Saturday is over nice day

I just have time for a few words about the day it is Saturday and weather was wonderful the sky was blue.  After Breakfast with Sharen home for a short nap which is an exaggeration it must have been 3 hours.  Sharen caught me off guard and suggested we go visit her mom and dad so off we went and had a good visit, then to Ant Laurels got to view pictures of trip to Alaska.  Of course all things mundane but again what a nice day.

 

Hope this finds everyone well I feel fine with very few side effects of the last treatment I continue to relish drinking cold water and not having to be to concerned about the cold weather.  That should be the pattern for the next full week then we will get another treatment.

 

God bless and as always keep Sharen and myself in your prayers.

Firday the 30th

Well today I felt very good my cold is better and I didn't fall asleep using my computer and I drank 2 glasses of water from my cooler at work with very little side effect at least I didn't have to call 911 or get someone else to do it.  This should be a good weekend I hope the weather is bad so I can hibernate with little guilt.  I actually let myself work with high voltage today with very little side effect.  I think I will feel fine until my next treatment and then a repeat but I can take it.

 

If I am stuck inside I will try to complete Farewell my Subaru book and get back to the Baldachi book which I picked up at Dr. Baileys.  The next book will be from Jessica which is written by Janet Evanovich do not let this get out I never read books written by women I tell Sharen that you can always tell and they are not the same as men but Jessica has informed me that I will like this book we shell see.

 

Thank everybody for their prayers and please continue to pray that this treatment works on the last two nodes so we can go on to the BMT may God Bless you all. 

Almost the end of January

Today was a good day I got stuff done and felt pretty good the best part was an hour nap when I got home.  I keep hoping that the needles in my fingers will go away soon because I can count 5 days and today was number 7 if you count last Friday so why do they still react to cold, of course I see it as a sign that this chemo is working well so we will leave it at that.  although a nice drink of cold water would be good isn't funny how the simple things become important when you can't have them.

 

well Deanna Googled Chinese Leprosy I had thought that I had a made up disease but was surprised to discover it exists I will accept her warning to not have the images turned on when I google it and in the future I must come up with a more creative name for a disease.

 

The extra 6 weeks before the Bone Morrow Transplant has allowed me to get some of the open projects wound up and I have been enjoying the time.

 

Everybody Please keep us in your prayers and God Bless also remember that the cure isn't in our hands but in Gods will.

The 28th of Jan.

I got a very nice reply from Dumb Waiter and I would like to thank you and pool boy for your consideration.

 

Today was Dr. Bailey day and blood tests from the looks my blood was good with just a low hemoglobin which is why I am so tired for the last few days.  But today I think I am coming back to full speed or maybe my normal slow speed.  Dr. Bailey said that this chemo shouldn't be as bad and the last 2 runs.  I told him that I think the  chemo was working because I felt like crap which he was sceptical of but listened attentively.  I think that he thinks my cold was the reason but I don't care I still think its working.  By tomorrow my fingers shouldn't feel like needles are going in when they touch something cold but I won't push it because when I have the problem Sharen lets me drive the Subaru which is allot warmer then the Focus as I said I am milking this desises for all its worth.  Tom Stibits suggested that maybe Cancer wasn't a good choice just to get waited on hand and foot but I think you have to play the hand that you are dealt.  Next time I will get a rare disease like Chinese leprosy which would have worked just as well. 

 

Well I am going to wrap this up since it is probably tedious to read but please keep Sharen and myself in your prayers and may God Bless.

 

 

To day is Tuesday and its night

Well This Chemo really sucks it seems like I hibernated all week end and still today I really didn't want to go to work but of course I went anyways and was able to accomplish great things the last part is a lye but I did get stuff done  By the end of the day I was feeling pretty good.  I went to lunch with a friend and a sales man stopped this afternoon whom I had wanted to see.  So things are starting to shape up at last.  I have my appointment in the morning with Dr. Bailey he will check my blood and make sure I will last for the full treatment  I think I said that I will get two treatments 3 weeks apart and three weeks after that my next Cat Scan.  The waiting can be difficult to deal with I like things to be defined and then we are off and running I think I am going to learn a lesson in patients.

