I Know Jack

Jacks mom was one of the leaders at the Summit this weekend. Jack inspires me to do something, that's for sure!

Summit Over

The last day of the summit was a great day as were the rest. It was great to hear the panel and what they had to say on the questions from Lance and Doug. I agreed to come to this summit in hopes of finding an idea of a way i could get involved in the war against cancer. I went looking for a way that I could spend minimal time making a huge impact. I heard stories all weekend of great things my LIVESTRONG peers are doing in their communities and some nation wide. So, what I came home with was about 700 ideas of projects that I could start or join. My brain was boggled and I have narrowed the ideas down to 5. I organized those 5 into a now, short term, and long term projects. As I get started I will publish them all. The first project I call The Swing Vote Project. The ball is rolling and more to come at http://swingvoteproject.blogspot.com . I will also make a blueprint of each project so it could be used in other communities to make a difference.

Ohio leads the nation on Clinical Studies being performed

Thought I should note something positive after slamming their recycling efforts.

Ohio needs to Recycle

I can't believe how behind the times this state is when it comes to recycling. Even on the largest college campus in our country, there is not a recycle container to be found.
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Black Raspberries

Researchers at Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center may believe that Black Raspberries protect against cancer. I thought that was pretty interesting.
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www.LIVESTRONG.com

www.livestrong.com , Check it out! Not to be confused w/ www.livestrong.org .

Senator Kennedy

Word was just leaked that he will be speaking to us tomorow.
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Speaker

Dr. Harold Freeman of the Ralph Lauren Cancer Center in Harlem.
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Groups

Headed to our break out sessions.
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2nd Speaker

Dr. Mike Caligerri, CEO, The James Cancer Center.

I'm sure I spelled his name wrong and will fix it later.
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Back at Merchon

This morning starts back at the Mershon Auditorium. The Keynote speaker this morning will be Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States, 2002-2006.

Then at 10:15am we will break out in our designated groups.
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John McCain speaks at the Lance Armstrong Foundation Summit 2008 Presidential Town Hall on Cancer

McCain makes joke that Obama is not here but speaking to a huge crowd in Europe; and that's just the press.

McCain reading everything he's saying.

Promises to make sure that the FDA and his staff will expand clinical trials in our country.

Claims all states are not using their anti tobacco funds as they are suppose to.

Under his plan tax credits will be issued for the purchase of Health Insurance.

Lance asking McCain questions.

What does Senator McCain do to stay fit?

Answer: hike, swim, light exercise. Campaigning is great exercise. Mentions a vacation home he does hikes around.

Zahn asks: As president would you support a federal tax on ciggerettes? McCain says no. He doesn't have confidence in congress to make sure its spent right. Mentions the 9 percent approval rate of congress. "congress is curupt". Says he doesn't want to raise taxes for anyone.

Lance asks: Should the FDA regulate tabacco? McCain anawes, Yes.

McCain goes on about us advertising in other countries about tabacco.

Zahn asks questions about curupt congress. McCain confirms he thinks current members are being bought and sold by tabacco companies.

McCain says he will increase funds given to the American Cancer Institute.
Zahn asks by how much, notes Obama said he would double. McCain says he would, "sixtuple it" by eliminating cork barrel projects that Obama is voting for. McCain backs up and says all he can says is he will increase it. He says he will eliminate projects such as studying the DNA of bears in Montana.

McCain vows to examine every agency of government and scrutinize them.

The Mic goes out and comes back on; McCain says, " this audio has been brought to you by the Democratic National Commitee." This guy is funny.

Meeting adjurned. Lance says Obama declined but does not get a "pass" and will give us the answers to these same questions soon.
Lance closes with:

The difference between a crowd and a community is that in a crowd everyone runs into each other and elbows each other to get ahead. In a community, people get together and conquer something together. We will become a cancer community this weekend.

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Our Host for the Evening

Paula Zahn is our host for this event.
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1st Speaker

Lance Armstrong
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stage.jpg

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3 Rows Back

We just got seated and I'm 3 rows from the stage.
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Gas

Gas is $3.85 a gallon here in Ohio. We are on are way to Mershon Auditorium now for the Presidential Town Hall on Cancer.
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Ohio Statehouse

I'm on my way to the Statehouse in Columbus for a reception for all the delegates. From there we are going by bus to Mershon Hall to attend the Presidential Town Hall. Media is everywhere, so McCain should be happy that he is getting some attention for the first time in weeks. There is talk that Obama will be there via satellite but I have yet to see or hear this officially. I know he spoke in Berlin at 1:00pm EST.
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Check In

I'm all checked I for the Summit. All delegates have been assigned to one of three groups; Fundraising, Advocacy, or Elections. As you can see I will be working in Elections.
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Ding!

Now Boarding. Ohio bound. One stop in Arizona.
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Watch LIVESTRONG Summit 2008

Not in Ohio? You can still watch the LIVESTRONG Presidential Town Hall on Cancer, listen to Senator John McCain's plan and watch live webcasts of all general sessions from the LIVESTRONG Summit. Go to livestrongblog.org for a complete schedule. Keynote speakers include Dr. Sanjay Gupta from CNN; Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th U.S. Surgeon General (2002-2006) and president of Canyon Ranch Institute; and Dr. Harold Freeman from the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention.

LIVESTRONG Summit 2008

I leave next Wednesday for Columbus, Ohio to attend the LIVESTRONG Summit 2008 at Ohio State University. I am so looking forward to it! A little bit irritated that Obama has backed out of the Presidential Town Hall on Cancer to take his trip abroad, so it's McCain by himself. I will have my BlackBerry with me and have taken this blog out of retirement. The story continues.

Seven days and counting..........

IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well........I've been thinking of how to finish this blog and I'm at a loss for words, for the first time in my life.

Now that it's all over, the fact that I had cancer, is really hitting me for the first time. Like many, I have several roles in life; Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Coach, Sales Rep, Friend, neighbor, etc. , and because of those first two, I think I just went head first into this situation and never looked back. I had to be strong or at least appear that way to be the husband and father that I set out to be. If I would have freaked out, my family would have followed suit and my positive attitude could have been lost forever. So really, I think I was in denial this whole time. This blog gave me an outlet. An outlet that I would recommend to anyone. By having this blog, I never had to talk about my situation to anyone. I would just fire out my thoughts for the day and deal with cancer for the minutes that it took me to write an entry and then move forward like nothing ever happened. A major lesson I learned: If you ever need strength.......fake it long enough......and it WILL come.

I've also wanted to change some posts before I end my blog but have decided against it. The main post I thought about changing involves Dr. Quadro. I felt bad that I totally threw him under a bus and anyone that googles his name will come across my blog. My well thought out decision is to leave it alone. I never said anything untrue about him and he did have a incident in his background that made my whole family and I uncomfortable. Also, even after my PET scan he still had a bed ready for me for full chemo. If I would have went through with that, things would not be the same right now.

Now on to gratitude.........I want to thank everyone who took the time to check on me or got to know my family and I on this blog. I just checked and this blog as of about 10 minutes ago had 6,220 page loads which shows me that we have so much support in our family, friends, co-workers, customers, and even complete strangers. You really get to know who's who when you go through a crisis and we loved what we saw from everyone in our lives. Thanks for all the cards, emails, and phone calls that came in on a regular basis. I don't have time to list everyone individually, but everyone knows who they are, that stepped up and helped us out when we needed it. Special thanks to Dr. Miller, Dr. Logsdon, the Perez Family, Pennington Family, my mom, Becky, Kristy, the King Family, Erica, coach Dave and our Wild Pony Family, Marge & Nicole, Brian Dowd, Dan Amman, the Sommers, Brandi and Haileys Girl Scout Troop 2663, Myla Mar, Kathy and Tyler, all my friends at Edward Don, the best boss in the world..Gerri Katz, UC Davis, the Ahwahnee Hotel, Cache Creek Casino, Kathy Green, and Rick Meyer.


Grandma Chris, Aunt Donna, and Aunt Elva,

I guess God wanted a man in the club. Thanks for all your support and kind gestures. I really appreciate all of you. Thanks again.

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Brandi, Hailey, and Evan,

Thank you for being the best family in the world. Thank you for putting up with me when I was tired and cranky and I'm in debt to the three of you for the rest of my life. I love you!
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Uncle Tom and Aunt Tommi,

Thank you for all you both did for us. Words cannot describe how appreciative we really are. Thank you so much! Oh, and Aunt Tommi, I'm sorry I ever voted for Bush, you were right!


