DAY 4

Ralph started the day with no appetite and the smell of food making him nauseous. He also experienced diarrhea and was treated for both problems His energy level decreased by early morning, as well. The doctor explained that Ralph is experiencing some of the common effects of the Chemo he received. As of 1pm, he still had no motivation to leave his bed. He was able to answer phone calls.

For lunch, Ralph ate some broth and crackers. The PT had him walk and do one shoulder activity. The girls visited in the late afternoon, and Mallory decorated the room with family pictures. Random odors began to nauseate him such as the ink on the newspaper.

For dinner, Ralph ate broth and crackers again. Because his potassium went low, he was hooked back up to an IV.

The Rest of Day 3...

After Ralph settled himself, he dozed off and on for the rest of the day and through the night. He walked a little, but his esophagus burns, and he felt nauseous. For that reason, he only enjoyed Popsicles. He took a few phone calls and watched television.

TRANSPLANT COMPLETE

Ralph has had his new birth! The actual re-infusion lasted 4 minutes! The preparation was one day less than 5 months! His cheeks got red, he asked for peppermints to mask the taste, and mentioned that his ears felt hot. The doctor checked his vital signs and told him that the cells would begin to make their home in 10 to 14 days. That is when they will begin to grow. He has begun to lose his appetite from the Chemo taken this past Tuesday and Wednesday and is expected to feel tired from the Benadryl given prior to the re-infusion. All reactions to the Chemo will begin tomorrow or Saturday.

The experience is quite emotional. No doubt, a plethora of feelings and thoughts are going through Ralph's head. He is anxious and doesn't know what to do with himself. Ralph, Megan, and I received communion. He put on his mask, and then walked a few laps, with Megan, in the area where the air is filtered.

LET THE HEALING BEGIN!!! Again, thank you, family and friends, for your constant support, thoughts, and prayers!

Day Two

Through the very early morning, blood work was drawn. Another doctor introduced Ralph to the “virtual handshake” to prevent the passing of germs. There will be no more skin to skin contact. He ordered, “Walk and eat”. A physical therapist evaluated Ralph and began easy exercises to improve his shoulder’s range of motion. Around noon, Ralph complained of nausea and asked for medication. He was able to eat some soup, a couple crackers, and a little bit of the rice and vegetables. Michael stopped by during his lunch hour. As of 1pm, television still kept Ralph’s attention, and he played along with Family Fued. At 3:15, Ralph was inspired to take a short, quick paced walk, even though he asked for nausea medicine, again. As before, his cheeks and face are very red from Chemo.

Thus far, Megan, Nathan, Michael, and I like Ralph with really short hair. We have not convinced him to keep it, though! Michael likes it well enough to message us later in an effort to impress upon Ralph that he should keep it.

Again, at 5:30pm, Ralph received his second dose of Chemo. He was able to feed himself ice chips, continuously, for the hour. Mallory came in the evening.

Ralph is to get his new stem cells tomorrow between 10am and noon!

No matter what scenario we hear or live, there is always a sadder or one more devastating. We continue to count our blessings and have added new acquaintances to our prayer list.

Day One

Ralph was called into Shadyside at 8:30am. We arrived around 10:30 and were quickly escorted to his room, #750, in the West wing. His vital signs were taken; height and weight were measured; an EKG and a chest XRAY were prearranged; blood was drawn; a tour was given of his area; he did not complain about lunch or dinner; head was shaved; Chemo started at 5:30 and lasted about an hour. As instructed, Ralph chewed his ice chips during Chemo to help prevent too many sores inside his mouth. He also met one doctor who will be working along with the transplant team. Hopefully, everything goes as well as the pretty picture that he painted.

It appears that Ralph will need to build resistance to bacteria, so HE is the only one who will wear a mask when he leaves his room. Of course, no one is to be in his room if they have any sign of an illness or have been around anyone who is sick. His room is private, clean, and comfortable.

In the evening, Megan and Nathan brought Chinese food, and we watched the Penguins in the family room of the hospital!

Last week...

Ralph had anticipated feeling more energy last week. Each day, he felt weaker, short of breath, and even lost his balance a few times. On Thursday, he had a blood transfusion because his hemoglobin count was low. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/low-hemoglobin/AN01295 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemoglobin At Hillman, he received 2 pints. After that, he did find more energy and felt better, in general. We were able to go to Megan's and Nathan's for dinner with Michael and Erin, as well.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Ralph had an MRI of his back for the neurologist that he saw on Friday. Since Ralph admitted that he could tolerate his back pain until after the transplant, it was decided that the procedure to heal or ease his pain in his back would wait. We tried Angelo's, again, on Friday night, but Ralph got anxious, and we left after 30 minutes. Jim and he made their Saturday "ride around" and Shorty's lunch! On Sunday, Ralph accompanied me on a few errands. Michael came for "Take-out" dinner and watched golf and a movie. Sam and his son, Steve, visited.

The girls joined me at the pool which was a nice opportunity to relax, see a few friends, and gain some strength before the trek ahead.

FREEDOM....

Ralph is no longer restricted and can do anything he chooses between now and being admitted into the hospital. To have 2 transplants, one must harvest 5 million good stem cells. After the blood work results, the machine predicted that it could collect 43+million from Ralph! The nurse seemed very pleased, so we are taking this as a sign that Chemo did it's job! He is at Shadyside, today, for approximately 8 hours to collect those 5 million!