Sunday, July 12, 2015
Post Surgery Scans
On Wednesday, July 8th, we were scheduled to go down to The Huntsman Cancer Institute for CT-Scans, X-rays, and blood tests to see if there was any cancer remaining. We completed all of the tests and there is no trace of the cancer!!! The doctor said that there is an 8% chance that in the next 2 years the cancer may return, but that is a 92% chance that it won't!!!! They also said that from here on out, the monitoring of my recovery can be transferred to Idaho Falls, so we won't have to travel to Salt Lake any more for testing. I am so grateful for the skillful doctors that treated me. They did such a marvelous job. Thank you everyone for all of your prayers. They worked!!! I still have a ways to go in my recovery, but everything is looking good for now!!!
Friday, May 15, 2015
Dan's 6 week post surgery check up
On Wednesday of this week, Dan and I traveled to Utah for his 6 week check up with his doctor. My mother in law stayed home with the kids while we drove there and back in one day again. This trip without kids is pretty easy for us now! Especially since Dan is getting better.
He reported to his doctor that he is not in much pain when doing light-medium activity and that he has been working about 15-20 hours a week. Dan is not on a low fat diet anymore, and according to the doctors he is doing perfect for his recovery. Right on schedule. His biggest hurdle right now and desire is trying to get his energy up to normal (what's that anymore anyway?) and working full time and helping our family out at home.
He had blood work done also on Wednesday and we got a call from them on Thursday that his cancer marker levels were all normal! We were kinda expecting that since his biggest type of Cancer was Teretoma and that doesn't elevate the tumor markers. So that means he still doesn't need Chemo and getting better is the goal and plan. We will go for another appointment in July for a CT scan of his abdomen and a chest x-ray, and blood work. After that, the plan is to have blood drawn and a chest x-ray done every 2-4 months for the first year of recovery.
Thank you to all of you who have still supported us financially, have brought in meals, have helped me with my kids, and continued to pray for Dan!
Rachelle
He reported to his doctor that he is not in much pain when doing light-medium activity and that he has been working about 15-20 hours a week. Dan is not on a low fat diet anymore, and according to the doctors he is doing perfect for his recovery. Right on schedule. His biggest hurdle right now and desire is trying to get his energy up to normal (what's that anymore anyway?) and working full time and helping our family out at home.
He had blood work done also on Wednesday and we got a call from them on Thursday that his cancer marker levels were all normal! We were kinda expecting that since his biggest type of Cancer was Teretoma and that doesn't elevate the tumor markers. So that means he still doesn't need Chemo and getting better is the goal and plan. We will go for another appointment in July for a CT scan of his abdomen and a chest x-ray, and blood work. After that, the plan is to have blood drawn and a chest x-ray done every 2-4 months for the first year of recovery.
Thank you to all of you who have still supported us financially, have brought in meals, have helped me with my kids, and continued to pray for Dan!
Rachelle
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
1 Month Post-Surgery Update
Well, it has been a little over a month since the surgery and we thought we would give everyone an update. Since we have been back at home, I have been trying to rest and train my body how to work again. It has been difficult at times, but I have had a lot of support from everyone around me. I am thankful for all of the support from friends, family, and neighbors who have helped our family. We couldn't have done it without your help. I am not having a lot of pain now, but I don't have a lot of energy.
My family has been so helpful and understanding. Today, Rachelle and Kaylee had to go get something at the school. As they were walking, Kaylee saw a dandelion that had turned all white and puffy. Rachelle told her to make a wish. She didn't even hesitate, and she said, "I wish for daddy to feel better." My kids have been so understanding. I don't get to interact with them like I used to, but we try to find activities that aren't too physically demanding to do together.
I have been working from home a little and try to get in to the office as much as I can. So far this week, I have been in to work every day, even if it is just for a few hours each day. I am grateful for an amazing boss and coworkers who have been patient with my recovery and covered for me when I am not feeling well enough to fulfill my responsibilities.
We have an appointment in two weeks in Salt Lake for blood tests and follow-up on the surgery. We anticipate the tests turning out fine. The next big step will be in about 2 more months when we do another scan to see if there is any cancer that they missed, or anything that came back. Until then, I will keep working to recover and get stronger.
Thanks again for all of the love and support.
My family has been so helpful and understanding. Today, Rachelle and Kaylee had to go get something at the school. As they were walking, Kaylee saw a dandelion that had turned all white and puffy. Rachelle told her to make a wish. She didn't even hesitate, and she said, "I wish for daddy to feel better." My kids have been so understanding. I don't get to interact with them like I used to, but we try to find activities that aren't too physically demanding to do together.
I have been working from home a little and try to get in to the office as much as I can. So far this week, I have been in to work every day, even if it is just for a few hours each day. I am grateful for an amazing boss and coworkers who have been patient with my recovery and covered for me when I am not feeling well enough to fulfill my responsibilities.
We have an appointment in two weeks in Salt Lake for blood tests and follow-up on the surgery. We anticipate the tests turning out fine. The next big step will be in about 2 more months when we do another scan to see if there is any cancer that they missed, or anything that came back. Until then, I will keep working to recover and get stronger.
Thanks again for all of the love and support.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
More Good News
We got a call from the doctor yesterday. He said that the blood test results came back and everything is within normal ranges which means that we are officially in surveillance mode. Meaning, we are just working on healing from the surgery and then we will continue testing to see if any cancer remains or comes back.
It has been a long couple of weeks. Thank you to all of you who have helped in any way. Your love and support has been felt and appreciated. I would like to especially thank my wife who has been amazing through the process. Any time I have struggled, she has been there to help me feel better. There is no way I could have done this without her. We will keep everyone updated as we know more, but for now, things are looking good.
Dan
It has been a long couple of weeks. Thank you to all of you who have helped in any way. Your love and support has been felt and appreciated. I would like to especially thank my wife who has been amazing through the process. Any time I have struggled, she has been there to help me feel better. There is no way I could have done this without her. We will keep everyone updated as we know more, but for now, things are looking good.
Dan
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Dr. Appointment and Pathology Report from Surgery
This past week, Dan hasn't been on very much pain killers, and he has felt it. It's been another painful week, and he keeps thinking that he should feel better the next and then is dissapointed. This is definately a long haul kind of recovery. I tell him he should think about it in terms of weeks, like next week will be better than the one before. He told me I didn't need to get him a refill on his pain killers, but the Tylenol and Mortrin were not helping. It is still just his insides that hurt when he eats food. Sleeping is still difficult at night with nightmares or trouble getting comfortable. His appetite is coming back slowly and he is eating a little more.
DR. APPOINTMENT (Friday)
At Dan's post surgery appointment we found out that Dan's incision is healing well, and his stomach felt normal to the doctor. The doctor told him to call if the pain gets any worse, but that he needs to give it more time for the pain to subside. We got a refill on his prescription to help with the pain and it is working better! The doctor explained to us the pathology report:
1. 14 Lymph nodes were positive with Teratoma Cancer ( we thought from the CT Scan there were about 5) Almost all of the lymph nodes were this kind of cancer that would not have responded to chemotherapy and so we, and the doctor, are very glad we went with the surgery! If we had started with Chemotherapy, he would have had to have the surgery afterward also, guaranteed. It is a possibility that Dan will not have anymore treatments!!! If the Teratoma Cancer comes back ever, Dan will have more surgery to remove it.
2. There was a minute amount of cancer that is a seminoma, which means it could respond to chemotherapy, and that was the reason his tumor markers were elevated. The doctors are not too concerned by this because it was such a small amount. If the tumor markers stay low at a 1-2 or less, they will not need to do anymore treatments. If however, the numbers go up again, it means there are some left in his body, and it's spreading, and Dan will have to do 3 cycles of Chemotherapy. They drew more blood for labs at the appointment, and we should know the results on Monday-ish. If they are the same or lower, we will begin to feel like Dan is on surveillance and can rest from being treated!! We look forward to moving on with life, and thinking about our future.
3. The doctors will watch Dan closely for the next year by drawing blood every 1-2 months and performing a CT scan every 3-4 months, that way, they can catch anything early if something changes. Dan has another follow up appointment in one month from now, in Utah, to check the surgery site and tumor markers again. And then a CT Scan in about 3 months from now.
So that was all pretty good news, we had been hoping that all the cancer was Teratoma, and almost all of it was, and we were glad that his tumor markers went down to 1 after the surgery! We will post more after Monday when we hear back what the tumor markers are now.