 

Please take care and keep us in your prayers God Bless.

another Monday Monday

Saturday and Sunday seemed to run together as I slept most of Sunday so seemed like Saturday with most of the grand kids and a Long nights sleep.  Working to get rid of cold that I picked up.  My fingers are still sensitive to the cold so I would say this chemo seems to have an effect hope its a good one. 

 

I am writing this from work because I am having a slow time at getting started I should be up to speed by 9:30, God continues to hold Sharen and Myself up we hope to get started on the BMT within 6 to 8 weeks if this chemo works as I said it will allow more time to get thinks in order.

 

Please keep us in your prayers and God Bless.

Saturday the life of leisure

Sorry I missed Friday as you remember I had the new chemo the one that makes your skin feel like knifes going in if it gets cold for me it just feels like needles after your feet or hands go to sleep.  So far so good with regard to side effects pay no attention to the weird stocking hat and the new neck scarf.  Sharen has a new recipes for warm water which is all that I can drink along with coffee.  It continues to be great to be waited on hand and foot I continue the develop the moaning skills.

 

Today my grand kids are going to visit and they will bring their parents along also. They should all be here except for David my youngest.  I can't wait for all the noise and confusion to get started. 

 

Every one continue to keep us in there prayers thank you and God Bless. 

Thursday the day of the retucson

Today I got the R treatment which means sitting in the chair for 3 hours while they drip in the bag of R.  I go back in the morning for the next treatment which will make me susceptible to cold for up to 5 days.  I am glad we do not live in a cold climate because that would make it hard to get around.  I checked with Dr. Bailey about how many treatments this will require and he thought 2 sets then a new Cat Scan to check on the nodes.  It would be good if the nodes could shrink or disappear.

 

I am starting to get things cleaned up ready for my BMT this extra time has helped with that.

 

Take care and God bless.

Wednesday after results from tests

I guess I will start with the medical stuff.  I needed to take the needle biopsy because the results from the Cat scan had shown 2 nodes that had not shrunk and got a little larger.  The Doc wanted to know if they contained B Cell He called today and told me that the nodes did contained B Cell which I am sure he had suspected.  That was not good news but the good news is Dr. Bailey and Dr Levine from Ann Arbor have a plan to reduce the nodes but it will take time before I can start the BMT.  I start tomorrow with a bag of Retucson remember from the mouse pee.  Then Friday I get a bag of stuff that afterwords if your skin gets cold it feels like knifes are sticking in.  I think that would be a good one to do in the summer I will pick up a ski mask on my way home Thursday.

 

I would like to remind everyone that Cancer really sucks.  But I continue to think this can be beat, Sharen said that its like riding on a roller coaster some times.  I will take the

chemo two days every 3 weeks I think.  This will let me get some more projects complete before the BMT starts.

 

Today I got a packet from the school that Brie goes to with several get well cards and letting me know that they are praying for me everyday.  The school is of course a Christian school and the cards came from a 4th and 5th grade class, my little Brie is in the first grade.  I hope I do not disappoint them and really do get well.

 

Everyone take care and continue to pray for us and God bless.

Tuesday day of the test

We are trying to get things out of the way so we can get a date for the BMT so today I had a test which is called a needle Biopsy now I could have been kidding about how long the needles were for the Newpergen shots but these Babbie's were 4 or 5 inches long, the doc would bring them out without letting me see very well. To place the needle he used an ultra sound probe I was able to watch the screen.  As it turns out the full procedure was basically painless.  Sharen and I got to watch the Obama Inaugural speech and some of the event, looked like allot of people in one small space. Test results will be back I assume by Friday .

 

Today the sky was a wonderful blue but very cold day.  I pretended to be a decadent republican and let my car run several minutes so it was warm when I left for work, after all oil is down to around $40 and life is good.

 

Again as a reminder we need to be thankful for each day we get because the only promise we have is now so I am working to not let days fly by and become just a blur.  It's to bad you have to get sick to realize this.

 

God Bless and keep us in your prayers.  

monday monday

sorry I missed Sunday it was another kick back day with visits from Deb, Jeff, and my new grandson David it is so cool to watch them grow.  I have a grave concern that he has the knack which will unfortunately lead him to the engineering field. I watched him take things apart and start to put them back together.

