12-18-15 Oncology & Radiation Update

I went to the Oncologist yesterday and everything was good news. My blood work is great, my strength is back and I'm even getting some seedlings growing back on my head (only to be mowed down by this upcoming chemo/Stem Cell cycle). I'm doing so good that I'm approved to go to First Night as long as it isn't frigid.

My Oncologist won't be doing another PET scan until after I finish the stem cell chemo cycle. The reason being is that because I would be just finishing up radiation the PET scan could produce a false positive.


I finished my 3rd week of radiation today. One more week and I get to ring the bell.
















My Team Tarallo shirts should be ready by Christmas. I can't wait to see how great they look! If anyone is interested in having their own Team Tarallo Tee shirt or Hoodie, let me know and I'll get a breakdown of the price and what the minimum order is. I'm not looking to generate anything from this. I just want to you to have a shirt if you want one. SuperSportUSA.com in Malden is printing the order and they are AWESOME.






I ordered my Singing Bowl this week. I got a Antique Thadobati Singing Bowl with deep harmony and complexity #3553. It sounds great! I got it from bestsingingbowls.com if anyone is interested in getting one of their own. I'll put up a youtube video of singing bowls so you can sample some of the vibrational healing power of these bowls.

There are many types of vibration therapy one can choose from. One of the most common is the typical massage. A lot of the vibration caused by massage has little sustain and is used to stimulate the muscle and promote circulation. Remember the old karate chopping on the back and on the hamstrings. That creates a vibration that gets in deep, but doesn't resonate well. The body absorbs these vibrations more as an impact, but it is useful in relieving stubborn muscle tension.

Singing bowls can be placed on the body and activated on areas that need attention. The vibration (depending on the bowl) will smoothly resonate on that area and promote cellular activity that can reach where massage cannot. Tuning forks are also used in healing. Just like singing bowls different sound keys and frequencies  are considered to accomplish different affects. Tuning forks are usually waved around the treatment area and weighted tuning forks are usually used to directly stimulate pressure points in order to utilize their vibrational power along the meridians or concentrate on a single point. The body is able to absorb these vibrations in a soothing therapeutic manor because it is  not causing trauma through impact.

I am happy to share this with you because I know that someone, somewhere is searching for an alternative therapy to help heal themselves or someone they love, just like I did. 

Thanks for reading.

Anthony

12-8-15 Radiation Update

Hi Everyone,

I finished my first week of radiation and I'm into week 2. Everything is going smooth and according to plan. I haven't felt any side effects and they don't expect me to, but it does all depend on my body's strength to manage the side effects like nausea, and diarrhea.

This is a picture of the TrueBeam Radiation machine that they use to treat the remaining tumor.

The TrueBeam rotates around me and stops at certain points to radiate me. During the radiation mapping I got 3 ballpoint pen size tattoos that would be used to align the machine up.

Of course I had to take a shot posing with such an amazing machine. Radiation ends on 12-28-15 and I'll find out when my next PET scan is that will determine the results of the radiation. Next up is Stem Cell Chemo cycle 4 in Jan 2016.
















Thanks for reading.

Anthony

11-23-15 Update

Today I had 7 teeth extracted and oral surgery to remove the remaining gum disease. Now I can finish the rest of my treatment plan without the risk of infection. I can't begin to thank the staff at Gentle Dental in Peabody for their care and understanding.

My Periodontist, Dr. Guze went out of his way to see that I was comfortable through the whole surgery. It was a lot, I won't lie about it. I remember my friend Mike Lee, a student at Tufts Dental School told me that when they use the drill to breath through the nose and out the mouth in a controlled gargle so I help prevent from swallowing debris that they may not be quick enough to catch.

It's been told to me all my life that I should be true to my teeth or they'll be false to me. The loss of my teeth is my fault. I should have taken better care of them because I'd still have them today. I don't look in the mirror and see anything different. I see a man that  got into another fight and got banged up a bit, and still has a world of fight left in him.

