Follow up with Dr. C (Friday, Jan 25, 13) Chemo. Round 3. Day 1 (Jan 28, 2013)

     Well, hello there. I'm terribly sorry that I've been such a blog slacker. Tayvia is getting much more mobile these days and I have to keep a closer eye on her.  Between that and toying with sleep training her (doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon. Maybe I just want results faster than they actually happen. CIO seems to be the only option which I'm not willing to do) it's hard to find a minute to myself and feel like it's probably so boring to hear from me all the time so I've been waiting so that Eric can have his chance to tell you his thoughts on how things are going, how he feels and what not. I think he will soon but before we get too behind on what's new I better write another post myself.

     Last Friday we met with Dr. Chandramouli. Just a routine follow up between chemo cycles. He said that he normally doesn't do MRI scans on patients in the middle of treatment but felt that it was important to with Eric just to make sure that the cancer is responding and not getting worse.
     I don't really think that Dr. Chandramouli knew about our little visit to the E.R. the night before because it was a different oncologyst (Dr. Nibble) from his office who called Eric with Thursday's scan results. Even though we took the most recent scan from IMC to the Utah Cancer Specialists clinic I dont think that Dr. Nibble received it because the two scans that he was comparing was the one from the very beginning (where we were seeing where exactly the cancer had spread) and Thursday's scan. Comparing those two there was an obvious difference. If he would have compared the more recent scans it would have saved the trip to the ER because the more recent scans both showed where the spleen was embolized. Oh well, chalk that one up to experience.

     It is GREAT news that the cancer is no longer spreading and that it is responding to treatment. YAY! We did ask Dr. Chandramouli if we could see the comparison for ouselves from the two scans but he was having difficulty viewing it on his computer for some reason but said that he would get it pulled up and we could look at them this sometime this week.  They say if your tumors don't respond well to Cispaltin then your chances of being cured go down. So it's wonderful to see that Eric's tumors ARE responding.
     One side affect from Cispaltin is ringing in the ears. Combine that with plugged ears from radiation that still hasn't gone away and Eric can't hear very well right now. Eric has tried a home remedy to at least unplug them but it didn't seem to help much.
     They are watching Eric's blood counts closely. If his white cell count goes down anymore I believe that they will give him a shot to help boost production.
     There was some discusion about Eric's weight. Dr. Chandramouli encouraged Eric to continue eating pasta's and healthy pizza's. Eric seems to be a little bit more nauseas these days. He likes eating rice but potatos don't seem to sit well for some reason. I bought soda (I know it's not the healthiest) to help get him some calories. Back when I was sick my dad got me some popsicles and Eric has at least one or two a day. He seems to enjoy those! Eric also likes smoothies and shakes!

     Monday: I think that things went well for Eric today (first day of 3rd round of chemo). He seemed to come home feeling alright. Most of the time I feel like he is really tired when he comes home and just heads downstairs for the night. Today after coming home he played with Tayvia, took Bella (our dog) for a walk, and even tried out his new Black Ops game. Bam!

CT Scan and other exciting events

     This morning Eric had to drink some contrast an hour before going to the Utah Cancer Specialists clinic to get an outpatient CT scan done. I hurried and got myself and Tayvia ready to take him. When we got there Tayvia and I hung out in the waiting room. I fed her some baby food from those awesome pouches and then she played with her ball the rest of the time. One of the nurses came out because she thought she heard a little person making cute noises. Then she went back to other nurses and said you have to go see the cutest baby out in the waiting room. :) Miss popular.

     After Eric's appointment we stopped by IMC hospital to pick up Eric's last CT scan so that they could compare the two. Then we ran to Tayvia's 9 month "well visit" appointment before running the CT scan back to the UCS clinic. Tayvia didn't have to get any shots today so that was nice! The pediatrician said Tayvia is doing well and is long & skinny like her mama. :)
     Next we ran back over to UCS to drop off the CT scan disc. Eric also needed his port de-accessed since they had used it earlier for the CT scan. Eric could have left it in because he gets treatment next week but its a pain to shower with.
     Around 2:30pm we got a call from Dr. Nibble one of the oncologists at UCS. Dr. Nibble said that the cancer looks fine but that it looks like there is new bleeding near the spleen (darn spleen!). Dr. Nibble recommended that Eric pick up a copy of today's and head over to the ER to have things checked out by a surgeon to see what was going on and that the spleen might possibly needed to be removed. Dr. Nibble also said that they may make a slight change in his treatment and that we would talk more about it with Dr. Chandramouli at our appointment tomorrow. So we arranged for Tayvia to be babysat and ran out the door again.

