Good News!

Dr. Chen came and visited us during Shane's chemo today to tell us the results of his scan. She told us...GOOD NEWS!! She said they have started to reduce in size. The soft tissue and lymph node that were cancerous in his neck has "resolved completely," meaning it is gone. There is a slight reduction in the lesions on his ribs. The nodules in the lungs are unchanged, but there aren't any new ones. This is positive that they are seeing results with the chemo. He will continue on with the same treatment he has been doing and will have scans every 6 weeks to monitor the status.

I am so happy that it was good news and especially since he would have had to be hospitalized for chemo had it been bad. What would I have done with Shane in the hospital...who would be here to constantly be sarcastic and to scare everybody to death with his sick and twisted humor (Yes, it was Shane who wrote the April 1st entry as if I had written it). So we are all glad that he will be here to continue on with this.

Crazy Night

Ok so last night was scary. Shane had been quiet ever since I got home from work and said that he wasn’t feeling all that great, well during dinner when I looked over at him I noticed he was quite pale. I asked if he was ok and he gave me his usual “I’m fine”. About 30 minutes later I could hear something strange in the bathroom, as I investigated I found Shane huddled over the toilet puking up blood. We rushed him to the emergency room. After all of the crazyness in the ER and what seemed like a blur I found myself in a room watching Shane sleep with tubes and wires strung all across his body. I realize at that time that the outlook isn’t good for him and I am not sure how much longer I can stay strong. As I sit in a chair with a tear soaked pillow in my lap a thought comes into my head that I ponder and question myself about. Is it wrong for me to smother him? Wouldn’t it be better for the both of us? How long would I have to hold this pillow over his face? Of course I dismissed the horrible thoughts, but as I type this blog entry one more question arises in my heart. Do you know what today’s date is?

Easter at Honeycomb

Shane grew up going to a place they call Honeycomb Mountain every Easter. So we have continued that tradition. The mountain looks like a big honeycomb and works great for hiding eggs. The boys just absolutely love going there. They love to hike up the mountain exploring, riding their four-wheelers, and doing whatever they want. This year they really got into going over jumps on their four-wheelers. They got pretty daring. Even Tyler, who looked like he was having a hard time controlling it. But he got better as the days went on. There was an old mine/cave a little ways up the mountain and everyone kept telling them that there was a mountain lion in there. Well Shane, Uncle Jace, and their cousin scared them to death by making growling noises when they were up there. Dylan ended up in tears.
Easter morning they got to hike all over the mountain looking for eggs and their Easter baskets. I couldn't look half the time that Tyler was running all over the mountain. I thought for sure he would go tumbling down it.

Chemo - Week 5

So for those of you who haven't seen Shane in the last week, he doesn't have anymore hair. It was coming out by the handfuls last week and it was really itchy. So he asked me to shave it off. Then a few days later, he took a look at his facial hair. It was splotchy, so he shaved it off. It was pretty funny this morning when one of the boys told Shane that he was starting to recognize him again without his hair. :)

He is still very positive and in good spirits. He had his double dose of chemo yesterday. He is a little tired from it and has lost his appetite. I just offered to make him some pull-apart bread and he turned it down. That is so unlike Shane. He is not looking forward to the sores he will get in his mouth - it makes him not able to tolerate his daily dose of Cholula. But he is still working out even though he is tired and he forces himself to continue eating 6-7 times per day. He is hardcore!! :)

Last time we met with Dr. Chen, Shane asked what we should expect after this first round of chemo. She had told us initially that there is a 50/50 chance of this chemo working. She told us that they will have results from his scans on his last day of chemo. They will be able to see if the tumors/lesions have shrunk. She told us that if they have gotten smaller, then he will start another round of the same kind of chemo, plus he will need radiation to get rid of the cancer in the bones. So then he asked the dreaded question of "What if the chemo is not working?" She told us to pray that it does. She said they would try a much harsher chemo next, that he would be hospitalized for 5 days at a time for.

We appreciate all the love and support we get from all of our family and friends. Thank you for the emails, text messages, phone calls (I know we are bad about answering our phones, but we try not to dwell on what is going on and talking to everyone about it sometimes makes it harder. That is why we chose to put info on the blog.) We love all of you!!

Tag...you're it!!

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 years ago:-I was getting ready to make 1 of 2 big mistakes (1st marriage).
5 Things on my to-do list:-
Order more SkinCeuticals product (doing that right after I finish this)
Pack for the weekend
Pay Bills
Property tax crap for the business
Clean the garage

5 Places lived:
Long Beach, CA
Orem, UT
Winter Haven, FL
Eagle Mountain, UT
Highland, UT

5 jobs:-
Western Watts
ZCMI
Chilis
Maxi Mart -- Texaco
American Name Services

5 things people don't know:-
I am an open book...I don't think there isn't anything people don't know.

Well I think Amber tagged almost everyone that we know in common....
I am tagging Amy, MaryJane, Vanessa, Brindy, Adri, & Kelsie.

