1-9-2016 Update & Changing of the PICC Dressing Video

Everything has been going very well so far. Thank you everyone that is ordering a Team Tarallo Shirt. You're thoughts and prayers mean more to me than a shirt does, but it represents a symbol of strength and determination that more people need to see as they get challenged in life because we are the examples of both our younger and older generation. When the time comes to make certain choices we will all have a reflection on how others managed theirs. I'm honored to share my experience with all of you so more of it is clear to you and without so many blanks to fill in on your own and many more holistic options that have been around for decades to centuries.

Well, when I got my PICC Line (peripherally inserted central catheter) put in on Tuesday 1-5-16 it had a tugging feeling to it that was uncomfortable when I turned my wrist, bent my elbow or dipped my shoulder. I was told that it would take a day then it feel fine. The PICC line was inserted just a tad too much and that was causing the tugging feeling. When they changed the dressing and made the adjustments I had asked if I could shoot a video, but France wasn't there to do it, but I do have the changing of the dressing after a couple of trips into the shower with it wrapped up. Between moisture and condensation it is destined to need to be redressed and I have to wear the PICC for the 3 weeks that I'm here. So here is the 5 min video of the redressing. I'm not that fat, its the camera and gown I swear, but I am that bald! 

I've been able to exercise in the gym that they have here which is only a treadmill and a bike, but it gets the job done. My goal is to go in the gym 4 times a day and get a half hour workout in each time. This way I'm moving, keeping my circulation going, getting some sort of a heart rate up. As the days go on I may not even be able to go into the gym as my platelet level drops.

150,000: Activity as I wish
50,000 - 150,000: Bicycle, Treadmill and Weights (no restrictions)
20,000 - 50,000: Bicycle (light resistance), Treadmill (no incline), Weights/Resistance Bands (light), Walking as tolerated.
5,000 - 20,000: No use of the exercise room (no bicycle or treadmill), activities in my room, moving arms and legs seated or in bed.

I'm not trying to push myself, just trying to keep moving so I have my strength later on when I'm really weak which is in the upcoming days. France got a nice shot of my light idea of a workout wearing my Team Tarallo Hoodie.





More to come as the days pass. I'm trying to keep it interesting and less like a daily diary of events.

Anthony

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.

Pre-Dibetes Results Update

Well I seen my Doctor last October and was told that I am Pre-Diabetic and need to get my levels down to normal among other things like drop some weight and lower my blood pressure.

My A1C pre-diabetes levels were 6.1.

My test results from today showed my A1C pre-diabetic levels at 5.3.

Results indicating prediabetes are:
An A1C of 5.7% – 6.4%
Fasting blood glucose of 100 – 125 mg/dl
An OGTT 2 hour blood glucose of 140 mg/dl – 199 mg/dl


Don't give me a rounds of applause just yet, because I don't deserve it.

My Doctor was blown away that not only did I lower my levels in 3 months, but that I'm not at risk of Diabetes anymore. I was expected to bring the numbers down, but this shocked them. My Doctor also knows a lot about Acupuncture and I told her about Tong Ren and she wants to learn more about how it helped me get these results.

My diet isn't that bad and I don't eat junk food anyway. Exercise is the key that works hand in hand with your diet and I haven't been on top of my game with it. I haven't. My good days pale in comparison to my bad days.

What I have been doing that really has been helping is Tong Ren Therapy on Saturday's in Haverhill.

My blood pressure was also down, but my Doctor's main concern was me becoming diabetic.

I'm really happy that I've been following through with Tong Ren because it pulled through where I didn't on my own. My goal is to put my game face back on and stay on the ball so I can combine forces and yield better results.

You all know me as one to spread the word about something that is not only good, but beneficial to you. Check out Tong Ren Therapy. You can watch online free and make a request. You can learn more about how Tong Ren works so you can better understand not just what you're watching, but how the meridian systems in the body work and how certain points are directly related to a lot of what ails us.

Tong Ren Live Class Schedule

TomTam.com

Remission Has Begun!

Friday September 20th, 2013

I would like to thank you for your support and prayers.

The radiation treatment ended on August 6th. Everything went great and the doctors are not expecting any long term side effects from any of the treatments. My hair is growing back, but the radiation site on the left side of my neck may take a couple of months before the hair grows back.