I hope that I someday have the chance to support someone the way that everyone out there has supported my family and I. I'll be looking for the chance and can't wait to find it.


The End.

Uno Mas

One more day until the present becomes the past.

One more zap of radiation.

One more day until we can tell Hailey that daddy isn't sick anymore.

One more blog entry.

Tomorrow will be a great day!

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15 and 16 of 17

Both treatment days went perfect. I feel like a healthy person!
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13 and 14 of 17

Again, all good. No side effects at all. Today I got pulled into Dr. Logsdons office for my weekly face time with him. Again, he said we are in remission as far as he is concerned and he booked me a PET scan for 60 days from now. I will be seeing him and Dr. Miller every 6 months for a couple years.

3 more treatments and this shit is in the past. I have a sales trip planned for next week to one of the remote parts of my territory. I haven't been able to leave Sacramento since January when this all started, so I'm pretty fired up to go sell somewhere outside the Central Valley.

One of my fears before this all started was returning to the soccer season looking sick or different to our girls. I'm very fortunate in that, this will not be the case. I look just as I did before this all started. Soccer starts at the end of May and runs for 18 weeks. I can't wait!

12 of 17

No issues at Fridays treatment. It was a great day and night.

This weekend went by so fast and I felt fine the whole time.

5 treatments left!
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11 of 17

Another great day. No pain. I felt 100% normal.

10 of 17

I had mild stomach pains this morning but nothing to complain about. The rest of the day was a piece of cake. Seven more treatments to go.
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9 of 17

Today was a rough day. We woke up to Brandi having a flat tire and Hailey barely made it to school on time. Then I started having some stomach pains around 9. I think it's because we ate mexican food last night. I went to my treatment and the radiation reserve lot was full, so I had to park a couple blocks away. I did my treatment and went home to take a stomach spasm medicine Dr. Logsdon gave me. Since he told me that it would knock me out, I had to reschedule the rest of my appointments for the day. I took a nice 4 hour nap and woke up feeling fine. Just one of those days I guess. I was able to get out around 3:30pm and get caught up a bit. Tomorrow is another day, thank God.

8 of 17

This weekend went by in a flash. I did have some stomach pains Saturday morning because I ate a steak Friday night, which I know better than to do. The pain came and went. Later Saturday night Hailey and I went with some friends to see the California Cougars play. They're a professional indoor soccer team. After that we went to our friends house until 1 am. Hailey and I both slept in pretty good.

Sunday we played at the park, hung around the house, then went grocery shopping. No radiation issues.

Todays appointment was short and sweet. No issues to report. I haven't had a nap in about a week and I feel just like I did before all this started. We went to the gym again today after work. The gym is becoming an everyday event, slowly but surely.

Tomorrow is the treatment that puts us past the halfway point as far as radiation is concerned.

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6/7 of 17

I'm so happy that my blog is uneventful. Yesterday was another perfect day. No fatigue, no stomach pains, no meds, just a normal day again. The light is SO clear at the end of the tunnel. At this point, in my mind, cancer is behind me. I'm going through the motions of the rest of my radiation even though I believe I don't need anymore. If the chemo took care of the large lymph nodes, it only makes sense that it killed any and all micro malegnancies that might have been present at the same time. The reality is I don't know crap about medicine or cancer so I'll finish doing whatever my doctors ask.



Yesterday I went to the gym after work for the first time since I started chemotherapy, another big step forward.



Today, my sister Kristy, is taking me out to lunch after my treatment because she lost a bet. I had told her to rent "August Rush" and she said the cover looked lame. I bet her that it would be the best movie she had seen all year. After she watched the movie she admitted defeat. To lunch we go.



On to another normal day.

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5 of 17

I was in, I was out, and have felt perfect all day.
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Dr. Miller Appoinment

My appointment and bloodwork went fine. Dr. Miller said that we won't be able to say with certainty that I'm cancer free until after a PET scan that will take place 60 days or so after my final radiation appointment. He did say that it was terrific news that my lymph nodes are back to normal size. What a great day!
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Great News

After my 4th treatment which I received today, I got called into Dr. Logsdon's office. He told me that he has spent time going over the CT scan that I did for my Radiation Summilation. My lymph nodes are back to normal size at less than one CC. He also took a slice and compared the surface and was happy with what he saw. We have 13 more Radiation Treatments to go and then we will be able to proove that I am cancer free. This is the best news that I have ever heard!

I still have to go to Dr. Millers at 3 for my appointment. I can't wait to hear what he has to say as well.

Finally!
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Chemo Follow Up

My chemo follow up appointment is tomorrow at 3:00pm with Dr. Miller. They are going to do bloodwork as well. Today I saw the bill for my chemotherapy treatment. It was more than $10,000 for that one treatment. Lucky for me, my insurance covered all but $30.
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Treatment 3 of 17

I was in at 11:00 am and out at 11:15am. Today I was not tired one bit. I'm sure it was because of all the napping I did over the weekend.
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Radiation Treatment 2 of 17

Friday was my second treatment. I went to go get zapped and then headed to UC Davis for a couple meetings. Right in the middle of the day I started getting some really bad stomach cramps. I called the doctors office and they said I was having spasms. They called in some anti-spasm medicine to the pharmacy I always use by my home. By the time I got the meds the cramps were gone. At least I have this medicine in case it happens again. When I got home I took a nap for a couple hours and woke up feeling fine. I think the cause of my cramps was that I was drinking freezing cold water all morning. I later read that I'm suppose to drink cool or warm liquid opposed to hot or cold. Brandi called me a wimp and told me, "try being a woman". Whatever.

The night ended up with us having friends over for some wine and Rock Band. It was a really fun time!

Today we went to breakfast with Brandi's family and then ran around town getting stuff done. When we got home today, I crashed for about 4 hours. I just woke up and feel perfect again.

On to Saturday night....
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...

Its about bedtime and I made it through day one without a problem. I did take a two hour nap when I got home though.

LAF Summit 2008

Today I opened an email from the Lance Armstrong Foundation. They let me know that I've been chosen as a delegate from my area to attend Summit 2008. I just googled it again and am pretty excited about attending this summer in Ohio. That is going to be an awesome weekend.

I feel fine by the way.

Radiation Zap 1 of 17

Brandi and I arrived at Mercy around 10:45 am and were on our way out at 11:03 am. They shot me from the back and then my stomach. They then took an Xray and sent me on my way. I didn't feel anything but a bit warm. The medicine they have me taking before my treatments doesn't have me feeling any different. Tomorrow I will drive myself for sure. Let's see how the rest of the day goes....

Radiation Eve

It's the day before radiation starts and I feel 100 percent today and yesterday was a perfect day as well. I haven't experienced any fatigue since Saturday. That 1 round of chemo (Carboplatin) really didn't set me back at all in comparison to what I was preparing for. I mean, I could definitely tell it was in my system but that's about it besides the couple days of fatigue I mentioned before. The Chemotherapy will be behind me officially after my follow up appointment with Dr. Miller on April 1st. Unofficially, I'm over it now.

On to getting blasted by radiation beams.......

My first zap is tomorrow from 11:00 am to 11:15 am. This whole experience has been a roller coaster. Brandi and I both feel like this is that last drop before we get to be done with the ride and move on. I was 10 times more worried the night before chemo started then I am now. I've read all about it and know that I'll be fine. Just hope it works and I'm done.

3.24.08

The Easter Bunny left Evan a Nerf dart gun in his basket. We all loved it, so today we bought 3 more and a pack of 30 extra darts. These things are so fun! They have laser red dots that helps you aim. Each gun is only $5.50. These darts have been flying through our house ever since I got home. All for the kids of course...

Obviously, my energy level is good today with no sign of fatigue. I'm looking for a high energy day tomorrow because I have admin work to do all day which is not my cup of tea. I'm ready for radiation to start Thursday. The end of treatment is almost here.

Easter

We had a near perfect Easter Day. It started with brunch at my parents house and that was so good and fun. The only thing missing there was Becky and Kristy. They had to work. Then we had Brandi's family and my mom over for dinner at our house.

Saturday I was really tired after that mall experience and yesterday was perfect as far as fatigue goes. I'm pretty sure that the chemo is behind me.

Easter Pics

We waited two hours for pics today. What a crock!

