Hey Everyone, Today is Monday July 26th and things are going great! Chad had a doctor's appointment today and his blood work and everything was good. He is continuing to feel good and has been in good spirits. His feet and ankles have swollen up again and he's still very tired but nothing unbearable. His last round of chemo starts Monday. Dr. May hasn't told us what the next step after that is yet, but we assume they will scan him again and run tests to make sure the cancer is all gone. We still have unwaivering faith in God's love that it will be!
Friday night some amazing people came together for a benefit to support Chad. It was at Bogart's, a restaurant/bar here in Richmond. The owner, Nick was very generous to host the benefit. Many local artists came out to perform and support and so many friends and even people we didn't know were there! They raised a lot of money and we could never thank everyone involved enough. A special thanks to Kim James & Brian Crawford for making it happen. It was really, really wonderful. Chad & I were able to make it for an hour or so and we are both so glad we did. Chad was happy to be out and to see everyone, I know it meant the world to him just to feel all that love and positive energy. That means more to him than any amount of money ever could and I believe it was therapeutic for him. Thanks again everyone. WE LOVE YOU!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tired of Being Tired
Hey Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a great weekend even though we didn't do too much. Justice got to catch up with a friend that had moved to Florida a while back and was in town visiting on Friday. They went to laser tag and had a sleep over so he really had a good time. Saturday we just kind of hung out since it was too hot to be outside too long. We took Justice to see his first R rated movie - Predators - Saturday night!! He was so excited and really liked it. We had a great time. Sunday we drove out to a flea market in Mechanicsville and took two of Justice's friends with us. We didn't stay long since the heat really takes it out of Chad (and us too) but it was nice to take a ride and look around. Chad found some records there and was excited about that.
Chad had a check up yesterday and it went well. His blood counts all looked good. They took him off the blood thinner for a few days because his blood had gotten too thin. They will start him back on a lower dosage on Friday. He has been very, very tired this week. Feeling weak and his body is just worn out. He fell asleep eating dinner the other night! Poor guy. The doctor said it's normal to feel tired from the chemo and I'm no doctor but I think part of it is also his blood being too thin. Makes sense, right? They have told us that the chemo will build up in his system so the more he gets, the worse the side effects will become. Luckily, his main side effect has been being tired. It could be much worse and we know that, we are grateful he hasn't had any nausea, no more mouth sores, he's had a good appetite and hasn't lost weight, all the swelling in his ankles and feet went away, etc. Overall, he's been blessed.
Being tired all the time is still hard on him though and he seems kind of down this week. His mind wants to do lots of things but his body is just not having it. He wants to do fun things with Justice while he's here and I think that's the hardest part. It's frustrating and who can blame him. I am hoping that it might get a little better while he's off the blood thinners for a few days.
Chad had a check up yesterday and it went well. His blood counts all looked good. They took him off the blood thinner for a few days because his blood had gotten too thin. They will start him back on a lower dosage on Friday. He has been very, very tired this week. Feeling weak and his body is just worn out. He fell asleep eating dinner the other night! Poor guy. The doctor said it's normal to feel tired from the chemo and I'm no doctor but I think part of it is also his blood being too thin. Makes sense, right? They have told us that the chemo will build up in his system so the more he gets, the worse the side effects will become. Luckily, his main side effect has been being tired. It could be much worse and we know that, we are grateful he hasn't had any nausea, no more mouth sores, he's had a good appetite and hasn't lost weight, all the swelling in his ankles and feet went away, etc. Overall, he's been blessed.
