Another Sleepy Day

Ryan was pretty sleepy again today. His white count was still at 400 today, but his platelets and hemoglobin came up on their own again today. The nurse practitioner said tomorrow or Friday we should see his white count moving up. She said that the platelets and hemoglobin usually come up 2 or 3 days before the white cell count starts up.

Ryan got sick after eating his breakfast this morning and then felt nauseous again before supper. They had to give him a second dose of nausea medicine before he could eat, but then he ate his grilled cheese and some potato chips, as well as the pickle spear that I was hoping that he'd let me eat. I got one bit and then tried to get him to give me another, but he had already eaten it!

He mentioned that he wanted to go outside today, but then he got sleepy and we ended up only walking to the cafeteria. The next couple of days are supposed to be really nice, so we'll probably get outside soon.

They mentioned the word home today and his nurse went over all the discharge instructions about what he is and is not allowed to do and when we're supposed to call the hospital, etc. I still have to practice changing his dressing and flushing his line because I'll be responsible for that when he's out of the hospital. I'm a little nervous about that, but I have only practiced flushing the line once, so once I've practiced it, I think I'll be ok. The nurse said that the worse thing that can happen is that the lockcock on his line comes open and blood begins rushing out. I asked how often that happened and she told me not very often and if it did that I shouldn't panic, ha ha - she doesn't know me very well :) I panic when Ryan's temperature goes about 98.6, when he gets sick, and when I think he's sleeping too much.

We're praying that Ryan continues to cruise on and that once his counts begin to come up, that they will recover as they're supposed to and his 2-3 times/week visits at the clinic will only last for a couple weeks before we can come home.

This is the day that the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.
-A

Tired Day

Ryan was awake and getting ready to eat breakfast when I arrived at the hospital this morning, and while he was eating and then looking at a tractor online, he kept falling asleep. After his breakfast, he took a nap and then a shower. We walked downstairs to get lunch in the cafeteria, but then the batteries on one of Ryan's pumps went dead so he had to go back upstairs. I ended up getting our lunches and carrying them back upstairs. After lunch we watched a movie and then Aubrey came for a visit.

Ryan's white count was still at 400 today. His platelets went up and his hemoglobin went down just a little bit. The doctor told him that he's on autopilot now, just waiting until his counts come up. The nurse practitioner was asking him about his pain and they are most likely going to turn down his pain pump tomorrow morning. The nurse said that she thought his rash was getting better, I didn't think I saw a change in it. One of the fellow doctors said that if the rash didn't clear up that they might have to biopsy it, but the doctor never said anything about that, so I don't know what is happening with the rash. Please pray that his body will work as it is supposed to and that the rash will go away. His nurse thought that his white count probably wasn't coming up real fast because the cells are trying to help heal his mouth and the rash on his leg so there are cells there, but they're working to take care of his body.

Things seem to be going well and it sounded like Ryan might start taking some things in pill form tomorrow.

Please pray that his counts continue upward.

-A

Going Up

The best news of the day is that Ryan's white count went up to 400 today. I hope that means that his counts are on the way up, but we'll have to see what they do tomorrow before we say that they are. The doctors said that in 2-3 days they would begin giving him some of his medicines in pill form to see if he can tolerate them. They are also planning on turning his morphine back to the lowest dose to see how he gets along with a little less pain medicine because he won't be able to go home with a pain pump.

Ryan said he had one small nosebleed tonight, but nothing major like he had Friday and Saturday. His platelets were 29 today and I would imagine that if they drop much by tomorrow that he'll have to get platelets because they probably won't let them get too low to keep his nose from bleeding so much. Ryan's hemoglobin went up both yesterday and today on its own.

My mom, Aubrey, and I got to the hospital around 7:30 to visit Ryan tonight. I had to wake him up to take him out to the waiting room to see Aubrey, but they enjoyed seeing each other. Aubrey's face lit up when she saw Ryan coming through the door. She played with him some and gave him a couple of kisses. It was fun to see.

It has been a long day, about time for bed.

Pray that his counts continue to rise as they're supposed to and that the sores that he still has in his mouth begin to clear up.