And thank you so much, for all the people that have helped us get ready for our trip to Utah, and helped us while in Utah! We are home now, and Dan is happy to start getting back to normal life. If he can manage without the oxycodone medicine, he would like to try to go in to work for several hours next week. He cannot drive while one that medicine though, but I know he is very determined.
Rachelle
DR. APPOINTMENT (Friday)
At Dan's post surgery appointment we found out that Dan's incision is healing well, and his stomach felt normal to the doctor. The doctor told him to call if the pain gets any worse, but that he needs to give it more time for the pain to subside. We got a refill on his prescription to help with the pain and it is working better! The doctor explained to us the pathology report:
1. 14 Lymph nodes were positive with Teratoma Cancer ( we thought from the CT Scan there were about 5) Almost all of the lymph nodes were this kind of cancer that would not have responded to chemotherapy and so we, and the doctor, are very glad we went with the surgery! If we had started with Chemotherapy, he would have had to have the surgery afterward also, guaranteed. It is a possibility that Dan will not have anymore treatments!!! If the Teratoma Cancer comes back ever, Dan will have more surgery to remove it.
2. There was a minute amount of cancer that is a seminoma, which means it could respond to chemotherapy, and that was the reason his tumor markers were elevated. The doctors are not too concerned by this because it was such a small amount. If the tumor markers stay low at a 1-2 or less, they will not need to do anymore treatments. If however, the numbers go up again, it means there are some left in his body, and it's spreading, and Dan will have to do 3 cycles of Chemotherapy. They drew more blood for labs at the appointment, and we should know the results on Monday-ish. If they are the same or lower, we will begin to feel like Dan is on surveillance and can rest from being treated!! We look forward to moving on with life, and thinking about our future.
3. The doctors will watch Dan closely for the next year by drawing blood every 1-2 months and performing a CT scan every 3-4 months, that way, they can catch anything early if something changes. Dan has another follow up appointment in one month from now, in Utah, to check the surgery site and tumor markers again. And then a CT Scan in about 3 months from now.
So that was all pretty good news, we had been hoping that all the cancer was Teratoma, and almost all of it was, and we were glad that his tumor markers went down to 1 after the surgery! We will post more after Monday when we hear back what the tumor markers are now.
And thank you so much, for all the people that have helped us get ready for our trip to Utah, and helped us while in Utah! We are home now, and Dan is happy to start getting back to normal life. If he can manage without the oxycodone medicine, he would like to try to go in to work for several hours next week. He cannot drive while one that medicine though, but I know he is very determined.
Rachelle
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Pluggin away
Friday was much like Thursday, but ended up being worse in retrospect to Dan's pain. I know I said this for Thursday, but I have never seen him in this much pain, as I did on Friday. He was tired emotional and physically, and he hit a breaking point. He was so miserable for being in pain for so long. That night my dad gave him a blessing. We gave him 3 oxycodone medication pills, despite the chance of hallucinations and put Dan to bed. I layed next to him while he calmed down and fell asleep. When he woke I was there telling him where he was, and that none of what he dreamed was true. Then I pulled a mattress onto the floor and slept in his room. I haven't been sleeping next to him because I don't want to accidentally hurt him in my sleep by rolling over or hugging him. He actually did pretty well during the night. On the up side, Dan told me that his doctor said that his cancer markers went down to 1 after the surgery. That is super awesome! The doctor wants the markers to be less than 1, so he still wants to find out what they are missing. We are still wondering if with time it will be at 0, maybe after is post surgery appointment. He is going in the right direction though! We still have not heard what the pathology report is on the cancer they removed.
Saturday, Dan's stomach didn't hurt him as bad, he had a much better day, or at least could handle it better. We were able to watch all of conference and actually hear what was said because our four older kids were in Idaho at Grandma Hymas' house! Dan, Cami, and I were able to lounge around, watch tv, and get some much needed rest! Still, the hardest thing to deal with is how dan's stomach feels when he eats food. He thinks digesting the food is what hurts so badly.
Sunday, Dan did better again. All weekend Dan received more mail from his nieces and nephew, they were the cutest letters and drawings and get well cards. Every time they made Dan smile and feel loved no matter how bad his pain was! He continues to walk about often, he can sit, lay on a couch or recliner, so he can be in many different places resting. He is eating more foods but still very gentle foods and he has lost a total of 12 pounds so far because of not being able to eat normally (or not at all) for a week and half. Tomorrow I'm going to call his doctor to request more pain killers since he is about out, and also see if the pathology report is in. Our kids came back to us today, and I think Cami is so happy! She loved being an only child for a couple days, but she started getting bored without them.
Rachelle
Saturday, Dan's stomach didn't hurt him as bad, he had a much better day, or at least could handle it better. We were able to watch all of conference and actually hear what was said because our four older kids were in Idaho at Grandma Hymas' house! Dan, Cami, and I were able to lounge around, watch tv, and get some much needed rest! Still, the hardest thing to deal with is how dan's stomach feels when he eats food. He thinks digesting the food is what hurts so badly.
Sunday, Dan did better again. All weekend Dan received more mail from his nieces and nephew, they were the cutest letters and drawings and get well cards. Every time they made Dan smile and feel loved no matter how bad his pain was! He continues to walk about often, he can sit, lay on a couch or recliner, so he can be in many different places resting. He is eating more foods but still very gentle foods and he has lost a total of 12 pounds so far because of not being able to eat normally (or not at all) for a week and half. Tomorrow I'm going to call his doctor to request more pain killers since he is about out, and also see if the pathology report is in. Our kids came back to us today, and I think Cami is so happy! She loved being an only child for a couple days, but she started getting bored without them.
Rachelle
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Out of the Hospital
Dan has been progressing every day more than we expect. Dan got discharged from the hospital on Tuesday late morning! It's kind of funny to me, because on Monday when Dan was in the hospital, he said he would need something or someone to hang onto while walking places once we got home (to my parents house). So I went home and brainstormed with my parents, and people from my mom's ward generously let us borrow a wheel chair so we could wheel Dan down the yard around to the back and into the basement of the house so Dan wouldn't have to use the stairs in the house. And someone else let us borrow a walker that he could use in case I couldn't be right there when he needed to get up.
Well, to my surprise, when I went to pick Dan up at the hospital on Tuesday, we was walking without anything and quicker around the hospital halls! The Physical Therapist even had him walk up a few stairs before going home. What?! He was doing great. When we arrived at my parent's house, he didn't listen to me to stay in the car, he got out walking to the back of the house, into the house and got in bed. At least the kids have been having fun with the wheel chair. Dan has used the walker once or twice, to help him change clothes, but walks around without assistance. Tuesday was a happy day getting out of the hospital. He shaved, and would go to his bed for a nap, and come back to the family room when he was awake. Dan also started introducing some food into his body, like fat free pringles, crackers, and cottage cheese. It really wasn't much food though, he is not hungry after taking a few bites at a time.
Wednesday, Dan was a little bit down, one reason was he experienced hiccups that was understandably painful for him. But I think he was maybe more sore from all the movement he's been making. He still does many things on his own, it's amazing. He tried a little more food and more of a variety like green smoothie, raspberries, a fourth of a turkey and cheese sandwich, and broth. Again, he eats so little, but more than the day before. I told Dan that I'd eat with him on his low fat diet, well I had been going stir crazy for a couple of days with no junk in my parents' house, that I cooked up some frozen cookie dough upstairs. I ate my cookie immediately, when Dan surprises all of us by his walking up the stairs to catch me eating that cookie! Caught red handed. But, what was he doing anyway tackling the stairs, haha?! The kids love to be around him again! Cami expects him to pick her up but she is okay also with Dan just rubbing the top of her head or holding her hand for a moment. She just is so delighted to see her dad! The other kids love it too, and are helpful to keep toys out of the way so Dad can walk easier and especially Trey is helpful when I need him to play with Cami while I clean up, get Dan something, or simply want to go to the bathroom.
Today has been a rough day all day long for Dan. First of all, he had really bad hallucinations all night long, from the medications, and woke up many times not knowing where he was or what was going on. The dreams were bad too, and he was just pretty upset this morning with how the night went. He didn't want to take the oxycodone anymore, but didn't know if just Tylenol would work and keep his pain down. Secondly, his insides were feeling weird and it felt more painful, like they were moving around in there not knowing where to settle. A couple of people said they felt the same thing when they had other surgeries, like as if the insides were swollen before, and when the swelling went down, the insides would move around whenever you do. Dan is in more pain today getting up to move, so he is trying to stay down more. I don't know if he feels this way, but from the cringe on his face, I have not seen him in more pain then today. T.V. is a good distraction, and he must take that oxycodone and tylenol every 4 hours. He asked me to buy him a warming pad to place where it hurts. We know that there will be many better days, and sometimes, days that are just more difficult with this healing process. The first time I saw Dan smile today was when he received a letter from Nolan, our nephew, that said to get well soon! Thanks Nolan, you made his day brighter! Also, Dan's Aunt Myrna came by tonight and we had a lovely visit with her! She was so sweet to bring cookies and jello jigglers, which is something Dan can eat! He has eaten a little more again today, so that is progress. He is trying his best to get more nutrients for his healing and to give him strength. He has had green smoothies, finished his turkey sandwich, yogurt, berries, cucumbers and gatorade. I hope he sleeps better tonight!