Being tired all the time is still hard on him though and he seems kind of down this week. His mind wants to do lots of things but his body is just not having it. He wants to do fun things with Justice while he's here and I think that's the hardest part. It's frustrating and who can blame him. I am hoping that it might get a little better while he's off the blood thinners for a few days.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Just a quick one
Hey Everyone! Just a quick update to say that Chad is doing great. He has been tired but other than that, he's feeling good. He still has his appetite and has been eating well so that's another plus. He hasn't lost any weight so far and we are happy about that. Justice came home last night and we are loving it. He had been in Lynchburg for what seemed like forever and we really missed having him with us. Chad and Justice stayed up late last night playing the Xbox 360 and watching TV. I tried to hang with the guys for a while but was first to fall asleep as usual ;) It was nice to fall asleep to the sounds of my two favorite guys having fun though. We are all looking forward to just spending the weekend with each other and relaxing. We hope everyone has a great weekend too!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
How cancer changes things
Cancer changes lots of things, in fact it changes everything. Our lives have been turned upside down in just a matter of a couple of months. Everything we did, everything we thought, absolutely everything about us has been touched in some way by cancer. Our lives have been changed in some very negative ways that I am sure you all can imagine. What I want to talk about though is the positive ways cancer has changed us...
We have been closer to each other and God and family and friends than we ever have before. We have reconnected with people from our pasts that we may never have if it wasn't for cancer. We have met amazing people that we may never have met. We have slowed down and enjoyed the simple things in life. We tell people that we love that we love them all the time. We don't sweat the small stuff and go with the flow. We have learned that people are genuinely good and caring. We've been nicer to strangers even when they are not nice to us and stop and think about what they might be dealing with in their lives that we can't see. We have taken lots of naps. We've put more pictures that make us happy in frames around the house. We've reevaluated our future and goals. We've talked for hours about nothing and everything. We've enjoyed the moment. We hold each other tight like we may never see each other again. We've been more forgiving. We try harder to remember that things could always be worse. We want to help others and "pay it forward." We read the bible and pray on a regular basis. We are more grateful for the things we have. We express our emotions without fear. We feel full and loved and happy. Chad having cancer has certainly been life altering for us and I pray for everyone we know to never have to be touched personally by the negatives of cancer in order to be moved by the positives.
We have been closer to each other and God and family and friends than we ever have before. We have reconnected with people from our pasts that we may never have if it wasn't for cancer. We have met amazing people that we may never have met. We have slowed down and enjoyed the simple things in life. We tell people that we love that we love them all the time. We don't sweat the small stuff and go with the flow. We have learned that people are genuinely good and caring. We've been nicer to strangers even when they are not nice to us and stop and think about what they might be dealing with in their lives that we can't see. We have taken lots of naps. We've put more pictures that make us happy in frames around the house. We've reevaluated our future and goals. We've talked for hours about nothing and everything. We've enjoyed the moment. We hold each other tight like we may never see each other again. We've been more forgiving. We try harder to remember that things could always be worse. We want to help others and "pay it forward." We read the bible and pray on a regular basis. We are more grateful for the things we have. We express our emotions without fear. We feel full and loved and happy. Chad having cancer has certainly been life altering for us and I pray for everyone we know to never have to be touched personally by the negatives of cancer in order to be moved by the positives.
Monday, July 12, 2010
This One is For You
Hi Everyone, today is Monday July 12th and things are going great. Chad finished his third round of chemo yesterday. He did have to go to the hospital Saturday & Sunday to get it the last two days but he didn't have to stay Saturday night so it wasn't bad. He is feeling great and hasn't had any side effects so far. The pain in his knees is completely gone, the swelling in his ankles is completely gone, no mouth sores, no nausea, no nothing!! He looks great and feels great. He is in awesome spirits too. We just keep praising the Lord for all he has done and all the blessings he has given us. When I have moments of worry Chad reminds me, "Look how far God has brought me, look how far I've come already! Don't worry."
So other than some doctor's appointments and blood work, he is off for 3 weeks! His last round of chemo is scheduled for the first week in August.
Justice is coming home this weekend and we are looking forward to it. Chad, Justice and I plan on spending some much needed time together. We may go to the zoo or Maymont for a picnic or if they guys have their way we will play Xbox 360 all night hahaha - it doesn't matter what we do, I'm just looking forward to being together!
So other than some doctor's appointments and blood work, he is off for 3 weeks! His last round of chemo is scheduled for the first week in August.
Justice is coming home this weekend and we are looking forward to it. Chad, Justice and I plan on spending some much needed time together. We may go to the zoo or Maymont for a picnic or if they guys have their way we will play Xbox 360 all night hahaha - it doesn't matter what we do, I'm just looking forward to being together!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Home again & GREAT news!
