery is scheduled for June 13th. Hopefully this will be his LAST surgery! It will be his 12th surgery in 3 1/2 years!! David graduates from High School on June 11th, then surgery! But we need to have the surgery before July 1st because of insurance. It really sucks that we have to have money decide when to put our son through another surgery! I mean, we could put this surgery off for awhile, but we can't afford to wait! We have already met all the deductibles for this fiscal year, so we need the surgery this fiscal year. Bryon's insurance is going to be pretty decimated come July 1st, so we need the surgery soon. Sorry for the rabbit trail. Anyway, then we went to Brentwood to visit some very dear, long-time friends. Rachel and Bethany have been friends for about 20 years!! Yep, most of their lives! So we figured we would stop and see them while we were so close. They came to SF and Oakland a few times when David was there. They were there when David was dying from the intussesception; they were there for us when David had the endoscopy. It was great to see them. We had lunch with them, they fed us yummy sub sandwiches. Then we came home. We got home around 6. It was a long day. Pleasanton was very nice. Thank you to all of you who wrote to tell us what to expect, we appreciate all the advice and encouragement we can get!

David's next scans are scheduled. They will be February 1st. We will have to leave on Jan. 31st and stay in Emeryville. We have to check in to Oakland Children's Hospital at 8:30am; and we just can't leave at 4:30 in the morning. We need to be safe, and it is just too long a day to leave that early. So we will leave Monday late morning to make sure we get there in time to relax and get a good night's sleep. It is always such a long day, and we have to make sure David gets enough rest. Please pray that the nodules in his lungs are stable; or better yet, GONE!! That would be sooooo wonderful! So, we will be making another trip to the bay area in a little over a week! *sigh*

Please pray for David's friend, Chris. We met him at Oakland Children's; he had Osteo in his left leg. Well, he is having some pain in his leg when he puts weight on it. He had an xray, and I have not heard what the results are, yet. Please pray that his prosthesis is ok, and he won't have to have it replaced. These children just go through way too much, ALL of them! Thanks for your prayers for him. Also, please continue to pray for Sara. She has 'good' days and bad days. Hospice came and met with them, and they hope hospice will be able to help. Thank you for your prayers.

Still no baby, yet. Lucy said the doctor said the baby is around 8.5 pounds; and she is due on Monday. We are praying that bundle of joy is born on Tuesday! I will keep you posted!

Thank you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Even with insurance coverage, a family will have out-of pocket expenses of about $40,000 per year, not including travel.