-A

A Quiet Day

I don't think much happened today. It sounds to me like Ryan got some rest and visited with a few people. Thanks Jeremy and Lisa for visiting and I think Ryan had a couple phone calls to keep him busy as well. Ryan's white count stayed at 300 today and his hemoglobin went up from yesterday. His platelets dropped from 48 to 42, so not a huge drop. The platelets help clot the blood so if they stay up there is less chance for him to get a nosebleed.

Ryan's throat seems to be getting better and he has a few spots in his mouth that are bothering him still, but he's trying to eat a few more things than soup and pudding. When Aubrey and I skyped with him earlier, he had just gotten his supper and was trying penne pasta which he said was made with rigatoni noodles :)

I'm working at my office tomorrow and then heading back to Columbus for the week. I pray that God is holding each of us (all our readers included) in his safe hands.

-A

More Nosebleeds

There have been a couple more nosebleeds today, but they haven't been quite as bad as the ones yesterday. Ryan got some platelets late last night and then some more earlier today. His platelet count is up to 48 now, which is pretty good for a cancer patient.

He wanted to have a nap all day long, but the longest he got was only about half an hour. He took a shower around 12:30 and then we went for a walk downstairs and I got some lunch. Then Ryan got some platelets and napped on and off for the afternoon. He didn't eat any lunch because he was having a nosebleed and was tired, so now he is preparing to eat supper.

His white count is at 300 today, another bounce. He got his last dose of methotrexate (a chemo to help with graft v. host disease). He said the doctor told him this morning that it'd probably be another 7-10 days. He couldn't remember if that was in the hospital or before his counts would begin to come up. We are continuing to pray that only good things happen from here on out. They have his platelets up to a good level, so we hope for no more major nosebleeds. His c-diff results came back and were negative so he's not in isolation any more. His fever has been gone for a few days and we pray for no more fevers. Everyone tells him that they think he's doing great, so we just need to see his numbers begin to recover and get him one step closer to coming home for good.


I've been told be several people that we've been so strong and shown a lot of faith throughout this whole ordeal. I want to say that God is really carrying us and holding us up through our families and friends who care for us. There is no way that we could do this alone. I'm truly not that strong, but I think we have strong faith that makes us strong. There isn't much fun in this, but I see joy every day. Ryan makes at least one nurse laugh each day and me as well. I see joy on his face when he gets to see Aubrey or when someone tells him that his daughter is "so cute." Aubrey is still a little scared of the mask, but she is joyful that he is just in the room where she can run around and play and he can watch her. I am joyful when he smiles at me from his bed just after he wakes up from his nap. I am joyful when I can hear Aubrey saying "mommy, mommy" when I walk up to our apartment door. I am joyful that I can do some of my work from the hospital and can sit by Ryan's side here more than I could at Miami Valley. There are trying times, but there is so much joy in this family and I am joyful for that reason.

We keep on praying
-A

Nosebleeds

Ryan was sleeping when I got to the hospital this morning at 9:30. I thought it kind of odd that he was still sleeping, but as I was standing by the door, putting on my gown, I saw his sign: Attention Staff - My school called and we're on a 2-hour delay so I will be operating on that schedule. He got a pretty good laugh from the doctors and nurses for that one. The doctor came in a little after 10 and he checked out Ryan's rash - he said that they were a little concerned for nothing. He thought maybe the rash looked a little better today than yesterday, but it wasn't getting worse.

Ryan's white count was 200 today, continuing to bounce back and forth between 200 and 300. His hemoglobin count was 7.9 so he got 2 units of blood today and then by the middle of the morning he was having a pretty bad nosebleed so he also got platelets today. Actually, this afternoon he had a second nose bleed and so he might be getting a second bag of platelets sometime late tonight or early tomorrow morning.

When Ryan's first bag of blood was finished, the nurse flushed it through to get all the blood in and then Ryan's nose started to drip blood. He told the nurse that she pushed the blood through too quickly because it was now shooting out his nose. She got a good laugh out of that.

Other than the nosebleeds, this was a pretty good day. Ryan's throat is feeling a little better - he says things are more tender now than sore. He was thinking about asking if they would turn his pain medicine down some to see how he would get along. After all the excitement with the nose bleeds, I don't think he asked, maybe tomorrow.

We pray that the platelets that Ryan has gotten will help with clotting his blood so that he doesn't have nose bleeds tomorrow.

