Overdue Update

Hi everybody...sorry it's been a while since we've updated you, but we've been having too much fun! We haven't done anything special, really...we're just really enjoying not having lots of doctors' appointments to go to!

Tony is back to eating regular food, for the most part. Lately, he has been chowing down on cheeseburgers, pasta, and chili dogs quite a bit. Bread is still a little hard to get down, but if it's slathered in chili, well, that helps! Sweets are still pretty unappealing to him, but I think that taste will come back eventually too.

Tony and I went shopping for some new "skinny" clothes for him, so he's looking a little more put together these days! He still isn't really gaining weight, which is what we're going for, but I try not to nag too much.

So that's about it...we're just enjoying life and don't have to see another doctor until November. I'm gearing up for school, as is the little guy, and Tony is working too hard, as always! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and we'll talk with you all later. :)

CT, Birthday, Follow up news.

IT is official! I am cancer free! I had my meeting with Dr.Victor this afternoon and she says that the CT looks good. The primary tumor is completely gone, and there is just some residual inflammation left from the radiation. We celebrated by eating (that’s right I said eating) at Red Lobster after shopping for clothes that actually fit my 40 pound lighter frame. It has been a long process and I would like to thank everyone for reading my blog, stopping by my facebook page, and just asking how I am doing. The taste buds are coming back also/ each day I am trying something just a little different and I am usually surprised that I am able to enjoy it. Jess took me to Noodles&Co for my Birthday on Tuesday and I had a Beef Stroganoff bowl that was awesome! I still have a way to go until this last of my cancer treatment residual effects are over. My hair is attempting to grow back, but it is all straight, mostly grey, and not growing back in the rear……so I am going to keep cutting it. Jessica and I have a plan for the morning for the Cancer center…actually we had a plan for good news and a plan for bad news….one of which involved a flaming bag of poo! We are preceding with the good plan that involves cold frappuccino's, cold orange juices, and dozens of fresh Schuler’s doughnuts. We decided that would be our way of saying thank you to the staff and patients in the morning. I will keep this blog up and keep you all updated on my progress, and if anyone reading this could say a prayer for Elijah’s Aunt Stephanie Mosier, and my favorite CT tech Lynne, It would be appreciated.

Thank you all!

End of Treatments! Now the wait for the results.

Hello everyone! On Thursday June the 10, I had my last radiation treatment! I will not miss getting the daily shots, or the sensation of being strapped down with a tongue depressor between my teeth for 20 to 40 minutes a day. I would like to thank everyone that has visited my blog for updates, prayed for me, or just sent me positive thoughts. I have been lucky to have a great support group as well as receiving support from unexpected people and places. In the month leading up to my CT scan, I will be attempting to get back to normal. My energy levels will get better, and I will not be wiped out from walking down a flight of stairs. My biggest challenge and something that I am looking forward to is getting my taste buds back! I have been torturing myself and got hooked on the Food Network! Since everything taste like wet paper, I have been collecting recipes and testing them out on Jess (She would not tell me if they are bad or not…just yet). Once I can taste just one thing, I am going to probably burn myself out on that food quickly since I have had nothing but ensure shakes for the past Month! I will keep the blog updated with progress and recipes.

No Chemo for You!

Well, Tony's last chemo (on Tuesday) turned out to be...no chemo. He had been joking that maybe his blood counts would be too low for chemo, and as it turned out, they were. His white blood cells were 2.0 (normal is 4.5 to 10.0). So his doctor said this was too low, and that's it for chemo. He's done.

The radiation, unfortunately, continues. He did have one day off (today) because they had to re-do the computer mapping for his new "skinnier" mask. But this is just a one day break, so not too bad. He has five more treatments, and then we'll schedule a CT scan. Can't WAIT to be done.

