Good News

Hey everyone, thanks for reading. It's been a good couple of weeks. First, last Monday Meg and I had my consultation with the Radiologist and the process was better than expected. Starting the week of December 6th I start receiving daily doses of radiation for 2.5 weeks (weekends off). I should be done before Christmas.....nice. Additionally, because it's a shorter time table the side affects will be limited. Tiredness (I've only been tired for the last 2.5 years, so no biggie there), and I may get a sore throat that may last a couple of weeks after the last dose of radiation. I expected the sore throat part to be much more harsh, but because I'm only getting treatment for 2.5 weeks, the throat doesn't get too damaged. Lucky again. So today I go back in for a few hours and get tested (CT Scan), get some small tattoos so they know where to zap me each time, and get a body mold done so that I'm in the same position every time.

The second piece of good news came last week as well. Last Tuesday I went in for my PET Scan....this is the big one! The PET Scan tells me if the Chemo worked. For those who don't know....For a PET Scan, via an IV, I get a radio active trace put in me (nuclear something or other). I then sit in a dark and quiet room for 1 hour while it moves throughout my body. Then I get in the MRI-like machine for 25 minutes. That's it...no pain or anything like that....just boring. On Wednesday Dr. Yee called with the results....no abnormal tracer uptake, no abnormal metabolic activity.....in other words, the PET Scan was GOOD and I don't need anymore Chemo. Phew....I made it....YESSSSSS! There was a little scar tissue where the Lymphoma was, but that was almost expected and doesn't mean much.

So, even though my PET Scan was clear and the Lymphoma is gone, it's still highly recommended that I go through Radiation (and I will), as it can still raise the overall survival rate. Just to recap from an earlier post, in my situation, Radiation can help about 1 in 10 people, but they don't know who the "1" person will be.....so they recommend that everyone gets radiation (in my situation).

So from here I receive the radiation treatment, probably get another CT Scan when they're done. Then I'll basically see Dr. Yee every 3 months, doing a new PET Scan every other visit with Dr. Yee. I'll do that for a year, then it will gradually slow down.

Lyric Of The Day: "Life is beautiful, but it's complicated and we barely make it.....we don't need to understand, there are miracles.....miracles." (Vega 4, Life Is Beautiful)

That's it for now....I'll chat more during the Radiation.

Cheers

I made it!

Well, I'm all done. Last Friday I had my final Chemo session. It's been 3 1/2 months since I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin Lymphoma and though I'm not done with treatment, I feel as if I've made it over a major hurdle. I had 8 Chemo sessions, each one being worse than the previous, and overall, I'm very pleased with the way my body/immune system handled the bi-weekly poison. From the personal stories I've heard to the articles I've read online, I think I'm very fortunate to have not missed a day of work, to have not lost my hair, to have been a fully functioning father/husband as Meg and I brought Kenzie into this world. I really can't be happier with how things have gone so far.

Lyric Of The Day: "May the best of your today's, be the worst of your tomorrows" Jay-Z, Forever Young

This last session was the worst one yet. My mom was there to keep my company. It was really great that she was there, we played cribbage (which she won both times...dang it) and we played original Trivial Pursuit, which was interesting playing a game with questions from the 70s and 80s. It really is nice to have someone there to chat with as I mentally battle for 3 hours. I was nauseous most of the time there and there was a couple of moments where I thought I was going to throw up in the my seat. But, I dug deep and was able to hold it in. The final IV drug usually lasts 1 hour, but unfortunately, this time it accidentally got stuck on slow....and after an hour, the RN came over and realized the mistake and got it back on track. She was very apologetic as it did cost me extra 1/2 hour......are you kidding me? what are the chances?....this must have been a final test :) Mentally that was very challenging as I've had a difficult time counting down the minutes each session. It really sucked to add a half hour on at the end. After a tough 30 minute ride home, I walked directly into the bathroom and threw up. Darn! I nearly made it all the way through 3 months of chemo without tossing the cookies, only to lose it when I'm all done and in my own home. Oh well, better in my own bathroom then at the doctors office. I'm still very pleased with how everything went. The rest of the night was fairly rough and I just spent most of the night alone watching TV in bed. My mom stayed and made an amazing dinner for Meg and the kids. The last few days have gradually gotten better as these drugs work their magic and work their way out of my system. I'm done.....wooohooo!