 

As I mentioned today was my appointment with Dr. Bailey with Labs, it looks like all my blood readings were good but as usual he has an additional test for me which will be tomorrow.  I will have to study so I get a good grade so no food after 7:00 AM.  I think that they have worked out some sort of kick back on all the testing.

 

We have not received our schedule for the BMT but we should have it soon and I will let you know  when that is.

 

Did ever body see the comment from Brie My 6 year old grand kid she typed it herself using home row as soon as she sent it she called so that I could read it to her over the phone looks like she is connected to web already.  Just wait until she gets her very own phone and can text everyone.  The person that helps Sharen with some cleaning was describing when she got text messaging on her phone I believe she mentioned having a bill for the first day just over $25.  She also mentioned that she no longer had text messaging on her phone.

 

God bless everyone and keep Sharen and me in your prayers.

 

 

Saturday the calm day

well this will be short my day was calm no appointments no plans.  Sharen and I went to breakfast at Bowen's in Delton, the rest of the day we read and I watched Sharen feed the wood stove.  I felt good and she continues to wait on me.  I completed "The Blue Zone" and continue to recommend it.  Got 1/2 way thorough "Farewell My Subaru" this is a fun book should be complete Sunday.  It's funny how much I can appreciate a day like this now and how many days like have passed with out a thought in my many years.

 

My cute grand kids are not going to visit this weekend so I would like to say hello to my Brie, Calvin and David, however I will see Katerina in the morning at Church.

 

God bless every one, keep me in your prayers and take care  

Friday the 16th night

Well the bad news is I have nothing to write the really bad news I'm going to go ahead and write something anyway.  Well back to work again all I needed to do was a Cat Scan at 10:45 AM  got to work late seemed difficult to get up and get going also went out to warm up the car before I took off.  The temp was -12 not sure we can stand this Global Warming much longer.  Thought that I would get some work done before I left but the phone continued to ring but got some done.  

 

My next appointment with Dr. Bailey is Monday so I hope the results from the Cat Scan are ready by then.  All that is left before they can set up the BMT was the Cat Scan, the new Bone marrow test which will be done in Ann Arbor, and last but not least a dental exam.  I of course kept forgetting to call the Dentist and Sharen reminded me again this afternoon (nagged me) so I called to set up an appointment and they told me they would be unable to help because the Dentist was leaving on Tuesday, but she would check and keep me on call Monday in case someone dropped out.  I thanked her and within 10 minutes she called back and said if I could get there by 4:30 he could get me in, so that took care of the  Dentist.  Dr. Tucker is a recommended Dentist.

 

When you have a Squid in they require a certain amount of care and feeding, and tonight was when it needed done we watched the Nurse complete the procedure in around 10 minuets.  our first pass at the procedure took over 1/2 hour we would get it started then start arguing about how or what to do.  We seemed to get it done and were still talking so in the future it should go faster.

 

What needed to be done was put heparin in each of the ports to keep them clear, change the caps on the ports and clean ends, remove the dressing clean well, then replace with a new special dressing just for this ocathon.  while keeping everything sterile unfortunately we wont know about that for a few days.

 

Every body take care and God bless.

 

  

After the Harvest is complete

We returned from Ann Arbor this morning after looking at the weather maps it looked like there was not a chance of getting home, well the sky was deep blue the Temputure was minus 7 and 94 was bare payment when we started and we didn't see any snow until Battle Creek and it was just a dusting.  So we got home by 11:00 AM the worst was the last few miles getting from Richland to our place.  I realize that describing the trip home isn't very interesting but I am trying to log information I prommess not to list the cars that I passed or that passed me.

 

Not sure why but I felt good today, I met a friend for lunch and got most of my emails caught up and got parts ordered for Darlene to build circuit boards, some of that work will continue when I am gone which will help keep my office rent covered.  Sharen and myself marval at how God continues to meet our needs and holds us up I try to remember that he will not make us face more than we can stand I hope he knows that I am a whiner and doesn't miss judge what I can stand.

