Hmmmm

So I was thinking yesterday, and thought it odd that:

Nic was diagnosed with cancer on Friday the 13

Nic will have his first Chemo treatment on April Fools

Just an odd thought...

PORT

Hello,

Nic is home and doing well, they used a different type of anesthesia, so not so sick. His chest is a little soar, but that is to be expected.

So this Port has a little tube under the skin that goes into the vein. You can feel the tube-- kinda feels like a tendon.

They gave of quite a bit of information at a "chemo orientation" this morning. For anyone who wants to know-- he will be taking AVBD Chemo treatments, every other Wednesday, starting this Wednesday.

For a fun little game- who can think of the most creative acronym for AVBD Winner gets--a plate of home made cookies? Maybe a candy bar?... Get posting, Nic & I would love a few laughs..

Thanks to Nate & Jen for watching Stockton & Thanks Amy & Clint for dinner!

PET Scan Results

We had another call from Dr. Stennitt. Bone marrow biopsy's were clean- Hurray for that- We'll take what we can get.

The PET Scan, however, revealed that there was a mass forming by the pancreas. Which would put him at a stage 3. The mass is not big enough to be classified as a tumor, but showed potential. Nic will be starting Chemo on Wednesday, & that will prevent the mass from turning into a tumor. He will do treatments once every 2 weeks. & go in for another scan after 4 months. We should notice the tumor in his neck decrease in size after 2 treatments.

Results

Well, the results of today's tests were obvious. They were testing to see if Nic's heart & lungs were strong enough for chemo-- and they are. Big surprise.
Nic is scheduled to get his port on Monday at Davis at 10:30
I found this web site insightful as to "how the port is put in"
http://www.bcadvisor.com/making-treatment-chemo-radiation-easier-1050210.html
He should have his first Chemo treatment on Wednesday.
- We should hear from the Doctor today or Monday on the staging.

A new day, A new test

So today's test was CAKE compared to yesterdays! The only problem with today's test was that it left Nic radioactive for the evening. The test took about 2 hours, not bad. We go to Davis tomorrow for the other tests.
On the way home Dr. Stennitt called & stated that the Pathology reports were as he thought, Hodgkin's lymphoma-- Still not sure on the stage, that is what today's test will provide him with. We should be getting a port put in on Monday (tentatively) & will start treatment next week as well. Not sure on what day or what frequency, that also depends on the stage. If all goes as planned we will probably need a meal on Monday.. Nothing set in stone yet...

Change of Plans

Okay, change of plans-
We are able to have the PET scan tomorrow. (Thursday) Hurray a week earlier than planned. That means more answers sooner. After finding out more about the test, it will take a few hours. Monica is in charge of meals & tomorrow is a meal day. I'll update again when we get home tomorrow.

Dr. Stinnett

Okay, well the results were not in- So both the doctor & pathologist are going off assumptions. I am sure they are right on, however, they will be calling with results tomorrow.
What we did find out..
More than likely it's- Hodgkin's which has a 90% survival rate
More than likely it is in stage 2.
He does has 2 lumps in his chest
1ST is 2 inches
2ND is 2.5 inches
He still has more testing to do-
Today they did a bone marrow biopsy
Friday they will be doing an Eckocardiogram
Next Thursday (unless we can get in sooner) they will do a PET scan
For info on a PET scan, check out this link
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=pet
They will wait for the results before deciding on a PORT or LINE-
Port goes under the skin
Line hangs out of the skin
We will be getting a call tomorrow to confirm this diagnosis or tell us a new one.
He will be treated with Chemo- Once all tests have been finalized, they will decide on a treatment, once a week, or once every 2 weeks. They have said he can still work, just not on the Chemo days.

Ready for the Bone Marrow Biopsy test story... Okay, well they warned us it would hurt & how they preform the test. We all know that I am not in a medical field, because I am not a blood person. So I picked up a magazine, and glanced over every few minutes to see what was going on. Saw some fat long needles- I would compare one of them to a meat thermometer. I could hear Nic taking deep breaths, so I knew it was killing him. I kept hearing the doctor say, sorry, sorry, I'm going to try over here. So I am sure Nic was dying. In the mean time I had to keep my composure. I started feeling really sick to my stomach and light headed. So I was trying to decide which to do first, If I stand up & go to the sink (cause I wouldn't have made it to the bathroom), I may faint on the way, but if I stay in my chair, I may puke. The room was spinning & my mouth was watering like crazy.. Which was going to happen first. In order to get to the sink I would have to cut through the doctor & nurse- I don't want to bump or ruin anything, but if I pass out, they might not have finished the procedure. I keep hearing- Sorry, go ahead and cuss if you need to. By this time I quit looking, I had my back to Nic. The Nurse was still in my vision & she had taken a sample of bone- The first sample didn't get any marrow- & was placing it on a slide. Whoa. Took some deep breaths, looked at the ceiling. I could feel that I was swaying. Oh man, here Nic is in pain & I can't handle the thought/sound/ and little sight I had seen. Then the doctor was done. My eyes were watering, my mouth was watering, I couldn't read the posters on the other side of the room. Then the doctor went out. I went over to the sink, had a drink & splashed some water on my face & went and sat down with my head between my knees. I was still woozy. By the time the doctor came back in I had gotten some color back into my face, but was still a little light headed as we stood.. Came home, my head was pounding, so I took a migraine pill. now all I have left is a little nausea, and a smouldering headache. Nic on the other hand hurts, his neck & hip are throbbing. For now he took a pain pill & is tyring to sleep. I think he handled it better than I did.