3.21.08

What a let down. The CT I did this morning is not for diagnostic reasons but to prepare for my radiation therapy. I will wait until next Thursday for my next appointment which is also my first radiation session.

I never really go back and read what I've posted but I did today. I noticed that I have never touched on how irritable I've been at night. For the last week, I've been really irritable and tired starting right around 5 or 6. The last two nights have been the worse, yet barely worth mentioning. This has all been pretty easy so far.

I also noticed that I never mentioned my dad has been doing all my yardwork to make things easier on me. I really appreciate it and it looks 10 times better than when I do it!

At this very second I feel perfect. I'm still taking my supplements mid day.

CT Scan

I'm at my appt. now. This is my first CT with Sutter.

I can't wait for these results.

Positve Thought of the Day

This ordeal started on Jan. 9th and is scheduled to end April 18th if all goes as planned. That being said, today I'm 74% of the way back to a normal life!

Urology Appointment

This morning at 9:00am I went to my final surgery follow up exam with Dr. Bennnan. He gave me the "all clear" and says he won't need to see me again.
I would highly reccomend Dr. Brennan, Urologist, at the Mercy Medical Plaza in Sacramento. His follow up and communication with myself and his staff was top notch. 916.733.3333.

Radiation Appointment

I met with Dr. Logsdon for about an hour. He went over again what we had talked about on the phone. No suprises. He scheduled a CT for me this Friday at 7:45 am. Can't wait! He also prescribed Zaphran 8mg to take a half hour before my treatment. He said it won't knock me out and should work well for my schedule. The appointment time they suggested is 11:00am. Starting March 27th I will have a 5-15 minute session everyday at 11:00am.

I am so wiped out right now. I started fading around 6.

1st Radiation Appointment

March 27th I will receive my first of 17 sessions. My last session will be April 18th.

Radiation Treatments

Dr. Logsdon just let me know that I will be getting 17 treatments of Radiation

3.18.08

Another pretty darn good day. I did get worn out at the end but no big deal. My appointment to start Radiation Therapy is at 1:00 pm tomorrow and should take about 2 hours. This is a simmulation appointment. They will mark my body in the spots they'll be beam'n and let me know how many sessions I will need. I am hoping I can plan all my appointments at the end of each day.

I am blessed to be going into the second half of my treatment at 100%. I was planning to be a little roughed up at this point.

St. Patricks Day

I feel like a broken record when I say I felt great again all day. No Fatigue. I started taking my vitamins and wheat grass mid day instead of the morning. It might be in my head but I think that move has given me more energy late in the day.

For St. Patricks Day, we ate green ice cream cones after dinner. Last night we went to the grandparents for Corned Beef and Cabbage. About as exciting as St. Patties Day gets around here.

We can't wait for Wednesday. I really hope they scan me.

Friday and Saturday

The weekend is starting well. Last night was my Dads birthday dinner. We all had a great time. Yesterday, I felt 100% all day with no fatigue.

Today we have a busy agenda. At 11:45am we are going to watch Coach Dave's son, Zach, tryout for the Select soccer team at the park in Stonelake. Then we are going to see the new Horton Hears a Who? Finally, we will end up at our good friends birthday for the evening. As of this minute, I feel 100% and I haven't even had my wheat grass yet. I'll be 115% in a matter of minutes.

Today is going to be a terrific day! It's inevitable.

Wednesday and Thursday

I guess it's been a few days since I"ve posted. I've been so busy at work and home.

Well, I'm pretty much ready to say I'm past the chemotherapy. I've felt really good since Saturday. Fatigue is barely an issue. I do really need my 8 hours of sleep but that's it. I am getting a little winded when I workout with my dumbells at night. I was prepared for way worse than this Carboplatin Chemotherapy has actually been. I've had colds that were worse. It has been a breeze.

On to Radiation Therapy. I have my simulation appointment on Wednesday. They will tattoo me with dots where they will be doing the Radiation and creating a mold of my body. I will also be getting scanned. Dr. Logsdon told me that he expects those cancerous nodes will not be visible this time. I hope he is right.

Brandi and I are starting to talk about the celebration that will take place when this treatment is done. We are looking for an "all inclusive" spot in Mexico to take the kids for a couple days in May or early June. Or maybe a cruise? I want to find a place where we can get a good group deal and invite everyone and their mother to be able to book a stay at the same time. I know it's early but we're almost there. If all goes as planned, my treatment will be over on April 25th.

Tuesday

I had a great day at work today, almost everything went my way. I felt 100% all day. I'm wiped out now and an Atavan away from retiring for the night.

Dr. Miller told Bertha that it's fine for me to workout with my weights. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to wake up an hour earlier and do a mild workout. I think it will help with my energy level. There's only one way to find out.

Monday

Today was a great day again. I have the score at 6 good days and 1 bad day since beginning chemo. That's 86% and I'll take it!

I am very tired at the end of each day. I feel like it's midnight right now. I can deal with tired though, not a problem.

Brandi, the kids, and I went for about a mile walk tonight. I felt really good afterwords. I put a call into Bertha today to ask if I could work out with my weights a little bit. She said she thought I could but wanted to ask Dr. Miller and get back to me tomorrow.

I found a new friend today; Iced Soy Green Tea Latte at Starbucks. So good and like a shot in the arm at the same time! I wonder what the nutrients label would read on that one? I bet it would be pretty good.

Going to bed now.

Sunday

It was a perfect Sunday. The weather was beautiful and we had a great day. I felt perfect 100% of the day today. It was a winner for sure.

Things are starting to resemble normal again. This week I have no medical appointments, no tests, no treatments, and I'm not even taking any medicine, besides chemo that is. Just a normal work week. I can't wait!

Back On Track

We finished last night feeling fine. I woke up this morning to feel normal which is fantastic compared to how I felt yesterday morning. We'll hope for the best moving into today.

......

Alicia came and took our kids to play with hers this morning. Camron and Alicia took the kids to the park and met Kristy and Erica there. Thank you guys for showing our kids such a fun day!

Brandi stayed with me and we kinda toughed through that rough morning together. I still have yet to vomit but it was a very rough morning.

On to tonight.

Tides Have Changed

The cake walk is over for now. I feel like hell today. I feel very hot but my temp. is only 99.1. We have to go to the emergency room if it hits 100.1. My stomach is still unsettled but my streak remains. Everytime I fall asleep I've been having bad dreams since I laid my head down last night.

I think everyone knows that there are going to be days like this when you go through chemotherapy. I can only hope that they don't come to often. This sucks.

Day 4 7:45 PM

Another day completed. I feel like I can slow down a little bit know that the weekend is here. I am beat!
My skin is feeling really dry. We'll need to address that over the weekend.

So, bad dreams, dry skin, and mild fatigue is as bad as it's been. I'll take that.

Dr. Logsdon's(RT) office called today and said he wants me to come in on March 17th rather than April 4th. That will put my treatment completion date two weeks sooner. We will be doing some scans to see the progress of what the chemo is doing for me right now. Then we will do a Radiation Simulation.

Right now I'm starting to feel my stomach getting a little unsettled. This is the first time I've felt anything in my stomach so far. Hopefully my 27 year vomit free streak will remain intact through the night.

I'm so lucky to have made it through this first week without missing any work and without ever feeling bad. I would have thought it would have been a little worse.

Day 4 - Noon

Halfway throug my fourth workday since chemo and all is still good. I feel tired but thats it. I have two kids so I'm always tired anyway. No big deal yet.

Day 3 5:00 PM

The day ended fine with no side effects at all. I am wiped out though.

Day 3 7:00 AM

I'm still good. No hard times as of yet.

On to a normal day at this point.

5:00 PM

I've made it through my first two workdays without any side effects since receiving the chemo. I am so happy about that.

Bertha called back to say that everyone handles it in a different way so you never know. She told me that Dr. Miller said that probably day 4, I would be having some nausea and fatigue. I read that the nausea affiliated with Carboplatin could last 24 hours.

Nausea is my second to worst fear in chemo. For one, I haven't thrown up in so long it seems frightening. Next, I can't work if I'm throwing up or nausious. So, this could be GREAT news if I could go through the peak of nausea over the weekend. Day 4 would be Friday.

My worst fear is losing my hair. For the fact that my kids would see my sickness. The good news is hair loss is rare with Carboplatin.