 

I would like to thank everyone who have left comments also I need to confess that I don't normaly fish unless someone baits my hooks and cleans the catch which has  never been the problem since I have caught very few fish.  However I continue  to call the trips my fishing trips since I would not like it to get out what actualy happens at camp.

 

God bless everyone and continue to Pray for Sharen and Me much thanks.

 

 

Day 3 of the big harvest

Well great news today they collected 2.8 million Stem Cells so now I have way more then I needed and we will be on our way home in the morning.  Every day my white blood count has doubled and of course not because of my incredible body but because I have been shooting myself about every 15 minutes with Newpergen the drug that increases my white blood cells which in turn increases my stem cell count.  So by today we were talking mega stem cells.  The things that need to be complete before they can schedule my BMT is the Cat Scan which will be complete Friday and They need one more Bone Morrow test as the last one gave bad data this really sucks as the test hurts allot but they will do it in one of the final screenings in Ann Arbor.

 

The weather is very cold but we will be back around 11:00 in the morning.  Not much to write about we have become cave dwellers going from the hospital to our small cube motel room where I start with a nap then watch TV hour after hour.  It brings back the reason that we got rid of our TV.  As I told Paul the person in the harvest stall next to me needed to go to 6 million Cells they will only need 3 million for his BMT but they collected the extra in case they needed to do it again.  I checked with my nurse Emily about the nap  requirement and was assured that it is normal because my blood has run a marathon.  We may be talking about a new exercise machine. 

 

Today I started my nap during the harvest so I have not been able to complete my book "The Blue Zone" by Andrew Gross I still recommend the book but will finish soon, I still need to complete the book that Tim sent me which is "Farewell My Subaru"  this is an incredible comedy I will recommend  when I finish.  Tim is one of the reprobates that I go fishing with in the spring and the fall.  Every time I calculate the time I need to be isolated it seems to run into my spring fishing trip even though the camp is very hygienic I could run into sick people on the trip.

Day 2 of stem cell draw

Well we had a good harvest today as I said yesterdays was not real good but the number was .4 million today's number was 1.9 million which makes 2.3 million in the freezer waiting to rescue my worthless butt when the time comes.  If everything works as expected we will finish up after 1 more day and we will head back Thursday morning.  I will be able to finish my book which is "The Blue Zone" even though during the draw I need to lay on my right side to make the Squid work for 4 hours.  We will start back Thursday because I am unable to drive on Wednesday after the treatment and my weakened system would be unable to stand riding with Sharen that long I could blow my Squid.  

 

It looks like Sharen and I are close to being able to hide our own Easter eggs.  When we got back to the room I unlocked the door for Sharen as she was unable to because she was loaded down with baggage we walked in and 5 minutes later we were unable to find the key.  It still isn't to be found and its a  very small room with few places to hide.  

 

Just as a reminder the number of stem cells I need stored is just over 3 million.  After the cells are harvested they are marked well and taken to the blood bank they add a preservative then place them in a cooler which slowly brings them down below freezing.  When the rescue starts each days harvest is brought into the room and water is run over the bags Emily my nurse said that the bags look like a frozen Salmon fillets of course not cooked.  Each days harvest is returned separately and is pushed by syringe it takes 3 to 5 minutes per bag so if I have 3 bags we are talking right around 15 or 20 minutes.  Because of the small amount of time some people have an emotional let down not sure why this would be I will look forward to getting the process done.  Not sure if I mentioned when the bags are injected I will get a very strong taste in my mouth which depending on the person could be V eight juice, Salmon or 2 others that I can't remember this is from the preservative which is the same but the people are different they are not sure why, and it will last for a day and the odder will fill the room.  they suggest bringing mints or Altoids as a cover.

 

Everybody take care and God bless, and pray for a final harvest tomorrow.

Well the harvest has started

Today the harvest has started when they checked my white cell count it was just on the line but they desided to hook me up anyway so we got a dismal bag of stem cells They did not need a cart to haul it away.  What that means is I will have to incerase my Nupergen shots so tonight I will shoot myself again and again in the morning.  I am starting to feel like an old man I spent 4 hours on the table with them drawing blood  and after lunch when I was trying to watch TV I droped off to sleep so that part isn't to bad.  When I told Paul about the nap in the afternoon he infered that that would be like one of my normal days at work, I had to ask him not to let that get around.