Next up is radiation that starts on the 30th and runs through Dec 28th. I'll have Christmas Day off, but will resume right after. The radiation sessions should only take about 12-15 minutes each and I'll have 3 ballpoint size tattos from the beam that is used.

The treatment doesn't hurt, but I may experience a couple of side effects near the final sessions. I'll be getting the same type of radiation that I had 2 years ago. This time I won't be pinned down to the table, it's just like when you get a CT scan, nice and relaxed.

I won't be able to enjoy eating this Thanksgiving because I can't really chew, but I will enjoy everyones company.

Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

Anthony

11-7-2015 Cycle 3 and Update

 I'm Rocking & Rolling through my 3rd Cycle. So I got the PET scan results back and it showed a small area that wants to Fight Another Round. My Oncology Team decided that we could kill it with this 3rd round of chemo and to be on the safe side we're going to kick it while it's down and do some radiation treatments. It'll be 12-15 sessions that will take about 15 minutes each session for the target areas.

This slightly changes the schedule because I'll be doing the radiation before the 4th cycle. This will put me in the 4th cycle over the Christmas Holiday. Personally since I probably can't be around a lot of people anyway Its not going to bother me in the least if I miss Christmas. If they schedule me to come in after the Holiday and clear me to be around a lot of people I'd enjoy spending some time with you, just get in touch with me. The most important thing to me is spending some time with France, my Son, Daughter-in-law, Granddaughters and Nieces and Nephews.

As my hair was falling out, but before it all fell out, France and I decided to take a few shots against the green screen. We had to have a little fun with the backgrounds.

I feel great, strong and have been able to go to work and I got one day of training in with Indio before the 3rd cycle. I was planning on doing more training, but that day I had to avoid anything strenuous 24 hours before the PET scan. I'll have all the time in the world to train once this is all done. There is a Boxing Gym down the street from our apartment that France and I are going to join (Dullea's Boxing). At this stage it's more about improving our health, diet, exercise and state of being.

When I get home I start my injection schedule to get ready for stem cell collection on the 19th & 20th. Aside from a couple of bumps in the road everything is going great! My bloods have been $%^& Awesome thanks to Adosinda's Quince and pepper drink! I'm going to start a Capsaicin regimen extracting the Capsaicin from the 10lbs of Habaneros that I still have. There are other ways to mega dose Capsaicin. Doses of Capsaicin have been Proven to Kill Cancer Cells, by causing them to kill themselves (a term called Apoptosis). I am considering starting a Cannabis Oil regimen, if I don't have satisfactory results with Capsaisin Extract. Before I start anything It's going to be run by my Oncology Team and supported by Arthur.  I'll be ordering Tualang Honey in a couple of weeks.

More people dismiss the healing values in Honey out of ignorance than you think. Bees from around the world produce honey that we can benefit from for so many different health problems. It can get expensive, but that's just the way it is. Our bodies are healing machines that are designed to heal when they have what they need. We are a bio-electrical mass of tissue, muscle and water that needs to convert foods into energy in order to survive. Disease strives in our blood and bodies when we lack in what the body needs to continue its fight against disease.

This is the PET Scan from 9-24-15. Most of the area circled in red is all the cancer. The white area below is my bladder. It's lit up, but it isn't cancer. When I went in for my first cycle on 9-25-15 I was in rough shape and this is why.













This is the PET Scan from 11-4-15. All but one spot circled in red remains. This is going to get blasted over 20 sessions of radiation.

Well that's enough babbling from me for one sitting.

Thanks for reading!

Anthony

10-28-2015 Update

I was told that I had to do a complete dental exam and be cleared from the dentist before I could start the stem cell collection process. I met with my dentist and have to have 7 teeth extracted.

I've got a date set for 11-23-15 to remove the teeth and I'll get a followup date later to clear up any Gingivitis and mitigate the risk of infection.

After I finish up with treatment and recovery I'll concern myself with the cosmetic dental implants. right now its Eyes on The Prize, not how I look through all this.