Up next, a PET Scan in about 3 weeks, followed by a visit with Dr. Yee to analyze the scan. From there I'll be referred to a Radiologist where I will do 3 to 5 weeks of daily radiation. A few things were cleared up during this last visit with Dr. Yee. He's going to recommend Radiation regardless of what the PET Scan says. Radiation helps 1 in 10 patients who goes through it. The problem is, they don't know which 10% is affected by the radiation. The science is not there to tell them who will be helped or which specific traits or factors in a person will work well with the radiation. So....it's a guess. It's still my choice, and to me it's a no brainer. Ten percent is a big number and if I can increase the curability figures even a little...I'll do it. Dr. Yee is not a Radiologist so he can only speculate on the length of the treatment and how I'll respond to it. Tiredness, skin burns, throat swelling, and nausea are all potential side effects of radiation. Having said that, I don't think it's going to be as bad as the Chemo....so bring it on.

That's it for now, special thanks to the Lord for getting me through this....

Steve

The Best Of What's Around

Hello everyone, not much has changed/happened since my last post, but I'm trying to blog more than I have been. I've had a couple of small bouts of nausea and a couple of rough nights of sleeps (anxiety I guess). I've also had a couple of annoying itchy spots pop up on my legs.

Tomorrow I'm a week away from my last Chemo session....YESSSSSS

In keeping up with my newly formed lyric of the week idea....

"Turns out, not where but who you're with that really matters, that really matters!"

Dave Matthews Band (The Best Of What's Around)

I was listening to music while making dinner last night and this song came on. It's a good song, one of my fav's, but this particular line means a lot to me. For 2+ months now, I've been going to Chemo session getting poison injected into my body, which petty much sucks if you think about it. But it hasn't been as bad as it really could've been, because I've had the people I care about most with me. I've been fortunate enough to have 5 of the most important people in my life, wait in line to come hang out with me week after week. So, thank you to my beautiful wife Megan, my bro Eric, my mom & dad Nancy & Jeff, and my very good friend Brian. It would've been a lot worse without you guys...

Thanks,

This Chemo Stuff Sucks, But Only One More To Go

Hey everyone, thanks for reading. It's been a while since I've posted, basically just been lazy (sorry). I've decided to incorporate into my blog one of my favorite things to do in life. Music! I'll post one lyric that grabbed me throughout the week. No explanation needed, they should be pretty self explanatory lyrics:

"Well I Won't Back Down, No I Won't Back Down, You Can Stand Me Up At The Gates Of Hell, And I Won't Back Down"

Tom Petty

Two days ago I had my 2nd Chemo session since my last blog. Both of them have taken their toll on me. I'm getting pretty nauseous during the treatments and well into the nights as well. It pretty much sucks and I'm out of commission for that evening. Thankfully, we've had either my mom or Meg's mom here to help with with dinners and taking care of the kids. It's been great, thanks Moms. The Saturday's that follow are not great either, but much better than the Chemo days.

Because the Chemo days are getting worse, I'm starting to think about them or dread them more as they approach. The nausea sets in pretty quick once the nurses get started. One of the anti-nausea drugs has a weird smell and taste to it that doesn't sit very well with me. From there it just gradually gets worse until the end of the 2hrs and 30 minutes....where I'm internally begging them to pull these IV's out of me so I can run to the door for fresh air. Of course once they take everything out, I'm actually just walking, smiling, saying thank you to all the nurses who helped me out, before I reach the door and take deep breath. My brother sat with me this week and he was gracious enough to pick me up at home and more importantly drive me home afterwards. That was nice, because two weeks ago I forgot to set that plan up with my dad, and not only did I have to drive myself home, but I had to go pick Riley up at daycare. It sucked, but I put on a big smile for Riley. When I get home, I usually go straight up to bed and just chill all night, coming down a few times for water and maybe a bite to eat or something. I'm also popping two different anti-nausea pills throughout the night. This last time I slept pretty good and woke up feeling better. I chilled most of the day yesterday, but we did have a birthday party to go to at my Brother and Kara's house....I made it through pretty good actually. I managed to put down a small dinner, but then eventually got too tired and it was time to leave. As of right now, Sunday morning, I'm feeling pretty good :)