     The ER was packed! Eric's initial vitals were good. Blood pressure 122/70, temp 99.8 and pulse 117.  Eric felt fine and did not have any signs of the bleeding or been in any pain so that's good. But the ER was so busy it took a good two hours to get called into the triage room where we were asked in more detail what we were there for. The nurse decided that we were a more serious case than other people that came before us and said that we would be one of the next to be called back. Ha! It was like another 45+ minutes before that happened.
     We finally got back to a room where Eric's vitals were lower than the earlier readings which isn't a big deal. I'm just trying to keep tract of things: BP 103/59, pulse 94. The nurse accessed his port. lol She obviously doesn't do that too often because it took her two tries where as everyone before her has done it in one shot easy. :)
     They drew some blood and then I thought she said that she was going to start an I.V. but that never happened. We didn't see the nurse again for another hour. I knew they were busy but I think they may have forgotten about us. Yeah, I should have asked her to start an I.V. because Eric was fasting in case they decided to do surgery to remove the spleen. By the time we left Eric was dehydrated and starving!
     Anyway, when the nurse came back in she said that they were still waiting on Radiology to read the CT scan from today and compare it to his other most recent one. They hoped that would happen within the hour. Ugh! She did at least tell us about his blood work. His cell counts were fine, potassium was a little low (also wonder why she didn't start an I.V. with potassium in it...). She said something about his hemoglobin and hematuria levels too. I ran home to pump and eat (chocolate cake and coke...not the healthiest but hey! If you had this delicious chocolate bunt cake at your house it would've been your choice too ;)). Then I ran back over and about a half hour later our ER doc went to Radiology himself to ask them what the results were. (finally!)
     Report came back that Eric does have a hematoma under the spleen but it's not new blood. The spleen is big with fluid in it and that both will take time to heal. They also said that his lungs and liver are looking better from a month ago which is great! Once Eric heard this news he was like so I can go right? He hopped out of bed, got dressed, the nurse de-accessed his port and we were out of there!          
     Since Eric's blood work did show that his potassium was a little low we went straight home and Eric made a banana shake. We went over to Eric's parents to tell his mom that he was fine. Going to the ER was a "better safe then sorry" outing I guess. So we stole some pizza from Eric's mom and took that home to eat.
     My parents had taken Tayvia to their house while we were at the ER. Tayvia ended up sleeping over there because it was her bedtime, and she was going over there the next day anyway to be watched by my mom while I went to work and to Eric's appointment with him. At least I was able to facetime with Miss Tayvia before she headed off to bed. My o my does she get spoiled over there!

Getting warm by the fire after her bath

     Side note: In all we were at the E.R for like 5 hours. When I left and came back there were people still in the waiting room that were there when we were. The nurse said that they had at least 30 people who had come in that day for falls alone. They had a record number of ambulance runs and a record number of trauma's.  It was a crazy place for sure!

Chemo. Round 2. Day 15 (1/22/13)

     Starting Sunday Eric started feeling sick. The doctors today weren't sure if it was a virus or infection but told him to take medicine to feel comfortable until it passes. I have a little cold and miss Tayvia had another cold and eye infection. (She is over them now.) Not to mention Tayvia is teething. Her top two teeth are finally breaking through. Yippee! Hopefully we can all start getting more sleep soon.

"I'm so glade when daddy comes home"

     Tuesday I took Eric to get his last chemo treatment for this round. He met with the PA again. They took Eric back to access his port and took his vitals. His temperature was high. After doing some blood tests and asking what his symptoms have been they said he would still be ok to get the treatment. If he had an infection they would've held off. Eric's other vitals were fine but he is down a couple more pounds...prob due to being sick. With this crazy cold and flu season we need to be more careful that Eric doesn't get sick.  Too bad it seems to be the trend.

Love my cutie. 

     Tomorrow (Thurs) Eric goes in to get a CT scan then on Friday we meet with Dr. Chandramouli and Monday he starts his 3rd round of Chemo.

Never a dull moment (Friday, Jan. 18, 2013)