 

Sorry about the misprint from Yesterday I should have said that Katryna eyes got large not her moms, I will try to reread before sending in the future.

 

Pray for a good harvest tomorow so we can start home soon.

 

God bless and I thank God for all his wonderful gifts and pray that he will continue to hold us up.

 

Day - 2 Trip to Ann Arbor

Not much to say today after Church Sharen and I went to Ann Arbor.  The roads could have been bad but once we got on 94 it was smooth sailing most of the way there.  In the morning at 8:00 they will start to harvest my Stem Cells not sure about the process but will let you know tomorrow afternoon.  The only thing I know is the room is small and they limit your visitors during the harvest.  They need to harvest at least 3 million stem cells now they could fit in a thimble or a garbage bag so we are getting an education as we go.

 

We are staying at the Microtel which I had never heard of but it is hidden behind the Holiday inn which was a treat to find the first time.  This time before we went to the Motel we drove through the complex and found 4 nice looking restaurants and a grocery store with out getting back on Plymouth road.  From here we drive 2 miles on Plymouth road turn left and that takes us right to the Cancer center.  So sad to say we are at home here since here was a place I had never wanted to be at home but its good to know places like this exist.

 

Jessica told me this morning that when they were praying before dinner last night  when they mentioned Pa Pa her eyes got big and she said that Pa was sick because he had a Squid in him.  So in her mind when I get rid of the Squid in me I will be better she is probably correct as when they remove the Squid the worst should be over.

 

 

 

Fwd: Day - 3

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ralph Robertson <silverralph@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Jan 10, 2009 at 4:17 PM
Subject: Day - 3
To: Blog <silverralph.blog@blogger.com>

What a wonderful day today was all of our  kids and grand kids were running around the house  making a tremendous noise.  I just sat there and enjoyed the noise as it got louder and louder.  The only person missing was Jeff which is Debbie's husband as he needed to be up in Graying with the national guard.  We have had the wood stove going all day which is Sharen's accomplishment so we have been very warm.  We hope the snow is cleared up by tomorrow afternoon so the trip  to Ann Arbor is uneventful.  I continue to sound like  an old man as I read this back but I will send it anyway.

 

As I mentioned I have sat on the couch all day and allowed everyone to wait on me, This gives them a  chance to buy into the cure.  Also as I have mentioned before Monday is the day that they start the harvest I think the only thing the could delay the harvest is if the bone morrow test from Thursday finds no decrease in the B Cells so lets hope that is the case if not I will need an additional 4 day treatment in Bronson I would hope that the test was good so we can start the harvest.  Of course the Nurses in the infusion center are wonderful people and you must realize that me being back would be a treat for them.

 

Everybody please take care and God bless.

Day - 3

What a wonderful day today was all of our  kids and grand kids were running around the house  making a tremendous noise.  I just sat there and enjoyed the noise as it got louder and louder.  The only person missing was Jeff which is Debbie's husband as he needed to be up in Graying with the national guard.  We have had the wood stove going all day which is Sharen's accomplishment so we have been very warm.  We hope the snow is cleared up by tomorrow afternoon so the trip  to Ann Arbor is uneventful.  I continue to sound like  an old man as I read this back but I will send it anyway.

 

As I mentioned I have sat on the couch all day and allowed everyone to wait on me, This gives them a  chance to buy into the cure.  Also as I have mentioned before Monday is the day that they start the harvest I think the only thing the could delay the harvest is if the bone morrow test from Thursday finds no decrease in the B Cells so lets hope that is the case if not I will need an additional 4 day treatment in Bronson I would hope that the test was good so we can start the harvest.  Of course the Nurses in the infusion center are wonderful people and you must realize that me being back would be a treat for them.

 

Everybody please take care and God bless.

Day - 3 the day of the squid

Well we have had a couple of productive days Thursday morning I got my bone morrow tested which requires drilling a hole into my hip bone and sucking out the bone morrow.  sounds easy enough however hurts allot and has a weired feeling when he pulls the morrow out.  Then off to Ann Arbor to have the Octopus put on my chest This device will be used first to harvest my stem cells because it has 3 ports so they can pull blood out,  remove the stem cells, then return the blood with out stem cells all the while using another input to feed me drugs.