Okay so let me just get right to the good stuff...The great news is that the scan showed that the tumors have shrunk more and the blood clots have all gone away!! YEAH!!! God is doing great things and he is healing Chad, it's a beautiful thing! Thank you to all of you for your positive thinking, faith, and prayers!
Today is Thursday July 8th and Chad is home. They released him from the hospital about 10:30 last night. He is feeling MUCH better and has had no more sickness. Apparently, it was some kind of stomach bug that's going around and he just got it worse than most of us would. His knee pain is also gone. They were never able to figure out exactly what caused it as nothing showed up on the Xray. Their theory was that they cramped up badly when he was dehydrated and stressed in the ER which makes sense. Doesn't really matter, good news is it was nothing serious and it's gone! I am feeling much better too...
Chad started his third round of chemo yesterday and it's going really well. He will receive it at the doctor's office again tomorrow like he did today and then will go to the hospital to get it on Saturday and Sunday since the office is closed on the weekends. We are not sure if he will actually be admitted and have to stay Saturday night or not. It's okay either way, we are just grateful that despite all of the complications he has had, he has not had to miss any of his chemo treatments and that they are working!
Today is Thursday July 8th and Chad is home. They released him from the hospital about 10:30 last night. He is feeling MUCH better and has had no more sickness. Apparently, it was some kind of stomach bug that's going around and he just got it worse than most of us would. His knee pain is also gone. They were never able to figure out exactly what caused it as nothing showed up on the Xray. Their theory was that they cramped up badly when he was dehydrated and stressed in the ER which makes sense. Doesn't really matter, good news is it was nothing serious and it's gone! I am feeling much better too...
Chad started his third round of chemo yesterday and it's going really well. He will receive it at the doctor's office again tomorrow like he did today and then will go to the hospital to get it on Saturday and Sunday since the office is closed on the weekends. We are not sure if he will actually be admitted and have to stay Saturday night or not. It's okay either way, we are just grateful that despite all of the complications he has had, he has not had to miss any of his chemo treatments and that they are working!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Back Again
Hi Everyone! I hope you had a nice fourth of July weekend! Today is Tuesday July 6th and Chad is back in the hospital. Ugh, I know that is how I feel too. But let me catch you all up by telling you how wonderful of a trip we had to Lynchburg. We all had a great time and everything was really good until yesterday morning. We went to cookouts, we went out to eat, we visited family & friends and we were almost able to forget for a few days that Chad is sick. It was great. He was feeling great...
Then yesterday morning he woke up throwing up, we were still in Lynchburg at his parents house. He has not had one bit of nausea so far so we thought ok, well maybe it's starting. He could not keep anything down though, including the nausea medicine the doctors called in for him. So about 5pm I packed him up and off to Richmond we went. Justice stayed back with Chad's parents so he could go to church camp again this week. (he is still loving every minute) Chad & I agreed that it was worth the rough 2 hour ride to be back in Richmond where his doctors are instead of risking him getting stuck in the hospital in Lynchburg. He just seemed to be getting worse and the doctors on call were concerned about him getting dehydrated. We made it home and packed a bag and off we went to the ER.
The ER is not our favorite place. In fact the ER sucks. Everything takes forever and the nurses are way overworked. I even asked the doctor on call that said to bring Chad in, if we could just go right up stairs to the cancer floor and skip the ER. Unfortunately, they can't do it that way "for legal reasons." Anyway, we were in the ER until about 2am. Chad had a temperature of 101.8 and was dehydrated. They pumped him full of fluids, anti nausea medicine and also started an IV of antibiotics. The ER doctor ordered a chest Xray and said that it looked like Chad had a spot of pneumonia in his right lung. At about this time Chad started having stabbing pains in his knees. He was in horrible pain and it was scary since it came out of no where. The ER nurse didn't seem to care much and said it was a side effect of chemo? Ok dude, but it just started since we've been in the ER and he's never had it before? AARGGHH
They decided to admit him and at that point he was sent to the cancer floor to a happy place where the nurses actually care and listen to you. I had gone up before he did to see what nurses where working and to let them know he was coming. It was so nice to see familiar faces and they were all excited to see us in a I wish you didn't have to be here but glad to see you way. As soon as Chad got to his room they immediately got him comfortable with pain medicine. The doctor on call came in and checked Chad over really well. He made us feel better by explaining all the things that the knee pain could be from and that he did not feel there was an immediate danger. He would treat his pain and then wait for doctor May to come in the morning. The medicine knocked Chad out right away and I fell asleep on the couch soon afterwards.