I went back to the doctor on September 20th and I had a PET scan on Sept 9th. All signs of Lymphoma are gone and I can start my remission period over the next 3-5 years. In 5 years if there are still no signs of the lymphoma I can consider myself Cancer-Free.

This isn’t a joke and I’ve learned a lot from this experience. I hope that you have as well.

This disease doesn’t play around. During my second cycle of chemo I was told about a guy I used to work with that just found out he had cancer. He passed away before I finished my 3rd cycle of chemo. 

Sometimes we can catch these things early if we listen to our bodies and schedule routine doctor visits. Other times we aren’t so lucky. Cancers can be very aggressive and do a lot of damage in a short period of time that can greatly reduce the treatment options that may be available.

I know that there are some people that are mad at me for pushing them aside. It wasn’t something that I wanted to do, but it had to be done. This was a war, a battle and I chose to only have a few people closest to me during that time. This is what got me through with such ease.Thank you for your understanding and please accept my apologies if your feelings were hurt.

I would like to thank everyone at work that supported me and made working through treatment like it was just another day. Everyone that shared their story with me helped me better understand what I was going through and gave me more contrast to compare.

Now I’ll see my Oncologist every 3 months for up to 2 years. That may change if things change. 

I will continue to do Tong Ren with Tom Tam and improve my ability in Tai Chi Dao Yin and Pi-Gu. The key thing to Tong Ren and the Dao Yin that most people don’t understand is Bioelectricity. I know, not just because I understand electricity, but because I’ve felt the generation of my own bioelectricity during my Dao Yin and Pi-Gu exercises.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman has a great diet plan that I can make work to my advantage and slowly I can change my diet so it enables my body to fight disease better.

So, over the next 5 years I’ve got a lot of work to do to assure myself that health wise I don’t create more problems for my body to manage.

I’ll try to keep updating this blog as I go through the rest of this journey.

Anthony

Days 77 - 78

Thursday July 18th, 2013

Well radiation has been going smooth.

I really hate driving into Boston in the morning.

My treatment schedule time changes the last week of July to 12:12pm. I'll be able to go to work in the morning and suffer my way into town after.

I got stung by a bee or something yesterday and I have a nice red welt on my back. This is what I was talking about trying to avoid until I was told that my immune system could handle things like this.

I've got some more of my Mom's books that I'm donating to the hospital. I'll keep bringing in a bag of books until they're all gone. They push a book cart around to the patients rooms
and offer them something to read, but they can't return the book, they have to keep it or it will get thrown away.

Well that's all that I have for now.

Days 70 - 76

Tuesday July 16th, 2013

Everything has been going great and about the same, no major incidents to report.

Sunday was my cousin Elana's 5th b-day party. Cindy, Steve, Elana & Ann Marie were here and it was great to see them all after such a long time.

My doctor's visit last Friday went great. I was told that my normal immune system can handle everyday challenges like colds, minor injuries, bug bites, limited but protected sun exposure, other peoples common germs and so on. That was a relief because now I can step out of my bubble and start to enjoy whats left of the summer. Now I can enjoy some of this awesome top down weather!!!

Radiation treatment started yesterday and everything went well. I was in and out of treatment in about 20 minutes. My job is to keep myself hydrated, keep my skin moisturized on the target site, exercise and eat a high protein diet while on treatment. My treatment will last 19 more days over the next 4 weeks. Then I go for another PET scan and see my doctor for a follow up and I'll know more about how well the radiation treatments went.

I can't plan too far ahead of myself and say that I'm all set after that because as expected I'll have more tests and doctor's visits in my future that will let me know where I stand along the way over the next 2-5 years.

I have treatment in a few hours and I'm sure that will go as smoothly as the last.

I'll try to post daily during radiation treatment.

Days 62-69

Tuesday July 9^th, 2013

The facial mapping went great and was very interesting. I can keep my mask if I want once radiation is over.

Next Monday I start treatment and I’m looking forward to breezing through it.

Everything has been going about the same, no real news to report.

Next week will be a chock full of news cause I have my Dr.’s apt on Friday and radiation starts next Monday

Days 49 – 61

Monday July 1st, 2013

I’m doing a crappy job of keeping my blog updated.

Over the past couple of weeks everything has been fine. My last shot of Neulasta wasn’t as bad as the past 2 times, but it still hurt. I was on top of my medicine so it didn’t hurt as much.