My parents have been so awesome to help with the kids this entire time, I couldn't do it without them! I can't even imagine. The kids are planning to spend the weekend with their Grandma Hymas to give me and my parent's a break, and they are excited! We are grateful to our family and friends, my friend Whitney also took most of my kids on the surgery day for a play date at her house. Thanks everyone!
Rachelle
Well, to my surprise, when I went to pick Dan up at the hospital on Tuesday, we was walking without anything and quicker around the hospital halls! The Physical Therapist even had him walk up a few stairs before going home. What?! He was doing great. When we arrived at my parent's house, he didn't listen to me to stay in the car, he got out walking to the back of the house, into the house and got in bed. At least the kids have been having fun with the wheel chair. Dan has used the walker once or twice, to help him change clothes, but walks around without assistance. Tuesday was a happy day getting out of the hospital. He shaved, and would go to his bed for a nap, and come back to the family room when he was awake. Dan also started introducing some food into his body, like fat free pringles, crackers, and cottage cheese. It really wasn't much food though, he is not hungry after taking a few bites at a time.
Wednesday, Dan was a little bit down, one reason was he experienced hiccups that was understandably painful for him. But I think he was maybe more sore from all the movement he's been making. He still does many things on his own, it's amazing. He tried a little more food and more of a variety like green smoothie, raspberries, a fourth of a turkey and cheese sandwich, and broth. Again, he eats so little, but more than the day before. I told Dan that I'd eat with him on his low fat diet, well I had been going stir crazy for a couple of days with no junk in my parents' house, that I cooked up some frozen cookie dough upstairs. I ate my cookie immediately, when Dan surprises all of us by his walking up the stairs to catch me eating that cookie! Caught red handed. But, what was he doing anyway tackling the stairs, haha?! The kids love to be around him again! Cami expects him to pick her up but she is okay also with Dan just rubbing the top of her head or holding her hand for a moment. She just is so delighted to see her dad! The other kids love it too, and are helpful to keep toys out of the way so Dad can walk easier and especially Trey is helpful when I need him to play with Cami while I clean up, get Dan something, or simply want to go to the bathroom.
Today has been a rough day all day long for Dan. First of all, he had really bad hallucinations all night long, from the medications, and woke up many times not knowing where he was or what was going on. The dreams were bad too, and he was just pretty upset this morning with how the night went. He didn't want to take the oxycodone anymore, but didn't know if just Tylenol would work and keep his pain down. Secondly, his insides were feeling weird and it felt more painful, like they were moving around in there not knowing where to settle. A couple of people said they felt the same thing when they had other surgeries, like as if the insides were swollen before, and when the swelling went down, the insides would move around whenever you do. Dan is in more pain today getting up to move, so he is trying to stay down more. I don't know if he feels this way, but from the cringe on his face, I have not seen him in more pain then today. T.V. is a good distraction, and he must take that oxycodone and tylenol every 4 hours. He asked me to buy him a warming pad to place where it hurts. We know that there will be many better days, and sometimes, days that are just more difficult with this healing process. The first time I saw Dan smile today was when he received a letter from Nolan, our nephew, that said to get well soon! Thanks Nolan, you made his day brighter! Also, Dan's Aunt Myrna came by tonight and we had a lovely visit with her! She was so sweet to bring cookies and jello jigglers, which is something Dan can eat! He has eaten a little more again today, so that is progress. He is trying his best to get more nutrients for his healing and to give him strength. He has had green smoothies, finished his turkey sandwich, yogurt, berries, cucumbers and gatorade. I hope he sleeps better tonight!
My parents have been so awesome to help with the kids this entire time, I couldn't do it without them! I can't even imagine. The kids are planning to spend the weekend with their Grandma Hymas to give me and my parent's a break, and they are excited! We are grateful to our family and friends, my friend Whitney also took most of my kids on the surgery day for a play date at her house. Thanks everyone!
Rachelle
Monday, March 30, 2015
Hospital Stay Day 3 and 4.
Day3:
Yesterday (Sunday) was the hardest day for Dan. Not only was he dealing with the incision pain, but stomach bloating, and back pain from being stuck in bed all the time. My in laws told me that he seemed kinda down and the mornings appeared harder for him. They started giving him little amounts of liquids so he could start taking some pills and get off the pain pump. He got to have 300ml every 12 hours, that is not much, but something. I got to the hospital around 1:45 and he seemed to be a little more ok with things by then. He accomplished a lot in the way of checking off milestones that would allow him to be discharged. He walked more times and further and faster then the day before, and I was just so proud of him for moving to get stronger and keep his circulation good despite feeling his worst. When the doctor came in he said that it would be Tuesday or Wednesday before being discharged.
Day 4:
(Monday)This morning Dan had his brother and sis in law. Devry and Chelsey, come visit him, he doesn't like to be alone at the hospital, and since they were in town they came to see him. Today has been much better for Dan. His pain is not too bad and he switched from I.V. medicine to pills. The doctor took out Dan's I.V. and only is hooked up to a monitor for his pulse rate. Dan's bloating isn't as bad either and he is getting up and out of bed so much better and walking a little faster too. The doctor says we can probably bring him home tomorrow! Dan is soooo happy about that, and the kids are excited to see him!
Today he was approved to have all the clear liquids he wants, and was able to begin trying out food. His stomach has shrunk over the past 4 days so all he ate as about 10 crackers and a quarter of a bagel by the time I left the hospital at 3pm. So far he is tolerating the food pretty well. He is required to be on a low fat diet for a month because his lymph nodes wont be able to process high fat foods for a while. It is so great that Dan is feeling better today and moving so much more, he is just doing so great for just having had surgery!
Rachelle
Yesterday (Sunday) was the hardest day for Dan. Not only was he dealing with the incision pain, but stomach bloating, and back pain from being stuck in bed all the time. My in laws told me that he seemed kinda down and the mornings appeared harder for him. They started giving him little amounts of liquids so he could start taking some pills and get off the pain pump. He got to have 300ml every 12 hours, that is not much, but something. I got to the hospital around 1:45 and he seemed to be a little more ok with things by then. He accomplished a lot in the way of checking off milestones that would allow him to be discharged. He walked more times and further and faster then the day before, and I was just so proud of him for moving to get stronger and keep his circulation good despite feeling his worst. When the doctor came in he said that it would be Tuesday or Wednesday before being discharged.
Day 4:
(Monday)This morning Dan had his brother and sis in law. Devry and Chelsey, come visit him, he doesn't like to be alone at the hospital, and since they were in town they came to see him. Today has been much better for Dan. His pain is not too bad and he switched from I.V. medicine to pills. The doctor took out Dan's I.V. and only is hooked up to a monitor for his pulse rate. Dan's bloating isn't as bad either and he is getting up and out of bed so much better and walking a little faster too. The doctor says we can probably bring him home tomorrow! Dan is soooo happy about that, and the kids are excited to see him!
Today he was approved to have all the clear liquids he wants, and was able to begin trying out food. His stomach has shrunk over the past 4 days so all he ate as about 10 crackers and a quarter of a bagel by the time I left the hospital at 3pm. So far he is tolerating the food pretty well. He is required to be on a low fat diet for a month because his lymph nodes wont be able to process high fat foods for a while. It is so great that Dan is feeling better today and moving so much more, he is just doing so great for just having had surgery!
Rachelle
Saturday, March 28, 2015
The RPLND surgery
Day 1:
Wow, Dan has been through a lot in the last 2 days! Yesterday my dad got us to the hospital before 6am and Dan's parents had driven from Idaho and surprisingly beat us there, to see Dan and be with him as much as possible. Dan agreed to be apart of two studies during his surgery that will bring better care and treatment to others in the future. They just collected some blood and extra tissues that would have been thrown out anyway. Surgery began right on schedule at 7:30am.