All and all, it was a great day. Now, I'll go home at let my kids wear me out!

2:00 PM

Still nothing. It's been an average work day so far. As of right now I have yet to feel a thing, besides sleeping more than usual last night.

I have a call into Dr. Miller and Bertha, his triage medical assistant, to ask if this is normal. They told me it was going to slug me. I'm just wondering when?

7:00 am

I feel fine today again. I went to bed much earlier than normal and woke up later than normal, but other than that I'm fine. Business as usual today.

I am going to see the customers that are closer to home like downtown hotels and hospitals so I could get back if I start feeling bad.

Two thumbs up for sure!

9:00pm

I'm still feeling great. I was expecting to be getting beat up a bit by now, but nothing yet.

5:00 pm

Everything is fine right now. I'm getting a little tired, I think? I did take 1mg Atavan so that might be whats making me tired. I'm sure it's coming, but right now I'm pretty darn close to feeling normal.

2:30 pm

So far I'm fine. I feel a little tired but that's it. It's probably the calm before the storm.
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Over

We're on our way home now. I feel fine. As of right now I have a streak going of 27 years without ever throwing up. Something tells me that streak will come to an end sometime soon, but you never know. I'm planning on working today and every day this week as of right now. We're playing everything by ear. I'm not afraid to take some time off but at the same time, I'm not taking time off if I'm able to work. We'll see.
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Other Meds Given

The drugs they gave me in the IV for nausea were Kytril and Decadron.
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Chemo In

The drip of Carboplatin just started. It should take an hour, they said. Four doses total at 1350 mg. They gave me some nausea medicine in the IV before the Carboplatin.

Cece is my nurse and she's a very nice lady with a good sense of humor. This place is so bright and upbeat.

Brandi has been with me every step of the way and today is no exception. Its very nice to have her here with me except when her embarrassing ring tone went off and everyone was looking at us.

We're doing great!
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03.04.08

Today is the day that I will go on the offensive, for the first time since surgery, in my fight against this stupid cancer. I'm a competitive person and I turned this journey into a competition a long time ago. Today is my turn to be aggressive. I'm SO ready! I know that the next couple weeks are going to be a bit of a drag, but that's okay. I know that every second of worry, every sick moment, and every minute of fatigue will put me a second, a moment, and a minute closer to full recovery.



There is a paragraph in the book, "It's Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong that has came to be my "light at the end of the tunnel", I read it everyday. It reads:



.....What you learn in cancer surviorship is that after all the shouting is done, after the desperation and crisis is over, after you have accepted the fact of your illness and celebrated the return of your health, the old routines and habits, like shaving in the morning with a purpose, a job to go to, a wife to love and children to raise, these are the threads that tie your days together and that give them the pattern deserving of the term " a life". ............



I'm ready to return to my normal "life" and it starts today. My coworkers are all boarding planes tommorow in the cities where they live to go to a company wide event in Florida. I hope this is the last work function that I miss.



We're off to take the kids to my parents house and then II'S ON.


Two thumbs up!

Chemo Eve

Well I can't believe its finally here. I'm as ready as anyone can be to receive chemo. I hope this will be a knockout punch in this fight. I'm very confident that it will be. What the chemo doesn't kill, the radiation will, starting four weeks from today.

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Dr. Logsdon Called

I had a good talk with Dr. Logsdon today. He let me know that if it was himself in my position that he would do the same thing and be treated with this "cutting edge" treatment. He also told me that yes, this study is young, but it's not being done by some random doctors from some random hospital. These studies were led by a doctor from The Royal Marsden Cancer Center in the UK. The Royal Marsden is a larger cancer facility than M.D. Anderson at The University of Texas, which is the largest cancer center in the United States. The doctor at the Royal Marsden Cancer Center that led this study is Dr. Alan Horwich. Dr. Logsdon said that Dr. Alan Horwich is one of the "biggest brains" in the Testicular Cancer field, internationally. Dr. Horwich is the editor of the textbooks doctors use to study Testicular Cancer and The Treatment and Management of Testicular Cancer.

So.....This "cutting edge" treatment I'm doing is coming from one of the most highly regarded doctors in the world when it comes to Testicular Cancer. Dr. Logsdon studied at M.D. Anderson at the University of Texas. Dr. Miller studied at Stanford. My consultant that has helped me along the way is a retired Radiologist, former Chief of Radiology, who studied at Harvard.
Together these guys have a TON of experience and they are collaborating on my case. How could I not be positive? I really think it would be ignorant of me to be down in any way. I'm so lucky! Really.

Radiation

My Radiation Therapy will begin after my first and only chemotherapy cycle which is 3 to 4 weeks. Even though I'm only getting one single dose of Carboplatin, the cycle still last 3 to 4 weeks.

Studies - CRT

Study 1 - 1989 - 1996 UK
33 patients with stage II A/B were treated with the chemotherapy of Single Agent Carboplatin(C) and then Radiation Therapy(RT) . Those 33 were compared to 80 that were treated with RT alone. The 5 year relapse free survival rate (RFS) for the 33 treated with CRT was 96.9%. The 5 year RFS of the 80 treated with RT alone was 80.7%.

Study 2 (Same Medical Group) - 1998 - 2006 UK
26 patients treated with CRT. There was no reported grade 3/4 toxicity. Their 3 year RFS is 100%.


Dr. Logsdon talked with these doctors in person about treating me with this method. The doctors were happy to hear it from what I've been told. Dr. Miller gave me all my options but was leaning towards CRT for sure. CRT it is.

Doctors Office

Went to the doctors office to get a copy of the study. I now have it in hand. While I was there Bertha, Dr. Millers triage nurse, asked if I wanted to have my meeting with the nurse to go over everything for chemotherapy. I agreed, of course, did the consultation with her, and scheduled my Single-Dose Chemotherapy for Tuesday March 4th. I'm a very happy camper! I think it has everything to do with Dr. Milller and the staff at his office. Finally, starting Tuesday, we will be fighting back, against the cancer in my body.

I'm SO happy and Brandi is as well!

Answers

I just got off the phone with Dr.Miller. No suprises. Thank God!

He gave me my options: full chemo, radiation, or the study that's being done on the combination of both. Dr. Miller thinks the study looks very attractive because we will get the benefits of both without too much of either. So that's what we're going with. Like I said, this study is new with around 100 studied so far. Dr. Miller is printing it out for me and I'll have it in hand soon. I'm excited to be part of something progressive in the study on cancer.

The doctors office has submitted everything to my insurance company and that approval process has taken around 48hours in the past. After approval, I will have an appointment with a nurse to go over the logistics of the chemotherapy and then next week I will receive my single-dose of Chemotherapy, Carboplatin to be specific.

Today

Today, I am expecting the phone call from Dr. Miller. I hope to hear what the Tumor Board had to say as well as my treatment path defined. I believe the board is meeting at 9am.

Bed Ready?

So Brandi calls me and tells me that a nurse called saying my hospital bed is ready. Bed ready? What? I'm not suppose to have any inpatient anything at this point. I of course freak out and called Dr. Millers triage nurse, Bertha. She called me right back and let me know that our plan is still the same and there is no bed waiting for me. We figured out that my previous doctor must have not canceled the bed he reserved for my inpatient full chemotherapy cycles at his hospital. Wew! I thought maybe some test results came back and they needed me right in or something.

I hope this isn't a sign that full chemo is lurking it's head around the corner again. Who knows? This cancer bullshit is such a maze. We'll soon see and deal with it as it comes.

Tumor Board

I can't wait to get the call from Dr. Miller on Thursday. I'm nervous and excited to hear the what the board has to say.

I have dug so deep and I can't find anything on the study from Great Britain that they are considering for me. It must be pretty new. I trust my doctor 100% and I'll do whatever he says no matter what. I'm sure he'll discuss options like all doctors do. The real answer comes when you ask, "What would you do if you were in my shoes?". The answer Dr. Miller gives to that question will be my treatment plan that we start next week.

On to work.

PET Scan Office

Today, in between my morning appointments for work, I picked up a copy of my scan images and PET Scan Report from the imaging center that did my scans. My records at home are now as current as the records my doctor has.