-A

Day +9

Today is the earliest that the doctors said that Ryan's white cell count could begin to come up. It was 300 today, it has been bouncing back and forth between 200 and 300 since about day +4. Ryan's rash has not lessened, but it hasn't gotten worse either, so they are just continuing to watch it. He will continue to be in contact isolation until Saturday morning when they get the results from his test back. His fever is gone today and nothing grew on any of the cultures.

Ryan had a couple of visitors today and was tired this afternoon. He slept from about 4:30-7:30 and was pretty out of it when I woke him up at 7:30 so he could visit with Aubrey. He only lasted about 15 minutes before he was ready to head back to his room and bed.

I think his throat is feeling a little better. We now just wait for the counts to come up.

We continue to appreciate all the prayers that are being offered for us.

-A

Prayer Request

Ryan has developed a rash on his leg. They said it is not graft vs. host rash because that rash looks different. They are not sure what the rash is so there's not a lot they can do about it right away. It hasn't gotten any worse since last night, but it itches Ryan says. Obviously, they don't want his scratching it.

Also, Ryan has developed diarrhea and so is now in precautionary contact isolation (everyone has to wear a gown in his room) until they determine if he has c-diff - that will be 2 days until they get results.

We pray that he doesn't have c-diff and that the rash doesn't spread or get worse and will go away.

-A

Changing

There were changes today, I'm not sure that things are better or worse, just changed a bit. Ryan's temperature steadily came down during the day, it was 99.9 at 7:00 though, up a little bit from earlier this afternoon. Ryan got platelets this morning and it caused them to go up by 25, but this evening he was having nosebleeds. The nurse, Sarah, didn't think that they were bad enough that he needed platelets again and she didn't sound like it would be good to give platelets again this soon, but they were going to watch them.

Ryan was able to go to the bathroom a couple of times today, the 2nd time he went he thought he might be moving towards diarrhea, so I guess they'll be watching that now as well. Ryan's white count was 200 again today. The nurse thought that his throat looked a little less red today. I thought that he acted like it didn't hurt quite so bad, but he's still having plenty of trouble eating and so soup is on the menu at just about every meal.

Thank you to our friend Carolyn, whose husband is also here at OSU getting a transplant, for bringing me to my apartment tonight. We met Carolyn and Jerry at Miami Valley and they came to OSU two days after we did. Jerry is just a couple of days behind Ryan.

We ask that you keep both Ryan and Jerry in your prayers that they will both be strong for another day tomorrow.

-A

One Week Gone

It has been 1 week since Ryan's transplant. Even though he has a fever and mouth sores, the doctors think that he is still doing well. He still looks well and we went on our normal walk which takes about 25 minutes, so I think he's still feeling ok. One nurse practioner was in this afternoon to check to see how his throat pain was and he told Ryan that he'd probably have the sores until his counts started to come up. We need to pray that his counts will begin to recover soon so that the pain in his mouth and throat will go away.

Ryan still has his fever and they took more blood cultures tonight - they draw blood for cultures every day that he has a fever. He has been on antibiotics since last evening, but the fever is still persisting. The doctors think that the fever is probably being caused by the mucositis (mouth/throat sores). While I was there today we played bowling and golfing on the Wii and he tried to do some more tractor buying, but the guy had already sold it when he called.

Ryan is a little worried that the fever could be a sign of bowel trouble again. He has been taking some things to help keep him regular, but we need to pray that he will continue to have regular bowel movements and that the fever is not a sign of trouble there again.

We really appreciate all your thoughts and prayers that are keeping us held up during this time. 2 weeks down . . . we hope to have Ryan back to our "vacation home" before 2 more weeks are up!

-A

Information

Just wanted to let everyone know that there will be pancake breakfast on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at the Palestine Church of Christ for Ryan's benefit. I believe they are serving from 7:00-11:00. I want to say that tickets are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children. You purchase tickets at the door.

Also, I will not be in Columbus this coming Sunday, March 28, so if you would like to visit Ryan, he would probably enjoy a few visitors while I'm not able to be there.

