Saturday, December 10, 2011

Christmas Is Here - We are doing fine!

There have been Christmas' in the past 4 years, that we just made it through the season.  Without Our Lord, Jesus - leading us by the hand - there were times of deep depression, sorrow and "Why Us" times - that could have not allowed us to see the Joy that is Christmas.  Adele and I thank the Lord that He was with us as always, and helped us get through the past years.

Adele will have more tests in Jan or Feb - her 3 year tests since the stem cell transplant.  We have enjoyed this year greatly, since we both have gotten on a regimen that allows us to continue to be strong.  She is now my care taker as I look forward to getting my chronic back problems fixed.  It would be wonderful to live without so much pain everyday.

On Nov 22, we were in an automobile accident, having been hit in the driver's door by a car making a left turn into our path.  The Malibu (only 2 years and 3 months old with 24,000 miles) now has about $10,000 in damages and I have just gone to the doctor yesterday, since I have been unable to get rid of this stress headache and shoulder pain.  State Farm Insurance (the at fault party's insurance) has yet to give us a determination on fault, so I had to rent a car by myself - letting them pay for it later, and our car cannot be started until they OK the repairs.  What a bunch of ... It's been 2 1/2 weeks since the crash - hopefully we will hear from them next week.

Other things not helping include: Julie's Mother in Law, Cathy passed on Sunday Dec 6th, Julie and Ruby were here to get last visits in with Cathy the week before. Ruby is great and I love taking care of her, but it does add stress and worry about how she (at 3) will take the death of her GrandMom. Last Tuesday we drove to Phila (Adele stayed home) and picked up Eric for the funeral on Wed.  On Wednesday we traveled about 260 miles, Ephrata to Quakertown to Philadelphia to Ephrata and then crash on the sofa.  Of course the rain all day made it so much easier? to drive - wipers on as high as they could go most of the trip to the airport.

Everyone knows the small business environment is also doing poorly, and some months it seems like a lost cause, after 20 years - is it time to go with just one customer?  I am 63 in Jan, Adele is already on Social Security Disability and always asks if I want to get on SS also.  I am at a 'Why Not' stage, work with 1 customer, and a few charities, and drop the rest?  Oh well, that decision is stressful but is not chief in my concerns.

Oh, Julie, Eric and Ruby missed the flight from Charlotte SC to Augusta on Wednesday, then they went to the US Air meeting the people called and were offered a night's stay and flight out the next morning.  Julie and Eric both had to be at work around 7 the next morning, so they looked for a rental car, and all cars had been rented.  So standing there they thought about other options and found a man driving a Lincoln Town Car that offered to drive them home for $big buck$, so they did finally get home in Augusta GA (Evans actually) by 12:30am and thankfully Ruby slept most of the way.  She even was laughing at the severe turbulence they experience from Phila to Charlotte - plane was flying sideways is what Julie said.

Neat stuff - Swatara Township just received their new squad car, a Chevy Impala, rear wheel drive, with a 6 Liter engine - tons of torque and HP for them.  My son Tom was anxious to see it, as Ford's Police package is either front wheel or all wheel drive, no rear wheel drive available from Ford.  It sounds like Swatara Twp likes the new Chevy - Way to go GM!

UPDATE ON THAT POLICE CAR: It was a loaner and just available for a day from a local dealer.

My stress is slowly subsiding, and we will be getting ready for 2 weeks to visit GA for Christmas.  The Chevy Malibu will not be done until January, so we will use the rental HHR we have for the trip.

Next post after all yearly tests are done and commented on by all of the doctors.

Have a safe and Joyous Christmas Season.  Let your Love of Jesus shine for others to see!
Thank You - Rick and Adele Stauffer

Friday, August 19, 2011

August is almost over!

What a month!

We found Ruby Rose is super allergic to dogs and cats.  Their yellow lab, Molly will have to be adopted out, and they are all very sad, Eric raised her from a puppy and loves her very much. News yesterday is that Molly has found a new home in Quakertown, PA with a couple that helps to train service dogs.  They have been looking for a yellow lab, a few years old, for their household to love.  Sounds like a perfect match for Molly, and Julie, Eric and Ruby will be taking Molly 1/2 way to PA and meeting this couple along the route.