- Anthony

10-20-2015 Update

10-20-2015

Let me take a step back and explain a little about the chemo drugs that I am receiving this time.

Rituximab 375MG IV

Etoposide 100 MG IV

Carboplatin AUC=5 IV

Hydrocortisone sodium Succinate 100MG IV

Ifosfamide 5000MG IV

Mesna 5000MG IV

During the first cycle while receiving the Rituximab about 2 hours in I started to feel pains in my chest. The pain just got worse and started to feel like my heart was going to explode.

They stopped the IV and ran an EKG which showed that everything was normal and nothing was wrong with my heart. Later when I met with my Oncologist before my second cycle he said that I started the first cycle pretty beaten up from the prior few weeks and was weak to begin with. 

When they started the IV again they stayed at a slow drip and it took 3 more hours for it to finish, but I wasn’t under any stress anymore. The rest of the treatment went fine with no hiccups.

The NP instructed me to take Claritin everyday while on Neulasta and it will help negate the pain. I’ll tell ya that I’m grateful because I didn’t feel a thing.

I had a follow up appt. with my Oncologist on 10-9-15 for blood work, consult and if everything was good with my blood work I’d be able to start cycle 2. My platelets we just under and we held off for another week.

Our friend Adosinda recommended that I make a juice of Red Bell Pepper, Quince fruit and Honey and drink it everyday because it’s good for Anemia and would help keep my bloods up. When I went back to the Oncologist on 10-16-15 my bloods were AWESOME!

The break at home went very well. No pain from the Neulasta. I was managing the constipation great, but I was pretty worn down. I mean that I was beat the $!%^ up! I could only whisper no matter how hard I tried for a couple of days. I was really tired and spent most of the days resting. By Friday I was starting to feel some of my strength come back, but I could feel my limits just walking up and down the stairs.

Saturday 10-10-15 I went to my Tong Ren class. I got one of Tom’s new Peizo Ionizer band to wear in my hat (which I am wearing now). The energy of the session was great and as long as I keep working on keeping my healing energy up, I’ll heal faster and better.

As my strength improved I was able to get some stuff done that had to get done. I helped France with a couple of her machines and hung the new smoke detectors in France’s mother’s house. I even worked for 2 weeks in the office and one week at home.

Being at work is great for me because I can safely walk to the different buildings that I have to work in without worry. If I walk around the neighborhood at home and fall or pass out nobody is going to do anything. They’ll drive on by like I was a drunk or something and leave me there. At work there is always someone around and help would be seconds away. Most days when I got home from work I was beat and would just lay down for an hour or so.

10-16-15 I had my Oncologist appt and got admitted to start cycle 2. This time there wasn’t any issues with the chemo drugs, IV drip or the speed. I did however develop a vein core swelling from leakage from the IV which will take about a month to heal.

During Sunday 10-18 my blood pressure was low enough that my RN wanted to run an EKG just to be on the safe side. The chemo drugs lower your blood pressure and they have me on blood pressure meds (Lisinopril 10mg). They suggested that I get a BP monitor for home. Today I bought a Omron BP786 for $79 which has Bluetooth to my iphone so I can send the results to my Oncologist.

I started to get a lot of acid reflux and burning that wasn’t comfortable. It’s not as bad as it was a couple of days ago and I’m hoping that it doesn’t interfere with my appetite. Prilosec is working for me.

I had remembered reading about this Honey called Manuka Honey that had medicinal values and contains very powerful antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties. France found a 500 gram jar at whole foods, but it’s not medicinal rated and is blended with another honey.

There is another honey Tualang Honey that is equally high in the same, but also known for its cancer healing values. These honeys are expensive because of where they are located, how the honey is harvested and its purity.

Well now I’m waiting for 11-4 to take another PET Scan and review it with my Oncologist on 11-6. If all goes well I’ll start cycle 3 and get more info about my stem cell schedule.