Fever Struck

Well, today has probably been the worst day that Ryan's had since he's been at OSU, besides all the scarlet and gray that he endures each day :) He woke up around 4 o'clock this morning with pain in his throat because his pain pump was out of morphine. It took about 45 minutes to get that going again and then he had a nosebleed and so he had to get platelets. He said it was about 6:30 when he got to sleep again and then I called him on the way to work this morning at 7:30. He said he stayed up most of the day and he ate all his meals, but this afternoon around 4:30 or so he got a fever. It was 100.5 when he called me at 5:30, I'm not sure what it was tonight; they hadn't taken it again when we were there. They started him on two antibiotics, took blood and urine cultures, and took a chest x-ray. They think that the fever could be caused from his mouth sores, but we won't really know for sure for 2 to 3 days when the cultures come back.

Ryan did get to visit with Aubrey for about an hour tonight. We didn't think that he'd be able to see her, but since he was allowed to be out walking in the halls we figured he was allowed to see Aubrey and the nurses said it was ok. She we visited and took a walk around the 3rd floor with him and then we headed to the apartment. She is still scared of him a little when she sees him in his mask, but he has to wear it all the time now because his counts are so low. I keep thinking she'll get used to it, but it hasn't happened yet.

Please pray that the fever goes away quickly and that it turns out to be from his mouth sores and not something else. Please also pray that his mouth and throat will begin to feel better and that his counts will recover on the quicker end of the spectrum and not the later.

-A

Day +5

We are moving right along. I was at the hospital today when the doctors came in so I got to meet Dr. Benson, the new attending doctor and hear him tell Ryan that he thought he was doing "awesome." He told us today that the regimen of radiation and chemotherapy that they gave him before the transplant is the toughest one they use. He said Ryan was looking really well and doing awesome as far as he was concerned.

Ryan does have a pretty raw throat and a few sores on the sides of his mouth. He is able to eat soft foods because they have him hooked up to a pain pump which keeps the edge off the pain of the sore throat. He took a pretty long walk while I was there today and only slept for about 1 1/2 hours. He may have taken a nap when I left, I'm not sure, but I guess he deserves one when his white count is only 200. His platelets dropped again today and he may have to get a transfusion of platelets tomorrow.

Otherwise, things are still going smooth. We pray that his mouth begins to feel better in the next day or so and that his body continues to do what it is supposed to and that he doesn't get a fever.

-A

Farm Shopping

I got to sleep in a little bit this morning! That's the first time in I don't know how long. I decided to leave Aubrey at home with my parents this weekend so that we weren't making several trips back and forth to Columbus, and since she's not allowed to see Ryan right now - I figured it would just be better for her to stay home. I found out today that her cousin, Camryn, gets to spend the night with her tonight and they were planning to go to McDonalds for supper tonight. What a great night for a kid!

When I got to the hospital (around 10) this morning, Ryan was getting morphine. He woke up with a bad headache and a sore throat. He had already had medicine for his headache and so he was getting the morphine for the pain in his throat. They were also getting ready to hang his first bag of blood for the day. His hemoglobin was low this morning so he got 2 units of blood this morning. After they got everything situated, he started in with his phone calls. He had the Farm World laid out on his lap and was looking for bargains. He found some rims for the duals for one of his tractors - now his dad has to make the trip to pick them up!

After his shopping spree he decided he needed a nap. He then ate some lunch and took a shower. We tried to watch a movie, but the one we picked out, Funny People, was vulgar and so it didn't last very long - back to basketball on TV.

Ryan's white count was still at 300 today and his platelets have dropped the last few days, but they aren't low enough that he needs any platelets right now. He hasn't taken a walk yet today, but I'm hoping to get him up for a walk before I leave for the night. He is just eating supper right now.

Because of his sore throat, it is a little hard for him to eat; otherwise, he still feels pretty good and has actually been awake most of the day.

I praise God each day that I see him looking so good. I know his throat hurts and I know he is tired because his counts are so low, but his attitude is still great and I feel like he's doing wonderful for all he's been through.

I praise God for that and I thank each of you for your continued prayers for us through this ordeal. Please pray that Ryan's throat doesn't get worse and that he doesn't develop sores. Also pray that he is able to continues to be able to eat and stay strong through each day.