Of course, most of you also know Ruby's problems started with her trip to the hospital in early July, while Adele & I were there. Severe Asthma attack and she was turning blue when we got her to the emergency room. Immediately the ER staff got working on her, up to 6 people at one time, and got her admitted and treated quickly. Three days later she got home and we had a great visit. Her allergy tests on Aug 2nd showed a sever allergy to dogs & cats. We will need to send Bathory to 'Bobbie Camp' whenever they come and visit from now on.

Eric's mom, Cathy has been taking chemo, and will for the foreseeable future, but now they found nodules in her spine and brain.  They started radiation the next day on both areas, and hope to see some shrinkage.  The finding of the nodules cancelled Cathy & Pete's trip to see their grand daughter Ruby Rose in August, and now they hope to be able to travel in Sept some time.

Of course, when it rains, it pours.

In June, my father fell while rushing to get altar flowers on June 12 or 19th, and he skinned off a patch of skin so large that we needed to get to the emergency room and get it fixed.  Ephrata Community Hospital did that, with derma bond glue.  He had gashed his arm and nose, with the arm being the worst looking.  Then a few days after that, while enjoying a weekend lunch at a friend's house in Mt Gretna, he was so dizzy and weak he could not walk without support. Mom took him to the Doctor's office and they told her to go to the emergency room with him. She called me (very upset) and asked if I could help get him there, thankfully I heard the phone (the Vette is loud) and was able to help her.  That trip culminated with him getting a pace maker, his heartbeat was around 44 when we got him to LGH.  After three days or so, he went back to Luther Acres and their apartment.

Soon after that we traveled to GA and fun with Ruby, in the hospital and at her home.  Ruby started coughing and having problems breathing Thursday night July 7th, and Adele & Julie took her to the emergency room at 5AM.  See above for rest of story.

On arrival back home, Dad again needed to get to the hospital, this time via ambulance.  I picked up Mom and found Dad at the emergency room with her.  Lower GI bleeding, which he has suffered every 4-5 years over the past 20 years or so, got him so weak, he need a transfusion.  His hemoglobin levels were low and kept bouncing around.  Again (like so many other lower GI trips to hospitals) they found nothing, and sent him home once everything stabilized.  This time they also sent a mini walker / seat on wheels, that he can use to steady himself and rest if he needs to.  He is doing great and about ready to ditch the mini walker any day now.

Of course all the while Cathy's problems are on our minds, and Adele's 6 month checkup is on her mind.  Adele will get a CAT scan next week, and see the doctor around the 6th of Sept. for the results, which I know will be good.  The thought of getting the CAT scan, a week before she thought she needed it, threw her off so much yesterday, I thought we were back and in the "The Cancer is back again" stage from 2 years ago.  She loves that the doctor's visits are 6 month apart, but she then starts worrying about the results as soon as she know the testing will start again.

Prayers for Ruby Rose, Julie and Eric Barna - Asthma and loss of a great friend Molly.
Prayers for Dick & Elly Stauffer - Strength and Understanding
Prayers for Cathy & Pete Barna - Strength, Healing and Understanding
Prayers for Adele - Strength to keep positive through this next 2 weeks.

And of course - Prayers that Congress will see fit to Do Something - Anthing - other than stonewall each other.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

GA trip 3 this year for Adele

OK - time to blog again.  This is the third time Adele is in GA with the Barna family, our daughter Julie, son-in-law Eric and little princess Ruby Rose.  We got here last week on Wednesday evening, the 6th.  By Friday morning around 1 AM, Ruby was already in distress with asthma problems.  At 5 AM, Adele and Julie took her to the emergency room at MCG. 



Once in the emergency room, Adele said they immediately started working on Ruby - no waiting - and at one time there were 6 nurses and doctors working on her at the same time.  Her lips were blue by the time she got there.  They started her on steroids and other meds and kept her on those for the next two days.  By Saturday afternoon, she was just on a treatment every 4 hours and moist oxygen through a nose tube, like an adult gets.  She is so good when the doctor explains something, she is listening to every word and understands it.  Once she wanted apple juice, on Saturday morning, and drank some, but the nurse said no, that she had to get off the ventilator first.  Then the doctor came in to explain why, and Ruby never again asked for apple juice, until they said she could have it.  Then and only then did she react wildly to that news and loved the drink as much as anyone could.  Same reaction later that evening when they gave her the first food in two days.

Home on Sunday afternoon, and treatments continue, with Ruby getting more happy all the time.  You would think she had never been to the hospital, she is a handful to keep quiet and relaxed.