I did find out something interesting two weeks ago. Since the beginning of the Chemo sessions I've had some itchiness that's kind of been uncontrollable. Early on, I briefly mentioned it to my doctor, but he didn't think much of it, because the Chemo is supposed to zap everything in my immune system, and therefore nothing should get through. I was thinking mosquito bites or spider bites or something. It started to grow up my legs a little bit and then I started getting a lot of spots on my torso. Some more itchy then others. Eventually, I got a dollar bill sized spot on my right thigh that I couldn't stop itching. It was also starting to grow outward....kind of bumpy. Anyway, two weeks ago I finally showed my doctor some of the spots and he concluded that I was allergic to one of Chemo drugs...Great, I'm allergic to one of the drugs trying to save my life :) Actually, the doctor wasn't too worried about it, he just told me to use some Cortizone and that should do it. It was pretty itchy there for a few days, but I think the Cortizone did it's job pretty well. I had uncontrollable spots on both shins, my left knee, my right thigh, my left hand, my upper left arm, both shoulder blades, and my left neck......UGH!

Well I've completed 7 Chemo sessions and I've only got one more left....YESSSS. Then a small break and then the all important PET Scan. The PET Scan will shows what, if any part of the cancer is left. This will also determine if and how much Radiation I'll need.

Wells that it's for now.....Have a good week everyone and thanks for reading.

Steve

Ohhhh No.....My Hair!!!!

Well, it finally happened.....the Chemo has taken my hair. I'm devastated :( My most manly possession has been stolen from me. After 34 years of nurturing, caressing, praying, and being made fun of, the cancer has finally taken my one and only CHEST hair. What, did you think I was talking about the hair on my head? Oh, I still have most of that, and I don't really care about that anyway. Although it has continued to thin, as it has for the past few weeks. The doc was a tad perplexed as to why I still have all my hair. Usually through Chemo, you lose your hair in the first 2-3 weeks. I did have pretty thick hair. Which brings up another question: If I have such thick hair on my head....then why only 1 chest hair....I don't get it. Oh well, my wife likes it :)

I had my 5th of 8 Chemo sessions on Friday. Three more to go. My mother joined me and that was really cool. We chatted and played Cribbage the whole time. She won two out of three games...she had so many monster hands, we were both laughing by the end. But mom....haven't you ever heard of the phrase "let the cancer patient win." I guess not....just kidding, she won fair and square.

Last night after the Chemo session, I experienced a full night of nausea. I could feel it coming on during the treatment, but it got worse and constant all night. It pretty much sucked. But I woke up this morning and I've felt fine all day.

I did have a consultation with my doc this time, which was good because I developed a pretty good cough over the last two weeks. It's been a little scary in our house lately, as all four of us had colds at the same time and Meg and I are still battling. On Tuesday we took Meg to the urgent care facility and she was diagnosed with Pneumonia....for the second time this year....UGH! That sucks in itself, but I also have a bad cough and Pneumonia is not something I can get with my depleted immune system. When I originally called my doc last week and told him about my cough, he prescribed me a cough suppressant....it just kind of numbs the throat. I called him again after Meg was diagnosed and he put me on the same antibiotic that Meg is on (Azithromycin). I don't think I actually have Pneumonia, because I'm not as bad as Meg is, plus I don't have a fever or a cold. But just in case, I wanted the doc to know and I'm glad he prescribed me a pill. I feel bad for Meg, as she's definitely taken the brunt of this household cold. It's really depressing to be sick for so long, but even more so when you get Pneumonia.

