I feel great.....

I want to give my wonderful wife a long awaited sabbatical from posting another blog. She has done a fantastic job describing our cancer experience by detailing daily events over the last 5 months--keeping friends, neighbors, and family updated on my progress.

I feel great! My strength is returning, my hair is growing, and I will be back to full-time work this week (Nov. 29). With the exception of a sore throat and itchy skin around my neck (caused by daily radiation treatments), I am not suffering as I did while being treated with chemotherapy. (THAT was bad...never want to go back there again!) I am excited to rejoin my company, Environment One. They are an incredible company to work for and they have been very supportive while I have been receiving treatment. I want to thank them again for all they have done and I look forward to seeing them soon.

I have to tell you that I know why I have been so blessed. My kids include the following in our family prayer each night, "bless dad that he will get better with cancer" (Brayden's words). I know many of you have done the same and I thank you. I am healing because of your concern and faith.

I hope all of you are enjoying this season of giving.

Bryan

Half Done

Bryan completed his second week of radiation!! He has 10 treatments left.

Side Effects. His throat has started to bother him. Tonight he's having difficulty talking and swallowing. The radiation oncologist warned us about this--she said the esophagus can become irritated from the radiation; sort of like a sunburn. (If the irritation increases, they will prescribe pain medication. Right now we're just trying over-the-counter fixes.)

Getting Back to Normal. Even with the throat irritation, he says he feels great (because after experiencing chemotherapy, this is NOTHING)! We spent a lot of the day cleaning up the yard for winter. Bryan even installed our new gate today (purchased at the beginning of the summer--it's just been waiting for him to install) and is planning to teach a lesson at church tomorrow. (This will be his first time teaching since he was diagnosed in June--many of you know that Bryan wouldn't go to the hospital that fateful day in June until he finished teaching two lessons at church. :) I don't know if they'll be able to hear him tomorrow, but he deserves an "A" for effort.)

Thanksgiving. We're excited for the coming week. We have so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving! Know how grateful we are for your support and love for us. We hope you have a fabulous holiday with your family and friends!

Radiation

Bryan is 25% done with his radiation treatments and is feeling great!

Below is a picture of Bryan just before a radiation session. He took the camera to a session last week and asked a tech to snap a picture so we could all see the "off limits" radiation room.

How do you like the "spiderman" mask? (They told him he could keep it once the treatments are over. I'm not quite sure why we would keep it around!?)

I Love November

November is one of my favorite months. I love the weather. I love to wear my comfy sweats and warm socks around the house. I love to make soup in the morning and smell it simmer all day. I love to eat pumpkin anything. I love the calm before the holiday craziness. I love my down comforter. I love wearing my gloves. More than that, I love November because 10 years ago this month our son received a liver transplant. He was six months old and very sick. The morning of his surgery, Ashton's skin was beyond the yellow color you see in jaundice babies--it was more of a greyish/green. While Bryan was in the surgery waiting room all day and into the night, Ashton & I both underwent operations to remove part of my liver and implant it into him. Our miracle boy spent 14 days in the hospital following the surgery and has been the picture of health since that time. He has NOT experienced any complications or been hospitalized in 10 years--his doctors call him the poster child for transplantation.

I've always looked back on November of 1997 as the month of miracles for our family. It was. More than I realized. Also in November of 1997 a new drug, Rituxan, was approved by the FDA to treat Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Rituxan is the drug that makes NHL a potentially curable disease (and is part of the treatments Bryan received during each chemotherapy session). Rituxan has been characterized as the most important therapeutic development of the decade and in 2002 became the number one anti-cancer drug worldwide. (Next time you're around ask me to explain how this drug works--it is amazing!)

I'll say it again, November is one of my favorite months! November of 2007 will also go down in history...Bryan Arndt should complete the last of his cancer treatments!

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Bryan is feeling GREAT! His hair is even starting to grow (just a bit of peach fuzz). He feels better everyday and he's had a great month without chemotherapy. Honestly, he's feeling quite restless and bored being around the house all the time. It is time to move on to the next chapter...

Radiation begins tomorrow!! Bryan will have 20 radiation sessions, one session every weekday. The plan is for him to be done by the end of November. WOOHOO! We've been talking about the end of his treatments for so long--I can hardly believe the end is near--I can almost touch it!

We've spent time in the radiation oncology department preparing for Bryan's month of radiation. They have "mapped" the area they plan to radiate (the entire area the tumor once occupied). They've also placed small tattoos on his chest (to line up the radiation equipment quickly and precisely) and fitted him for a head mask (to hold his head in place and keep it out of the radiation field). When he comes out of his "test" radiation appointments he has marker drawings all over his chest (in various colors) and the skin all over his head has imprints from the face mask. (The doctors describe the mask looking like a Spiderman mask so perhaps you can imagine the markings all over his face. It looks pretty funny.)

We're hoping for the best over the next month. We expect Bryan to be a little tired, but the doctors tell us he'll feel MUCH better than he did with chemotherapy.

GREAT NEWS!

Bryan's scan revealed "no metabolic uptake" -- which means he has no active cancer cells.



I think the above news deserved its own space--it is nice to read & reread it! I don't have a picture, but you can just imagine our collective smiles & relief! Bryan says it is the result he expected. Jordyn told me it was the BEST day of her life. The boys are...hmm, they are just boys & had a great day playing Star Wars in the backyard (as they did the day before).

Here is a little more information: The tumor is now measured in centimeters (2.9 x 1.7), not inches, and they believe what is left of the tumor is just residual mass (leftover blood vessels the tumor created to sustain itself, but there is no evidence left of lymphoma). The tumor should continue to shrink over time & with radiation, but some of the tumor will always remain--they call it a tumor scar.

We are very happy with the news. Bryan doesn't see the hematologist for 3 months! He is now in the hands of radiation oncology; we meet with them today to schedule 20 radiation treatments. Some of you may wonder why we are proceeding with radiation if the cancer is gone. The radiation oncologist's answer is that the best way to "cure" cancer is the first time it appears. (It is much more difficult, although not impossible, to "cure" lymphoma if it returns.) Dr. Smith told Bryan she will use "everything we have" the first time so his chances of his cancer surviving the treatments, and making a return appearance, are much smaller.

Thank you for loving our family! If cancer is a disease of love, it is because of the love that is shown to the cancer survivor and their family. Love is truly all that matters and situations like these compel us to show it & speak it! We will always remember your words and acts of love. Thank you for sharing in our burden--it has been lightened because of you!

Although our journey isn't over, we are delighted to move on to the next chapter!

Good News!

Bryan's platelets have improved significantly and he is feeling GREAT today!

He returns to the hospital on Friday for the BIG test. The PET/CT scan will show any active cancer cells--which will determine the effectiveness of the chemotherapy. We have an appointment the following Thursday (the 25th) to discuss the results with specialists and to schedule the next steps in his treatment (radiation). We have high hopes and will continue to pray for our desired result!

We are so appreciative of your support, words, prayers, thoughts, service, etc. We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love we feel (and have felt since June 11th). We have not journeyed alone--THANK YOU!

Two Eyelashes

Bryan just counted his remaining eyelashes and he has two--one on each eyelid!

The labs revealed mixed news yesterday. His white blood cell count is up (good), but his platelets are still dropping (bad). They aren't tranfusing him yet--he has to return to the hospital on Monday and Thursday for blood checks & Friday for the PET/CT scan.

We're hoping his platelets begin their rebound this weekend--he says he is feeling pretty good, just tired.