Done with Chemo!

On Thursday we went into Landstuhl Hospital for Wendi's last chemo treatment!  Even though she knew it was the last one, she was still dreading it.  We didn't have any parties or anything, but we probably should have.  That was a long road and we are glad it is behind us.

Next up is a visit to the radiation department of the German hospital in Homburg this Tuesday.  So far, Landstuhl has had everything we've needed, but they don't do radiation therapy.  They will do a CT of their own to check everything out, but mostly to decide where exactly to point the radiation weapon.  Her first visit to Homburg for treatment is the 12th.  Then begins a series of 25 visits, Monday through Friday for 5 weeks.  We went there for a pre-visit last week and the facility is great and the people were nice.

I'll be attaching a couple of pics from the oncology folks at Landstuhl.  They treated us very well and we appreciate their excellent care.  They were consistently patient and helpful.  Wendi came through it like a trooper, but swears she will never do it again.  Hopefully, she won't be faced with that kind of terrible choice.  The weekends are usually her worst times after her Thursday chemo's, so we'll see how she is doing today.

We watched some of the European volleyball championships this weekend and Ramstein did OK.  Not quite as fun as last year when Jenna and the team won it all.  That was so much fun.

Working on a Good Tumbling Routine.....

Yesterday we went to the German hospital in Homburg for a pre-visit with Wendi’s Radiation doctor.  All the chemo has been at the Army hospital here, but the one treatment not on base is radiation.  We were impressed with the hospital – much nicer than the one in Kaiserslautern.  Everyone was nice and they all speak “a little” English (which translates to “very good” English).

They want to do another CT before we start, so that’s fine with us.  That is scheduled for 4 November.  Of course, they want ALL the data from our sordid cancer history, so that means all of the CD’s with scans and the text from pathology and such.  Then we would start the treatments on the 12^th of November.  Treatments are 25 sessions total, everyday except for weekends, so 5 weeks long.  That puts her last session on the 17^th of December, the day that Kayli gets home.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to stay on schedule.

I said above that they speak very good English and it is true.  However, there are a few instances of phrases or points lost in translation.  One of the docs was explaining that Wendi could exercise at a level that feels comfortable and didn’t irritate the radiated area.  The activity he suggested was gymnastics.  We’re not sure if he meant something like ‘calisthenics,’ but we have great mental images of Wendi on the parallel bars and nailing that exit off the pommel horse!

We’ll find out for sure, but each session only lasts a total of about a half hour.  Most of the time is spent on set up.  The actual blasting of radiation takes about 7 minutes. 

So today, Wendi has another chemo session and is not looking forward to it.  She’s on the home stretch, but can’t wait for this to be over.  Last one is one week from today!

On the long weekend we snuck over to Normandy and had a great, short visit seeing the D-Day landing sites.  It was a GREAT thing for us to see (boys loved it and will remember that forever) and pay respects to those brave soldiers who sacrificed for us.  This is the 70^th anniversary year.

The boys have had a very good soccer season that unfortunately ends this Saturday.  We had a fun game up at Spangdahlem - our first base 23 years ago - where the soccer field is right next to the flightline, so I’ll include a pic of that too.

Thanks everyone!!

Marküs

Plugging Along

It's been a while, but we're just in the routine of chemo on Thursdays and not much significant has happened, as far as diagnosis/prognosis, etc.

The info we received about chemo - that week-to-week it seems to get progressively more difficult - was correct.  Whereas after week one, Wendi felt OK by the weekend, now it is fairly unpredictable how she will feel.  She has come to Sacrament Meetings on Sunday afternoons until last Sunday.  Each week really has seemed to accumulate the effects of fatigue and just feeling cruddy.  Even yesterday she didn't have that great of a day - the day before chemo.  No nausea, but easy to sit down for a rest and not want to get up AT ALL for anything else.  I'm here at LRMC right now in the waiting room while she is in there for visit 8 of the 12 on this latest drug.

Still, she is a trooper and is doing more things than she should.  I'm still at work, but take her to chemo on Thursdays, usually go back to work, then drive back to the hospital to pick her up, then usually back to work in the afternoon.  I've been walking that thin line of obligations at work trying to work 'full time,' and yet not abusing the time off when they say, 'do what you need to do.'  She is working hard to be the Mom and not feel to 'out of it.'