Also, a funny story: Tony had wanted to get a bracelet engraved with the end date of his treatments. So I found a nice stainless steel, manly bracelet and had it engraved with the cancer ribbon symbol and the date of his last treatment (6-8-10). Aaaaand then they told us he would have to be off an extra day due to the computer mapping stuff, which means his actual last day of treatment will be 6-9-10. (Sigh). THEY MESSED UP MY BRACELET!! Ah well. Note to self: cancer is unpredictable. I'm waiting until he's ALL the way done now. ;)

Adventures In Dining

Hey everybody...a quick update, slightly happier than my last one. So far, we have dodged the feeding tube thing. Tony is doing reeeeeally well drinking his Ensure shakes...he had TEN of them today! I'm so proud. I don't mean to sound like a doting parent, but I see how hard it is for him to drink them (seriously, YOU try drinking ten of those puppies...they don't taste THAT good!) Anyway, ten shakes = 3500 calories! Woohoo! (This is what we get excited about these days).

We did have a rather humorous conversation today with our server at Los Mariachis. We used to go there all the time - as in, we didn't even have to order. They knew what we wanted when we walked in the door. But needless to say, we haven't eaten out much lately. However, Tony decided to take me to Los Mariachis today, and he ordered some plain grilled chicken. He managed to eat a little of it before his taste buds started fizzling out and it tasted really weird to him. So he had a lot of food left on his plate.

Enter stage left: concerned waiter.

Waiter: Do you need a box, sir?

Tony: No, that's OK. Thank you.

Waiter: You didn't like it??

Tony: No, it was very good, thank you.

Waiter (confused): I can get you something else...???

Tony: [pained look to wife that says, "Do I really have to do this?"]

Jess: [stifled grin that says, "Yeah, you're probably gonna have to go there..."]

Tony (to waiter): Dude, I have throat cancer, so the food's really good; it's just kinda hard for me to eat.

Waiter: Ooooooooh. I'll get your check.


Hehehe...you can't say the guy didn't have good customer service. Tony left him a nice tip. :)

Well, Crap.

Today was a rough day. We went to the Cancer Center this afternoon as usual for Tony's treatment. When he came out to meet me after his treatment, he told me they had to "re-scan" him in the CT area due to his weight loss. They've started weighing him daily because he has lost so much weight and his radiation mask doesn't fit the way it did when it was first molded. This, then, affects where the radiation is directed, so they have to keep a close eye on things.

We kind of thought the "re-scan" was just par for the course, but while he was in the CT area, his radiation oncologist came to talk to me. When she started by saying "OK, here's the deal...", I can't say I was too cheerful. She explained that when they first scanned Tony for radiation treatments, they formulated the different areas or "planes" where the radiation would be directed. However, due to Tony's weight loss, they had to scan him again today. The problem is that the prior plan for his radiation planes and the re-scan they did today weren't meshing too well. In particular, he seems to have lost a lot of weight in his face and neck, which is messing with the plane of radiation near his spinal cord. Not cool. This means we have basically two options: 1) He gains weight and they continue with the existing plan or 2) He doesn't gain weight and they have to re-formulate the plan (remember all that complicated computer mapping?), which would take 5-7 days, which would mean delaying his remaining treatments. While that might sound like a nice thing, with this type of cancer it is NOT a nice thing. It gives it a chance to grow back.

The doctor then told me that she wanted us to consider a feeding tube, since I have been twisting Tony's arm to drink 4 nutritional supplement shakes a day, and to gain weight he needs to drink more like 8-10 each day. I knew he would not be happy about this. Heck, I wasn't happy about it. But the doctor said we reeeeeally needed to pack some calories in him, either by him drinking or by way of a feeding tube. If we couldn't do this, it would mean the delay in treatment, which is - as I mentioned - very bad. Oh, and we pretty much had to let them know by tomorrow morning if we needed the feeding tube because it takes a while to schedule the procedure. (Sigh). After she left, I sat in the waiting area and cried a bit - after all, I thought we had dodged the whole feeding tube bullet.

