Remission

We met with Ken's doctor today and it's official....REMISSION!!! Dr. Fong said Ken's PET scan was excellent and no signs of cancer are evident. We are so HAPPY and RELIEVED. It's a strange thing though. I'm not quite as relieved as I thought I'd be. I already believed with all my being that his cancer was gone. I didn't spend time worrying about the appointment or making myself crazy by preparing endless questions for the doctor. I already knew he was in remission and will be for a long, long time. Of course after the fact, this is easier realized, but Ken said he felt the same way. We celebrated by opening a bottle of champagne. We also have a lot of family coming into town in the next two months so the celebration continues!
Of course this isn't over, but we've gotten through so far. At this point, Ken will go in every six months for blood work and Rituxan. Rituxan is the 'R' in RCHOP and studies show that with maintenance Rituxan the cancer stays in remission for a longer period of time. Fortunately, Rituxan is not the part of treatment that makes Ken sick. He is a little "off" for a day or two, but it's nothing compared to the chemotherapy side effects. He is scheduled to go in again in August and will have Rituxan once a week for four weeks, every six months. After his August Rituxan, Ken will have another PET scan to confirm the remission status.We continue to be grateful to all our family and friends and know how important you all have been in this process. Celebration updates to follow!

Round 5 and 6...THE END!

These last two rounds were not the worst, but they weren't the best either. The side effects are compounding and they all seem to be hanging around a lot longer. Overall, the nausea hasn't been too bad, but Ken's energy level and stamina is not what it normally is. It becomes challenging to get your mind "right" when you've been sick for weeks on end.
At this point we are done! We are looking toward the future and believing that we'll never have to go through this again. We have been so fortunate to have had such an amazing support system through all of this. We've had never ending gift cards and meals, countless prayers and hugs, and so much love! We are so thankful to all of you who've helped along the way! It's also been nice to have had such a dry and sunny winter (our kind of weather)! It's encouraged us to get out and live!
Right now Ken is still recovering from his last round of treatment. In a few weeks he'll have another scan and a bone marrow biopsy. These will tell us he's in remission! Updates to follow.

Good News!

Yesterday we met with Ken's doctor to review the PET scan.  Every lymph node is now in the normal size range, except one in the pelvic area. This one has made significant progress though, and has gone down by a quarter of its original size. This is better news than expected and it gives us hope that the cancer will be completely gone once Ken's treatment is complete. We are both thrilled!

Round 4

I am so happy to report that round four has been the best so far. This round resembled the second and of course Ken isn't nausea or pain free, but it seems to be so much more manageable. Ken tries to keep busy during waves of nausea and sickness. He's been walking a lot, entertaining Stella with his ukulele, and he even made the bed. What! I guess he really needed to keep busy!

We are looking forward to 2012 and are very hopeful that it will bring us continued happiness and renewed health! Because we were in bed by 10:00 last night we went to lunch today to celebrate. Happy New Year everyone!

Reminders

In recent days "cancer" has been very present in our lives. We've discussed it a lot with our family and friends and even though we are both better able to have these conversations, we're reminded that there is no escaping it. We appreciate the love, support, prayers, and strength that are sent our way each and everyday, but talking about it, at least with Ken, brings down his mind and spirit.
Ken had his PET scan this week which is another reminder and comes with some anxiety about how his treatment is progressing. We will be meeting with his doctor next week to discuss the results. This reminder marks the half way point in Ken's treatment. We are anticipating positive results with little or no signs of the Lymphoma in his body. We were told that this wouldn't be wishful thinking, but a likely result as this type of Lymphoma responds well to treatment. Ken's fourth round of chemo began today and we are reminded of how horrible the last round was. The ginger is in full force and none of us are sick. It can't be as bad as last time!
People often ask me how I am doing. The truth is, I have bouts of awful anxiety, but I don't let those moments affect my overall being. I don't know how or why, but I've found an internal strength that allows me to keep going. I believe that everything is going to be ok. At this point, to live any other way would not be fair to Ken, to Stella, or to myself.  We both continue to strive for a "normal" life with as few "reminders" as possible.

The Perfect Storm - Round 3

       Unfortunately this time around has been much tougher than expected, in part because we've all had the flu! Not sure what the point of flu shots for the entire family was. So Ken is dealing with crazy side effects from chemo which he actually describes as the flu times ten and the real flu all at once. Yesterday was the worst, but I'm pretty sure he will only feel better from here. Treatment was on Thursday and because he had a non-student day Friday, he thought he would be able to go in and just hang back. Big mistake! He felt awful, barely got himself to school, and was then chaperoned home by two guidance counselors. Thanks, Amy and Mayu! He was able to sleep most of the night and has been sleeping or at least resting on the couch all morning.

       It's been relatively easy to get back to normal life in between treatments and stay active and busy. Stella, along with holiday craziness keeps us distracted and moving forward.

Living!

We are determined to keep living and refuse to let cancer run our life. It would be very easy to sit at home, be sad, and give up. Ken, more than anyone, lives EVERYDAY to the fullest! He is an inspiration for me and so many others. So, we decided we would follow through on our plans to vacation in Utah with my family. It was a much needed break! Leaving only one day after Ken's treatment was risky, but we were determined to keep living. We introduced Stella to the wonders of Utah and enjoyed taking her sledding and watching her excitement as she experienced snow for the first time. Ken and I were also able to catch our first ski runs of the season and snow shoe through fresh alpine powder.