Thanks Jen for watching Stockton- Appreciate it!
We are good on food tonight-

Day after

Nic is doing better today- hasn't thrown up once. Yea!

Hopefully we can get answers at the doctor's tomorrow.

Thanks Mom & Monica for helping out with the kids.

& Thanks DeLaine & Crystal for a delicious Chicken Spaghetti!

~Also, I gave out a lot of your E-mail addresses to my sister so she can coordinate help when needed. So if you get an E-mail from a MONICA.... Thats her sending out an update or asking for help. If you want to help and I don't have your email-- ask a friend if they have it-- or find her on face book-- listed as my sister.

Post OP

Okay, he is out...


He wasnt too silly, but a little out of it. He made it through the recovery room-- into the car- stopping at Walgreens to get his pain meds, then into our neighborhood before throwing up. I had to pull over. Ohhhhh, he is feeling better now though, has some color to his face.


Not much new news. They were able to get a good chunk, but werent able to get remove any of it-- that was a thought at first... HOPEFULLY the results will be in by our Wednesday appt.

BEFORE

AFTER

Sorry not much new to report, but all is well. He said the normal lymphnode is the size of a jelly bean- Nic's was the size of a 1/3 of a hot dog. Good comparisons....

Thanks for dinner Crystal and DeLaine!

Vote

We were having a discussion this afternoon about being put out, and the reaction we had to it. Nic hasn't ever been put out. We were taking votes on what we think he will do.
Most are betting he will throw up.
Some think he will be silly and out of it.
When I have come to, I have felt like I just woke up from a week long sleep, WONDERFUL!What do you vote?
Or leave a story about your reaction to anesthesia...

Biopsy

Here is how tomorrow will go:

Check in at the hospital between 11:00-11:15

Surgery starts between 12:15-12:30

Surgery will take between 30-60 minutes

In patient recovery 30-45 minutes

Out patient recovery 1 hour.

Biopsy

We met with the surgeon today. Nic will be getting a biopsy on Monday. He let us know that Nic had quite a few soft tissue "Mass" in his chest, about 2 inches thick, which is why he has been coughing-lots of pressure on the lungs. The biopsy will help decipher which stage and which type of lymphoma it is. Nic will likely get his "line" put in next Friday or the following week. We still have our Wednesday appt to go to, to get our treatment plan mapped out. I will update again on Monday after the biopsy & let you all how he's doing.

The downfalls of life.

Hi everyone,
I am afraid I have some bad news. Last week Nic found a lump on his neck. We went to Dr. Julien the next day & he said it didn't look good and took an X-ray. He then found another lump to the right of Nic's heart, towards the middle of his lungs. Nic had a CT Angiogram today, and with having 2 lumps, it is in stage 2, 3 or 4. Being that it is close to the heart, it is more likely that it is stage 4. It is Lymphoma, but we don't know if it is Hodgkins or non-Hodgkins. One has a higher rate of survival than the other. He should be going in for a biopsy tomorrow, & we will find out the results to that on Wednesday when he sees his oncologist/internist. That is the only info we have right now. I have really good insurance, so that is a positive. Nic's hours were cut to 20 hours a week with Rainey, so that will work for now. There isn't anything we need help with right now & I am going to start using my blog as an updater, so's not to have to repeat myself, or be on the phone all day. I will post the news in a few days. You can leave questions and comments on that if needed or E-mail me. We haven't told the kids yet, we would like to wait until we find out the survival rate & type of cancer. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
We Love you all!
Amber & Nic