The whole surgery lasted for 6 1/2 hours and every two hours or so, I'd get a phone call from Dan's nurse letting me know that he was doing good and that they were still working on him. The last hour was the hardest to wait for him because we were so anxious to hear that it was done and then see him. The doctor came out after the surgery to let me know how everything went, and he said that everything went well, Dan did good and it was uneventful, nothing went wrong. That was so good to hear that his body didn't have a hard time with everything. He said that he took out a lot of tumors (sounded like more than he was expecting), and that there were several larger ones, and that they had grown since the CT scan. He said that as far as the big ones go, they look like the same Teratoma Cancer. We will know more from the pathology on the cancer in about a week to shed some more light on if that is the only cancer or if there are also different kinds in there. The doctor also let me know that he was able to spare two major nerves without compromising on the cancer removal, that some tumors just peeled away from those nerves. For recovery, he said Dan would be pretty out of it for day 1 and day 2 he would be very sore. They wanted him up and standing and walking on day 2 to avoid blood clots, even though it would be very painful. The doctor said he'd be in the hospital 4-5 days. He also talked about how if the cancer is all Teratoma and his cancer markers return to normal after surgery, then Dan would be checked on with blood tests and ct scans every couple months and then start lengthening the amount of time between visits if his body stays clear of tumors. And if there are other cancers, and cancer markers do not return to normal, then chemotherapy will begin a month or two after surgery, basically after he recovers. I am hopeful that the surgery is all he needs. We should be able to have a post surgery check up with his doctor before we come back to Idaho. The doctor and surgical team did a great job!
After talking to the doctor, we had to wait two more hours while Dan was in a recovery room and waking up from the anesthesia. At about 4:30pm we were finally allowed to see Dan! He was pretty aware when he saw us (although I doubt he remembers much of that time because of the medication), he was his very same humorous self, loving an audience, and knowing his stitching site was awesome because it was on him- and of course he is awesome. :)
He was very tired after a while and had a very dry mouth, but no liquids were allowed still. My dad and I left to go home around 6 and Dan's parents stayed a little longer. The nurse said they would try to help him stand at 10pm since he was so tired.
Day 2:
Dan's parents went to visit Dan in the morning and found out from him that they tried several times during the night to get him to stand but each time he even lifted his head he started dry heaving, he was very nauseated from the surgery or heavy medications. He has stitches about 9-10 inches in length on his abdomen so it is excruciatingly painful to vomit! They tried 3 different pain meds to fix the nausea and then gave him a patch behind his ear, maybe the patch helped a bit, but when I got there at noon today, and they tried to sit him up again, I saw him dry heave again and in so much pain. He slept most of the time I was there, still very tired! The Physical Therapist came in to try and help him move, but found how sick he felt and suggested cool cloths on is face and that every hour they raise his bed up a little and allow him time to adjust to it. Dan also stopped pushing his pain medicine button, and when I left around 3pm he hadn't pushed it for more medicine for an hour. Dan's parents are staying with him all night tonight.
It was hard to see Dan struggling today, and it seemed like there wouldn't be progress towards the goal of getting him moving. Before 5pm Dan's mom texted me letting me know the Physical Therapists came back to Dan's room and got him sitting, standing, and able to move into a chair! That was so relieving to see the progress and they sent me a picture of him sitting in a chair. I loved it, and I think we were all relieved! They said he looked so much better, and was in good spirits! Then an hour later, I got a text that Dan was walking the loop around the nurses station! The PT wanted him to walk to the door sometime tonight, but he did well with that and so the nurse kept walking him out the door. Then they approved him to have ice chips and that made him a happy guy! Because of all the moving, naturally Dan needed to push the medication button afterwards. The doctor had said it would be so painful the first time walking, but get a little better each time after that.
We are all so happy of his accomplishments tonight!
Rachelle
Wow, Dan has been through a lot in the last 2 days! Yesterday my dad got us to the hospital before 6am and Dan's parents had driven from Idaho and surprisingly beat us there, to see Dan and be with him as much as possible. Dan agreed to be apart of two studies during his surgery that will bring better care and treatment to others in the future. They just collected some blood and extra tissues that would have been thrown out anyway. Surgery began right on schedule at 7:30am.
The whole surgery lasted for 6 1/2 hours and every two hours or so, I'd get a phone call from Dan's nurse letting me know that he was doing good and that they were still working on him. The last hour was the hardest to wait for him because we were so anxious to hear that it was done and then see him. The doctor came out after the surgery to let me know how everything went, and he said that everything went well, Dan did good and it was uneventful, nothing went wrong. That was so good to hear that his body didn't have a hard time with everything. He said that he took out a lot of tumors (sounded like more than he was expecting), and that there were several larger ones, and that they had grown since the CT scan. He said that as far as the big ones go, they look like the same Teratoma Cancer. We will know more from the pathology on the cancer in about a week to shed some more light on if that is the only cancer or if there are also different kinds in there. The doctor also let me know that he was able to spare two major nerves without compromising on the cancer removal, that some tumors just peeled away from those nerves. For recovery, he said Dan would be pretty out of it for day 1 and day 2 he would be very sore. They wanted him up and standing and walking on day 2 to avoid blood clots, even though it would be very painful. The doctor said he'd be in the hospital 4-5 days. He also talked about how if the cancer is all Teratoma and his cancer markers return to normal after surgery, then Dan would be checked on with blood tests and ct scans every couple months and then start lengthening the amount of time between visits if his body stays clear of tumors. And if there are other cancers, and cancer markers do not return to normal, then chemotherapy will begin a month or two after surgery, basically after he recovers. I am hopeful that the surgery is all he needs. We should be able to have a post surgery check up with his doctor before we come back to Idaho. The doctor and surgical team did a great job!
After talking to the doctor, we had to wait two more hours while Dan was in a recovery room and waking up from the anesthesia. At about 4:30pm we were finally allowed to see Dan! He was pretty aware when he saw us (although I doubt he remembers much of that time because of the medication), he was his very same humorous self, loving an audience, and knowing his stitching site was awesome because it was on him- and of course he is awesome. :)
He was very tired after a while and had a very dry mouth, but no liquids were allowed still. My dad and I left to go home around 6 and Dan's parents stayed a little longer. The nurse said they would try to help him stand at 10pm since he was so tired.
Day 2:
Dan's parents went to visit Dan in the morning and found out from him that they tried several times during the night to get him to stand but each time he even lifted his head he started dry heaving, he was very nauseated from the surgery or heavy medications. He has stitches about 9-10 inches in length on his abdomen so it is excruciatingly painful to vomit! They tried 3 different pain meds to fix the nausea and then gave him a patch behind his ear, maybe the patch helped a bit, but when I got there at noon today, and they tried to sit him up again, I saw him dry heave again and in so much pain. He slept most of the time I was there, still very tired! The Physical Therapist came in to try and help him move, but found how sick he felt and suggested cool cloths on is face and that every hour they raise his bed up a little and allow him time to adjust to it. Dan also stopped pushing his pain medicine button, and when I left around 3pm he hadn't pushed it for more medicine for an hour. Dan's parents are staying with him all night tonight.
It was hard to see Dan struggling today, and it seemed like there wouldn't be progress towards the goal of getting him moving. Before 5pm Dan's mom texted me letting me know the Physical Therapists came back to Dan's room and got him sitting, standing, and able to move into a chair! That was so relieving to see the progress and they sent me a picture of him sitting in a chair. I loved it, and I think we were all relieved! They said he looked so much better, and was in good spirits! Then an hour later, I got a text that Dan was walking the loop around the nurses station! The PT wanted him to walk to the door sometime tonight, but he did well with that and so the nurse kept walking him out the door. Then they approved him to have ice chips and that made him a happy guy! Because of all the moving, naturally Dan needed to push the medication button afterwards. The doctor had said it would be so painful the first time walking, but get a little better each time after that.
We are all so happy of his accomplishments tonight!