.
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FYI

Today I received permission from my doctor to start the supplement program below.
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Supplements

I think that I have sucked all the information I can out of the cancer nutrition books my mom gave me. Tonight I went to The Vitamin Shoppe and bought the supplements that I've decided on. I will take the following daily, along with my multi vitamin, shot of wheatgrass, and green tea:

Flax Seed Oil - 1000 mg
Cinnamon Extract - 500mg
B-50 Complex
C- 250
Lecithin(from soy)- 1200 mg
Apple Cider Vinegar-240mg
Zinc- 30 mg
Iodine(from kelp)- 210 mcg
Calcium- 600mg

Based on what I've read and my health stats, I think my doctor will be fine with me taking these 9 tablets. I would never take anything without consulting my doctor first. I'll email him tonight.

Results

My lungs are clear, which is fantastic news! The other side of that coin is that my suspicious lymph nodes are indeed cancerous.

I learned that Dr. Miller and Dr. Logsdon (the Radiation Oncologist) have been collaborating efforts on my behalf. If you we're to meet both these guys, you would think I have a dream team working for me. Up until today I've felt like I had to control this process because I felt like I was juggled around a bit and nobody else was taking charge. I'm stepping back from that line of thinking because Dr. Milller and Dr. Logston have a good handle and genuine interest in my case.

They both agree that they want to find a way around full chemotherapy and that the area is to big to treat with radiation alone. Both doctors have been doing research and talking to other experts on my behalf. They came across a new treatment plan that has been being studied in Great Britain. It involves a little chemo (1 dose for 1/2 an hour total) and radiation treatment. While this study is young, very young, it has been successful close to 85 to 90 percent of the time. Dr. Miller says this looks very attractive to both of them as a treatment plan for me, but wants to dig into it a little deeper.

Before the doctors make a final decision on my treatment, Dr. Miller is bringing all my info to a Tumor Board that he is part of next Thursday morning. I understand that this board is made up of Pathologists, Oncologists, Radiation Oncologists, and radiologists. He will have the actual slides of my tumor, my CT scan, my PET scan, and bloodwork with him. If I understand it correctly, every test that has been done on me will be getting second and third opinions next Thursday. This, to me, is HUGE.


My treatment, whatever it is, will start the week of March 3rd.


Finally, we thought it was cool that somehow the doctors found my Blog. Dr. Miller asked to have a new picture put on here so I'll switch that up when I get home.



That's it for now, my thumbs are getting sore.



.

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......

Five hours until we know my future treatment path. You'd think that the answer I want to hear is, "no chemo", but that's not the case. All I want to hear is that thing on my lung is "nothing". That would make my day. A bigger bonus would be to hear that my enlarged lymph nodes are "nothing" as well. That is a big stretch though.

At least we will finally know my stage and treatment path . I don't think I've ever had anxiety like I have right now.

4 hours 36 minutes and counting.
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Lucky Again

Besides having cancer, I've had some really good luck lately.

I asked Debbie, a very nice lady that schedules for Dr. Miller, if I could be called if anyone cancels before Friday. It just so happened that someone canceled their appointment tomorrow at 2pm. That appointment is now mine. If she doesn't deserve a Starbucks card, I don't know who does!

Tommorow is the day. No matter what the news, the day will end good. Coach Dave of our soccer team gave me tickets to see the Kings play Atlanta tommorow at Arco. I can't wait to see Bibby in a Hawks jersey.
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Friday

The soonest appointment I could get is Friday at 2pm to get my results from Dr. Miller. I received this appointment in a voicemail so I didn't have a chance to complain, cry, or beg for a sooner appointment. The staff there is really nice so I'm going to see if they can put me "on call" in case someone cancels their appointment.
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......

I called Dr. Millers office to ask them to help me get my results and they are calling the PET scan office now. I'm getting so anxious and I want my results!
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No Results Yet

I called the PET scan office this morning. The lady that answered the phone said my results weren't ready. She seemed irritated that I called and asked why I'm calling her and not my doctor. She's going to be even more irritated when I call at noon and 4. I know that all we are waiting for is a doctor to write a summary report. These PET tests costs between 3k and 6k. You'd think they would be able to staff for same day results.

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Holiday

I was so fired up, to start tightening the screws, to get my results the minute it turned 8 am this morning. I was so pissed that they were closed for the holiday!
I'll call them in the morning first thing.

At work, I trained Bob again. We worked on getting new accounts and were successful in two local hotels, so the day ended good.

Tonight we're going to Disney on Ice which will be a great distraction for us all.
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Diet note

Before this crap I was a coffee freak. Its been about a month now since I've had any. Actually I've had a few slips but for the most part I've switched to green tea.

Three days ago I started taking a shot of wheatgrass a day. My father inlaw gave me a gift card to GNC as well, so I'll be getting some more supplements soon.
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Scan Done

I just finished the scan. I'm not glowing so that's good.

They said we should have results by Wednesday. I'm sure we will have them before that.
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Capsule

They let me know that the stuff they're injecting me with is just like glucose that my body makes naturally. I wonder why they need that fat stainless steel capsule to hold one tiny syringe.

They injected me and I have to wait an hour for my scan.
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Beautiful Day

It's such a nice day in Sacramento today. I couldn't imagine a better day to have some radioactive nuclear material injected into my body.
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Valentines Day

Today for work I spent all day training a new guy with our company. His name is Bob and he will be my neighbor geographically at work. I have the top third of California, no bay area, and Northen Nevada. Bob will have San Jose to Monterey. My boss tells me that he will be helping me out while I'm in treatment if I need it. Hopefully I won't.

Then I came home to a heart shaped meatloaf and pink mashed potatoes "Valentines Feast" that Brandi and Hailey planned. Brandi's sister Nicole was over as well.

The finale of the evening was our Bowling Champinship on the Wii.
.....and still champion of the house......Daddy! I won by 6 pins and Hailey came in second with 204.

We are ready for our test tommorow. I have to not eat anything from now until noon tommorow. I'm looking forward to having some clarity next week. There has been so much uncertainty the last seven days. We will find out soon.

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P.E.T. / CT Scan Equipment

P.E.T.

Found this at www.radiologyinfo.org :

What is Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanning

Sample image obtained using a combination of PET and CT imaging technology.
Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging or a PET scan, is a type of nuclear medicine imaging.
Nuclear medicine is a subspecialty within the field of radiology that uses very small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose or treat disease and other abnormalities within the body.
Nuclear medicine imaging procedures are noninvasive and usually painless medical tests that help physicians diagnose medical conditions. These imaging scans use radioactive materials called a radiopharmaceutical or radiotracer.
Depending on the type of nuclear medicine exam you are undergoing, the radiotracer is injected into a vein, swallowed by mouth or inhaled as a gas and eventually collects in the area of your body being examined, where it gives off energy in the form of gamma rays. This energy is detected by a device called a gamma camera, a (positron emission tomography) PET scanner and/or probe. These devices work together with a computer to measure the amount of radiotracer absorbed by your body and to produce special pictures offering details on both the structure and function of organs and other internal body parts.
In some centers, nuclear medicine images can be superimposed with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to produce special views, a practice known as image fusion or co-registration. These views allow the information from two different studies to be correlated and interpreted on one image, leading to more precise information and accurate diagnoses.
A PET scan measures important body functions, such as blood flow, oxygen use, and sugar (glucose) metabolism, to help doctors evaluate how well organs and tissues are functioning.

Bloodwork

Done

PET Scan Scheduled

My PET scan is scheduled for Friday at noon.

Staging

Where my previous doctors had stepped out and both declared me stage II B, Dr. Miller says there isn't enough information to say a stage for sure. He said he was more interested in making the right decision than a quick one. My uneducated opinion is that my previous doctors have made decisions based on percentages and trends and Dr. Miller needs more physical evidence weighted with those percentages and trends.

Everything I knew before is null and void. I haven't been staged yet and my treatment path is unknown.
My goal is to get my PET scan done before the end of the day Friday.

I've been counting out going on a company trip to Florida in early March. I just might be able to go. I know, I need to not get my hopes too high, but its possible that this will all be over sooner than later. If it's not than I'm informed and prepared as anyone can be.

My Appointment

Dr. Miller was a very nice man as I expected. He told us that there is not enough evidence in the CAT scan or the Pathology Report to warrant Chemotherapy or Radiation at this point. That was very good to hear! He said not to get my hopes to high but maybe I'll get lucky and need neither.

He has scheduled a PET scan for me. This is a scan that will tell us what that thing in my lung is and if those suspicious lymph nodes are indeed cancerous. I will get my PET scan date by tommorow, all offices were closed so I couldn't get it today. I am also being sent in for bloodwork tommorow.