Good for a laugh

Blind Cowboy



An old, blind cowboy wanders into an all-girl biker bar by mistake.
He finds his way to a bar stool and orders some coffee.
After sitting there for a while, he yells to the waiter, 'Hey, you wanna hear a blonde joke?'
The bar immediately falls absolutely silent. In a very deep, husky voice, the woman next to him says, 'Before you tell that joke, Cowboy, I think it is only fair, given that you are blind, that you should know five things:
1. The bartender is a blonde girl with a baseball bat.
2. The bouncer is a blonde girl.
3. I'm a 6-foot tall, 175-pound blonde woman with a black belt in karate.
4. The woman sitting next to me is blonde and a professional weightlifter.
5. The lady to your right is blonde and a professional wrestler.
'Now, think about it seriously, Mister. Do you still wanna tell that joke?'
The blind cowboy thinks for a second, shakes his head, and mutters, 'No...not if I'm gonna have to explain it five times.'

The last day in San Fran

We toured San Fran by minivan on Saturday morning. Unfortunately for me, I was in the back- of my own choosing, but to get to this view point, we had to take some windy roads. This picture was taken before my face turned green.

See what I mean by winding? The view was worth it though!

A house we passed along the way.

Beautiful city. I love how they have recycling bins on every corner- I am trying to help out mother nature here at home, so this city was a paradise for me!

I thought this windmill was pretty- & I was trying to take my mind off my churning stomach.

Happy to get fresh air & not be in a moving car!

The Golden Gate bridge was a magnificent site!

Saturday must have been a good day for sailing-

After touring we went back to the wharf for lunch. Kristin & I had fresh seafood, while Jen, Crystal and Megan had Pizza.

I also stopped at Walgreen's for some Dramamine and a coke.

After eating lunch, we went back to clean up the apartment and pack up. Then on the road we went. I was still spinning- or so if felt, so I tried sleeping the first portion of the ride. I was car sick until about wells. But I did get in some sleeping. & watched the pride and the prejudice here and there. We stopped in wells and got some KFC- Ohhh nothing better, that felt great to my tum tum. About I-215 meets I-15 ish. We heard a little clunk, and then after that the car started sounding quite funny. We got off in Bountiful and sat in the Denny's parking lot until My Father in law was able to come out & look it over to see if we should keep driving it or not. As bad as it sounded, he gave us the Okay, and he drove it to his house, where Megan Kristin & Crystal got off. Then Jen got in & drove me home. We got home at 6:00 AM Even with my husband and 2 kids in my bed as crowded as it , it was still the best thing to come home to. Cassidy Laying on my legs and Stockton arm on my head.

Home Sweet Home, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Friday night in San Francisco

After out nap we took a walk to go through the stores at the- Embarcadero (not sure on the spelling) an indoor/outdoor mall. Passing this work of art on the way.
Also passing a tree full of birds. There were about 20 more int eh tree that flew off before I got to take the picture-- I was amazed to see that they were wild Parrots. How pretty they were.

The shopping center- We were surprised to find that most of the eatery's had closed- it was about 5:30 on a Friday night-

Dusk from the view of the apartment window.

Again, it was such a breathtaking view.

We ended up going to the wharf at eating at Taylor's. Or as most of us kept calling it- Tayla's-- copying the way Maddie calls to her sister.

more vacation

Waking up after Wicked...

We took a boat ride to Alcatraz.

I'd go CRAZY in here. Good thing I am law abiding!

They had these Audio tours, where you wear head phones and take the tour at your own pace.

Pretty cool, heard quite a few interesting stories-- makes me want to watch the history channel or read a book about it.

This is the ruble of a once standing house of one of the guards.

The view of the bay area from Alcatraz

After Alcatraz, we went to china town. Courtesy of the fine tour bus we had been riding the last few days. We bought a 2 or 3 day pass. Well worth the money!

Our tour guide this time a wonderful guy named Philip. We learned a few more thing from the tour. We asked him about a good place to eat at China town, since there are about 30 to choose from. He said he knew of just the right place- he said the service was terrible & food was great & cheap-- Okay, we can handle that.