I went to the Dr. last week about my radiation treatment. I’ll be doing 20 sessions over a 4 week period starting July 15th. I go in for the facial mapping today. I was told that I could pull through without any lasting side-effects if I manage to do a few things. I need to keep the treatment site moisturized and use dry mouth products like Biotene mouthwash and salt water rinses. I need to start exercising so I can manage any fatigue that I may get from the treatment near the last two weeks, which I was told could be the toughest.

Well that is about it. 2 weeks and all I have is a paragraph.

My Tong Ren sessions have been helping me with my energy, even though I’ve missed a few because I was in treatment.
Work has been keeping me busy and active throughout the day.

I go to see my Dr. again on July 12th. I’ll be able to find out more about how good my blood work has been doing and how much I can challenge my immune system. Things like colds, sun exposure, cuts, and other people’s germs are my concerns. We’ve had some really nice days and I can’t even drive with the top down because of the sun exposure.

Maybe I'll update weekly until the radiation starts.

If there isn't anything going on, who wants to read about nothing?

Day 48

Wednesday June 19th, 2013

It is always awesome to be home and to be able to sleep in your own bed!!!

I had a great nights sleep after I stopped waking up every hour/hour in a half to go pee, but that is just the way it is.

I've got my meds already for today and I'm just waiting for my shot of Neulasta to arrive.

I'm sitting at my desk working from home today.

This Neulasta blast might still kick my ass, but I'm ready and roaring to Bring It On!!! Friday I've got blood work that will let my Dr. know how well the Neulasta is working. Last cycle the Neulasta's reaction was delayed by a day and that threw me off a bit, but I was ahead of the pain with my meds. Same plan for this cycle.

I'm due to take my shot around 10pm which was the same time I did last cycle. I can administrate the shot myself. It doesn't really hurt when you take it, but it sure does later on.

I'm scheduled for my radiation consult on the 24th of June and that will let me know what the scheduling for my radiation will be.

Today for me has really been a waiting game to take my Neulasta shot so I can get it over with.

That is what is going to boost my immune system back up so I'm not depending on the steroids I was taking in the hospital that were acting as my immune system.

I learned that after this cycle that I really need to be on top of my germ plan because of the way that this cycle of chemo effected my system. So I'm really going to step it up as much as I can at home and at work.

 I'm more than half way through it and it looks like with 2 weeks off and 3 weeks of radiation I've got 5 weeks left and what ever recovery time I need if any.

I'm going to try harder to keep the blog updated, but it is difficult when there isn't anything going on except another typical day.

Round 3 Cycle 3 Day 5

Tuesday June 18th, 2013

Well this is it, last day of chemo and I'm waiting for 6:30pm for the hydration bag and so on.

Everything has gone great all 3 cycles!!!

Team MGH has done and unbelievable job of taking care of me and every other patient in the ward. They are by far the absolute very best any patient could ask for.

Team MGH has made me feel right at home and taken the weight and pressure off my shoulders so I can concentrate on what they need me to do without worrying. I did my walking, hydration, ate more than I should have, but I need the extra to feed the meds and chemo and they kept calm and I did what ever they asked of me.

I seen the PICC tech around 7:45pm and had that removed. Now I'm ready to head on home and plan out the rest of the week.

Round 3 Cycle 3 Day 4

Monday June 17th, 2013

I'm glad to say that it's like just another typical day here in the hospital. Everything is going great and Team MGH is in full force in my corner.

My dosages of chemo are not only up, but now decreased in volume time from 24hrs down to 22hrs and I'm taking it like a champ with no sweat.

I worked from the hospital today as I plan on doing tomorrow. I still got my walking in and helped get a lot of work done at the same time.

France and I talked about the upcoming weeks and the radiation treatments. After I consult with the Dr. we'll all come up with a working plan that won't fail.

Without going into much detail about my visit this evening because it's personal.

Strength is Energy. Strength isn't being able to lift something heavy and people go wow, boy are you strong. Strength comes from the heart, spirit, gut, whatever you want to call it, but not everybody has it. You build it, you learn to face fear head on fearlessly regardless of what it is. That's what I learned to do in my Filipino and Indonesian training and that was train like a warrior, think like a warrior and breath the spirit of a warrior. The arts themselves were very different and so was the mentality behind the training. Most importantly the way I was taught by my Guro. You know who you are! Thank you!