So, she has 4 more of these chemo visits, then 1 or 2 weeks off, then starts radiation.  We are expecting radiation to be about 5 weeks of every day (M - F) at a German hospital nearby in Homburg.  If you're adding it up, that puts us to mid-December.  With Kayli arriving home from the Philippines on 17 December, that would be a GREAT Christmas present.....

We received sad news from a coworker.  He is in my office, having just arrived in July.  I didn't know this until this week, but his wife was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2006.  She did some chemo/radiation and it actually came back the next year, not a good sign.  They did much stronger chemo and stem cell transplants and such and she was fine  -  until this week.  The went in for an exam and it looks like it is back.  She will know more next week after a PET scan on Monday.  But if it has returned, she will be out of the 'matrix' (known/scheduled treatments) so will be looking at new/experimental drugs and/or non-traditional treatments.  Pretty sad news for everyone here.

Just FYI, Jenna is loving BYU, as I mentioned Kayli comes home on 17 December, Derek & Jessica are living the young couple's life in Orem with Derek continuing his Neuroscience degree and Jess working to pay the bills, and the boys here are fully into school and soccer.  We've had an absolutely GORGEOUS early fall, so that's been nice.

Again, we've received many blessings from family and friends from here and around the world, so thank you for your love and support.

Marküs

Overwhelmed!!

We had an absolutely unbelievable trip to the States these past few days. 

Our flights to SLC went well last week as we made the trek through Chicago and then on to Utah.  We’re so grateful to our parents in Ogden for hosting us the first night.  Friday was whirlwind of errands for the wedding on Saturday and preparations for dropping off Jenna at BYU.

I would say that the wedding day on Saturday, 23 August was just a beautiful day!  The forecast was for cold and rain, but after some showers in the early morning, it cleared out and made for a nice day to visit the Jordan River Temple and spend time with our beloved family and friends.  The sealing was beautiful, and Derek and Jessica were the picture of a happy couple.   We’re excited to have Jessica join our family.

The old Provo courthouse is a gorgeous, marble-filled building and was classy place to have a luncheon and reception.  We were simply overwhelmed by the family, friends and loved-ones who came to visit with our family.  We know that many of you traveled so very far to be there and went way out of your normal schedules to be a part of the festivities.  We are humbled by your love and support. 

Wendi held up better than any of us expected.  She had an unanticipated high energy level and was able to be a part of everything.  She looked beautiful and was an outstanding mother-of-the-groom.  I thought she might come crashing down the next day, but when it comes to being with family, she was able to draw on some kind of super-reserves and was energetic all through Tuesday.  We were blessed beyond our wildest expectations.

We were also fortunate enough to make it on our flights today and we are on our way ‘home’ to Germany.  We jump right back into the middle of school (the boys will have missed 3 days) and scouts and seminary and work, and chemo.  The summer truly is over, but we went out with a bang!

Thank you so much, again to all of you.  We love you and can’t thank you enough.  Your support sustains us daily.

Marküs

Round 2 Tomorrow and CT Results Great--

Wendi went in today for blood work in preparation for her next chemo session tomorrow.  She is finally done with the "AC" regimen and is phasing into the "T" segment.  It is supposedly the easier drug to handle, so of course, we're hoping that holds true.

She was also able to meet one of the two new Oncology doctors.  We are right in the middle of PCS (moving) season and the Oncology docs are swapping out as well.  She really liked this new guy and is hoping to be linked up with him.  Fingers crossed.

You may know, Wendi had her second CT scan last Friday.  They wanted to scan and see what things looked like after enduring that first chemo cycle and compare it to the scan done in June.  We checked with our radiologist friend in the ward who looked at and gave us the inside scoop.  Everything looked great!  We are glad to hear the good news.  The doctor today confirmed what he had told us earlier, so we are in a good position going into the next phase.

We are sending our kids off tomorrow to sneak back to the United States of America a little early.  Wendi and I will join them next week after that chemo session and Derek gets married on the 23rd.  That's the plan anyway!….