-A

Day 3

3 days down, only 97 more to Transplant +100. Ryan said that the doctors told him to keep up the good work that things looked like they were going right as of right now. He is creating a lot of saliva and so he spits a lot, but otherwise he says that he doesn't really feel any other side effects. I pray that continues to go well.

Ryan's sister Rachel came to visit him today, he enjoyed the company; although I heard he slept through part of her visit. He will probably sleep through parts of my visits tomorrow and Sunday, but I guess that's all part of it.

Not much else going on today.

-A

Day 2

Ryan's white count is down to 500 today. He slept for about 3 hours this morning and then ate lunch around 3:45. I thought that was a pretty late lunch, but I guess when you're in the hospital with nothing else to do that it doesn't matter when you eat - as long as you eat.

Aubrey and I talked to Ryan on the computer tonight for about 20 minutes. I corralled Aubrey in her high chair with a snack so that she would leave the computer alone while we were talking to him. She enjoys seeing him, but she wants to get right up on the computer because I think she thinks that he's inside.

It is fun seeing him talk with her because they actually get to interact where they can't very well on the phone. Ryan's platelets and hemoglobin counts were good today and his calcium was also good. He needed a little magnesium, but otherwise he said he felt fine today.

Ryan said his mouth was beginning to feel a little gross, so I pray that doesn't mean that he's getting sores. We're also praying that as his counts are down that he doesn't get fever. We are praising God that we've had 2 good days already and we continue to believe 1 day at a time that healing is happening.

-A

Day 1

Well, the waiting has begun. Ryan (and Russell) both felt tired today, but otherwise fine. Ryan got up and ate breakfast and showered this morning and then took a nap until lunchtime. After lunch he worked on the computer and visited some. When it was time for Russell and I to head home, he walked us almost to the parking garage. Then he went back and tried to watch a movie, he fell asleep. I called him around 9 and he was just eating supper so he called me back a little while ago. Nothing major today.

I pray that each day is like that, although I know there will be good and bad days, I keep praying for the good.

-A

Day 0

I know many of you are probably watching and waiting to hear some news. Although it will be several days until we see the cells doing their job, the transplant has occurred. Russell spent 5 1/2 hours giving the cells this morning and then it took about 3 hours for the lab to get things ready. They began the infusion (transplant) process at 4:50 and finished at 5:40. It just looked like he was getting a unit of blood, except that it was a little darker and they put it in much faster. Ryan will have to stay on the heart monitor for about 2 more hours and then he'll get that off and be "done" for the day.

This was a long day, although I wasn't really at the hospital any longer than any other day. This morning I arrived around 9 and Ryan's mom and sister came to visit, they had brought Russell over this morning for his process. We visited for an hour or so and then I went to see how Russell's process was going. The nurse explained everything they were doing - taking his blood out of one arm, filtering it through a centrifuge, keeping the parts they needed and putting the rest back in him through the other arm. Russell started this around 8 and was finished by 1:30. We then waited until about 3:45 to find out that they need 4 million cells from Russell and they had collect 10 million. So they then gave Ryan his pre-meds (tylenol and benadryl) 1/2 hour before they began the transfusion.

Ryan got to visit with Aubrey for the last time for the next couple of weeks today, actually, he spent quite a bit of time out of his room visiting today. He went to visit Russell before lunch, then we ate downstairs in the cafeteria with my dad, and Jake and Brandi (my brother and sister-in-law). After lunch, my mom and Aubrey came to the hospital as well as Mike, our preacher. When Russell was finished with his procedure he, Ryan's mom, and Rachel (Ryan's sister) also joined us in the waiting room. Aubrey was entertaining, Ryan was resting, and we all had a good visit.

I don't think I really did much today, but my legs are tired and I feel worn out this evening. Aubrey has gone to bed "on time" tonight and so I'm going to veg on the couch and relax a little.

Thank you to all who covered us with your prayers today. They were felt as the day went very smoothly. Now we enter into the waiting phase where we watch for Ryan's counts to drop off and then for the cells to begin doing their job in Ryan's body and the cells to begin growing again. We ask that you continue to pray for the next stage in this journey.