Rachelle
Thursday, March 26, 2015
11 hours and counting
We made it to Utah nice and easy on Tuesday evening, our kids did very well, no screaming! Dan's Wednesday pre op appointment was very long, just because they were busy with lots of patients, but the extra info was very informative. We were surprised to hear that they were going to take more lab work and if the tumor marker went up again, then they would cancel the surgery and do chemotherapy. We thought we were past that, but apparently not. The doctor was great and said he was going to take his time so we are to expect a long surgery about 5-6 hours. He also said not to plan on being able to have more children after this, which we knew of this possibility a month ago. However, we have read that you can ask for a nerve sparing surgery where they try not to damage certain nerves and we have heard of stories of the body recovering after a year or two and functioning as normal. We are not too concerned about whether or not we are capable of having more kids, we adore the ones we have. But it was also a little surprising to hear our doctor lay it out and say to us, don't plan on it. He said he does do the nerve sparing surgeries, but he is NOT going to do that on Dan because of the size and locations of the cancer. It is delicate enough to perform, and his biggest tumor is just bigger than what they normally remove with this surgery, so he said nerve sparing is just not happening. He said a lot of doctors reviewed Dan's case, it was a little tricky, since it wasn't completely by the books, but they all feel confident about this procedure right now. (As long as the tumor markers didn't raise again) Tumor markers rising indicate another type of cancer is in the lymph nodes that would respond to chemotherapy. If it is just the Teretoma, the markers should not be rising since it is a mature cancer that does not spread quickly. They officially staged him as a Stage 2C
Today we called the hospital after 2pm as instructed to find out what time Dan's surgery would be. They said to be at the hospital at 6am and surgery would start at 7:30am tomorrow. That means we get to leave my parents' house at 5am and wake up at 4am! We are glad though that it is first thing in the morning. Dan has been on an all liquid diet today to prepare for the surgery. Not fun for him. After finding out what time the surgery was, I called the nurses phone number to find out what the cancer marker results were from yesterday. The nurse let us know that it had gone done to 12! It was 17 two weeks ago, so we are thinking that has got to be a positive sign! Hopefully they will keep going down after this next surgery and he won't have to do anything else!
Dan will be in the hospital 4-5 days and I'll be visiting him every day, but the kids are sad that he will be gone for so long. It's a good thing we have so many fun distractions for them here at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I will try to keep you all updated on how he is doing!
Rachelle
Today we called the hospital after 2pm as instructed to find out what time Dan's surgery would be. They said to be at the hospital at 6am and surgery would start at 7:30am tomorrow. That means we get to leave my parents' house at 5am and wake up at 4am! We are glad though that it is first thing in the morning. Dan has been on an all liquid diet today to prepare for the surgery. Not fun for him. After finding out what time the surgery was, I called the nurses phone number to find out what the cancer marker results were from yesterday. The nurse let us know that it had gone done to 12! It was 17 two weeks ago, so we are thinking that has got to be a positive sign! Hopefully they will keep going down after this next surgery and he won't have to do anything else!
Dan will be in the hospital 4-5 days and I'll be visiting him every day, but the kids are sad that he will be gone for so long. It's a good thing we have so many fun distractions for them here at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I will try to keep you all updated on how he is doing!
Rachelle
Sunday, March 22, 2015
More Thanks this week.
First of all, we might be extending our stay in Utah until April 11th now. Everything is so tentative though. I am grateful that my cousin, Cindy and her husband Joel will be house sitting for us while we are gone. There have been stressful times this past week, I think with it getting closer to the surgery day and the overwhelming emotions, fatigue, and amount of things to get done before then. But still we are overall doing good and so blessed by you all!
Early this past week my husband's uncle Rick stopped by with an encouraging card and poster and donation. He told me to tell Dan that there will be an end to all this! Rick and his wife have battled Cancer before. Not an easy road, for sure, but they are an inspiration for us.
My dear friend Hannah visited on Monday night and so kindly surprised us with dinners to freeze! I love that, it helps so much!
On Tuesday Dan and I were able to squeeze in a temple visit and it was so needed! When we arrived home, we found out that our neighbor Carolyn Hawks had dropped by with a cake, card, and donation. She is a great neighbor and also Carter's teacher in primary.
I heard from my brother and sis in law from Texas, Aaron and Ari, early in the week too checking in on us, as well as many other friends seeing how we were and if we needed anything at the store! I also received kind invitations to a couple activities from people, unfortunately we were completely book, but I appreciated the thought!
Dan's boss sent home fresh raspberries for our family to enjoy!
We were fed a pizza dinner by Dan's brother and his wife, Devry and Chelsey, when we attended our nephews' 3rd birthday party, which was so fun to spend time with family this past week! We were able to get together to play games Friday night too with Tim, Danizza, Devry, and Chelsey.
My friend Nicole was so great, she offered to watch my girls at the park while I ran many errands, and then she gave me dinner to take home also!
Dan has a co-worker that offered to have her husband take family pictures for us on Friday! They did such an amazing job with our photos and working with all our kids, we are so grateful for them!! I cannot wait to post those pics, and I would highly recommend getting your photo shoots done by them! It is Sam and Sara Hiatt in Idaho Falls. I will give you better info when I post the pics!
Robyn dropped off the sweetest necklace for me that says, "We can do hard things."
I have the best family and friends! You are the reason we can do these hard things, you lift our burdens to become light, and we feel of your support!
Continued thanks from us,
Rachelle
Early this past week my husband's uncle Rick stopped by with an encouraging card and poster and donation. He told me to tell Dan that there will be an end to all this! Rick and his wife have battled Cancer before. Not an easy road, for sure, but they are an inspiration for us.
My dear friend Hannah visited on Monday night and so kindly surprised us with dinners to freeze! I love that, it helps so much!
On Tuesday Dan and I were able to squeeze in a temple visit and it was so needed! When we arrived home, we found out that our neighbor Carolyn Hawks had dropped by with a cake, card, and donation. She is a great neighbor and also Carter's teacher in primary.
I heard from my brother and sis in law from Texas, Aaron and Ari, early in the week too checking in on us, as well as many other friends seeing how we were and if we needed anything at the store! I also received kind invitations to a couple activities from people, unfortunately we were completely book, but I appreciated the thought!
Dan's boss sent home fresh raspberries for our family to enjoy!
We were fed a pizza dinner by Dan's brother and his wife, Devry and Chelsey, when we attended our nephews' 3rd birthday party, which was so fun to spend time with family this past week! We were able to get together to play games Friday night too with Tim, Danizza, Devry, and Chelsey.
My friend Nicole was so great, she offered to watch my girls at the park while I ran many errands, and then she gave me dinner to take home also!
Dan has a co-worker that offered to have her husband take family pictures for us on Friday! They did such an amazing job with our photos and working with all our kids, we are so grateful for them!! I cannot wait to post those pics, and I would highly recommend getting your photo shoots done by them! It is Sam and Sara Hiatt in Idaho Falls. I will give you better info when I post the pics!
Robyn dropped off the sweetest necklace for me that says, "We can do hard things."
I have the best family and friends! You are the reason we can do these hard things, you lift our burdens to become light, and we feel of your support!
Continued thanks from us,
Rachelle
Sunday, March 15, 2015
A Big Thanks!
Thank you for your service to our family!!! I have been blown away this week again by all the love shown to our family! I must record the kindness.
Earlier this week the YM/YW combined mutual activity was to come over and clean up our yard from sticks and leaves galore! What a surprise that was to find all these people show up on our lawn with rakes and haul away the debris! It looks so much better now, and we are extremely grateful for your service!!
As Dan already mentioned he had an appointment in Pocatello on Wednesday morning bright and early so we had to leave our house at 6:30am. We were grateful to Dan's parents who picked up our boys the night before to spend the night at their house and dropped them off at school on Wednesday.
We are grateful again to my sister in law, Shayla, who watched our girls during the appointment, they LOVE playing with their cousin Alexa.
My friend Robyn was awesome and watched the girls for me this week so I could run a bunch of errands and another day Dan's cousin Elise watched our girls while Dan and I went to the eye doctor to get him some new glasses before his surgery! Also my brother in law Tim, came over after work to give my kids some much needed playing time over at the school behind our house! I was able to slip away to the grocery store while Dan rested, and the kids had a blast! Dan said that Tim came home having to carry our youngest two because they were worn out, but I'm positive my 5 kids wore Tim out a little too!!! Thank you for helping us with all our many errands!
Our friend Danny brought dinner over to us on Thursday! That was the same night we found out Dan would be scheduled for surgery, and as we got caught up with the reality of what was going to happen, I even forgot about dinner time, and was glad when Danny showed up with pizza! You are a blessing to us!
Shelley cut my boys' hair this week too, I wanted to pay her for her time, but that sneaky girl slipped the money into my kid's pocket before I left. I brought her diet pepsi as she requested for the payment and hot tamales cause she loves them, but she also sent me home with a bunch of different kinds of soda also, so I'm still feeling like I owe her! :)
I want to say thank you to a dear friend of our from college, Kimberly, for your card and donation we received this week! You are so thoughtful and brightened our day!
The kids and I have been passing a sickness around and we've been trying to keep Dan healthy. On Thursday Dan was extremely tired, probably trying to fight viruses, and I told him to stay home and work a bit from home. He went to work anyway. Thank you to his boss, Lisa, for sending him home at noon! He has needed to rest all weekend!