Yesterday, on Tuesday, she visited the doctor and for the first time in the doctor's office, she talked with the doctor, without being afraid of him.  She answered his questions, and he was amazed at how she did with him.  Later in August she has an appointment with the allergist to see what are her triggers.

Adele and I will leave this weekend, but I think we both could stay longer.  I need to work, and Adele is ? ready ? to come home then.

Monday, May 23, 2011

May 23rd - and all is well

OK, I know I should be getting ready for work, but I am still waking up.  Hard night last night, warm and saving money on air conditioning, keeping us both from having a good night's sleep.

Adele is doing well and learning what she can and cannot do since all her treatments.  The doctor visit last week was good, nothing to be worried about, and most of the blood tests were fine.  She still has a low platelete count, when has she not had that, and might be convinced to wear her 'Low Plateletes' bracelet I bought for her.  Tiredness on a daily basis, and the Oncologist said "Let's check your thyroid numbers".  So one more blood test in the near future.

Other than that, we are both doing well and are healthy.

I finished the One Lap of America race at the beginning of May, raising $2,00 for PA Breast Cancer Coalition.  Adele went to Georgia and spent the week with Ruby, Julie and Eric having a great time. Of course, her airplane schedule was changed many times on her way down to GA, but a good beek kept her entertained for the long day of travel.

Other things happening must include all the rain we have been getting this year.  The yard is growing so fast, and rain does not let us now, so I need 2 mowings to do the lawn usually.  This last week was Saturday and Sunday mowing - with Saturday thankfully before the rain fell again.

More later - but we will not be having much done until July or August, since Adele's fight with cancer seems to be going so well.  Still clear, for over 2 years and 4 months now as of last Saturday.  Jan 21, 2009 was her "New Birth Day" or stem cell transplant day, when she received her own stem cells back, to restart her immune system.

Thanks to all that read this - we are loving life day by day.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A beautiful March Day

I have not posted anything in a few months - but don't you believe for as second that nothing happened during that time.

So you do not have to read everything - Adele is OK! No active Cancer anywhere for over 2 years, God Bless the Stem cell Transplant.

January was a month of frustration for Adele, while she called JH many times to see when we will get our 2 year appointment. That stretched into February and then Dr Balpur, in Lancaster, had an appt with us. He was slightly put off by the platelet count and a possible lump under Adele's arm, and ordered more blood work and a PET scan. Adele was at a higher level of frustration all month, expecting that, again, something was wrong with her, and JH just never called for her 2 year.

Late in Feb we finally got a call from JH that was more of a panic call from them. Adele's last immunizations were due on Jan 21st, and to be done by JH, but they forgot. So when they finally called, she brushed it off, since she was thinking about the immunizations all along, and had our family doctor give them to her. We still need to protest to SS and her supplement plan about the no coverage for one of the shots.

March came on us fast, the weather is changing, and yet more doctors appts. All of her doctors are giving her a good checkup and pleased with the results. Oh - the PET scan results came back and were negative for ANY ACTIVE CANCER. Then the second blood test showed the platelets jumped back into her 'normal' zone, which is low according to the charts. But I am obese according to the charts, while I am really just lovably round and hugable.

Other items happening, were our trip to Augusta GA, to help our daughter and family with their move into a new house. Their new school district is much better, with an elementary school within 1/2 from their house. Beautiful area, with walking trails to the Savannah River and a small dock on the river.

With Adele agreeing, I will be leaving on April 28th, for this years "One Lap of America" by Brock Yates. We will visit 10 different racetracks east of the Mississippi in 8 days, racing at each of them. There are 18 total races in an 8 day period from Apr 30th - May 7th. It all starts and ends at South Bend, IN. More info at One Laps website I am part of the Jimbob Racing team, with Jim Roberts driving all races, while I will be assisting in any way I can, especially with driving between tracks every afternoon, and night. 8 days of endurance and stress, both for the car and the participants. I have a blog for the race, and we will be raising money for PA Breast Cancer Coalition during this race, and all summer.

Adele is going back to GA for a mini vaca during the time I will be having a great time. Oh, Ruby was just in the hospital for 3 days, she had a severe breathing problem, that appears to be asthma. I hope it goes away as she gets older, I hate to think of a 2 1/2 year old always carrying around an inhaler. Love her so much, it hurt us both to think she had to go to the hospital, but her Mom & Dad took great care of her, with Julie never leaving her side and cuddling with her all the time. Ruby was a model patient, so all the nurses and doctors loved helping her. She went back home Monday and they are getting back into normal life.