And so it begins......

I came home last night to find Shane asleep with a bandana on his head. He told me that his hair was falling out. I was like whatever...(last time he told me this, I believed him and he was really joking).
But it is true...

Shane had another chemo treatment today. Everything went well for him. I can't say the same thing for one of the ladies that was getting treatment in the infusion suite with him. She had a seizure during her treatment...a little scary.

Barber is Back Behind Bars!!

So it took 3 days to get Barber back behind bars. We kept hearing him in random places of the house. We finally were able to pin him down to being under the cabinets in the bathroom. There was a tiny hole in the kickboard that allowed him to get in, but we couldn't get him out. So we cut a few holes in the bottom of the cupboard and tried to lure him out. It didn't work. So when the boys got home from their Dad's tonight, we made them put their hand in the small hole and pull him out.

Where's Barber?

So I woke up to hearing scratching noises in kitchen this morning. The hamster had escaped. We can hear him under the cupboards or in the wall in between the kitchen and the laundry room. We have left some carrots out, in hopes that he will get hungry and come out.

My new car!!!

After 6 very long weeks, my car is finally here!! For those of you who know my patterns, I tend to rotate between SUVs and cars very quickly. The Tahoe was a great vehicle but the 24 inch rims had to go. Did you know that you can feel a dime if you run it over with those? Anyway, I am happy to say farewell to the Tahoe and hello to the BMW 328xi. It is black--of course and I love it!!

Another visit to Dr. Chen

Yesterday was Shane's 2nd week of Chemo. He is still doing GREAT!! He feels fine. He still is working out 2 times a day. So for anyone who wants to ask how he is feeling.... he would prefer you didn't or it will be followed by...GREAT...how are you feeling? (in a sarcastic voice) It is quite hysterical actually. He is the positive, strong one in the family!!
He has a total of 9 weeks of chemo and it will end the middle of April. He is so excited for the song that the nurses sing to you on your last day. :) It's actually pretty cute.
So we received the results to Shane's bone scan from Dr. Chen today. The cancer is in the bone in many places. They are as follows: left proximal femur, right sacroiliac region, mid right clavicle, left anterior second and fifth ribs, left inferior scapula, right mid humerus, right proximal ulna, right high parietal skull, right proximal tibia. I am not sure where some of those are...but that is the list from the CT report.
Dr. Chen told us that she wants him to continue with chemo for now and when the 9 weeks is up, he will be re-scanned and re-evaluated.

I got tagged!!

FAVORITE PAIR OF SHOES- any pair of flip flops or my slippers :)
NEW YEARS RESOLUTION- I didn't do one this year..but I always try to be healthier.
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW- office talk and typing
IF YOU HAD $200 TO SPEND ON YOURSELF WHAT WOULD IT BE- i should probably buy decor for my house -- it is so bare still.
RANDOM THOUGHT- it was really nice that I had one day that was headache-free...because it is coming back.
FAVORITE PLACE TO GO IN THE CITY YOU LIVE IN - anywhere with Shane
THE BOOK YOU ARE READING - I finally finished Harry Potter 7 and started a new one on Focusing -- I need all the help I can get with focus.

i'm tagging SHANE -- Please hun!!, Amy, and Tone

Tyler's 6th Birthday

Tyler is already 6 years old!! He is sooo old. This was the year of the transformers. He is close to having the whole collection between him and his brothers. He also got a new hamster. For those of you who know the story of the last hamster..it ended very tragically. (Tyler decided to send Spike for a ride in the air in his ball) So we are crossing our fingers that he will live a long and prosperous life. Tyler named his new hamster Barber after Marion Barber who plays for the Dallas Cowboys - his favorite player.

Shane's way of thinking!!

Shane's 1st Chemo

Shane had his chemo treatment yesterday and he feels great! It is not the greatest thing to do on your birthday, but it was great because we did get to spend all day together. HCI is so great...we sat there in The Infusion Suite (yes somehow it is a suite) side-by-side with our laptops dialed into work. How great is it that we can be sitting in a hospital getting chemo (yes the chemo part sucks) and work as if we are sitting at our desks at the office. Gotta love technology.
So we learned an interesting thing from the lovely chemo education we received yesterday. So anything that comes out of your body for 48 hours after chemo is toxic, including sperm. It was kind of strange to think about.
Anyway, Shane is feeling good. In fact, he said that he kind of felt an energy high and had a hard time falling asleep - but the could have been the sugar high he was feeling from the chocolate molten cake, ice cream, and eclairs he had just eaten :)

Happy Birthday Shane!!

It is my sweet husband’s birthday today. I thought I would take a moment to tell him how much I love him. He keeps me laughing constantly. My new goal is to keep up with him and his sarcasm. I think I am doing pretty good lately (the one Tuesday night in the hot tub was the best so far…lol – yes I used an acronym too)
Anyway, I am very grateful to have him as my husband and lucky to spend the rest of our LONG lives together.
I love ya hun and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!