My fingers are crossed and so are my toes, legs, and arms.

Appointment Scheduled

Camron called Dr. Millers office this morning to give them a "heads up" that I'd be calling. I called the offices of Dr. Khan(my primary care doctor), Dr. Longston, and Dr. Brennan asking them to send a referal ASAP to Dr. Millers office. I'm not sure which one sent it first but I have confirmed Dr. Miller has received it. They put me through to the New Patients Admin who booked me an appointment tommorow at 4pm. This is great news! I've also triple confirmed with Dr. Brennans office, Dr. Millers office, and Aetna (my insurance) that my insurance will be accepted. It will.

Thanks for your help Camron and Alicia!

All Good

I don't know if it was my shower, reading my book or the pill I had for breakfast but I'm out of my negative mood. I'm glad I found my way out of that place I was in.

We're going to the gym for the 4th time this week now. Its such a nice day outside today.

Kristy Gets a Tattoo

My sister Kristy got a tattoo symbolizing this time my family and friends are going through. I was going to get one as well but the doctors won't allow it. Orchid is the color of testicular cancer awareness.

Irritated

I'm so irritated that I have to deal with switching doctors and starting a new path for my treatment. I hope it doesn't put my treatment out too far. I've been in a foul mood all weekend. I just hate not knowing what the hell is going on or what's coming next. I hope I'll find out something Monday. I'm lucky that I have friends that know a good Oncologist. My fear is that a good Oncologist is going to be booked for awhile. We'll see. Dr. Brennan gave me some pills for when I have anxiety. I think I'll have one for breakfast. I'm so irritated.

Dr. Robert Miller

This is the doctor I'm aiming for now. I have confirmed he is accepting new patients and that he's in my insurance network. Camron and Alicia reccomended him and I'm going for it. Thank you Camron and Alicia! I will call him first thing Monday morning.

Robert S. Miller, M.D.

Specialties:
Hematology, American Board of Internal Medicine - Subspecialty in Hematology

Open, physician is currently accepting new patients for this specialty.

Medical Oncology, American Board of Internal Medicine - Subspecialty in Medical OncologyOpen,

physician is currently accepting new patients for this specialty.
Hospital affiliation:
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
Education/training:
Medical education:

Medical College of Virginia

Residency: University of California, San Francisco

Fellowships: Medical Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine
Professional interests:
Genitourinary malignancies, computers and internet medicine
Community activities:
American College of Physicians; Board of Directors, American Society of Clinical Oncology; American Academy of Hospice & HIV Medicine; Board Member, Association of Northern California Oncologists
Personal interests:
Music (piano and voice) and computers

Firing Dr. Quadro

My outside source reviewed what was found and told me to run from Dr. Quadro. He's done.

He also said I need to demand an appointment with Dr. Brennan Monday.

He also told me I should be pissed about the Radiation Therapist referring me to the Oncologist. That was the job of the Urologist.

My outside source was yelling , he was so upset.

Calling Dr. Brennans office first thing Monday morning.

This sucks.

Red Flag

Possible red flag on Dr. Quadros background . My mom has been doing backgrounds checks on the doctors and might have found something. I hear it is VERY minor but will check it out when I get home and consult with my private source tommorow.

I liked him a lot and am about 95 percent on staying with him.

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Consultation

We met Dr. Quadra. We really liked him a lot. He is the first Dr. to give me his email address.

My chemotherapy starts on Feb. 25th at 8am. I will be admitted to the hospital for 5 days. They want me to be inpatient the first treatment so they can be sure there's no reactions from the drugs. He did say I could bring my Xbox and work laptop. I'm only staying there as a precaution. I'll have my work to keep me busy during the day and I have bought a ton of new reading materials for at night. Its going to be fine.
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At the Appointment

We are waiting in Dr. Quadro's office. His staff has let us know that he is always running late.

I was suprised to see the treatment area. As you can see it's a room full of recliners. I wonder if I can bring my Xbox?
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LAF Summit 2008

There was a comment left yesterday by a great person named Brian Dowd. Brian is one of the Lance Armstrong Foundation's largest fundraisers. We exchanged emails back and forth yesterday. Brian suggested that I apply to go to LAF Summitt 2008. This is a weekend where Lance Armstrong and his crew teach chosen delegates to be leaders in the fight against cancer in their community. Some come back doing anything from starting a Non Profit Organization to leading an educational crusade in their community. I wasn't ready when he first brought it up. I'm still am having trouble saying I'm a cancer patient. Haven't really came to terms with that yet until now I guess. Then I started thinking, whenever I do something, anything, I think, "how can I do it bigger?". If I have cancer I might as well do it big. So I applied last night. Brian is on the selection committee and said he will keep his eye out for my application. We will see what happens.
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Dr. Quadro - My Chemotherapy Oncologist

Robert E Quadro, M.D.


Specialty:
Hematology/Oncology
Sub-Specialties:
Internal Medicine

Practice Information
Address:
3160 Folsom BlvdSacramento, CA 95816-5219
Phone:
(916) 733-3333


Professional Information
Education:
University of California, Irvine; 1978
Internships:
UC Davis Medical Center; 1979
Fellowship:
University of California, Davis; 1984
Languages:
English, Spanish
Affiliations:
Mercy General Hospital - Sacramento; Mercy San Juan Hospital - Carmichael

Surgery Follow Up Appt.

Dr. Brennan said I'm all good. I don't have to wear a bandage anymore. Also I can keep working on the treadmill. I'm up to 3.3 with a 1.5 incline.

Brandi and I are anxious for our appointment in the morning. We want to start my treatment ASAP.

I was reading Sacramento Magazine today and noticed my Chemotherapy Oncololgist was named in their Top Doc's cover story. I will post his Bio when I have time.

All and all I feel great today. So wierd to me that I could be considered sick.

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Chemo Consultation Appointment Scheduled

This is why you have to be on these people like they owe you 10 grand.

I finally received a Chemo consult appointment. March 5th.

Yeah Right!

I called them back and asked them how to get in touch with Sutter because I wasn't waiting that long. Then on my way home from my last meeting today I called Dr. Brennans, Dr.Khan's(my family Dr.) , and Dr. Longstons office. In each case I talked to the Dr's assistant. I explained I needed to be seen sooner.

At 4pm I received a call saying that I have an appointment on the books this Friday at 11:00 am.

Note to the next guy:

Do not accept the first appointment given. It can be made sooner. Follow up twice a day, everyday until you get what you want. Be prepared to take your business somewhere else if your not happy. Be prepared with detailed info of the office your threatening to leave them for. Do not waste your time trying to contact your doctor. Trust me. Call their assistants everytime. These assistants are so slammed that they will help you get what you want through to your doctor or do something themselves. Make jokes with them. Be friends with each and every one of them.
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Weight

I started this journey at 200 lbs even. I've never had a problem being a little chubby, but wanted to slim down for my radiation therapy and surgery that I've already had. Every morning we wake up and see the fruits of our labor from working out and eating a crazy healthy diet. 199, 198, 196 etc. Everyday I've been losing a little and am currently 188.

Whenever I do something I always research it to no end. So last night I got knee deep in researching Chemotherapy. It looks like I need to start gaining weight instead of losing it. What a crock! If its not one thing, its another.

What are you going to do though, you know? I think I'm going to have a cheeseburger for lunch today. :)

Real

Things sure did get real today. Chemotherapy? Are you kidding? I really thought he was going to tell me that Radiation wasn't even really needed. What a shock! Then to hear the words Stage II at the same time.

I feel so sad that my kids will see me lose my hair. I guess its time to start looking for some cool hats.

I was a little bummed today but I'm over it. Any good cancer story needs a little chemotherapy, right? We will get through this and when its all said and done, we will be stronger than before.

This story WILL have a happy ending.

Radiation Appointment

My relationship with my Radiologist Oncologist is over. He is the first Oncologist I've seen so it was good to have an hour and a half of some Q&A. He has came to the conclusion that I am Stage II and will need full chemotherapy. I will eloborate later. Stage II Seminoma is rare and we would have too large of an area to treat with Radiation. Brandi and I are upset a bit and going to lunch now.