CHINA TOWN

So we got the guide dropped us off right in front of this place- looks normal, he came in with us & introduces us to the hostess. We were seated & looking at the menu- questioning a few items... I was confident in the lo mien I was going to order.. A man came to take our order, Jen started, then he came to me, I ordered. He was looking at us funny and wasn't writing anything down You would have thought we were speaking in tongue or had green teeth. Anyhow after I ordered, he said- Is this your first time here? Yes-- we seemed to say in unison. He shook his head & said. I am the owner, I will take care of you. He then took our drink order. We looked at each other in horror--- What will he bring us???? He started out with casadilla looking things with Shrimp, drizzled in peanut sauce. OMG Delicious! about 5 mins later we got our second dish. Pork egg rolls if I remember right. Again another hit. Yummy. Then it was a beef dish... I want to say Mu-Shu? Anyway, that was one that was good, but I got a really fatty piece of beef, which made it yucky. Jen said hers wasn't fatty at all, so it would have been good had I gotten a different piece of Beef. At this point I was confident in this place & ordered some Tea- I was ready to give anything a try. He brought me a glass of hot water with what looks like a giant seed of flower bud at the bottom. about the size of a walnut. The next dish to come was Sesame Chicken- Another winner, and Oh so delicious.. We started joking about how the food would never end & the bill would be $300.00. The next thing to come was lo mien. I would say that was the thing I liked the least-- good thing this guy ordered for us., I would have been stuck. Then the waitress mentioned that this was the last plate.- relieved and getting full we then got the bill. Not bad-- about $70.00 for 5 people & 5 different plates. I'd go back again-- if only. And my tea, well the closest I can describe it is a chamomile. The bud at the bottom slowly opened up, so it looked like I was drinking a weed or bug. The picture doesn't do it justice. But it was tasty- if you like tea.. And I do.

My plate- above-My tea below

We then shopped at the China Town shops- I could have spent more money- Had I had some avl.Ü I would have loved to get a china shirt-- no other way to explain it. Not a t-shirt, just a shirt in the print & style of a china woman.

Crystal & I getting Silly at the shops- She took the picture

We then walked home-- not too far.

We stopped at baskin robins for a tasty treat & home for a nap.

Vacation cont....

Before wicked we shopped at Old navy- It was a 4 floor Old Navy- biggest one I've ever seen- 1 floor for women's, 1 floor children's, 1 floor for men's, 1 floor for teens-- Holy Crap-- I would have taken a picture-- but my camera was out of batteries.
There was also a street band playing & I wanted to record a bit of it for Nic, but no such luck there either. While I was outside of Old Navy waiting for the others to make their purchases,and to listen to the street band, I was leaning against the building, in my nice low cut shirt, when I was approached by a man, who I later decided was a business man, looking for someone to take care of his business. I quickly walked back in to Old Navy and waited there for my group. There is safety in numbers!
On the walk from Old Navy to Wicked we had to pass through a $e% district of sorts-- wasn't that interesting. Saw a few cross dressers, some homeless people, a man wearing all pink clothes 2 sizes too small, and a lot of advertising.. Something you don't see too much of in Utah- especially in Davis county.
After the show we took a Gypsy cab- a cab driver that isn't really licensed, and does it on the side. A very nice person from the middle east- said he came here to be a chef & graduated from a culinary arts, but decided to stay in America and make a living here. He had been here for about 30 years. Very nice person & he knew the city well. We went home and crashed.

San fran

WICKED was awesome!

I was disappointed that the CD of wicked that they were selling was from the original Broadway cast & not the cast we saw. It was awesome. I still wish I could see it in Utah... again, but I am glad to have even seen it at all.

This is the apartment we stayed at.. Thanks Uncle Bill...-(My mother-in-law's brother)

We did pretty good for 5 women staying in a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment.

It was nice and spacey.

The view was spectacular! Who wouldn't like waking up to this every morning.

This was all of us, on our way to wicked.


Amber, Jen, Crystal, Kristin, Megan-

Jen is married to Nic's brother Nate

Crystal is Nic's little sister

Kristin is married to Nic's dad

Megan is Nic's Youngest sister

If you don't know who I am- why are you reading my blog?

This is me pooped before even going to Wicked

Before Wicked we had a delightful dinner at Chevy's -- Yumm Yumm

Kristin was very happy to brag that she got chips and salsa-- my camera was running out of batteries, so some of the pictures didn't quite turn out.

I've tried to figure out these large spaces on this posting, but the longer I try, the less luck I have and less time I have to finish posting my vacation.

Side Note

30 days until my Birthday!!!!!!!

~Also, I am adding bits and pieces to my vacation. First pictures, then story's. & anyone who went on the trip may comment on their version or a specific memory or if they E_mail me, I will add it as I get them.

San fran pearls

The Pearl factory.

You pick an oyster out of the bucket, they cut it open and you get the pearl.

They then clean it & try selling you really expensive jewelry to place it in.
After picking your oyster, youcount to 3 & say ALOHA all together & then they ding a bell & open it up. We probably drummed up some business for them. It was a very fun activity we did down at the warf.

San Fran

Me and Jen

Who couldn't love Spongebob

Yummy nacho's Thank's Jen

She bought them, WE ate them~

Sea Lions and lots of them.
How would I describe this -- Loud & Stinky

Entrance to China town

I won't be shopping here!

I don't think they would even let me in the door.