During the consultation, my mom and I peppered Dr. Yee with questions, not only about the cough, but also about the upcoming PET Scan and transition into radiation. The doc said I'll get a little time off between my 8th and finally Chemo treatment and the PET Scan, which is nice. Then after review they'll determine if I need the radiation at all and how much/long. For the first time I asked the doc about the radiation process and I was a little surprised about the side affects. I was only under the impression that I would experience a little tiredness, but that's about it. He said it's kind of hit and miss, it affects everyone differently (similar to my Chemo treatment), but I could experience some skin burning, and because the cancer is around my upper torso area (neck), my throat could swell up, resulting in liquid foods for a while. This could last for up to 6 months, although the radiation may only last 3 weeks (daily). But, he also suggested that if the cancer is gone, I may not need radiation at all. But then added one more caveat: whether or not I need it, if I do it, it could add 10% on to my survival rate. Well that's a no brainer to me. I can brave anything for 2-6 more months, if it saves my life. Like my mom said, that's the difference between 2-10 dying and 1-10 dying (Chemo and radiation could push the survival rate to 90%). I'll take the radiation and the 6 months of milkshakes please....

This weeks shout out goes to my Mom and Dad. When they found out that Meg had Pneumonia, and that I might have it, they quickly offered to take work off (my dad's retired) and come take care of us for two full days and nights. We continued to take Riley to day care, so that we could actually relax a little during the day. But they were awesome...my mom made chicken noodle soup scratch, homemade lasagna, and a nice corned beef and cabbage dinner. All of which were very good and there were tons of leftovers. My dad mowed the front and back lawns and I helped him weed a little bit. The key part was that my mom basically took care of Kenzie both days and, which let Meg try to sleep this Pneumonia off. Plus, in support of me, my dad shaved his head down to match mine (roughly a 1/4 inch). Awesome gesture day. Thanks Mom & Dad, you guys are the best.

That's it for now, talk to ya later,

Steve

Halfway Home

Hey everyone....thanks for reading. Well, this weekend I'm officially halfway between chemo sessions 4-5, which is also the halfway point for the entire chemo therapy process...yes!!! A week ago was my 4th session and my good buddy Brian Jolly joined me (thanks dude). Unfortunately at and around this session I was pretty sick with a head cold. It's ok to be sick when you're on chemo therapy, but only if it's a head cold. If it becomes something more serious, then that's not good. Nothing viral. This is the first visit that I had where my doc and I didn't have a consultation prior to receiving chemo. But because I was sick, I did briefly talk to him and tell him what I was experiencing. At the time, I was starting to come out of the head cold and the doc thought that was pretty positive and that was pretty much it. The session went well. I switched arms to receive the IV, because my left arm had been super sore for the last week and half. I take the IV on the top side of the forearm about 3 inches up from the wrist. Well, I had taken the first three sessions all in the same spot (my left arm). The spot was always sore for the first few days, but it was really sore the entire time between sessions 3-4. The doc said it might be a possible infection, but then he found out that I had got all 3 session in the same spot, he said...duh!...swich spots...of course it's hurting. So I switched to the right arm. I currently have no soreness in either arm. Ok, so maybe I could've figured that out on my own...but hey, I'm paying the good doctor a lot of money to guide me through this process.....(oops).

That night we went over to my bro's house for Carter's birthday. I felt ok, but as the night went on I started to get a little worse. It was a combination of a little nausea and a little tiredness. There were a lot of kids running around (8-10 or so), it was loud, it was bit hot, and I really felt as if the walls were closing in on me. It was kind of like...."Meg, maybe we should go?" Then as 5 minutes would pass, it was more like...."Meg, lets get the heck out of here!" It reminded me of that scene from "As Good As It Gets" with Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear......the scene where Jack and Helen Hunt are running for a cab on the street and there's a class of 6 years or so on the street running with them yelling exactly what Jack is yelling....finally Jack turns around and waves his hand in the air and yells..."SHUT UP KIDS!" And....that's when I knew it was time for us to leave!

