Rough Days

It's been a long day for Richard. We made it to LGH this morning for his Neulasta shot, but it was tough. He's feeling very tired and nauseaous. He slept almost all day. This is actually good under the circumstances because his body needs it, and he doesn't feel his stomach when he's asleep. I've just been waking him up to take his pills. The meds. he's on also cause drowsiness, so that's part of it. He was up a little bit this evening to have some chicken broth with egg noodles and a piece of toast. Please pray that he starts to feel better soon. He's getting weary because he's sick of being sick! Poor guy! I just keep telling him it'll be over soon!

Daphne

Home Again

Rich's dad came and picked us up this morning at HUP around 6 a.m. Rich finished the chemo. around 3:30 a.m. He is very, very tired today and gets very dizzy/nauseous when he stands up. He has been sleeping all day, which is good for him! Tomorrow, he will get the Neulasta shot (white blood cell booster) and Monday he will get his Intrathecal Ara-C (chemo. in the head port). Round 7 down, 1 more to go!
Daphne

Still here at HUP for Round 7

Things are going as they usually do here at HUP for Round 7. Richard is starting to sleep longer and longer due to the chemo. He just got his 5th of 6 bags this morning. They will hook up the last bag tonight at 11 p.m. We hope to leave in the morning if Rich's dad can come get us early.

We finally got to go to Floor 7's Pizza/Bingo Night. We played several rounds. There were about 10 people who came. They hold it in the conference room. We won 3 pieces of Tupperware and a mug! :) I can always use Tupperware.

We are looking forward to coming home tomorrow. Rich will probably get his Neulasta shot over the weekend and his dose of chemo. in his head port on Monday at LGH.

Thanks to those of you who left comments here on the Blog. We still enjoy reading them. Thanks to all of you who are thinking of us and keeping us in your prayers. Have a great day everybody!

Daphne

Here at HUP - Round 7

We're back at HUP for Round 7. We arrived here last night with Rich's dad. Richard will be starting chemo. shortly. This is the round where he gets 6 bags, 12 hours apart. He should be finished in the middle of the night Thursday into Friday. Richard is already asking about his discharge paperwork. He's not excited to go back home or anything...

Well, this is the last "A" round for his treatment. We're counting down...

Daphne

The Latest (including Peter)

Before we get to Richard this time, we have some news about Peter. He was in a car accident yesterday. He doesn't remember what happened. However, from what we can gather, there were skid marks on the road, leading into a farmer's field. He rolled the little Jeep Cherokee and ended upright again. It occurred on Paradise Lane near their house. They had to cut open the top of the Jeep and get him out that way. He went to LGH in an ambulance with his mother, who arrived at the accident after being called on the phone by a person who lived near the scene of the accident. He had tests and such while in the ER. He ended up with a cracked breastbone, a compressed vertebrae in his upper back, and some minimal bleeding in his brain (which is already on the mend). He will have to wear a brace around his torso for 3 weeks to a month. He is bruised and sore right now. Please remember him in your prayers as well. I guess when it rains, it pours in this family.

As for Richard, we are heading back for Round 7 (of 8!) on Monday evening. We just found out about an hour ago. This will be his last A Round. Thanks for the continued prayers!

Low Counts

Richard continues to have low platelet and red blood cell counts. He got red blood cells yesterday and he's getting a bag of platelets again today. For some reason, they keep getting repeatedly wiped out. He been feeling fine; he just needs a full night's sleep each night.

P.S. See the entry below for info. on how to view our complete collection of wedding pictures.

Wedding Pictures

I know this isn't health-related, but I thought everyone would want to know that all of our wedding pictures are up on a website called Pictage. You can go to www.pictage.com/240804 and then, you will have to "register" by giving your first name, last name, email address, and a password created by you. Then, click on the VIEW IMAGES button. There are about 350 pictures. Our engagement session with Leslie last fall is also on the website. You can view the pictures by category or all at once in no specific order. I will talk with Leslie about ordering photographs. I think you can order them directly through her instead of on the internet. I'm not sure about prices and all of that yet. I will email her and let you know.
Enjoy!


THANKS, LESLIE! YOU'RE THE BEST! The pictures are fabulous!

Feeling Better

Most days, Richard feels well for the whole day. His counts were low last week, and he had to get red blood cells and platelets all day Friday. If he gets a good night's sleep, he usually feels good for the next whole day. We've just been doing odds and ends at our house - working in the flower beds outside, cleaning up the hot tub and patio (it will be up and running soon!), and doing little odds and ends inside the house. We are going to see Grandmom and Grandpop Taraborelli today. 2 more rounds to go! Keep up the prayers! Thank you!