My Favorite Picture

This picture was taken by our friend and Wild Ponies Parent, Albert Cobian. I've looked at this picture for many minutes a day, everyday. I love how you can tell that Hailey scored a goal from the reaction of her with her hands in the air, the goalie, ref blowing the whistle, and me with my arm in the air like we just went Gold in the Olympics. I'm the assistant coach of the team and the guy clinching his fist is my friend and head coach, Dave Groves. The guy on the bike is my good friend Dan Amman. I just love this picture, I can't get enough of it. This picture has helped me stay so positive. Pretty soon it will be time for me to watch and coach Hailey for 18 weekends in a row. I can't wait!

My Dr.'s

I really like all the professionals that have been in charge of my care. I wanted to put my doctors in my journal so I can remember them .

Dr. Longsdon - My Radiation Oncologist

Mark D. Logsdon, M.D.

Division

Radiation Oncology

Special Training

Prostate Cancer

High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR)

Gynecological Cancer

Gamma Knife

Radiosurgery

Fellowship

Medical Student Research Fellowship 1989-1990

ASTRO Resident Research Fellowship 1995-1996

Residency

University of TexasM.D. Anderson Cancer Center1992 - 1996

Radiation OncologyInternshipSt. Mary's Health Center 1991 - 1992

Internal MedicineMedical SchoolWashington University, School of Medicine1986 - 1991

M.D. CertificationRadiation Oncology, Re-certified April 2001

American Board of Radiology Affiliations

American Society of Clinical Oncology

American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO)

American College of Radiology (ACR)

American Medical Association (AMA)

Gilbert H. Fletcher SocietyAmerican Brachytherapy Society

Dr. Brennan- My Urologist

James Brennan, MD
Department:
Urology
Locations:
Downtown

3160 Folsom BoulevardSacramento, CA 95816

Phone: (916) 733 - 3333
School and graduation year:
Mount Sinai Medical School – New York, NY, 1983
Internship:
Boston University Medical Center – Boston, MA, 1983-85
Residency:
Junior Surgical Residency, Boston University Medical Center – Boston, MA, 1983-85; Urology Residency, Boston University Medical Center, 1985-89
Board certification:
Urology
Additional languages:
Spanish, German, French, Italian
Personal interests and hobbies:
Hiking, camping, swimming, photography and fishing

100%

I have to say I'm 100% recovered from surgery. I've been on my feet for 10 hours today and feel great. No pain. No gym today, I've done enough walking.

Event

Our good friend Cameron sent me an email this morning. Cameron, a survivor himself, is Alicia's husband and a good family friend.

He let me know of an event in San Francisco next Wednesday night from 7-9pm. It's a public meeting led by a panel of professionals speaking about Prostate, Kidney, Bladder, and Testicular cancers.

I registered and will be there unless Radiation Therapy prevents it, time wise.

Thank You Cameron.

http://www.ascofoundation.org/foundation/Events

Radiation Appointment

Lori at Mercy Radiation Department called me this morning. She let me know that there are no consultation appointments available until 2/22/08. I'd probably need to be put in the "Britney" ward if I had to wait that long. I called multiple Radiation offices at different hospitals in Sacramento. Sutter Cancer Center had an opening on 2/18/08. I called Mercy to ask them to forward my referral to this Sutter office. All of the sudden Mercy was able to fit me in tommorow at 9:30a.m. at their clinic.

I changed my follow up surgery appointment with Dr. Brennan to Wed at 2:15pm since I will not be able to make the original time.

Normal Week

I'm very excited to enter a normal 5 day work week.

Today I need to follow up with the Radiation office to get my appointment scheduled. Tuesday I have my follow up surgery appointment at 10:30 am with Dr. Brennan.

Other than those two objectives I am planning to have a normal week. I feel great.

....

I did 20 minutes walking on the treadmill at 2.8 with an incline of 1.0. Then I went all out for 10 minutes on the exercise bike for the arms.

No pain at all. The last time I took pain medicine was Tuesday night.

Gym

We are on our way to the gym for a quick cardio work out. My goal is 20 minutes on the treadmill on the slowest speed.

Super Bowl is like a holiday to me. I rank it between Christmas and my birthday. I don't really care who wins this year but figure the Patriots will win by 28.

2nd Opinion

This morning I received a call from my outside source. He explained that he agrees with the report from Mercy. He measured both suspicious spots on my lymph nodes a little bigger though. He measured 1.1 cm and 1.4cm. He did say that these spots would be very sensitive to the Radiation Therapy. He also said that there is a little spot on my lung which could be anything. They will be checking that spot in Radiation as well.

So I guess the net net is that I have two more little spots to deal with. Everyone seems confident that Radiation Therapy will be successful.

It could be so much worse. If it were a non-seminoma I would be having to go through the same surgery as my friends son. I could have no insurance. I could have had to miss a bunch of work. I could have had it on my spine. I could be going through all this alone. Lucky for me, none of these things are the case, and I am a very fortunate young man.

Two thumbs up!

Hailey's Report Card

As if my day wasn't great enough, Hailey brought home her report card today:

Reading A
Writing B
Mathmatics A
Spelling. A
Science A
History Social Science A

Nice job Hailey!!!! What a good day.

Dr. Brennan Call

I just received a call from Dr. Brennan. He let me know that their were two suspicious spots on lymph nodes near my kidneys in the abdominal area. These were not diagnostic but deemed suspicious. He is refering me to Radiation Therapy of Sacramento, which was the plan anyway. I have a call into them and will have an appointment for next week by the end of the day. He did mention that he hadn't had a chance to look at the pics yet, but everything besides the suspicious spots look good. What he doesn't know is that CD only has chest pics on it. I will bring them with me Tuesday. I'm sure that he will be puzzled why I have them before him.

The CD with all the pics and Radiology reports will be to my unnamed third party tommorow. I just haven't asked this person permission to use their name on here. This person is a recently retired Chief of Radiology with an education from Harvard.

I can't wait for this weekend! Its going to be cool to watch history when Tom Brady does what he does this Sunday. Also, looking forward to USA vs. Mexico (International Soccer) Wednesday at 6:00 pm on ESPN.

Things are looking up!

Mission Accomplished

So lucky!

Completely different staff and a very non confrontational X-ray tech.
They are also printing out my Radiologist report so I'll have that in hand also. They are making the CD and printing the report as we speak........

Now its all in my hand.

Partial Results

So my private third party received the package. He said that the 30 pics were all of my chest and none of my abdominal and pelvic. The good news is my chest and lungs are clear.

Now, I'm in between appointments and sitting in the Mercy parking lot. I have to walk in this place and let them know that I went against what they said and looked at the CD. Then I have to ask for more. Not looking forward to this and I'm not leaving without what I came for.

Good Start Today

Today I feel like a million bucks. I'm downtown waiting for my first appointment since surgery. I've never been so happy to put on my dress shirt and slacks. I probably look like Mary Poppins rolling around with by briefcase smiling. Also, I had a huge purchase order from a brand new customer on my fax machine this morning. That same customer is who I have my appointment with this morning, and he wants three huge pieces of equipment.

There should be some sort of update today regarding the CT scan. I sent the CD to a more than qualified unnamed third party and it will arrive today for review.

The CD contained 30 CT images of my abdominal area, chest, and pelvic region. The program it was written on is a digital light box program that is compatible with Microsoft Windows. When your curser is on any spot of the image, it shows the density and depth of that point. Pretty cool but no comprendo.

Time to make a sale now.

CT Scan

I'm done with the scans. It wasn't a tube like I thought. It was a 6 foot donut that they slid me through many times. They also gave me a contrast solution though an IV. A computerized voice would tell me to hold my breath in 10 second intervals about 30 times.

After I was done they gave me the film and a CD. They then asked me to deliver the pics and the CD to Anastasia Shaver in Urology. They said that they wanted me to take this directly there and not to view them, that I wouldn't understand it anyway. I agreed. I then went straight to Kinkos and made a copy of the CD. I can't wait to go home and compare these pics to ones that are good and bad on the internet.

Anastasia thinks she will have the results from the radiologist within 24 hours and will call me when she has them. Dr. Brennan is on vacation this week. My surgery follow up appointment is Tuesday.

So I will wait and try to make sense of these pics on the internet in the meantime.

Back to work.

Fred

I just met a 70 year old man named Fred. I let him know I have a little anxiety about going in the tube. Fred said, "ah shit, any f'n wimp can do this crap" , then walked into his appointment.

Anxiety gone. :)

Waiting

I'm in the waiting room.