Sometimes a fight isn't with another person. Sometimes it's with yourself over your own personal issues, depression, disease, failure, dissatisfaction in life and the key reason that people fail in their fight is a great lack of strength, no spirit, no plan and no team behind them.

It was AWESOME to share tears of strength with my Brother's today! Sometimes you have the opportunity to learn something for one reason and use it for another and I was blessed with the opportunity to thank and express my gratitude to the man responsible for giving me the knowledge and the warrior training that is keeping me ahead in this fight. A fight that I'm winning with my warrior spirit and the help of Team MGH and Team Tarallo!

Some would understand the mention of a warrior like Genghis Khan going into battle and others would understand the mention of a great warrior named Floro Villabrille preparing to do battle in another death match. That's just what this is, a death match. I've prepared myself with everything I've learned and disciplined myself to coach myself through the most difficult times on my own because it's me that has to win this fight and I can't begin to thank everyone for giving me the strength and knowledge that I have to compete with this disease at the level that I am!!!

You will never understand the power of prayer until someone prays for you!!!

You will never experience your own true strength until it is challenged!!!

Right now I feel like it, but in 5 years I will stand victorious atop of my mountain with Cancer's decapitated head raised in my hand.

Round 3 Cycle 3 Day 3 Happy Father's Day!

Sunday June 16th, 2013

Happy Father's Day!!!

I hope that you have a great day with you family today. It's going to be a beautiful day to go out and do something with your kids and grand kids.

I'll get to talk to my son right now cause that's him on the phone calling (8:13am) while I was typing this. BRB.

I got to tell him the good news that the Dr. told me and I'll get to talk with my awesome GrandDaughters later on today. I miss playing with them and now I only have to wait another 34 days not including any recovery time if any from the radiation treatment.

To me Father's Day isn't so much about how proud you are of your children, but how proud your children are of you for being there as a Father should be, as a parent,as a friend, as a mentor and most importantly as a guide toward success in their lives and the sacrifices that you've made to help make that success happen for your children.

Thank you for being the joy in your children's lives and if you haven't been get your head out of your ass and get it together!!! Read and listen to Anthony Robbins, he will help you get into your own head and help you clean up shop.

Happy Father's Day

Anthony

More later on...

Round 3 Cycle 3 Day 2

Saturday June 15th, 2013

I had a pretty rough night sleeping, mainly from the Neuropathy feeling in my feet that was making me uncomfortable. I seen Dr. Ativan a little late (12am) which didn't help me get to sleep earlier.

I woke up nice and early and felt tired, but walked a mile anyway around 9am. I had a great breakfast and I'm planning on studying later today.

I found out today that my magnesium was low so I'm taking a magnesium pill 3 times a day. Hey whatever helps.

I did another 2 miles today, but didn't get any studying done.

I'm handling the chemo dosage increase very well so far. Tonight my drip is going to be decreased to 22 hours. It's looking like the treatment is working out very well for me and I'm handling it great.

It's 9:30 so I think I'm going to sign off and talk about anything I may have left out tomorrow.

Round 13 Cycle 3 Day 1

Friday June 14th, 2013

Well I just got good news from my doctor, that the PET scan didn't show any signs of the two sites that showed up before!!!

I still have to finish the treatment plan, which I still have to finish this 3rd chemo cycle and 16 days of radiation over a 3 week period.

I also got answers to the questions that I had for my DR.

1). How long will I be on meds? For about a month after the radiation treatments end.

2). How long will I need to take Prilosec? (some of the steroids cause heartburn) Same as question 1.

3). How long will it take after the chemo is all done to get my immune system back to normal? It depends, but I should be back to normal in about a month after chemo.

4). What tests can be done to check if someone has Lymphoma or is at risk of Lymphoma? NONE

 More info after I get settled in my room.

Well I got settled into my room about 2pm and got my PICC line in around 6pm and got my Chemo started around 9pm.

We ate lunch in the Cafe downstairs while we waited for the room to be available and just hung around talking over the plan for this cycle which is work out just fine.

I had a good dinner and I feel great about this cycle.

Tomorrow is another day and I'm not going to have any problems handling it either.