Thank you Louise Ricks for stopping by the other day to show your love for us! We have been enjoying the cookie dough to make cookies this week! It is amazing how cookies can dry tears right up!
A group of friends invited me and my girls on a mother/daughter date for dinner and a movie! We had so much fun spending time together, my girls were excited the whole time! Even though most of our attention was given to our daughters, it was so cool to see some great friends again, and make a special memory with our kids! Dan and the boys watched Thor at home and played computer games together while we were gone and had a lot of fun too!!
Today I stayed home with our girls from church so that we didn't pass our colds and coughs to others in nursery and primary. Kaylee's Sunbeam teacher, Rhoda Hughes, walked over this afternoon and brought Kaylee the things she missed out on at church. I love how my kids' primary teachers love my children and reach out to them time and time again. Every visit she makes helps to instill more love and trust for Kaylee, something she really needs because Sunbeams is tough for her to go to all by herself.
I want to say thank you to everyone for being a blessing in our lives! I continue to hear of your well wishes, prayers for Dan and our family, and willingness to help!
~Rachelle
Earlier this week the YM/YW combined mutual activity was to come over and clean up our yard from sticks and leaves galore! What a surprise that was to find all these people show up on our lawn with rakes and haul away the debris! It looks so much better now, and we are extremely grateful for your service!!
As Dan already mentioned he had an appointment in Pocatello on Wednesday morning bright and early so we had to leave our house at 6:30am. We were grateful to Dan's parents who picked up our boys the night before to spend the night at their house and dropped them off at school on Wednesday.
We are grateful again to my sister in law, Shayla, who watched our girls during the appointment, they LOVE playing with their cousin Alexa.
My friend Robyn was awesome and watched the girls for me this week so I could run a bunch of errands and another day Dan's cousin Elise watched our girls while Dan and I went to the eye doctor to get him some new glasses before his surgery! Also my brother in law Tim, came over after work to give my kids some much needed playing time over at the school behind our house! I was able to slip away to the grocery store while Dan rested, and the kids had a blast! Dan said that Tim came home having to carry our youngest two because they were worn out, but I'm positive my 5 kids wore Tim out a little too!!! Thank you for helping us with all our many errands!
Our friend Danny brought dinner over to us on Thursday! That was the same night we found out Dan would be scheduled for surgery, and as we got caught up with the reality of what was going to happen, I even forgot about dinner time, and was glad when Danny showed up with pizza! You are a blessing to us!
Shelley cut my boys' hair this week too, I wanted to pay her for her time, but that sneaky girl slipped the money into my kid's pocket before I left. I brought her diet pepsi as she requested for the payment and hot tamales cause she loves them, but she also sent me home with a bunch of different kinds of soda also, so I'm still feeling like I owe her! :)
I want to say thank you to a dear friend of our from college, Kimberly, for your card and donation we received this week! You are so thoughtful and brightened our day!
The kids and I have been passing a sickness around and we've been trying to keep Dan healthy. On Thursday Dan was extremely tired, probably trying to fight viruses, and I told him to stay home and work a bit from home. He went to work anyway. Thank you to his boss, Lisa, for sending him home at noon! He has needed to rest all weekend!
Thank you Louise Ricks for stopping by the other day to show your love for us! We have been enjoying the cookie dough to make cookies this week! It is amazing how cookies can dry tears right up!
A group of friends invited me and my girls on a mother/daughter date for dinner and a movie! We had so much fun spending time together, my girls were excited the whole time! Even though most of our attention was given to our daughters, it was so cool to see some great friends again, and make a special memory with our kids! Dan and the boys watched Thor at home and played computer games together while we were gone and had a lot of fun too!!
Today I stayed home with our girls from church so that we didn't pass our colds and coughs to others in nursery and primary. Kaylee's Sunbeam teacher, Rhoda Hughes, walked over this afternoon and brought Kaylee the things she missed out on at church. I love how my kids' primary teachers love my children and reach out to them time and time again. Every visit she makes helps to instill more love and trust for Kaylee, something she really needs because Sunbeams is tough for her to go to all by herself.
I want to say thank you to everyone for being a blessing in our lives! I continue to hear of your well wishes, prayers for Dan and our family, and willingness to help!
~Rachelle
Thursday, March 12, 2015
NO CHEMO....for now.
March 11, 2015: Went to Pocatello to meet with Dr.
Fransisco. He is the closest chemotherapy provider that our insurance
will cover. The doctors at Huntsman wanted us to get set up for our
initial consultation in case they decided that chemo was the best option.
They did a blood test to see if the tumor markers had gone up, but it
takes 24 hours to get the results of the test.
March 12, 2015:
Called Dr. Fransisco's office and they said that my tumor marker
decreased. They sent the information to Huntsman, and they called to let
us know that they are not recommending chemotherapy, but they are recommending
a Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection.
According to my research, this surgery consists of taking all of my
insides, putting them on the outside, removing the tumors, then putting all of
my insides back in (hopefully in a similar arrangement to what they were
originally in). They have scheduled the surgery for March 27th. I need to be down there by the 25th
for pre-op testing. The prognosis is very good. I will probably be in the hospital for 4 or 5 days. We will be staying with Rachelle's parents for a week after that, and then hopefully be able to come home. The doctors believe that they can remove the cancer. I am so happy that at least for now, I will
not have to have chemotherapy. They said
that it is still a possibility that I will need it after the surgery, but it is
also possible I will not.
I am so grateful for
everyone’s prayers on my behalf. At times,
I struggle with what his happening in my life right now. At times, I question why it has to be like
this. It didn’t take long for me to
understand that this experience that I am going through is amazing. Without this experience, I would never have felt
so much love from everyone around me. Since
starting this blog, it has been viewed over 2000 times. I realize that probably 1500 of those times it
was my mom (thanks Mom!), but that leaves at least 500 other times that people
have shown love and concern for our family. I appreciate everyone’s well-wishes, thoughts
and prayers for our family. Please
continue. The road ahead is a little bit
scary, but I know I have loving and supportive friends and family to help us
through it. Thank you!
-Dan
-Dan
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Still Feeling Grateful!
We are in awe about how much love and support we feel from all of you! We cannot thank you enough! I wanted to record the many selfless acts that have been made on our behalf to help us during this time, it's a challenge we thought we would never have to go through. This post is for my benefit, because I never want to forget what beautiful things people have done for us, it is more of a record for me. Please refer to the previous post to read Dan's medical updates and experiences from the past month.
The day Dan went to the Urologist and found out he had cancer, I had called my mom to let her know what was going on, and that Dan needed surgery the next week. She asked if she should come visit the week of the surgery to help out and I felt so at ease that she'd come be with us and help me and my children with anything they needed. As you can imagine, she took care of all the household things, including caring for my sick/vomiting kids, sending the healthy ones to school, making meals, cleaning and most important, allowing our children's lives to go on as normal. I am so grateful to her for allowing me to spend time with Dan in the hospital and at home, caring for him and myself. My parents recently visited this weekend for Macy's dance recital and Kaylee's birthday. They took us out to dinner, they brought joy and fun into ours and our children's lives, bought an early birthday present that Dan has been wanting, just to brighten his day!
Dan's father came with me to the hospital when Dan had surgery to keep me/us company. That time waiting for Dan could have been a cry fest for me, but I feel so supported when I am with others. :) It's true, I don't usually cry when I am with others. He and Dan's brothers have also given Dan blessings a couple of times in the last two months.
On Valentine's Day Dan and I went on a date with two of his brothers and their wives. Dan was having a hard day emotionally and physically, but going out and having fun with them was just what we needed. We had a lot of fun and were able to forget about the surgery he was scheduled for!
Dan's mom took the girls for a night when I was extremely tired just needed to sleep through the night! I slept 10 hours straight that night and it was heaven sent. They also took my boys for a sleep over another night and have picked up and watched our kids on numerous occasions when we weren't home from an appointment. They also feed us on the weekends often as we are visiting them. We are so blessed to have our parents both here and in Utah. The kids really are having a blast spending so much time with family!
Two friends from my ward, Becky and Pam Peebles, picked up and delivered food items I was supposed to take to various events and they didn't even know they were helping me that much cause we hadn't told many people that Dan had the surgery. And, my mom was the one who cooked those foods to fulfill the commitment I had made.
My primary president switched responsibilities with me in Primary so that I would not have the burden of teaching sharing time in primary. She knew I needed help, but at the beginning she didn't even know why, I am grateful for her patience with me. She too has battled cancer and became a huge support for us, giving us great advice and most importantly love.