-A

Day -1

Tomorrow is the big day. Ryan got sick when he got up this morning and had a little bit of a fever, but after the nausea medicine and 3 more hours of sleep, he was a different person. He finally decided he was going to get up around noon. He ate lunch - a pretty big lunch, checked email, opened his mail, and finally took a shower. Then Aubrey came for her visit, we tried giving her a mask so that she wouldn't be scared of Ryan's, but she didn't want anything to do with that mask either. She did a little better at the end of the visit, we took a walk down the hallway to see where Russell would be when he was having his procedure done and she did hold his hand for a few seconds, but that's all she would do; she held Grandma's hand for the rest of the walk.

Ryan wore his Michigan hat today when he went to the waiting room to visit Aubrey and the nurses told him he wasn't allowed back on the unit until he took his hat off. He told them that his head was cold and he needed it.

Aubrey's Bible story for tonight was about Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat believed that God was in control. Her book is about Bible heroes and at the end it says: "Heroes keep their eyes fixed on the Lord, not on the circumstances. No matter what kind of battle you are facing, God is in control." Our battle has already began, but tomorrow is an important day in that battle and we are fixing our eyes on the Lord because we know that he has the entire situation until his control. We are trusting that Russell will give enough cells tomorrow morning so that Ryan will receive them tomorrow afternoon. The next two weeks will then be an uphill climb as Ryan's counts will be bottomed out for 9-13 days until his body accepts the new marrow and begins making cells on its own.

We appreciate prayers for both Ryan and Russell and that the cells and Ryan's body will accept each other. Ryan will have side effects, but we pray that they will be minimal and that everything will continue to go smoothly as it has so far.

God's grace is covering us
-A

Day -2

Only 2 more days until transplant time. Right before we left the hospital tonight, they started Ryan on his immunosuppressant drug. This drug will help his body not to reject Russell's marrow cells when they transplant on Tuesday. He will take this until about Day +100 and then they will try to wean him off the drug and allow his body to work normally. At that point, unless he is showing signs of graft vs. host disease they are hoping that they won't see any signs.

Ryan's hemoglobin was low today so he received 2 units of blood. He also had lots of visitors! His parents were the first to visit this morning, then some friends and his brother. Then 2 of our aunts and uncles, then Aubrey and my mom got to come visit. It was a busy day. Ryan was about ready for bed around 8 when we left, it probably didn't help that I called him on the way to the hospital this afternoon and cut his nap short.

Ryan told me that he got sick a little over night, but he ate all three meals today and things went ok. He had Wendy's tonight when my mom and Aubrey got there to visit. When Ryan goes off the unit to see Aubrey he has to wear a mask that looks like a duck bill. Aubrey does not like seeing him in that mask at all - actually I think she's a little scared of him when she sees it.

Aubrey is turning into a big girl. She has been interested in sitting on the potty and so I bought her one of her own the other day. She sat on it several times yesterday and actually went to the bathroom on it once. Tonight she said she had to go so I sat her on it, she sat for a while, then got up, then peed of the floor!! We'll see if she stays interested in it or whether she'll change her mind in a few days.

Ryan's mouth was starting to get a little dry today so I'm praying that the mouth treatment that he's doing will keep the sores away. Otherwise, he seems to be doing really well and I think both he and Russell are ready for Tuesday.

We pray for strength for Ryan and Russell on Tuesday as well as peace for Aubrey when we leave Daddy in the hospital.

-A

Internet Trouble

I tried to blog last night, but I couldn't get my computer to hit the wireless network in the apartment, so I had to wait to use Ryan's here at the hospital this morning. I think I have a setting wrong, but it won't let me change anything. The computer is like Aubrey - it has a mind of its own! :)

Ryan is finished with his radiation, he only got sick 1 time out of six treatments, so he thought he did ok with that. There's still a chance he could get some mouth sores, but we're praying that he doesn't. The chemo started this morning at 9:00 and it is a 12 hour dose. He gets the same drug all day long, but several different bags of it - each one goes in over an hour and 15 minutes.

After today, he gets 2 days off to rest before the transplant is scheduled for Tuesday.

I'm not sure that I'll be able to blog again until tomorrow, so I'll post updates again later tomorrow - I've got to figure out my computer's issues :0

Thank you for the continued prayers and mail, Ryan tells me how much mail he gets each day.