     Monday morning Eric was planning to return to work. He got up and started getting ready and the next thing I know he is crawling back into bed. I asked Eric if he wasn't feeling well and he said he wasn't and that he had experienced another small seizure while getting ready. So I let Eric sleep while I got up for the day with miss Tayvia.
     Eric had started weaning off of an anti-inflammatory medicine, so I called his doctors to make sure he should still do that or if he still needed to take it following the small seizure. Dr. Hunter (radiation oncologist) said that it would be good for Eric to take the medicine that day even if it messes up his every-other-day pattern, and to finish it when he is supposed to. Dr. Hunter also made sure that Eric was still taking anti-seizure meds and advised to continue on that. He also said to follow up with Dr. Chandramouli (oncologist).
     Tuesday Eric had chemo. I knew this treatment would not take long so Tayvia and I took Eric to the cancer center. I thought about running a quick errand during the treatment but decided not to so I could wait close by in the car and Eric could just run out when he was done.
     So much for being quick. I swear when I go with him things take longer. One of the PA's took the chance to meet with Eric to make sure that things were going okay since I had called then about the seizure. They discussed any symptoms that Eric was experiencing and told him that 7 to 10 days after treatment is when he will feel most of the effects of chemo treatments. The PA suggested that Eric may feel like sleeping all of the time but he should take every opportunity to get out and do something.
     Wednesday we both returned to work. For me it is good to get back into a routine and out of the house a little bit. I am really grateful for the support my coworkers have given me. It was so nice to have some time off work during a time that I was needed at home. Eric sured enjoyed his afternoon at work as well and will try to pop in a couple times a week.

A week of chemo (Jan. 13, 2013)

Eric wanted to take a couple pictures modeling his mask from radiation.

Pretty cool!

     Sorry I have been such a slacker about updating this this past week as Eric was undergoing Round 2  of chemotherapy treatment. In part their wasn't much to report on and as Eric mentioned, I got pretty sick for a couple days. It was the same o same everyday. Eric's mom was able to take Eric a few times this week to chemo treatments. Most of the time Eric just likes to put his headphones on and takes a nap for the first couple hours and then the last couple hours he will chat with you. Anyone can go with or visit him when he goes so if you are interested let me know. It's usually from 9:30-2 when he goes so if you want to take him lunch or just pop in and say hi let me know. (You can always give us a shout out any time too. Eric seems to really enjoy visitors...as long as you aren't sick of course :)) Round 3 of chemo isn't until the last week of January. Yes we already have that scheduled. Having it down on the calendar makes it seem like things will move along faster than just knowing it will be 4 rounds that are 3 weeks each. 

     This is what the room looks like where people get chemo treatments. The photo only shows about a quarter of the room. Of course some days are busier than others. Eric hasn't always seen the same people everyday. Its amazing how many different types/ways people are treated for different types of cancer. Some people are there all day, some are in and out; it just depends. Most of the time Eric is the youngest. From what I have seen there have been two different girls that look to be in their 20's. I guess I thought everyone who has cancer is bald, looks very sick and skinny, but that's definitely not the case. People of all shapes and sizes have cancer. If I saw most of these people outside of this room I would never know they had cancer. Encourages me to smile that much more to people that I pass by.

Eric chilling with his warm blanket :)

     It's nice to have this week and the majority of this round done and to have gone by fairly quickly. The next two days of chemo for this round (Jan 15, 22) are much quicker treatments, but they are a bit rougher days that leave Eric not feeling great.  We just keep taking things day by day. We are so grateful to the support that we continue receive. I am amazed at the amount of donations made, meals brought (my stomach seems to be expanding from all the good food) and can feel the prayers said on our behalf. It's nice to know how many people are behind us through this battle. So thank you to all of you.  I start back to work this week. It will be good to get back into a routine. I'm sure you will hear from us again soon!

     Oh wait. I'd like to end with some sweet words sent to me from a dear friend David from Guatemala that we translated from Spanish.

Justine, Kathy, David, and Jesse during a humanitarian trip to Guatemala in  2011

"I have seen the video about you (Justine) and your husband Eric. We are praying for you. I know you will receive the necessary strength from Our Heveanly Father, I cannot express myself well in English; (i translated). I think Justine, your are a great blessing in the lives of your husband and daughter. The Lord has promised that he will send angels to support us in the most difficult moments of our life. When I saw the video I had the impression of seeing an angel, strengthening your husband and willing to do everything for his family. That 'it is the pure love of Christ and who owns it will do well at the last day.' My family and I pray for you and we have no doubt that the Lord will do miracles in your lives. A strong hug."

Latin people sure know how to express things in a beautiful way. Nicest thing anyone has ever said!

Chemo Update

This is Eric again for an update.  I have done 4 days of Chemotherapy this week and so far it has gone pretty well.  Day 2 I usually receive an extra dosage of one chemical that tends to make me sick for the afternoon with slight fever and nausea.  Justine decided to get the some sort of stomach flu the same day which pretty much left us useless for taking care of Tayvia.  Luckily Justine's parents were able to help out for the afternoon and night.  My typical treatments last about 4 hours and I generally don't feel many side effects as they typically give me pre-meds to combat the side effects.  Its been 7 days since I finished radiation treatments and the skin on my head is finally on the mend.  It was pretty much like a bad sunburn with pretty intense itching.  My ears still feel pressurized, but they also seem to be recovering.  I have been feeling good enough to even continue going to the gym this week.  Mainly I am doing bike and leg work outs to get my beautiful gluts and calves back, seems like it will take a bit longer to get back than it took to lose it all.  Things are improving everyday, I have put on about 7 pounds in the last week which I think is a good thing.  I have been sleeping better too and the past few nights haven't been getting up at the normal 3-4 am times that have been typical for the last month.

