Today Is

It has been
Since Transplant

Saturday, March 28, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

Happy Birthday To Me!!!!

As of yesterday I am 1 years old!!!
My new marrow has been doing it's thing and keeping me cancer free!

:-)

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Fin.

Hey Everyone,

Yesterday marked my last Rituximab treatment.
YIPPE!

I'm home free!!
However, since the Ritux kept my B Cells depleted, I'll still get IVIG until those numbers come up.

I can't believe it's almost been a year since transplant.
That is just completely ridiculous.

I think it's time to finally close this blog for good.
I'll write a more appropriate post to finish this bad boy soon.
But for now it's hasta la pasta!

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Ohhh That's right... I have a blog!

Ok, please don't feel neglected. I did forget about updating you, but I did NOT stop loving you!

So It's been six weeks, and here we are. Not a whole lot of new stuff to say.

Oh wait... yes there is... I STARTED WORKING!

Yup! I just finished my first week of work at Morgan Stanley. They found a Pre-Trainee position for me, and I'll stay in this position until August when I start the training program.

I'm really excited. I get a good vibe from my colleagues and it will also give me a lot of exposure and insight into the Morgan Stanley Infrastructure.

The days are long... My commute is 2 hours door-to-door, but I'm surviving. I was able to tether my cell to my laptop, so at least I have full internet on my laptop for the absurdly long train ride. It not only makes the ride go quicker, but also allows me to be productive in that off time.

Other then that, still working on the Christmas Show! We put up the lights today, and now we just have to wire them up.

Well that's it for now. Try not to hate me and I'll try to write more often then once a month.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

AMAZING NEWS!!!!!

So when today began, I thought it would just be a usual Tuesday...

Go to Sloan, get my bloodwork, joke with the nurses, see the doctor, and then finally head on home. However, I had no idea what was in store for me!

So we all know that last week I got my T-Cell count back. Well there is also another test they do. They look at your PHA level. This tells them how well your immune system in functioning. You could have 500 T-Cells, but if you have a low PHA level, then their not really doing anything.

That level didn't come back until today...
Well, my PHA level is 233,395!
THAT'S A NORMAL PHA LEVEL

What that means is I've been given the green light to start living my normal life! However, until I get a few more T-Cells the doctor wants me to steer clear of sushi. But in the meantime, that means I can go back to work, and do all those other wonderful things!!

So I gave Morgan Stanley a call, and pretty much let them know I'm ready when they are!
Hopefully with the turmoil of the market, they can still find a place for me! :-)

Until next time sports fans!

Monday, September 22, 2008

My Weekend Out...

So I should be in bed... but I can't sleep. That's what I get for taking a nap at around 3 o'clock today. In the mean time, I'll write about my awesome weekend!

So yesterday, two of my WONDERFUL friends got married!
That's Mr. & Mrs. Dan Spadora right there!

So now you may be thinking, "Gee Nick... you don't have your 200 T-Cells, how did you attend a wedding?"

Well, I asked the doctors and they gave me the OK! They understand that they can't keep me in a bubble forever and that it wouldn't be fair to keep me away from an occasion such as this.

It was a beautiful ceremony, and one rockin' reception with great food and great friends! We had quite the Marist contingency and we partied well into the night.

On a more personal note, it felt so good to just be "normal" again. To re-enter the real world... even if it was just a quick furlough. Now originally, I thought the experience would feel like a tease. Only giving me a small glimpse of what life will be like once I'm back to 100%.

However, it had quite the opposite effect. It really gave me renewed strength. It produced the same thought with a totally different meaning. This IS what awaits me... I'm so close and nothing can stop me now!

Look out world, here I come!!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Results...

The Results Are In!!

I've made it to
160

Not too shabby, considering last month they only went up 9.
Hopefully this means by next month I will surpass the 200 mark!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Still Nothing...

As of 5pm... still nothing!

I guess I'll be waiting over the weekend for an answer.

BOO!!!

Waiting...

As of 10 AM no T-Cell results.
Each time they do this test, I swear it takes longer.

Hopefully something by the end of the day!

Friday, September 05, 2008

The Look On His Face...

Yesterday was quite the long day for me!

I was up bright and early to get to Sloan for 8 AM.
The day started with a PET Scan, continued with some IVIG (passive immune system), and ended with a CT scan. I left just in time for rush hour... 5pm!

It only took me 2hr 15mins to get home... oh How I love the LIE!

My route home takes me up the FDR Drive and across the Triborough Bridge... which is where today's story begins!

Somehow, my EZ-Pass fell off the dashboard and landed under the seat. Unfortunately, I don't realize this until I'm sitting at the toll booth and wondering why the gate isn't lifting! As I frantically look for the EZ-Pass a TBTA Cop (Tri-Borough Transit Authority) makes his way over to my car. This is not an unusual occurance. EZ-Passes with a weak battery usually need to be scanned manually in order for them to work.