I've had a couple of nausea moments since then, but the real trouble has been that my cold has come back as a bad cough. After about 5 days of this, I finally called my doctor and he immediately prescribed a drug called Benzonatate. It's comes in the form of a small rubbery ball that when dropped can catch about 3 feet of air. Earlier in the year both Meg and I caught Walking Pneumonia and this dry cough I have is eerily similar. With my depleted immune system, Pneumonia would be a bad situation for me. So I've been on the pills for about 2 full days now and I've been very good about taking one every 8 hours. I'm not messing around with this coughing business. Plus it's just really annoying.

I want to give a special and big THANK YOU to the Arnold Family, the Missoula Chapter. They stayed with us in one form or another for 3 weeks following Kenzie's birth. It was amazing, from Judy not letting anyone even change Kenzie's diaper or rock her to sleep even in the middle of the night, to Kedra cooking and cleaning at all times, to Jon mowing our lawn (and filling up the gas can), to Fred taking Riley on daily walks. Honestly it was amazing. And when they all left, and we were on our own.....it was a bit shocking and we could really see how good we had it for 3 weeks.

Well that's all of I've got. I'll try to do a better job of updating this blog this next time.

Talk to y'all later,

Steve

It's Gotta End Sometime

Wednesday I had my 3rd Chemo session. Three down and 5 to go. I also met with Dr. Yee and he was pleased with the progress and lack of symptoms. I gained 3 more pounds, which I'm not too thrilled about. I'm still below the pre-cancer weight, by a couple of pounds anyway....but I was really starting like the weight I was at a few weeks ago. The doc scared me a bit with the "I would expect you to lose 10% or 20 lbs" during the treatment. Half of that drop I would be ok with, but I think if I lost a full 20 lbs, I might look a little weird....kinda like my brother when he's training for a marathon (sorry dude, it's true). Anyway....

My brother Eric attended the Chemo session with me and it was nice. Eric, a proud member of the "Slowski's Family" has finally caught up with the rest of us and has dropped his 1990s flip phone for a smart phone. He recently got a Verizon Droid and is still in awe of what it can do. We chatted sports and basically played with his phone for a while. This passed the time nicely.

It was an early session for me this time (9:30am) and I felt great until about 5pm. That's when the nausea set in. For the first time since being diagnosed with cancer, I felt a strong symptom. My stomach was upset all evening. I tried to catch up with the anti-nausea prescription I have, but it did no good. I didn't even sniff dinner that night. I even doubled up with the pills, simultaneously taking the anti-anxiety pill, which is also a anti-nausea pill, and the two combined are supposed to knock me out (it's totally ok to take both).....it didn't really work, as I didn't fall asleep until midnight. To be honest it wasn't the worst thing in the world...no worse than the (too many to count) hangovers I had in college. I didn't have the urge to throw up, though I did worry about it. After I finally fell asleep, I woke up fine and continued feeling fine all day yesterday.

One key note: Afterwards Eric and I went to Schlotzky's Deli in Tualatin (hmmm, my fav) and I had my usual Texas Schlotzky...which is littered with jalapenos....oops, Meg reminded me when I got home that I'm supposed to stay away from spicy foods while the Chemo was still in my system (3 days following treatment). It wasn't the hottest meal in the world, but it did have jalapenos which aren't strawberries if you know what I mean. Sooooo, not sure if my nausea was from the cancer or a if was the Chemo-jalapeno combination that did me in.....either way, it was my worst night to date.....

Eric was in the consultation with Dr. Yee and asked a good post Chemo question about detecting any leftover cancer. After Chemo and prior to radiation, I will have another PET Scan to see how much cancer has been eliminated. This will also assist the doctors as to where the radiation will go. After my 3 weeks of radiation, I will see Dr. Yee every 3 months for a year. Every other appointment with Dr Yee, he will want me to me have a new PET Scan. After a year, that schedule will push out to every 4 months for a visit and every 8 months for a PET Scan.....and so on for 5 years. It might drop down to every 6 months after 2 years, but I can't remember what he said....

That's all I've got for now....I'm not sleeping tonight for some reason...it's 4:30am and the fam gets up in about 2-3 hours....That gives me a couple more hours of infomercial watching....ugh!

Steve