Once again, Thanks for the support

Eric

A little update & Chemo. Round 2. Day 1. (Jan 7, 2013)

    Eric got new glasses last week. He hadn't gotten a new glasses since he got back from his mission and his last exam was over two years  ago so it was time.

     First, as far as physical therapy goes, Eric's range of motion in his left arm and hand is great, so we're calling the radiation treatment a success! He just needs to build his strength back. Eric decided that he can do the work outs that he was doing at physical therapy on his own and that it would be cheaper to get a gym membership than to continue going to a physical therapy. So working out, swimming and running is at the Sports Mall.
     On Jan 3rd we had an appointment with Dr. Chandramouli. We will meet with him every Friday before each round. All of Eric's vitals were good and blood counts were normal. He is down about three pounds since his last appointment so he suggested that Eric eat more complex carbs, aka pasta! (I'm sure the fact that he has started to work out a little hasn't helped with the weight thing). Not much more goes on with these appointments other than physical exam and a little bit of discussion about how things are going. Dr. Chandramouli said he thinks we are over the hardest part of everything. We made lots of appointments for the next month. Seems like we will be busy but hopefully that means things will go by quickly and Eric can get better really soon.

She loves to play with this balloon. "Some people will do anything for attention, Get Well Soon" :)

     We went to church for the first time since Eric was diagnosed. With the start of the year our ward meeting time changed from 9 am to 1 pm which is nice. We can sleep in a little now. Being Fast Sunday it was nice to hear a lot of members get up and say how nice it was to see direct results of their fasting and prayers on Eric's behalf to get better and to see him at church.

Heading in for Round 2. Gonna kick some cancer butt.

     Today Tayvia played at the Holman's with cousins while I went with Eric for his first chemo treatment on this second round. Tayvia is such a good girl and had lots a fun. It was cute when we got home though she was a little clingy so I know she missed us. :) Chemotherapy treatment took a little bit longer then we expected today - 4 1/2 hours. I don't think that we took into account that he needs a few pre-meds to help with side effects and a bag of I.V. fluids with potassium and magnesium to help flush out the toxins and replace vitamins that get flushed as well. It didn't seem overly busy with other patients receiving treatment. Eric mainly messed around on his iPad and listened to music. I just messed around on my phone. By the time we were almost ready to go we were so hungry. I never thought to bring more than snacks or go get lunch. It is nice that clinic provides beverages and select snacks. Everyone is so nice at the Utah Cancer Specialists. The nurses are so friendly and the other patients receiving treatment are also nice. I over heard one nurse say today how much she likes her job there. She said, "For some reason when people get cancer and sit in these chairs for treatment it brings out the best in them."

Hospital Part 2

It's hard to believe that a few weeks ago I was in the ICU on a breathing tube, feeding tube, and what seemed like tons of IV tubes.  I find it amazing how fast you can lose your health and well-being, yet at the same  time the body can do remarkable things in a short time to recover.  The worst part about the ICU for me was not being able to communicate and not being able to move.  I felt bad for the nurses that had to turn me over and clean me up all the time.  There were a few days there that I felt so bad because I couldn't do anything for my self.  Luckily my friends from work were able to get an ipad for me which greatly helped the communication process and I had visitor support 24/7 to help with my basic needs.  One thing about the hospital is that I was constantly hot.  The visitors staying with me were constantly putting wet cloths on my feet and forehead.  I would mainly snap my fingers and my will would be done.

Getting the breathing tube out was one of the best things to happen in the hospital.  It was awful having the nurses clear my lungs with that tube in.  It's hard to describe but it felt like ice cold acid when I'd have to cough that crap up.  The breathing tube also left a ridiculous amount of plaque in my mouth which felt like I had a wax model in my mouth.  After a few hours I was able to have ice chips.  Now I understand why Justine always liked them after her C-section with Tayvia.

I can't say enough about the nurses, especially in the ICU.  They were very attentive and helpful.  They were able to shave my itchy beard off for me and were good company to have.  I had very good intentions of writing them thank you letters, but now I have forgotten the names.  Maybe there is a way to figure out who was attending to me still.