 

We got to Ann Arbor at 6:00 pm Thursday night because we needed to be at the Cancer center by 6:30 in the morning.  Started the procedure by 7:30 the Cutter was Yi Fong of course I was careful not to share with him how much I enjoyed working with Peter Chang at Stryker.  The hospital continues to impress me it is a very relaxed atmosphere and still very professional.   Before we left we had training on the care and feeding of my Octopus which is very complex.  

 

So now I'm sitting on the couch with a sore right But cheek and a sore left shoulder, this continues to allow me to milk this sickness and get my family to wait on me I just moan a little and they come running.

 

The next step is to harvest my Stem cells which will start Monday the average time to get the required amount is one or two days so we will return from Ann Arbor Wednesday morning after we return Sunday afternoon.

 

I continue to feel Gods hands in this Journey and I will face what comes with this in mind, I will also wine as required.  God bless everyone and please keep the prayers up. 

Day - 5 missed -7 and -6

Monday I had the R treatment of the RICE of course I can't remember what the ICE treatment is but had a good time in the infusion room its sad to say that you get to know all the nurses and some of the people or victims of the nurses.  The R treatment is manufactured from mouse urine so I imagine a lab some where with a million mice with catheters that harvest the urine.  The R treatment will hook with the B Cells and convince them to commit suicide and I wish them well.

 

The good news is that I am able to work 2 and 1/2 days this week which has helped me to resolve some issues required to hold RS Designs until I return after the BMT that is Bone Morrow Transplant. 

 

Thursday I will get a bone morrow test in the morning and then off to Ann Arbor for them to install an octopus on my chest this part will enable them to harvest my stem cells with stile.  The harvest will start Monday the 12th, and can continue for up to 4 days.

 

I thank everyone for prayers which have and will make a difference in my continued treatments.

 

I will try to write after we get to Ann Arbor because I am a mobile type guy. 

Day -7 sorry missed -8

OK the numbers are a count down until I start my Stem Cell harvest I will start counting up when they start to kill me, of course with the hopes of getting to a very large number.

 

I got home from Bronson yesterday after my 4 days of Chemo from the last session I lost my hair this time I am not sure what will happen.  I seem to have a capacity for the poison they drop into me as I am really not to sick maybe just a little weak this time.  I started giving myself shots this morning which will increase my stem cell production I think it is called neupogen but not spelled correct.

 

I continue to milk this sickness, and make everyone feel sorry for me so I will get waited on hand and foot, wonder where this expression came from must Google. 

 

It was cool to see Danial and Mary they were able to hear some incredible story's and so was I.

 

Church was wonderful this morning as the sound in the fellowship hall was off so the ushers got to drink coffee and tell important story's.

 

Everybody take care and God Bless.

 

 

Day -9 not the real number but close

Well my third bad of poison is about complete so only 1 more to go and I will be home Saturday afternoon.  Sunday I start giving myself 3 shots a day to stimulate my stem cells to grow wild so hope for good harvest.

 

I have sworn off TV for this stay and have been reading "Double Cross" by James Patterson this is one that I could not put down one of the Nurses lent me a copy of an Arther 

Andrew Cross "The Dark Tide have not been able to set it down either its a good read and a wonderful nurse.  I think my mind got foggy last time because of 24 hours of Fox News not the poison they gave me.

 

If you do You tube take a look at Al Smith roust with Mc Cain and Obama Dr. Baily recommended and it shows that Mc Cain has sense of humor .

 

Everybody take care and God Bless. 

Day -10

Well this is my first entry and it is taking place on new years day, sad to say I have been in this hospital since last year.  Treatment going well Prase God very good treatment by staff and Dr. Baily.  I will have a bone marrow test the 8th at Dr. Bailys office then off to Ann Arbor for my new port which allows them to cirulate blood in and out for my stem cell collection.
 
Sharen and I had a wondreful New Years eve we watched severial Friends epasoeds and she spent the night and Darin brought in a wonderful punch he makes him self, this is like being in a good motel but with a narrow bed.  Out our window we could see the fireworks at midnight.  I feel good today.