-A

Not Much to Report

Ryan received 2 more rounds of radiation today. He is still eating and sleeping and walking - all things that he is supposed to do. Aubrey and I talked to him on the computer again tonight, she really seems to like seeing Ryan and talking with him on the computer, she can interact more with him that way than on the phone.

Ryan was tired when I talked to him after supper, but he was going to shower and try to walk some more laps around his floor before getting ready for bed.

-A

How Could I Forget!

I don't know how I could have forgotten to post this important information. Ryan had a nurse that was originally from West Virginia yesterday. She is not a Buckeye's fan and so she helped him hang up his OSU/Just Kidding shirt on his IV pole yesterday. For those of you who weren't at the spaghetti dinner - the CTC staff got Ryan an Ohio State shirt and on the back it says Just Kidding in yellow and blue letters - so the shirt is now hanging on his IV pole and he takes it along wherever he goes. He's loving it!

Transplant -6

Ryan's days in the hospital are counted before and after transplant. Transplant day (next Tuesday, March 16) is day 0. Today is 6 days before the transplant, so transplant -6. Ryan began radiation this morning. He went around 6:45 and didn't get back until 8:15 or so. He said since it was his first one it took longer because they had to get everything set up. When he came back he ate breakfast and then had a visitor for most of the day. I'm sure Ryan enjoyed Rex's visit because it gave him something to do since I couldn't be there today.

Ryan went for radiation again about 4:00 this afternoon and that took about an hour. He has eaten all his meals today and when Aubrey and I skyped with him around 6 he was going to finish his supper and then take another walk around the floor. They want him to walk at least 2 times a day. He said he walked earlier, but not for a long time so he was going to try to walk longer tonight.

Otherwise the day was uneventful. Aubrey and I enjoyed the nice weather by taking a walk this afternoon when we got home. I'm glad it is beginning to get warmer, Aubrey enjoys going outside to play.

I am praying each day that Ryan's side effects from the radiation and chemo won't be too bad so that he doesn't feel awful when he gets his transplant. I am believing that everything will go the way it is supposed to and Ryan will get home as soon as it is possible for that to happen.

We continue to appreciate your love, support, and prayers.

-A

A Better Hat

We arrived at the hospital at 7 this morning; Ryan was wearing his Michigan sock hat, of course! The woman who was at the admissions desk told him that she'd have to find him a better had. He didn't think that was very funny :)

We got up to his room around 7:30 and then they had to draw blood for labs and get his third dose of the medicine he's been getting since Sunday. Once they finished all of that and got his admission questions asked, he went to surgery to have his central line placed. He was gone from about 9-11. Things went really well and he said he didn't feel any pain. He ate lunch when he came back - he was complaining about being hungry when we first got here. Things seem pretty much similar to Miami Valley here. We asked about Aubrey visiting and the nurse told him that he would be able to go to the waiting room and see her. She also said that we should have brought her today since there's nothing going on and he could have used a distraction.

I'm sure that Ryan would enjoy getting email: rwulber@mvctc.com, cards: The James Cancer Hospital, Ryan Wulber, room 341, 300 W. 10th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210. He also will have his cell phone, we thought that he wouldn't be able to have that, but they told us that he certainly could use his cell phone. He also has a room phone number: 614-293-3408.

Ryan is allowed to have visitors, as long as the visitors are not sick - not even a cold!

Radiation begins at 7:00 tomorrow morning. I'll be away from Columbus for a couple of days so we truly appreciate the prayers over Ryan that he doesn't get bored while I'm away.

-A

Thank You

Thank you so much to everyone who planned, helped with, attended, or somehow otherwise supported the spaghetti dinner on Saturday. We had a great time visiting with friends and family, and meeting new people who heard about the benefit and wanted to help out in some way. We are so blessed by the many friends and family that we have supporting us.

We got to Columbus yesterday morning around 10:00 for Ryan's appointment at 10:30. It took about an hour by the time the pharmacy got the drug he was to get upstairs and they gave it to him, but Aubrey loved running around the room and the nurse didn't seem to mind her at all. We then found our apartment and got things moved in and tried unsuccessfully to get Aubrey to take a nap, so we decided that a walk in the stroller might help. Just as we were headed out, we got our first visitors. Curtis and Karen found us and so they walked with us and then we visited with them in our "vacation home." That's what Ryan has termed the apartment. It is a very small vacation home if that's what it is to be :) We had a trip to Wal-Mart and dinner and then gave Aubrey a bath. It took our "good sleeper" about 45 minutes to decide that her pack and play was ok to sleep in and she finally went to bed. I was ready shortly after.