The feeding tube was attached to my nose and goes up in it almost like spaghetti. I didn't mind that tube so much and for the most part could taste anything that was going into my body.  The nurses said that you wouldn't want to try the stuff as it would probably taste like dog food. 

Transfer back up to the Cancer floor on 9 was a nice progression to the recovery.  By this time I could move on my own a bit and was able to go to the bathroom on my own again.  At this point I could only think about getting home for Christmas.  Each day I was rapidly improving my condition to where my appetite was returning and my movement was much better.  It became very annoying to hear all the hospital beeps and having nurses take my vitals and blood every couple hours.  I couldn't sleep more than a couple hours and being in bed so much can nearly drive a man crazy.  It was still nice to have 24/7 support from visitors.  I now know that I will make a better effort at visiting people I know that are suffering in health.  The visitor support is very memorable and certainly keeps a positive outlook for the hospital stay.

Now that I look back on the hospital experience, there are a few things that stick out.  The visitor support is crucial for anyone experiencing tough health conditions.  The nurses that are positive and helpful really make a difference in your overall mood.  The human body is amazing and can overcome so many things.  Finally, as bad as things seemed, there was always hope and positive thoughts from the doctors nurses family and friends that make me feel that the overall experience wasn't so bad; but just another challenge to get through.

Once again THANKS to all those that have supported us through this.

- Eric

Radiations Day 15(Jan 3, 2013)

Eric's good friend TJ shaved his hair short to show his support.

   Eric had a follow up with Dr. Childs. I dont know what it is but for the second time I showed up to an appointment a day early. I did this for one of Tayvia's appointments a while back. I think that I just worry about being on time or forgetting about it so I get things mixed up. Who knows but they were able to squeeze us in for Eric's post-op exam. It went well. Dr. Childs was relieved to see Eric doing better since the last time we saw him and everything looks good. We will need to go back in 6 months for another follow up. I know that the Lord is looking out for us and helping make sure that Eric is receiving the best care possible. I dont think it's by chance that Eric has been seeing the doctors that he has. I really like Dr. Childs(urologist) and Dr. Chandramouli(oncologyst) and trust that they truly care about Eric, his well being, and want to do everything to get him better! It is and has been very comforting. 
 

  Eric had his LAST radiation treatment today! YAY! He got a couple souvenirs. His mask that goes over his head and connects to the table. It helps mark where the radiation needs to target/focus. He also got a certificate of completion. To celebrate we went on a little lunch date. I should've taken pictures but I forgot. It was the first time that Eric wanted fast food and he got to pick where we went. He chose Canton Village. We are so happy that we are over this hurdle. They want to see him back in a month to get a follow MRI to see how well the radiation worked but they are confident that he wont need further radiation treatment. I will let him elaborate on any symptoms that he has felt from radiation.

Update From Eric

Now that I have been home for over a week it has been hard to find motivation to keep people updated on my progress.  I sure missed being home; a hospital can nearly drive a man crazy with all the monitoring, beeps, and gross food.  My body is still quite weak but at least most of the damage caused from my seizures to my left arm is getting better.  I am actually typing with two hands now and so most of my motor skills are returning.  Coordination is returning though I still have to be focused to do basic things like throwing or dribbling a ball.  My rotator cuff is the weakest part right now and that is where the center of the seizure originated.  I work out most days with very small weights and rubber bands to try to build some muscle back.  I am taking a lot of protein and eating as much as I ever have, yet I have lost more weight since I have been home... go figure.  I generally haven't been feeling any pain; although, last night was New Years and I think I laughed too much which did unsettle some organs in the abdominal cavity.  The spleen is still a little tender but seems to be doing well.  I still am coughing a bit a mucus up from my lungs, but I think part of it is that every person in my family and Justine's family seemed to have some sort of sickness this last week since I've been home.  I am taking a heavy anti-biotic for protection however.  I have been on a couple walks with the dog, but with this inversion it seems prudent to stay indoors a little more.  The best part has been getting enough energy to play with Tayvia again.  Doctor's orders have been to crawl around with her to strengthen the shoulder. She has also gotten over her sickness which has made things a little more pleasant for Justine.  Justine and I were able to get some Christmas shopping done this last week even though they were after-Christmas sales we scored some good items.  I have two more days of radiation this week and then I start another round of Chemo on January 7.  This time will be outpatient so hopefully I won't be returning to the hospital any time soon.  After the next round of Chemo we will do more MRIs and CT scans to determine how effective the treatment has been on the tumors.  It's definitely been a good time to be home and I feel things are constantly improving.  I certainly do appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received and am a true believer that that support has been the main reason I have improved as much as I have. 

Much Love,

Eric