We have a wonderful Bishop that has kept tabs on us closely and has with his darling family offered their love, prayers and support! When Dan found out that his Cancer spread, it was a very emotional night for us. Not only did we have support talking to our parents that night, but I texted the news to our Bishop and literally 1 minute later, he had showed up at our doorstep with the Elder's Quorum President of our ward. We invited them in, and I cannot express how comforting it was to have the spirit with those two men in our home comforting us on a much needed night. They gave Dan a blessing and I also received one from Dan. These men have not been home until very late every night this season, but the one night they both were in our neighborhood in the early hours, they got ours news and were available to attend to us. There have been no coincidences lately. The Lord is sending us his comfort!
The day after finding out the cancer spread, Dan went to work, and I had a thought to call my dear friend Mandy to come spend the day with me. I cry more when I am home alone with the kids, but I do not want to scare them and cry in front of them. Dan had left and I felt myself panicking and emotional. I called Mandy and asked if she could come spend the day with me and to bring her kids over for us all to hang out. I barely could get through asking her without crying. She said that she didn't have anything going on that day and had prayed fervently that morning asking the Lord to tell her how she could help me! She came, brought dinner to through in the crock pot, talked with me, cried with me, and did a number of chores for me. She stayed at my house until Dan got home, and then picked up groceries for me that night! Nothing has been coincidence. Mandy has watched my kids for other appointments, and continues to call me often to see if she can help!
Another dear friend, Shelley, watched my 3 girls one morning at the drop of a hat because I had gotten very little sleep and I needed a nap before "nap time". Then she thanked me for allowing her to watch them and serve me. Amazing.
My visiting teacher, Mychelle, brought over breakfast for my family and called a different day to see if I needed anything at the store, which even though I had been to the store the previous two days, I had forgot 3 items. All day I was just wishing someone would let me know they were headed to the store, and then I got her phone call and inspired question, if I needed anything from the store. She brought me those 3 items that night, to make my life easier!
Macy desperately needed pants that fit her, and I had brought home 8 pairs of pants from the store to try on her. None of them fit. I received a call from Lynette asking how things were going, and as I was telling her how I was trying to accomplish all these things on my list before heading to Utah the next day for Dan's appointment, she asked if she could watch my 2 youngest girls so I could take Macy to the store before her kindergarten started and find her pants that would fit! We needed that!
My visiting teaching companion completed our visiting teaching for the the month of February without me and without question! I appreciate her consistency and friendship without any judgement! She didn't know the reason I didn't show up, but she doesn't ever judge me. I think that is neat!
Dan's boss is one of the most generous people I have encountered. She is always making sure Dan knows that he can take time off to spend time with his family, that they (the whole office) support him through all of his recovery, has made us frozen dinners to use when needed, has bought the office "healing pizza" for lunches (Dan's favorite), and most incredible of all, made it so we don't have to worry about money/paying our bills if Dan can't make it to work due to treatments or surgeries. What an immense blessing!
Shayla, my sister in law, watched our 3 youngest girls for a whole day while Dan and I went to Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah driving there and back in one day. Our girls had such a blast, they did not want to come home with us when we picked them up! And of course our boys had a great time when Dan's parents picked them up from school that day to spend the day with them. They got all their homework done even, and dropped them off at our house for us.
We have been receiving generous anonymous donations to help us pay for dr. bills, traveling to appointments, soon to be treatments or surgery, and things our family needs. Whomever you are, I can't thank you enough to allow my husband to not feel any burden of how to provide for his family while he recovers. I can tell you that it is a relief!
Dan's brother Tim has come over to play with our kids on some evenings, and his wife Danizza has talked to me about how I can help my kids through these times, how to speak to them about what Daddy is going through; she speaks through experience.
We have long distance friends who offer their help through proxy with energy work called New German Medecine. We love holistic healing, it's our favorite, and Dan also works on himself daily as he is an Emotion Code Practioner who also uses the Body Code. The help and love we receive has not been stopped by people being miles away!!
I have received numerous hugs and kind words of encouragement, too many to speak of individually here! My phone doesn't rest as people are anxiously waiting to hear if and what they can do to help! The offers are actually too great that we can't say yes to all of them, we don't have that many needs at the moment, but I appreciate your offers, and will think of them when we have more needs in the near future, when Dan will be treated some more.
My husband has given me much when he is strong enough, shoulder massage, foot rub, he bought me a professional massage at a spa to relieve the stress from my body, he cooked dinner last night, cleaned up the dead mice outside, and all the time he makes me laugh! Even though he does not have that much energy often, whenever he does, he serves me and plays with the kids! It's appropriate when he wears his shirt with the superman design on the front because he has always been just that for us!
Our families have fasted for Dan, our ward just had a special fast for Dan today as well. I went to a Relief Society celebration on Thursday night, and the opening and closing prayers have included Dan and our family and it has touched our hearts! There have been thousands of prayers, and thoughts, and service, and unconditional love! This is God showing us, through you, that he will succor us in our time of need, that he knows our needs before we ask for them, and that he will never leave us alone in our trials!
~Rachelle
The day Dan went to the Urologist and found out he had cancer, I had called my mom to let her know what was going on, and that Dan needed surgery the next week. She asked if she should come visit the week of the surgery to help out and I felt so at ease that she'd come be with us and help me and my children with anything they needed. As you can imagine, she took care of all the household things, including caring for my sick/vomiting kids, sending the healthy ones to school, making meals, cleaning and most important, allowing our children's lives to go on as normal. I am so grateful to her for allowing me to spend time with Dan in the hospital and at home, caring for him and myself. My parents recently visited this weekend for Macy's dance recital and Kaylee's birthday. They took us out to dinner, they brought joy and fun into ours and our children's lives, bought an early birthday present that Dan has been wanting, just to brighten his day!
Dan's father came with me to the hospital when Dan had surgery to keep me/us company. That time waiting for Dan could have been a cry fest for me, but I feel so supported when I am with others. :) It's true, I don't usually cry when I am with others. He and Dan's brothers have also given Dan blessings a couple of times in the last two months.
On Valentine's Day Dan and I went on a date with two of his brothers and their wives. Dan was having a hard day emotionally and physically, but going out and having fun with them was just what we needed. We had a lot of fun and were able to forget about the surgery he was scheduled for!
Dan's mom took the girls for a night when I was extremely tired just needed to sleep through the night! I slept 10 hours straight that night and it was heaven sent. They also took my boys for a sleep over another night and have picked up and watched our kids on numerous occasions when we weren't home from an appointment. They also feed us on the weekends often as we are visiting them. We are so blessed to have our parents both here and in Utah. The kids really are having a blast spending so much time with family!
Two friends from my ward, Becky and Pam Peebles, picked up and delivered food items I was supposed to take to various events and they didn't even know they were helping me that much cause we hadn't told many people that Dan had the surgery. And, my mom was the one who cooked those foods to fulfill the commitment I had made.
My primary president switched responsibilities with me in Primary so that I would not have the burden of teaching sharing time in primary. She knew I needed help, but at the beginning she didn't even know why, I am grateful for her patience with me. She too has battled cancer and became a huge support for us, giving us great advice and most importantly love.
We have a wonderful Bishop that has kept tabs on us closely and has with his darling family offered their love, prayers and support! When Dan found out that his Cancer spread, it was a very emotional night for us. Not only did we have support talking to our parents that night, but I texted the news to our Bishop and literally 1 minute later, he had showed up at our doorstep with the Elder's Quorum President of our ward. We invited them in, and I cannot express how comforting it was to have the spirit with those two men in our home comforting us on a much needed night. They gave Dan a blessing and I also received one from Dan. These men have not been home until very late every night this season, but the one night they both were in our neighborhood in the early hours, they got ours news and were available to attend to us. There have been no coincidences lately. The Lord is sending us his comfort!
The day after finding out the cancer spread, Dan went to work, and I had a thought to call my dear friend Mandy to come spend the day with me. I cry more when I am home alone with the kids, but I do not want to scare them and cry in front of them. Dan had left and I felt myself panicking and emotional. I called Mandy and asked if she could come spend the day with me and to bring her kids over for us all to hang out. I barely could get through asking her without crying. She said that she didn't have anything going on that day and had prayed fervently that morning asking the Lord to tell her how she could help me! She came, brought dinner to through in the crock pot, talked with me, cried with me, and did a number of chores for me. She stayed at my house until Dan got home, and then picked up groceries for me that night! Nothing has been coincidence. Mandy has watched my kids for other appointments, and continues to call me often to see if she can help!