Chad is feeling much better today, his temperature is back to normal and the nausea is gone. Doctor May came in and ordered a spiral CT scan just to be sure there are no blood clots and to see how the cancer spots in his lungs are doing. He also had the great news that Chad's tumor markers have come down. From my understanding, the tumor markers are something in his blood they monitor to determine if the cancer is responding to treatments. So great news so far for Chad today!
I on the other hand woke up throwing up. I think I caught the bug Chad had and it's horrible! I don't have a temperature though so I am just riding it out. I took some medicine and have been able to hold down some crackers. I am hoping it will just be a 24 hour thing and be gone tomorrow.
Dr. May said they will start Chad's 3rd round of chemo tomorrow. He didn't say how long he plans to keep him in the hospital but that's ok, we've learned not to ask ;)
Then yesterday morning he woke up throwing up, we were still in Lynchburg at his parents house. He has not had one bit of nausea so far so we thought ok, well maybe it's starting. He could not keep anything down though, including the nausea medicine the doctors called in for him. So about 5pm I packed him up and off to Richmond we went. Justice stayed back with Chad's parents so he could go to church camp again this week. (he is still loving every minute) Chad & I agreed that it was worth the rough 2 hour ride to be back in Richmond where his doctors are instead of risking him getting stuck in the hospital in Lynchburg. He just seemed to be getting worse and the doctors on call were concerned about him getting dehydrated. We made it home and packed a bag and off we went to the ER.
The ER is not our favorite place. In fact the ER sucks. Everything takes forever and the nurses are way overworked. I even asked the doctor on call that said to bring Chad in, if we could just go right up stairs to the cancer floor and skip the ER. Unfortunately, they can't do it that way "for legal reasons." Anyway, we were in the ER until about 2am. Chad had a temperature of 101.8 and was dehydrated. They pumped him full of fluids, anti nausea medicine and also started an IV of antibiotics. The ER doctor ordered a chest Xray and said that it looked like Chad had a spot of pneumonia in his right lung. At about this time Chad started having stabbing pains in his knees. He was in horrible pain and it was scary since it came out of no where. The ER nurse didn't seem to care much and said it was a side effect of chemo? Ok dude, but it just started since we've been in the ER and he's never had it before? AARGGHH
They decided to admit him and at that point he was sent to the cancer floor to a happy place where the nurses actually care and listen to you. I had gone up before he did to see what nurses where working and to let them know he was coming. It was so nice to see familiar faces and they were all excited to see us in a I wish you didn't have to be here but glad to see you way. As soon as Chad got to his room they immediately got him comfortable with pain medicine. The doctor on call came in and checked Chad over really well. He made us feel better by explaining all the things that the knee pain could be from and that he did not feel there was an immediate danger. He would treat his pain and then wait for doctor May to come in the morning. The medicine knocked Chad out right away and I fell asleep on the couch soon afterwards.
Chad is feeling much better today, his temperature is back to normal and the nausea is gone. Doctor May came in and ordered a spiral CT scan just to be sure there are no blood clots and to see how the cancer spots in his lungs are doing. He also had the great news that Chad's tumor markers have come down. From my understanding, the tumor markers are something in his blood they monitor to determine if the cancer is responding to treatments. So great news so far for Chad today!
I on the other hand woke up throwing up. I think I caught the bug Chad had and it's horrible! I don't have a temperature though so I am just riding it out. I took some medicine and have been able to hold down some crackers. I am hoping it will just be a 24 hour thing and be gone tomorrow.
Dr. May said they will start Chad's 3rd round of chemo tomorrow. He didn't say how long he plans to keep him in the hospital but that's ok, we've learned not to ask ;)
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