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.

How Things Stand

I'm running out of titles for these posts. You can only use update, status, or condition so many times. The thesaurus references "how things stand" as another way of saying "status" so that is the title of today's post.

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Bryan is feeling great! The transfusion made a big difference in his energy level and the chemo poison seems to be on its way out.

When I say Bryan is feeling great, it is relative. He is nowhere near normal, but so much better than last week. Feeling great means he isn't in bed all day and he has energy to take a shower and get dressed, but small tasks still exhaust him. (We do expect and notice every day is an improvement--we're enjoying the month of October free of chemo!)

He had his blood drawn today (without too much trouble, only 3 tries). His white blood cell and platelet counts are VERY low. They told him to be careful (no bumping into things) and to wash his hands all the time (to prevent infection).

We return to the hospital on Thursday for more blood work (they think he might need a platelet transfusion) and a cardiology appointment. (Our daughter also has 3 physical therapy appointments, our liver transplant child needs his blood drawn, and all of us except Bryan need our flu shots this week! I'm so glad our family keeps these medical institutions in business!)

Chemo Pumpkin

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A friend sent me some pictures of creative pumpkins. I just couldn't resist posting this one.

Transfusion Yesterday

After the nurses struggled to draw Bryan's blood, they finally obtained enough to run a few tests and determine that he needed a transfusion (but they couldn't place the IV at the same time as they drew the blood so he had to endure 4 pokes for the blood draw & 3 deep pokes for the IV placement later).

He ended up receiving two units of blood. I didn't realize how long this process would take--we spent the majority of the day at the hospital . (Actually, Bryan did. I left after 3 hours because I had one of the twins with me and needed to be home to take care of our other kids. Bryan stayed an additional 4 hours after I left. My sister-in-law, Lori, lives near the hospital and was able to bring Bryan home around 8:00 last night.) The great nurses in the infusion room stayed late to complete both units so we wouldn't have to return to the hospital again today.

Bryan hasn't noticed a difference yet--he is still off balance and light headed, but we're told that he should feel MUCH better by tonight/tomorrow morning.

Arndt Update

Bryan has been in bed for a few days. He is pretty sick. Normal chemo sick, nothing special. :) Yesterday he repeated outloud, "Just a few more days. Just a few more days. Just a few more days." I expect him to start feeling better tomorrow afternoon/night.

Tomorrow. We return to the hospital for labs. They keep expecting him to need a transfusion. The nurse told Bryan to have them place an IV when they draw blood just in case the labs come back showing that he needs a transfusion (it will save him a poke). If he does need a transfusion, we'll spend some time at the hospital tomorrow. If not, it will be a quick visit.

Monday's Double Doctor Duty. Bryan and our daughter had appointments at the same time so Bryan's mom transported Bryan and one of the twins to the hospital for Bryan's Neulasta injection (a medication used to boost white blood cell production). I took our daughter and the other twin to see a specialist for our daughter's ankle. With new x-rays they were able to determine that she did fracture the fibular growth plate along with a grade II ankle sprain. She is still on crutches and out of soccer for the season. (And the four of us who remain uninjured and healthy are growing tired of "fetching" EVERYTHING for the two patients, but we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them still! Remember when I wrote that nursing wasn't my chosen profession...it has obviously chosen me.)

Thought for the day

“The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.” ~ Helen Keller