A nurse just brought me some contrasting fluid (Barium Sulfate Suspension) to drink. They say it will be an hour before the tests begin.

Misc.

I'm taking a break from one my first real days back to post this. I'm working from one of my accounts, Panera Bread . This feels more normal than yesterday because normally I would never work from home. Too many distractions. Yesterday I got 100 percent caught up with my customers and today I'm getting caught up with my company. I talk to my boss everyday and she has been great.

I signed our family up at Cal Fit this morning and I know that made Brandi's day. We have a really nice gym and pool as part of our HOA but they don't have day care. So, what's one more bill in the name of health?

My mom called the other day asking me what book she could buy for me. I asked her for some books on nutrition while fighting a cancer. She brought me 5 books which was really nice. Brandi and I were talking about making an appointment with a professional nutritionist but now we don't have to. With all this info I'm going to be on a "cancer ninja" diet that I'm putting together at night with Brandi. I'll elaborate more on that later.

CT scans tomorrow and I can't wait.

I get this report that shows dots on a map from where people are logging on to this blog. I was very surprised to see it made it's way across the country. Some states included New York, Illinois, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Arizona, etc.. I'm going to figure out how to post that map because I want it on my journal. That really fires me up because I would have to think it's made some people get their yearly check ups.

I talked to my friend who has the son dealing with cancer. After the the surgery on his stomach that he is still in pain from, they found cancer on a heart valve. He is starting Chemo soon and we pray for him every night.

Before all this, I was never really a spiritual person. Now, with this situation and some great words with my new friend Sharon, I'm thinking about it more and more.

Back to work.

Normal Day

I'm very excited to enter a very normal day today. No doctors appointments, no tests, no follow up calls to make, and no medicine in my system. I feel great. Today I have a huge list of admin work to do to get caught up on my work, I'm behind from being down for awhile. Normally I would be so irritated to have to spend a whole day doing paperwork and computer stuff, but I'm excited about it today.

Mercy

Mercy has been great. I would recommend them to anyone. Their follow up has been very good. They've returned all my phone calls in a reasonable time frame. I also, couldn't be any more impressed with how the different offices communicate with each other and keep me in the loop at the same time.

Radiation

Based on a clear CAT scan report, I will be starting Radiation Therapy sometime next week. They will schedule my 15 minute treatments in the evening so it won't interfere with my work schedule.

CAT scan

My CAT scan will be on Jan. 31st at 8:30 am at Mercy Downtown.

They will do 5 or 6 scans.
Pelvic. Abdominal. Lungs.

One of each with some traceble fluid they have and one without.

Medication

86 Percocet

68 Vicoden 500 mg 1-2 every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain

Pathology Report in Hand

I received the hard copy of my Patholgy report. Most of it, you need a PHD to understand. Some things I did undertand read :

Pure Seminoma; typical type

No evidence of Lymphatic or Vascular Invasion

Spermatic Cord Margin and Vas Deferens negative for tumor involvement.

Something I have a call into the doctor because I'm concerned read:

Focal Intratubular Germ Cell Neoplasia present

Wal Mart

We went to Wal Mart tonight to get some diapers and stuff. It was nice to get out of the house. The bad part was I had to ride through the store in one of those Lark type scooter carts. Hailey thought that was pretty funny.

Hospital Wall

I know some people believe that things in your dreams can have a significant meaning. Every night since my surgery I have had this painted wall appear in my dreams. This is the wall that was to the left of my bed in pre op. Becky and Kristy thought is was so funny that this kids mural was next to my bed.

I wanted this random observation to be a part of my journal.

Need a refill

I just took my last Keflex pill and I have one Precocet left.

I'm going to have to go see the doctor tommorow because I still need a half dose every 6 hours. I'll have to go as long as I can today without taking the last one. We're going to the hospital anyway to get the Pathology report in the morning.

Pain is down

Pain is way down. I haven't taken a full dose of the Precocet yet today. I have cut it in half and I feel no pain. I just have to move a little slow.

My dad and Phyllis came by today and took down my Christmas lights. My neighbors will be happy.

Kristy came over for some Rock Band and dinner.

Brandi's mom made us dinner and brought it over for us tonight.

My mom came over to help with the kids this morning while Brandi went to an appointment.

Hailey is having a friend spend the night which is good for her.

I am wore out and taking a nap now. I've been getting tired easily. My body must be using a lot of energy healing.

Pain

My pain has been up and down today. It probably floated between a 2 and a 3. Getting better.

Article I found on my upcoming Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy
Seminomas, which are the most common form of testicular tumor, are very sensitive to radiation treatment. In fact, the treatment dosage is only about one-third of that required for prostate cancer, and the treatment cycle is only two weeks.

Radiation is performed after surgery to remove the testicle (orchiectomy). If the tumor was a seminoma, the oncologist may choose "watchful waiting" to see if the cancer returns, or use radiation to treat the lymph nodes along the spine, where 20% of recurrences are located. Even if the cancer comes back, it is still very treatable with either radiation or chemotherapy in the majority of cases. Radiation treatment has an average recurrence rate of about 5%. Radiation can also be used after chemotherapy if any cancer remains.

Other types of testicular cancers are more resistant to radiation, and are more commonly treated with orchiectomy and removal of affected lymph nodes

The Report

I'm going to pick up the actual Pathology Report on Monday. Dr. Brennan kind of caught me off gaurd and was going real fast. I have all my other chart info and I should have that as well, plus I want to make sure I didn't misunderstand anything.

Pathology Report is in.

I just got off the phone with Dr. Brennan. My tumor was confirmed to be cancerous. It is also confirmed to be Seminoma. This is the kind that's the best to have if you have to have it. They need for my body to heal from surgery, then they want to do a cat scan on my abdominal area as well as kidney area. He did say that the bloodwork shows no elevation but bloodwork doesn't show everything. Dr. Brennan told me that anyone who has a testicular tumor removed that is confirmed cancerous, Seminoma or Non-Seminoma, then goes in for the abdominal cat scans. Standard precedure. Also standard precedure will be some radiation treatments to follow a clear cat scan. If the cat scan is not clear than we will start talking in a different direction.

This is the news we wanted. There was a 2 percent chance it would come back benign, but besides that, we got the best news possible. It is Seminoma rather than Non-Seminoma. He added that there was no cancer on the tube that goes to my blood supply, which is great.

You know, I wanted him to say that he had removed the cancer and that they had gotten it all and this is over. The thing is, he doesn't have enough information yet to say that for a fact. They need to run a couple more tests to be able to say such a thing. I get that.

At least I'm not spending the weekend wondering.

I'm feeling a little less pain than I felt earlier this morning. I plan to start working Monday. I've been doing some stuff here and there but I think it will be good to dive into it next week. I will have to do it from home, of course. I'm lucky to have a job where I can be very productive from a home office.

Can't Wait

I really can't wait for tommorow. That's when I can take a real shower for the first time since surgery.

Incision is hurting

There is no way I'm cutting the Percocet in half tommorow. Pain is a 5 with 3 hrs until I can take it again.

The incision was made exactly 3 inches under my belly button and then over to the right 3 inches. So the surgeon than reached in from that point and........uh..........yeah.

There is a huge dressing on my lower belt line, covering the stitches. I still haven't looked under it. I couldn't tell you if it is one incision or two. I think he probably fixed the hernia with the same incision as the tumor, but I really don't know. I never asked or cared. I just wanted it out.

Same Scale

Today the most pain I felt was a 4. Its getting better. I'm going to try and only take a half dose of the Percocet tommorow at each time.

I've only been out of bed twice today. That's another reason I've had less pain. I'll try and move around a bit more tommorow.

The kids are back now which is breathing some good life into our house. We missed them.

Oh....and we slept like a couple of babies last night, so we are pretty much caught up on rest.

I hope we get the Pathology report back tommorow.

Etc.

Hailey and Evan are at my parents again tonight. We need to get some sleep. That was really nice of them to take the kids for the first two days of recovery.

So, the tumor that was removed has to be soaked (prepared) for 48 hrs. It will then be sliced down and put under the scope. That will be the moment of truth. Anastasia told me today she hopes for the results Friday, but it will probably come back Monday.

I did call Anastasia's office the minute they opened and apologized if I was rude. I did let them know they were wrong at the same time and should have known how to write a perscription right.

I've been in a cloud all day from this medicine and right now is no exception.