Marküs

First chemo cycle complete!

This past Wednesday was my 4th and final "AC" portion of Chemo.  Let me just say that I am so grateful that I have it behind me.  I am now trying to recover from all of those chemicals and have been tied to the couch more than I would care to admit.  I start a different regimen of chemo on August 13th which is called the "T" portion every week for 12 weeks.  Most of the ladies I meet in the chemo room at the hospital who are ahead of me in this process say they have had an easier time dealing with the effects of the "T"so that is what I am hoping for too.  I go in on August 8th for another CT to see what is going on with those cancerous lymph nodes that are under my collar bone that were too deep to dig for - hopefully they have at least shrunk some by now.  They will also see what is going on with the nodules in my lungs and other concerning spots.  I won't get the report for a few days afterwords, but it does make me a little nervous.  I will post as soon as I know….

If I could only win this cancer battle on LOVE alone, I would have won by now.  From the bottom of my heart I want to thank all of you out there for your kind words, flowers, meals, service, prayers & fasting.  All of the thoughts have sustained me through this really hard time in my life. So many of my prayers have been answered by all of you!  I am also so grateful for the enabling power of the Atonement in my life.  I know that I have received strength beyond my own.  In D& C 100:12 it says, "Therefore, continue your journey and let your hearts rejoice; for behold, and lo, I am with you even unto the end."  I have hope!
 
love, Wendi

Hair

It can be a pain in the tooshie sometimes.  It gets dirty, it gets greasy, it gets misshaped (?) by beds and pillows, and often one just has a bad day with it.  It must occasionally be shampoo'd, combed, brushed, teased, curled, straightened, tinted, highlighted, perm'd, detangled, braided and what have you.  And it must sometimes be cut.

We've heard that sometime after the 2nd chemo session is when most people lose their hair.  For the past week, Wendi has had more of it come out in the shower and throughout the day.  With all that hair, losing some has always been a part of the deal.  But during this weeks visit, the oncologist said that at some point it would start to hurt as the hair began falling out and the scalp would get tender.  She recommended cutting it before it got too far along down that path.

For the past few days, Wendi has felt her head get a bit tender and sore.  We thought all week that maybe July 4th would be the day.  Her hair looked good today, just like usual.  She wasn't losing too much.  But we decided to do it.

Jenna would be the one to use the scissors and I would wield the shaver.  We got all situated in our big bathroom and were about to start.  Jenna grabbed about an inch worth of hair and brought the scissors up to cut.  It was harder than we all thought!  We all just started crying!  It took a minute or two to get our acts together and then she went for it.  She cut it down to about an inch or so in length and then I went over it with a #4.  Next was #1, then no attachment at all.  We didn't dare do the razor thing - we don't want her to get cut with the worries about immune systems and germs and all.  So, we stopped right there.  So, she's down to just a bit of fuzz there.   We are all honestly impressed.  Wendi has a beautiful cranium under there.  It's just perfectly shaped and we could never appreciate it because of all that 80's hair.  It really isn't as drastic as we all thought it would be.  I wouldn't say we are completely used to it, but we're adapting quickly.

Her chemo session on Wednesday went OK.  The sickness afterwards hit sooner this time.  By 2 or 3pm she was starting to drag.  She still managed to go for a walk that day and the next day too.  It is the shot that I giver her the evening of day-2 that seems to really hit hard.  It is some kind of bone medicine that attempts to jump-start the good cell production inside the bones.  It really makes her achy and feeling cruddy.  She was not doing that great today.  Overall, not a good day for Wendi.

We are proud of our country on our Independence Day holiday today.  We would normally have been off on some kind of grand travel adventure this weekend, but are now here at home to celebrate.  We had a good scripture reading and discussion on the 4th of July and the Star Spangled Banner.  Earlier today I took Alex and some scouts to the laundromat to work on his Eagle Project.  We had some donated clothes to launder and it went well.

We are happy to have the blessings we do as Americans and the opportunity to be overseas as well, to experience other cultures.  We cherish the support we get from family and friends as we work through this most current challenge.  Thanks for your concern and kind words.

Mark K.