This morning Ryan was supposed to have about a 2 hour appointment, so Aubrey and I went along. After we'd been there 45 minutes and they were just taking him to his room, Aubrey and I decided that we'd come back for him when he was ready. We finally picked him up around 1 and then he got sick on the way back to the apartment, so while he was supposed to be enjoying Aubrey today before he went into the hospital, he's hardly gotten to see her at all.

I'm hoping that when he wakes up that he'll be feeling a little better and be able to play with her a little while before she goes to Papaw and Grandma's house.

Ryan gets admitted tomorrow morning at 7:00. (Another early one!) He will then go to surgery to have his central line put in. He also has to get his third dose of the medicine they started yesterday to help prevent mouth sores from the radiation. Otherwise, he has a "free day" in his hospital room tomorrow. Radiation begins on Wednesday.

I'm a little disappointed that today hasn't gone as planned and I've spent some time praying this afternoon. I know that God's plan is for the good of all, so I know He certainly has everything under control, but we continue to ask for your prayers for Ryan's quick recovery and my strength to do everything else!

-a

Frantically Packing

It is almost time to head to Columbus for a few days, Ryan for much longer than that! We have been busy packing and making lists of things we need to bring, and Ryan has been busy doing farm things to prepare for being gone. He and his dad are actually gone now looking at a tractor.

Thursday evening after we got home from work, Ryan from running errands for the farm, we took Aubrey outside to finally use her sled and snowsuit that she got for Christmas. Ryan tried pulling her behind the gator and then got the gator stuck in what was left of the snow. Here are a couple of pictures.





Friday, Ryan, Aubrey and Ryan's parents picked me up from work and took me to the Roadhouse for my birthday. Yeah, my birthday is past, but it is much better to go out when everyone can enjoy it than when it would just be ok. We had a great time and now we're packing.

We are looking forward to the spaghetti dinner tonight - especially Aubrey because she loves pasta!

We appreciate your continued prayers and support as Ryan begins radiation on Wednesday.

-A

A Nice Day

Ryan was up to tell Aubrey and I by when we were ready to leave this morning. He then called me on my way to work to find out if we had any bacon - Dr. Devine told him to fatten up before he came in next Tuesday, so he was following orders :) I guess he then decided that he felt well enough to head down to school to see how things were going there. I think he visited with Sam Custer and stopped in to see his senior students during their lab period.

He came home and napped and then went along with Aubrey and I to the grocery. We had a nice supper at Bob Evans, where Aubrey was as ornery as ever!

I think he's pretty worn out now, he's "watching tv" with his eyes closed.

It was a nice day home and we thank God for these days that we can enjoy together.

-A

A Looongg Day

Today we left at 6:15 to head to Columbus, we took Ryan's brother Russell with us for his appointments as he is to be Ryan's donor. Everything went pretty well. We thought we'd be done around 4:30 and got out of there by 5, so I didn't think it went too badly. It was just a very long day. Ryan had to do a heart test and a lung function test. We met with the radiation/oncology doctor about Ryan's radiation treatment and then we talked with Dr. Devine, the transplant doctor about how everything would go.

I felt we had a pretty informative day and I felt better after talking with Dr. Devine about the length of the hospital stay and our subsequent stay in Columbus. They want to get him back home as soon as they can.

Ryan is looking forward to a few days of rest and going to the spaghetti supper on Saturday night.

We also have been blessed by hearing of 3 more fundraisers for us. The students at Tri-Village are bringing dollars this week to wear pajamas, wacky clothes, hats, etc. and they have decided they are giving the money to us. The Versailles FFA Alumni is selling raffle tickets for quarters of beef and the processing. Those prizes will be raffled off next Tuesday at the FFA Banquet. Some family friends have decided they would like to hold a pancake breakfast fundraiser for us, that will be sometime in April and I'll post information here when there are more details.

We truly appreciate all that is being done for us and greatly appreciate all the prayers because God is sustaining us through this.