So when Tony came out, the doctor repeated the whole explanation to him, and he (rather vehemently) said that he was NOT going to have a feeding tube this close to the end of treatment. We explained/encouraged/admonished him that this meant he would have to drink 8-10 shakes a day, and he said that he would try. When we got home, I heard Tony scurrying around in the kitchen, and I thought he was doing "angry cleaning." (That's what both of us do when we're upset...you know, to take our minds off things.) But then he came in the living room and announced that he had a present for me, and that I should go in the kitchen. When I did, I saw six (yes, SIX) empty shake bottles. My mouth dropped open and I said, "Did you pour them out?!" He replied, "Nope. I drank 'em."

Wow. He had already had two shakes earlier that day. So eight "Fortify" shakes (that's Kroger brand Ensure...hehe) = 2800 calories and 104 grams of protein. I don't know how he didn't puke.

Just goes to show you what a little determination (or should I say stubbornness?) can do. Needless to say, he will be spacing them out a little from now on.

Also needless to say, we appreciate your continued prayers. Today was pretty rough, and this last bit of treatment is very rough for Tony. Trying to drink that much every day is hard. Also, since we are near the end of treatment, our thoughts have turned to what happens next. The doctors have told us that when he is done with radiation and chemo, they will wait about six weeks and do a CT scan. This will tell us how the treatment has affected the tumor area and lymph nodes, and if we are in the clear (remission!) or not. I don't even want to think about the "or not" part. I can't really think about that option right now. So please continue to pray! We appreciate everyone's kindness and prayers...we'll keep you updated.

Git 'Er Done!

It is with great pleasure that we announce Tony is nearly 2/3 done with radiation! (Last Friday was halfway, and this coming Friday will be 2/3). Believe you me, we couldn't be happier to be approaching the end of this ordeal. To date, Tony has lost about 14 pounds. The weight loss can be attributed to all the side effects of the radiation, which vary in intensity from day to day. Dry mouth, loss of appetite, mouth/tongue sores, and altered taste all affect how much he can force himself to eat. By far, though, I think he'd say the altered taste is the worst. Dairy products taste rancid to him, and sweet foods (such as ice cream, which I thought would be our savior), taste bitter (like "bug spray," he says). Meats are one of the few things that still taste somewhat desirable, so we've had every type of turkey, roast beef, rotisserie chicken, and pot roast known to man in the last few weeks!



Much to Tony's consternation, his radiation oncologist mandated that he is to have a minimum of four nutritional supplement shakes each day. We should probably buy stock in the Carnation Instant Breakfast line of products. Of course, he is growing very tired of these and it is probably safe to say he will never touch them again after this.



I am so very proud of him, though, for keeping a positive outlook and putting up with my incessant nagging to drink a shake. ;) We were concerned at the beginning of radiation that he might require a feeding tube, as many patients with this type of treatment do. But it looks like we may get away without it! However, we still have to keep his nutrition in mind, so when you see him out and about, feel free to ask him how many shakes he's had that day (muhahaha!)



We still have crappy days and days when we both get bummed by the monotony of going to the Cancer Center and getting painful treatments every single day, but it seems like God always sends encouragement right when we need it. For example, this past Monday...the weather was gross, we were in a "going-to-treatment" funk, and I thought I was going to have to drag Tony into the Cancer Center by the collar (or he'd have to drag me). We got a message from our all-time favorite CT tech, Lynne, that she wanted us to drop by when we had a chance. We stopped by to see her, and Tony got the coolest, most unexpected gift ever: a framed picture of the Navy's Blue Angels flight team, signed by the pilots and crew! And it had Tony's name on it! Tony went from "blah" to elated; even when we got back in the car he kept saying, "Isn't it COOL?!?!" It was such a pick-me-up to know that people were thinking of him and cared...it was really needed that day, and we appreciated it very much. (Thanks Lynne!) It's also been nice to have Tony's sister, LaTonia, visiting us this week...there's nothing like a big sister to keep things in order. ;)



So we'll just keep on keepin' on...at least we're on the downhill slide. Thanks for taking the time to read this or to say a little prayer - we appreciate you all! Hope you have a good weekend; we certainly plan to. :)

1/3 Done With Radiation...