Now the TBTA cop looked like a young guy... maybe 23ish... and seemed new on the job. As he's waiting for me to hand him my EZ-Pass, this little thing attached his belt starts Beeping in a high-low type fashion. (An Alarm) He removes this device from his belt and his face drops. His expression was confusion with a little bit of fear mixed in.

What was that beeping on his belt? It was a Radiation Detector! That's right folks... I'm radioactive!!! As you recall, I had a PET scan earlier that day. For a PET Scan they inject you with a radioactive sugar, which the machine is able to read. It's a great way for the doctors to observe metabolic activity in your body. The downside is... YOU'RE RADIOACTIVE!! In a post 9/11 world, especially near the bridges and tunnels, law enforcement is pretty keen on trying to make sure nobody sneaks a dirty bomb into the city.

I could tell from the officers face he was thinking the following: "They told us when this thing beeps, it's detecing radiation... but it's never done that before... holy **** what did I just find? Is this guy a terrorist?"... So on and so forth. The TBTBA officer nervously asks if I have anything in my trunk. I think for a second and realize what he's holding in his hand must be the radiation detector. I ask him, and he confirms it. I chuckle and respond "Oh Don't worry... It's just me!"

This doesn't ease his fears. I then show him my hospital card, bracelet, and the medical wrap on my arm from where the IV was. At that point, he wasn't sure what to do. I could see him looking around for any colleagues near by that he could flag over... unfortuntaely no one was close enough. He reluctantly allowed me to continue and I laughed the entire way home.

Anyways... thats my funny story for the day.

My Day At Sloan...

These scans were the routine PET/CT scans that make sure I'm still cancer free. For those of you who have never had a CT scan, you're usually required to drink oral contrast... ONE LITER of oral contrast! After almost two years of dealing with these scans every 2 months, I guess you could say I used to chugging back the stuff. They try to make it palatable by mixing it with Crystal Light. Needless to say, I shudder whenever I just see a crystal light package.

Now you also need to drink the contrast for a PET scan. Usually, we're able to schedule the scans back to back so I only need to drink the nasty stuff once! Unfortuantely, yesterday I wasn't that lucky. The PET Scan was in the morning at 9AM, and the CT Scan was in the afternoon at 4pm. So yesterday I was force fed 2 Liters of Raspberry Crystal Light. I still cringe just thinking about it.

Other then that, everything went off without a hitch, and I'm doing fine!
Next week we have another T-Cell Count! Look for results on Friday!

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Another small project

I just finished another small project...

See for yourself!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXmfulpGIJc

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

It's been a slow month...

Well... It's been a slow month. The usual routine...

Tuesday - Sloan Check-up @NYC
Thursday - Sloan Lab Work @Commack

I've been trying to get myself into a better schedule. Earlier in the summer I was waking up between 10 & 11 every day. I've finally gotten myself alive by 8 on a daily basis.

I'll keep this 8 o'clock schedule for about a week... then try and push it back to 7. Eventually get it to 6 in preparation for me having to enter the "real world."

On a side note, I've decide to start something productive...
Next Sunday (Sept 7th) I start an EMT Course! It's every Sunday until March. This is something I've wanted to do for a while. Even if I don't have the time to join a volunteer corps afterward... it should be some pretty useful skills to have!

Friday, August 08, 2008

New Picture!

As you can see from the top of the page... there is a new picture!

We have a T-Cell Count Meter!

The Middle of the chart shows 200, which would be what I need for the doctor to start lessening restrictions. The end of the chart would be 400, which is considered the low end of normal.

Results...

Well my T-Cell went up... just not as much as I had hoped.
They are at 107.

So In one month they went from 98 to 107.
But in the two months prior they went from 0 to 98.

I don't know why they've slowed, but the doctor's say that it's normal because of my age.
::Sigh::

Keep on truckin...

Thursday, August 07, 2008

No Results...

Results aren't back yet... check back tomorrow! :-)

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Oops... Small Mistake...

Hello Hello!

So does everyone remember the "growing clot" I had in my chest?
Because of that little stinker, I've been taking blood thinners for the past three weeks.

Well, last week my doctor wanted to do an echocardiogram (Ultrasound of the heart) so we could get a clearer picture on the clot and make it easier to track it as time goes on. Well, when they did the echo, they didn't see anything! Nothing at all!!

Hmm...
So now they took my original CT scan (where they thought they saw the growing clot) and brought it to another radiologist. He looks at and determines that there was never a clot to begin with!

So in one corner we have a radiologist saying there is a clot and in the other corner, a radiologist saying there isn't a clot!

