July 22, 2010

Hello Everyone! Three weeks ago Earl was recovering from surgery and today you can hardly even know he had surgery. He is resilient. He looks so good. His appetite is fantastic and that is really good to see. After not being able to eat any food at all for over three weeks, I love watching him eat what he wants. Aside from a little fatigue, he is up and around and is even shaving regularly. Haha...We just feel so lucky to have a little break from treatment and hospitals. I keep praying for a miracle that the Doctors will tell me he is cured and maybe that will come, but I know even if that doesn't happen, I have already received my miracle because I have been fortunate enough to call myself his wife. We are never guaranteed forever, even though we think we deserve it. This past year has taught me never to count on tomorrow, enjoy today to it's fullest and be thankful for it. Earl is a blessing to me and to my children. He is doing so well and I thank everyone for thinking of us, and who knows, we may just get that miracle. God Bless you All! Lot of Love from the "Riffles" Donna

Quiet time at home

Earl is home recovering from the surgery and gaining strength everyday. He is eating well now and getting some energy back. We went yesterday to get the staples removed, which was quite painless. It looked like it would hurt but it didn't so that was good. We picked up some sushi on our way home and I made some pasta for dinner. His appetite is improving and he is starting to get some of his old cravings back. Our next appt is with Dr. Shairi on July 26th and we will weigh our options for more treatment at that time. For now we will just enjoy each day and work on getting Earl healthier. We are really in need of a miracle now and since I believe in miracles, I don't think I'm asking for too much. If anyone in this world deserves a miracle it is my husband. So we are all taking it one day at a time and trusting that God will take care of us. Thank you all for the phone calls, texts, and emails while Earl was in the hospital. My friends and family are really what keep me going each day. Love you all! Donna & Earl

Everyday is a gift!

Okay, so needless to say we didn't get the news from our scan that we had hoped for and now Earl is in the hospital awaiting surgery to remove a small blockage in his small intestines which is preventing him from eating. That's enough right there to get you down, but we ain't down. Maybe we were for few days but we are over that now. After three days I crying I pulled myself together and reminded myself, Oh, yeah, right, God is still in control of this, not us. So each day I spend in awe of being married to the most beautiful person I have ever met and how lucky I am that God chose me to be on this journey with Earl. So, we hope to get this "procedure" done and get him home before the 4th of July and maybe he can eat a hot dog and some watermelon. His spirits are good and he is not in any pain. They are giving him liquid nutrition so he should actually gain some weight. And that is all we can process for now. The rest of the story remains to be told, so stay tuned and thank you, thank you, thank you, for all the prayers. Love you all sooooo much. Donna & Earl

75 MAN

Hello Everyone! We are rapidly approaching our LAST chemo treatment. Did I say last? We are optimistic that Friday will come and go without a hitch and we can put this "beast" to rest. Forever!!! We will probably have a scan in a few weeks to see our progress. Holding my breath. Earl is amazing. I already knew that when I married him but everyday he surprises me with his positive attitude and determination. I want to be just like him when I grow up. haha I had family in town this week and he played golf Saturday and Sunday. Shot a 75 on Saturday, are you kiddin me? That's right, a 75, needless to say his buddies weren't as impressed! I guess they thought they'd finally be able to beat him but no can do. He beat the tar out them. It was a fabulous weekend and I am glad he had some fun. I'm dragging him out to the Opera Thursday night, if he is up to it. If not then mom is my backup date. Okay, we're down to the wire so I need LOTS of prayers. Thank you all so much. I will keep you posted. Love you all! Donna

Better, Better, Better

We had a nice quiet weekend at home. We all rested and enjoyed the peacefulness. Earl is feeling so much better today. He is finally getting some strength back after his five day stay in the hospital. We hope to get our last chemo Friday and be done with this cancer stuff. One of our nurses in the hospital had a pin on that said "cancer sucks". I so want one of those. We really hope to get our life back to some normalcy. Drew is back from Costa Rico without incident and Olivia is finishing up her last week of school. 8th grade graduation is June 2. then I will officially have a daughter in high school. Where have the years gone? Too fast I can tell you that. I am really looking forward to a nice summer free of hustle and bustle and hospitals. Keep us in your prayers. Love to you all. Donna

What a weekend

Earl was scheduled to have his last BIG chemo treatment on Friday, May 14th. Well to say the least that didn't happen and we had quite the scare. His blood pressure dropped to 60/30 and they did not even start chemo. We ended up spending the night in the hospital and they ran all sorts of tests on his heart. The tests all came back good and they determined that he was just really dehydrated and let us go home Saturday morning. By Saturday evening we were back at MUSC. Earl was having terrible pain. He ended up having to get two units of blood and lots of other meds. Potassium, magnesium and lots more fluids. He was running a fever and vomiting. They pumped his stomach and put him on a clear liquid diet. He was finally released yesterday about 5pm and we made it home. We are both exhausted and ready for some relief in this crazy cancer world. I can tell you that my friends are the best friends in the whole world. So many of you checked up on us and gave us so many prayers. We are gonna survive this, I do know that. We have an appt with on the 28th to find out what is gonna happen with the last treatment. We will keep you posted. Love you all. Donna

May update

Hey Y'all,

Things are coming to an end (hopefully) Earl is schedule to have his last BIG treatment on Friday and then maybe one more little one. We are scheduled to have his CT scan on the 28th, but of course all of this depends on his count. So we are trying to keep him rested and well nourished to get those cell counts up. Anyone who knows Earl knows that getting him to rest is not an easy task. His cousins from WV were in town last week and we were able to spend some time with them and his Brothers and Sunny on Thursday & Friday. I know he really enjoyed their company. Drew is home from College now and I can say that I am really enjoying having him around, even though his room is a total mess. I think Olivia likes having her big brother home too. Earl and I have a little vacation planned for June to Hilton Head and I am so looking forward to it. I am hoping he will be feeling pretty good by then and can play some golf. I plan on sitting my bum on the beach with a good book! I may play one round with him. That's our update. All is well and we are hanging in there. Life is good! Love you all, Donna & Earl