Hi everyone - sorry it's been a little while since the last post, but it was the end of the semester for me, and that means finals. And, well, you know how that goes.

At any rate, Tony is plugging away with the chemo and radiation. He gets a lower dose of chemo on Mondays and has radiation Monday through Friday. And he is getting a different chemo drug this time: it's carboplatin, not 5-FU as I had mentioned previously. He also gets the amifostine shot in his arm every day. All in all, he amazes me. I would be a puddle of tears by now if I had to endure all of this.

With 22 more treatments still to go, he is definitely beginning to feel the side effects of radiation. His sense of taste is mostly gone, although every now and then he will run across something he can actually taste. Not being able to taste things has a profound effect on appetite (I probably wouldn't want to eat, either, if I couldn't taste food at all). His throat is sore, mostly when he swallows, so this limits what he can eat, too. We've made the transition to mostly soft/slippery foods that are able to go down easily. We've also stocked up on Boost shakes, which are high-calorie, high-protein nutritional supplements. Tony says they're not too pleasant, so I am going to try to mix them up in a milkshake and see if that helps at all. More than the sore throat, though, he says it's the inflammation and swelling that is unpleasant. With all the radiated tissues being inflamed, he says it feels like his tongue is swollen and his throat is too small to do what it's intended to do. He's also got a very dry mouth most of the time, and keeps water around at all times. So if you can taste and swallow food today, stop and say a little prayer of thanks...it's amazing what we take for granted!

Tony's radiation oncologist has given us a variety of things to try for relief, including "Magic Mouthwash," which has lidocaine in it to numb the throat. Tony tried this and said it was pretty awful, although I think we're going to try it again later. He didn't like the fact that his tongue went numb as well as his throat!

We do request your continued prayers. I would say this is the most difficult part of treatment, physically and emotionally, and unfortunately, it will get worse before it gets better. He's 1/3 done, and we just have to keep plugging, but it is very unpleasant. So prayers are very much appreciated! Hope everyone has a great weekend...we'll be trying to rest up, since Saturdays and Sundays are treatment-free. :)

Let the Radiation Begin...

Hi everyone! After my last post, I got several questions about Tony's radiation mask, so it dawned on me that I didn't do the best job of explaining it. I spoke in the last post about how the mask was made, but not its purpose. The mask - scary as it looks - is pretty much designed to keep Tony's head in place while the radiation is being delivered. The radiation machines (I'm sure they have a technical name, but I don't know it!) are programmed based on a CT scan of Tony's neck. Then a really high-tech computer modeling program tells the radiation beams where to go. (The picture here shows a program that might be similar to the one they're using, but it's not Tony's. It just gives you an idea of how technical it is. You can click on it to view it larger). The goal is to radiate the "bad" tissue and preserve as much normal tissue as possible. So with that said, it's important that his head not move around, and that's where the mask comes in. The mask is actually placed over his face and then bolted to the table while the radiation treatment is done. So hopefully that explanation makes things a little clearer.


Tony actually had his first radiation treatment today, and it was kind of a surprise. We had some scheduling concerns with the Cancer Center, so we weren't sure if he would start today, but he did. As I mentioned in the last post, he got an injection of a drug called amifostine, which is designed to preserve his saliva glands and reduce the damage that radiation does to them. He said this burned a bit, and then made him feel a little hot/nauseous. However, he was supposed to take a Zofran (anti-nausea pill) before treatment, and with all the scheduling issues, well...we forgot. So hopefully next time - with the Zofran - will be a little less unpleasant. The radiation itself is painless and pretty unremarkable; so the least pleasant things are probably the injection and having to lay on the table.


