Another clean scan & return to the ice

~ Bryan (right) & his brother after a hockey game ~

THE LATEST. Just in case you still check this inactive cancer blog, here is the latest update: Bryan remains cancer free as of today's CT scan (which is why this cancer blog remains inactive. I enjoyed this blogging forum during our cancer experience. It kept our friends & family up to date on Bryan's condition and it was also convenient in documenting some of our experiences along the way; but once cancer was over, blogging was also over for me. The story had unfolded and the final chapter had been written. Resigning my blogging post felt like cancer closure, IT was finally complete. I hope that makes sense to those of you taking the time to read this so many months later).

RETURN TO NORMAL? Sometimes I wonder what normal truly is post cancer, but if normal is returning to daily activities, our life is pretty normal. Our kids remain actively involved with school, music, friends & sports (a little or a lot too active if you ask me). This fall Bryan rejoined his brother on a hockey team (last winter is the first time Bryan has missed a hockey season since he was a little boy). They've had a great season with only a few dramatic incidents on Bryan's part (collapsing on the ice due to a wacky heart medicine combination & a few "old man" muscle injuries). I am the official chauffeur, cheerleader and spectator for the five athletes in my family. I thought I resigned, but it didn't stick. They can't seem to play basketball, violin, saxophone, volleyball and/or hockey without me in attendance. Last month I set a personal record of attending 15 games in one weekend. (Anyone care to compete?) Although I enjoy watching them, I am anxiously anticipating the end of our winter sport seasons.

KEEPING UP. I do a better job staying up to date with friends & family on Facebook. It is much easier than blogging. Look for us there if you're a member.

Post Cancer Ski Run

He was a bit rusty--it took him a while to get up and the run wasn't as flashy as it usually is, but we were so happy to see him on the water again. (My sister-in-law's commentary makes the video even better!)

One Year Ago Today

I couldn't let the day pass without pointing out the significance.

June 10th, 2007...Bryan's tumor was discovered (at about the same time I'm typing this post).

Instead of spending time in the ER today, our family commemorated the anniversary by:

• smiling
• laughing
• kicking a soccer ball
• riding a bike (without training wheels)
• listening to Les Mis & David Archuleta music
• blogging about life after cancer (it is better than ever)
• having patience for 'one more question' before bedtime
• indulging important relationships
• starving unimportant emotions

So basically, it was an average day. But make no mistake, no days are average post-cancer. Finding joy in repetitive "dailiness" is one of the many lessons I learned; and as each above-average day passes, my lingering fear is edged out and replaced with more hope. I have also learned that fear is all-consuming, while hope and faith are comforting. I choose hope. Hope for many, many more above-average days.

April 27, 2008 Life is good.... I mean GREAT!

I have talked to a number of people that encouraged me to write a note of progress. As the title states, I feel great.
I have been very blessed with the outcome of my cancer experience. My last doc check-up was on April 17th and all is ok. Blood tests show no sign of cancer cells in my body. I will have a CT scan in three months to check on the tumor.
My family is finally getting back to our normal schedule.... baseball, scoccer, music, homework, playgroups, etc.... and I am part of it! Last summer was very hard for us because I could not participate in our family events.
One of our favorite activities is boating in the summer. My dad was very generous and gave me his old boat and we just love being on the water together as a family. We are excited to spend time at Bear Lake and Lake Powell this summer.
I have learned to appreciated the little things in life more fully. I have also learned that "stuff" happens in life and there is a purpose in each experience. Live in the present, learn from the past, and hope for the future.
I can't seem to get through a post without, again, thanking all the friends, family, neighbors, church leaders, and people we do not know for all their prayers and support over the last 10 months.
Know that I am well (about 85%) and look forward to living.

Bryan

If anyone would like to contact me personally, my email address is bryan.arndt@gmail.com

Clean Bill of Health (aka: the BEST post ever posted on this blog)

Bryan had a scan and blood work on Tuesday. We visited with his doctors yesterday to receive the results of the tests...