Anthony

Team Tarallo vs. Lymphoma 'The Rematch'

Sept, 4th 2015 I stopped at Home Depot to buy a 5gal bucket of joint compound. It's heavy and I was using a carriage that I had to swing the bucket into and I felt a pull in my back right behind the shoulder blade. Swing it out of the cart and into the truck. Swing it out of the truck and onto the ground. Swing it from hand to hand into the house. Then I worked all weekend long. I found myself in too much pain to work on Monday (Labor Day) so I rested. I noticed that I had become seriously constipated and hadn't had a movement since Friday morning.

I didn't know if I pinched a nerve in my back, slipped or bulged a disc, or did something else. I went to Salem Hospital Tue, the 8th for an x-ray and up/low GI pain. They didn't take an x-ray or do any scans. Simply put they gave me something for pain, sleep and a patch for my back. I did a colonic later that day and managed the up/low GI pressure and reduced my back pain. Thinking that did the trick I ate like normal, but still wasn't regulated and within a couple of days I was dealing with the up/low GI pressure again, the constipation and all the pain.

I couldn't sleep because of the back pain. I couldn't get comfortable in any position for sleep except sitting upright hunched over a stability ball with pillows. That was a true moment that Kodak missed.This continues until the 19th when I called it quits on my own efforts and decided to go to MGH. I'm thinking that this is just back complications and constipation. I get settled in the ER and we do a CT Scan to see whats going on. I had an inflamed pancreas, inflamed colon (not from the colonics like you're thinking) and inflamed lymph nodes in my abdomen. I was weak, could barely walk, whispered cause I couldn't talk normally.

We scheduled a biopsy of some of the nodes in my abdomen and a PET scan from eyes to thighs. We'd be able to sit down with the Dr. and review the results on Friday.

The biopsy and PET results showed that I was a stage 4 Lymphoma with Triple Hit that was attacking my system aggressively in a very short period of time. Triple Hit means that the cancer was mutating on 3 different chromosomes. My Doctor wanted to admit me immediately to start treatment.

I was admitted on 9-25-15 and even though the treatment got started late I feel a million times better. No pain, no up/low GI pressure, no constipation and I can sleep.

I've got 2 more 4 day inpatient stay cycles then I do a PET scan.

The next phase after the chemotherapy is stem cell transplant. They are going to extract my stem cells and use them.

Today 9-27-15 My bloods are Awesome! I'm not in pain, I'm getting stronger and I quickly realized how this disease can masquerade symptoms buying itself time to cause the most damage that it can. I never would have thought it was the Lymphoma coming back, neither did my Doctor which I just happen to see on 9-3 and every thing was great. I thought it had something to do with my back, but after the biopsy and PET my Doctor knew exactly what was going on.

So I'm on a different set of chemo drugs that I'll list later and a different approach to removing the cancer.

I'd love to talk to all of you, but it's exhausting telling the same story over and over. I'm not a pity partier and appreciate if you check your pity at the door. I love you and if you want to do whats best for me then demonstrate your strength.

When I was going through treatment in 2013 one of the quotes that had the most impact was from Ronda Rousey from The Ultimate Fighter. "If you quit now you quit for the rest of your life." "Once you quit, you're always going to have that quit in you."

That changed my game on the spot. Ronda would never read this, but i'd like to thank her for sharing her warrior spirit with the world that was listening.

Another moment that impacted me was from Lizard Lick Towing. I was going through chemo and in this new episode Ronnie demonstrated pure selflessness. I was in awe. His company was struggling, his relationships were struggling, money was tight and they had to repo some farm equipment from a local farmer that they grew up with. It was touching, but what Ronnie does through all his struggles is run for mayor and try to put a stop to big business moving in and taking over these mom and pops, and family run farms.

When someone tells you something most times it goes from ear to ear. When someone demonstrates something it holds more impact in it's statement.

I was able to figure out a meaning to all that and it's helped me a great deal with doubts.