He'll have a low dose of chemo this coming Monday, which is designed to make the radiation (which is every day Monday - Friday) more effective. We're crossing our fingers that the lower dose will mean less severe side effects than the high-dose chemo he's already had, but we'll just have to wait and see. Whereas he was getting a 3-drug chemo cocktail before, this part will just be one drug (fluorouracil, or 5-FU).


The side effects of radiation are - like chemo - cumulative. Radiation can cause dry mouth and difficulty swallowing/eating, among other nasty things. I've also heard from other survivors that it gets more difficult and tiring as the weeks go on, and Tony will have about seven weeks of this, which will be 35 treatments. So we do appreciate your continued prayers as this last half of treatment goes on. As I read what I just typed, I realize that sounds pessimistic, but that's kind of the reality of the treatments. Having cancer isn't so bad; it's the treatments that suck! We, however, are not generally pessimistic people, and so we plan to get this done and kick cancer in the butt.


Tony also registered as a survivor in the upcoming Relay for Life that is held by the American Cancer Society at the Clark Co. fairgrounds. I'm not making a team or fundraising or anything, but if you've never been, I'd encourage you to go. It's a LOT more fun than you might think, and pretty much anything you buy there goes to help the American Cancer Society. It's like a fair, but with a better cause! :)


So that's what's new - I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and this beautiful weather. Be blessed!

The Mask (Radiation 101)

I left class a few minutes early today (sorry, Cinda!) so that I could be with Tony for his appointment with the radiation oncologist at the Cancer Center. I particularly wanted to be there for this one because we'd be discussing all the radiation stuff, which is still new to us.

In the next week and a half or so, Tony will be starting daily radiation treatments (Monday - Friday) and weekly chemo (yes, that again - luckily he doesn't have to wear the pump home for this stuff). This will go on for 7 and 1/2 weeks. When he goes in for the treatments, he'll also be getting a daily injection of a drug called amifostine (Ethyol). This will be given subcutaneously (under the skin), and it is designed to preserve the function of his salivary glands during the radiation. This is important because radiation is pretty vicious, and tends to lead to dry mouth, swallowing difficulties, increased risk for cavities/dental problems, etc. So while it will really stink to get a shot every day, we hope in the end the drug does what it's intended to do. Amifostine also can cause nausea/vomiting and a drop in blood pressure, so they'll be monitoring his BP frequently and he'll pop a good ol' Zofran (anti-nausea med) before going each day.

The radiation treatments themselves are called IMRT or "intensity modulated radiation therapy." Basically the idea is to use a CT Scan to place the radiation more closely to the affected tissues while preserving as much normal tissue as possible. Here's a good link I found with some more info: http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=imrt

So after the question and answer session, Tony went back into the CT area to have his mask made. This involved him lying on the CT table for about 45 minutes while the technicians did what they needed to do. He said the worst of it was that he had to place a contraption under his feet to pull his shoulders down into the proper alignment for the mask to be made, and this was really uncomfortable to hold for 45 minutes.

The mask itself was a plastic mesh material, which was warmed and then placed on his face and conformed to him. Some people get anxious when this is done, as it can induce claustrophobia because you're fastened to the table. Tony, however, enjoyed it and said it was the closest to a spa treatment he'd ever had. Go figure.

He also had a bite guard in place during this process, which is designed to move the healthy tissues away from the planned field of radiation (he'll be wearing this during treatments too). Oh, and the best part of the whole day? Tony got a tattoo! It's not a very exciting one, mind you...it's a dot. Literally no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. But it's in the middle of his chest and will help them align the mask properly. We may have to get a more exciting one when this is all done.

At any rate, it will take about 7-10 days for them to complete the computer modeling necessary to begin his treatments. When this is done, the Cancer Center will let us know, and then we'll know when the radiation will start. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, especially for Tony to have minimal side effects. We love and appreciate you all!