Now what?
The tiebreaker is now a TEE. A Transesophageal Echocardiogram. When you get an echo, they place the probe on your chest and move it around. However because the ultrasound has to travel through your chest wall and muscles and all that, you can only get a certain level of clarity... which is usually enough.

In a TEE, they actually place the probe down your throat and look at your heart from the opposite direction. This provides them a clearer picture of certain areas of the heart.


A cardiologist performed the TEE yesterday. I was put under anesthesia, so I didn't feel a thing.
The procedure took about 30 minutes and when we were all done...

drum roll please...

NO CLOT!
There was nothing there! Everything looked normal and I am able to stop taking the blood thinners! Thank God!!!

So I guess an "Oops" is in order for that original radiologist. But really, it's better to be safe then sorry. What if the second guy was wrong? So now we can be sure I am clot free and continue the road to recovery...


Sneak Preview...
T-Cell Count next week, I should have results by the 7th!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Quick Hello

Nothing new to report... just saying hello!
I'm doing great and keeping busy.

We won't check my T-Cells again until the beginning of August... so until then I just keep truckin' along.

I setup a page dedicated to my past and future Christmas light displays.

Have a look!
http://christmas.romanelliupdate.com

Monday, July 14, 2008

Fruits of my labor...

So as I mentioned in a previous post, I've been toiling away at a personal project of mine.
Behold Unity Messaging:

http://www.unity-messaging.com
My fully hosted, complete messaging service!

I offer the ability for any type of organization large or small, (business, non-profit, church, school etc) to send E-Mail, Text Messages, and Phone Calls to all their users.

It's the perfect way to get out a message for whatever the case may be. Important Homeowners Association meeting coming up? Perhaps the time to the little league baseball game has been changed! Use Unity to let everyone know! E-Mail, Text Messages, and Phone... it has it all covered!

I'm really proud of it and was great way to not only keep me busy, but also keep all my skills sharp, as I still won't be starting work for a few months.

Anybody you know might be interested? Feel free to let them know!

Take care,
Nick

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

If It's Not One Thing...

...It's another!

Tuesday was quite the long day for me. I was at Sloan by 7 AM. I had my CT scans and my PET Scan. After those were all finished i had to get my IVIG (Passive Immune System.) It was a very busy day. I finally left the city at round 5 o'clock and it only took me a glorious 2 HOURS to get home!! Ohhh how much I love the LIE.

Luckily I was at Sloan long enough for them to give me all my test results the same day! Still no more cancer! Everything is great!!

Except we have a new little problem...

If you remember, since I started treatment I had a mediport put in my chest. Essentially, it's a central line. When they took it out to put in a temporary triple line for my bone marrow transplant, they noticed that the vein it was in was all clotted up... this happens from having a line in for an extended period of time... no big deal.

However, on this latest round of scans they noticed that the clotting grew.
Medical term: Thrombosis
There could be two reasons for this: 1. Once the clot forms, it's easy for the clot to grow, and may just be a one time thing, or 2. I have a genetic defect which causes clotting.

They took some blood to run the genetic tests, but those won't be back for two weeks. In either case, I've been put on blood thinners and that will do the trick. However, if it is one of those genetic defects, I might have to be on the blood thinners for quite a while. It's one shot twice a day... no big deal.

But all in all, no cancer is the most important thing!

Thursday, July 03, 2008

I Should Play Lotto!

So It's 98 days post transplant and I get a call from the doctor.
They took my T Cell count on Tuesday, and the results are back.

So how many do you think we got? 60 days ago, it was at 0. How many could we possibly get.
Well guess what... we got 98!!!! WOOT!!! Not Too Shabby!

I need at least 200 for the doctors to start lifting the quarantine, and those could come as early as the end of this month, but even if it's the end of August... we're in great shape!

So 98 T-Cells at 98 days post transplant... Today's July 3rd...
7 3 9 8 - Win 4

I'm playing lotto tomorrow... Hey! Ya never know :-)

Friday, June 20, 2008

Oops...

Sorry Sorry Sorry...

I know I have this thing called a blog and I'm supposed to update it... but I tend to forget.

Which is maybe a good thing. I forget because there's not much to write about.
The doctor's are still happy with me, I feel good... and I'm even getting some hair back!

Next week we'll be taking our second T Cell count. It's only been three months, so I don't expect anything. (Hopefully we get something better then zero!) I don't expect to see any significant numbers until the end of August (6 months)

Other then that, I've been spending time working on a programming project for my little consulting business. It's about 75% of the way there and hopefully can make me a little money this summer.

I've also started planning for this year's Christmas display! I hope to improve on the techniques I used up at Marist last year and create an unforgettable display for the neighborhood!

Until we meet again!