Daphne

Ups and Downs

This week has been a week of ups and downs. Richard feels fairly well most of the time, but his body gets very tired without warning. He gets waves of nausea now and then too, but usually the meds take care of it. We've been spending a lot of time at home resting or doing odds and ends here at our house. We love living here and being together! Even though I'm off from school right now, the days go by fast! School will be back in session before I know it. Thanks to those of you who left comments for us - we love reading them! We appreciate the phone calls, cards, letters, emails, etc. It's nice to know people are still thinking of us and praying for Richard's health!
Love, Daphne

P.S. Don't forget - view some of our wedding photos at http://www.sullivanstudiosphoto.com/! Click on Blog, then find the entry about us. (It's under July 2007.) Click on slideshow. Leslie, you did a fabulous job! Everyone loves the photographs!

Home

Richard and I came home last night after having dinner with Rich's parents at their house. It was nice to be in our own house, free up that "HUP smell." Richard is feeling very tired today and had some nausea this morning. He got up to eat some toast and take some pills and then he went back to bed. He's not ready for this sick/tired feeling again, but hopefully it will be short. Tomorrow he will get his Neulasta shot (white blood cell booster), and Monday, he will get the Intrathecal Ara-C dose (chemo. in his head port). Every day is a day closer to the end of these rounds of chemo. He only has one more A and one more B cycle. After that, he will get PET scans (whole body cancer scans) every 3 months for at least a year, check-ups with Dr. Andreadis every month, weekly bloodwork as needed, and he will take a very low-dose maintenance chemo. pill daily (for about 2 years) . The doctor said his hair should grow back, and with this pill, he will have about 90% of the energy he had before he got sick. We don't know too many other details. Usually, the doctor doesn't go into all that until your last chemo. treatment, but we just asked a few basic questions to get an idea of what he will be doing after his last round (hopefully the end of August).
Thanks again for your prayers.

Daphne

We're Heading Home Today

Cycle B/Round 6 is complete. Richard is free to go home today. Rich's dad is picking us up after his last call this afternoon. Richard is feeling okay right now - he slept in until noon today, but now he's awake. His body is tired though. He also feels as though he's full of liquid (which, actually, he is). He said, "If someone poked me with a needle, I think I'd spring a leak."

We will be having dinner at Rich's parent's house this evening and then heading home to our house. We're excited to go home because we only got to spend one night together in our new house before we came to HUP.

Feel free to call anytime. We don't mind visitors either as long as Richard is up to it. Just give us a call and see what we're up to that day. Thanks again, as always, for the prayers!

Daphne

Back at HUP

Well, we're back at HUP for Round 6 of chemo. This is a cycle B. Rich's parents brought us here last night. We had dinner at their house last night before we left. Richard got the approval to start chemo, but we are waiting for pharmacy to get the drugs up here. He will probably be here until Friday or Saturday. We're on the home stretch! 6 of 8...
Richard is still feeling good, but he will start to feel tired in a couple days.

Our Little Escape

We had a great time for a couple of days in Cape May, NJ. Richard surprised me and planned a little get-a-way for the two of us Thursday night, Friday, and Saturday sponsored by his parents and Donna and Steve Graci as a wedding gift. We stayed at the Dormer House, a cozy bed-and-breakfast on the corner of Franklin and Columbia Streets. It was very neat and clean. We had a great time relaxing on the beach (until the big rain drops got too annoying), walking the promenade, and shopping in Washington Square. We went to the point on Saturday afternoon and saw the lighthouse and shops at Cape May Point. Saturday evening we had dinner with Donna and Steve at Chili's near their house. We went home on Sunday evening to our house. It was so nice to be in our home and for neither of us to leave at night! We had a great wedding and weekend. Hopefully, you have checked out the pictures that our photographer began to post on her site's blog by now. All of the proofs will be up on pictage.com before too long. Here are a few pictures of our trip:

Richard - claiming our territory on the beach.

The porch where we ate breakfast.

On the Cape May Whale Watcher - our "Dolphin Watch" on Friday evening

On the boat

Dinner at Cabanas Bar and Grill after our evening of dolphin spotting

Lunch in Washington Square on Saturday afternoon

Pizza!

Cape May Point