EVERYTHING LOOKS FABULOUS! The tumor is non-cancerous (still) & measures smaller than before. (They don't expect the tumor to shrink beyond its current size--the reason it is smaller with this scan is because it is the first scan since the completion of radiation therapy.)

They will monitor Bryan for the next few years--visits with the hematologists every 3 months and a scan every 6 months.

We couldn't be more thrilled with the results!

Bryan has been anticipating this visit for several months (as many of you know). The plan was to officially disband (take off the "Bryan Bands") when we received the news of this scan. So...

It is official.
Take off the yellow bands.
Bryan has beat this cancer!

The trick...

"The trick is not how much pain you feel--but how much joy you feel. Any idiot can feel pain. Life is full of excuses to feel pain, excuses not to live, excuses, excuses." ~Erica Jong

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Bryan is thriving! He is strong and happy (although shoveling the 10+ inches of snow from our front yard on Monday morning proved that he isn't as strong as he thought--thank goodness for neighbors with snowblowers). He is working--traveling quite a bit--and always reports "feeling great!"

Bryan returns to the hospital next week for a scan. We continue to pray for great test results!

No thought spared for cancer in weeks...

It has been dreamy! No doctor appointments, cancer treatments, CT scans, tests, blood draws, trips to the pharmacy OR hospital. Just smiles, laughter, complete joy & relief. I describe the atmosphere at our home as "light;" something we haven't experienced in months (and didn't realize how heavy it was until it felt light).

Bryan's strength is returning (& so is his hair as you can see from the pics). His personality is back for sure! He says he feels GREAT!

As you loyal readers know, Bryan's last scan revealed no sign of cancer (although there are remnants of the tumor, they are NOT cancerous). He returns to the hospital for a CT scan at the end of January. They will monitor (by CT scan) what is left of his tumor every 3 months for a few years. The doctors said the result of Bryan's October scan was GREAT news. At that point, Dr. Glenn gave Bryan a 75% chance of the cancer NOT returning. (I think that is high. Bryan was quick to point out the 25% chance it could return. He said "that's 1 in 4." I prefer to stick with the 75% or 3 out of 4 figures.) Anyway, we BOTH hope for continued good news.

Our life kicks back into high gear in a few days. Bryan returned to work a few weeks ago and will start traveling again soon. The kids will return to school, basketball, soccer and the usual craziness. While in our "cancer" world, we've been sheltered and protected from the "real" world--it will soon come crashing in! I dread and look forward to it at the same time.

As 2007 comes to a close, I want to thank you for your "readership!" I can't imagine what we would have done this year without family and friends. You have been a great support to us! I hope 2008 is fabulous and as a friend said "uneventful" for all of us!

Over!

THE GREAT NEWS! The last radiation treatment was completed on Tuesday. "It" is finally over! Hallelujah!

THE MEDICAL REPORT. Bryan is still uncomfortable because of the "burn" on his chest & back (where the radiation was targeted), but expects his skin to heal now that the radiation treatments are over. His skin is very red--he says it burns and itches at the same time (difficult symptoms to satisfy at the same time).

WEEK IN REVIEW. We just returned from a quick weekend trip to New York for Bryan's company Christmas party. We had so much fun! It was great for me to meet so many of the good people who have supported Bryan over the past 6 months. Bryan was very happy to be back "at work" although he was exhausted by the end of the trip. His body doesn't have the same endurance it used to & he now has a yucky cough (which I believe he picked up on the airplane). His doctors started him on a strong antibiotic yesterday and also ordered a chest x-ray--we were relieved to find out he doesn't have pneumonia! He worked all day today, even making sales calls in Park City with a local distributor, but he is completely exhausted tonight. Even with a cough, he is happy to be back and work and done with cancer treatments!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thanks again to all of you who have helped us through this tough time. We are filled with hope and gratitude and we're enjoying this Christmas season a little more than usual--it is extra special!

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.

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