Another dear friend, Shelley, watched my 3 girls one morning at the drop of a hat because I had gotten very little sleep and I needed a nap before "nap time". Then she thanked me for allowing her to watch them and serve me. Amazing.
My visiting teacher, Mychelle, brought over breakfast for my family and called a different day to see if I needed anything at the store, which even though I had been to the store the previous two days, I had forgot 3 items. All day I was just wishing someone would let me know they were headed to the store, and then I got her phone call and inspired question, if I needed anything from the store. She brought me those 3 items that night, to make my life easier!
Macy desperately needed pants that fit her, and I had brought home 8 pairs of pants from the store to try on her. None of them fit. I received a call from Lynette asking how things were going, and as I was telling her how I was trying to accomplish all these things on my list before heading to Utah the next day for Dan's appointment, she asked if she could watch my 2 youngest girls so I could take Macy to the store before her kindergarten started and find her pants that would fit! We needed that!
My visiting teaching companion completed our visiting teaching for the the month of February without me and without question! I appreciate her consistency and friendship without any judgement! She didn't know the reason I didn't show up, but she doesn't ever judge me. I think that is neat!
Dan's boss is one of the most generous people I have encountered. She is always making sure Dan knows that he can take time off to spend time with his family, that they (the whole office) support him through all of his recovery, has made us frozen dinners to use when needed, has bought the office "healing pizza" for lunches (Dan's favorite), and most incredible of all, made it so we don't have to worry about money/paying our bills if Dan can't make it to work due to treatments or surgeries. What an immense blessing!
Shayla, my sister in law, watched our 3 youngest girls for a whole day while Dan and I went to Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah driving there and back in one day. Our girls had such a blast, they did not want to come home with us when we picked them up! And of course our boys had a great time when Dan's parents picked them up from school that day to spend the day with them. They got all their homework done even, and dropped them off at our house for us.
We have been receiving generous anonymous donations to help us pay for dr. bills, traveling to appointments, soon to be treatments or surgery, and things our family needs. Whomever you are, I can't thank you enough to allow my husband to not feel any burden of how to provide for his family while he recovers. I can tell you that it is a relief!
Dan's brother Tim has come over to play with our kids on some evenings, and his wife Danizza has talked to me about how I can help my kids through these times, how to speak to them about what Daddy is going through; she speaks through experience.
We have long distance friends who offer their help through proxy with energy work called New German Medecine. We love holistic healing, it's our favorite, and Dan also works on himself daily as he is an Emotion Code Practioner who also uses the Body Code. The help and love we receive has not been stopped by people being miles away!!
I have received numerous hugs and kind words of encouragement, too many to speak of individually here! My phone doesn't rest as people are anxiously waiting to hear if and what they can do to help! The offers are actually too great that we can't say yes to all of them, we don't have that many needs at the moment, but I appreciate your offers, and will think of them when we have more needs in the near future, when Dan will be treated some more.
My husband has given me much when he is strong enough, shoulder massage, foot rub, he bought me a professional massage at a spa to relieve the stress from my body, he cooked dinner last night, cleaned up the dead mice outside, and all the time he makes me laugh! Even though he does not have that much energy often, whenever he does, he serves me and plays with the kids! It's appropriate when he wears his shirt with the superman design on the front because he has always been just that for us!
Our families have fasted for Dan, our ward just had a special fast for Dan today as well. I went to a Relief Society celebration on Thursday night, and the opening and closing prayers have included Dan and our family and it has touched our hearts! There have been thousands of prayers, and thoughts, and service, and unconditional love! This is God showing us, through you, that he will succor us in our time of need, that he knows our needs before we ask for them, and that he will never leave us alone in our trials!
~Rachelle
A February to Remember
Last fall, in an effort to raise awareness for Testicular Cancer, the "Feeling Nuts Challenge" was created. The challenge was to post a picture of yourself...well..... feeling your nuts. Notable celebrities that participated in the challenge were Hugh Jackman, Ricky Gervais, and William Shatner to name a few. This challenge did not gain the popularity or notoriety of the Ice Bucket Challenge, but I did find it amusing and humorous. I did, however, fail to take the message to heart. It was meant to be more than pictures of men grabbing their junk.
February 1st, 2015: It was Superbowl Sunday, I had stayed home from church with a sick child. I noticed a slight pain in my right testicle. Upon further examination I found a lump. I was scared. I told Rachelle as soon as she got home from church. I normally am resistant to going to the doctor, but we agreed that I should get an appointment as soon as possible. I work in an office with a female nurse practitioner. She is an amazing practitioner, but having her examine my man-parts would have forever changed our working relationship, so I scheduled an appointment with a Urologist. The soonest I could get in was the following week.
February 12th, 2015, I met with the Urologist. You know something is up when, while examining your man-parts, the doctor says, "oh!" in a surprised voice. "It appears that you have some type of growth on your testicle". An ultrasound in his office confirmed that there was a tumor. The Urologist recommended that I have the testicle removed the following week. I was told to go to the hospital for a "High-Definition" ultrasound. While waiting for the secretary at the doctor's office to schedule my ultrasound appointment, I texted my wife: "Cancer...surgery next week". I called my wife as I left the doctor's office to head to the hospital for the ultrasound. We cried.
At the hospital, I registered for the ultrasound appointment. Everyone was very nice. Each person I talked to asked me how my day was going. I wanted to tell them that this was possibly the worst day of my life, but I settled for "I've had better". The ultrasound tech took me back for my appointment. I was relieved to find that I had a male ultrasound tech. He told me to undress, lay on the table, cover myself with a blanket and he would be back to do the scan. I did as he instructed. As I lay down on the table, I noticed a screen on the ceiling where the patient can watch the ultrasound as they lay there. I saw my name: Dan Hymas, Procedure: Scrotal Ultrasound, Category: Small Parts. As the ultrasound tech reentered the room, I told him that I wanted to lodge a formal complaint. I was offended at the category in which I had been placed. He informed me that the category specified the size of the wand they were using, not the size of the parts they were scanning. The tech completed the scan, and I was told that the Urologist would call me on Monday and let me know if I indeed needed surgery or not.
February 16th 2015: The Urologist called. He confirmed that the ultrasound showed a tumor and that it needed to be surgically removed. The surgery was scheduled for Wednesday.
Februrary 18th 2015: Right Radical Inguinal Orchiectomy. Google it. Not fun. (Pics from surgery here) The Urologist did a great job. It was the first surgery I have ever had. I don't like surgery. I had the surgery in the morning, and was back home in the afternoon. As we were leaving the hospital, I thought it might be fun to get sick and throw up as I was in the elevator. Luckily, we had a little puke bag for the ride. The doctor scheduled me for a CT Scan the following week to make sure that the Cancer had not spread, and said that he would let us know the results on the Pathology of the tumor at my next appointment.
February 24th, 2015: CT Scan. For 12 hours preceding the scan, you are not allowed to eat or drink anything, except for the 2 bottles of delicious radioactive toxin that you drink so that they can see your digestive system on the scan. The scan is not uncomfortable, other than the additional radioactive dye that they inject into your vein that makes you feel warm all over like perhaps you wet yourself.
February 26th 2015: Met with Urologist to go over the results of the scan and pathology of the tumor. The tumor is a teretoma, a form of testicular cancer. The scan shows that it has spread to the lymph nodes in my abdomen. The scan also identified a small growth on my liver and a cyst on a kidney. Both of those were too small to identify as cancer. The doctor said that due to the nature of the cancer, and how it had spread, that he was referring us to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake for further treatment, which would likely include additional surgery to remove the cancer.
March 4, 2015: Huntsman Cancer Institute: We met with the Urologist there. He was very personable, and answered a lot of the questions that we had. Unfortunately, the hospital had not sent the CT Scan pictures to them, so he was unable to determine the next step in treatment. On my blood tests, it shows that the cancer markers are increasing (getting worse). This means that the most likely option is chemotherapy. They ran some more tests to determine the reason for the cancer markers increasing. If everything on those tests is normal, we should start chemotherapy next week. They will be staffing my case next Wednesday to determine the best course of treatment with their board of doctors.
March 5th, 2015: Got a call from the doctor at Huntsman. He said the tests were mostly within normal ranges, but the cancer markers had actually gone down, so now they are unsure how to proceed. They want me to get an appointment with an Oncologist here and get my cancer markers checked again on Wednesday. We made an appointment with an Oncologist in Pocatello, because that is the closest doctor that our insurance will cover. We have really good insurance so we are happy to go there and be covered!
So as we sit right now, we are waiting until Wednesday to get the cancer markers checked. The doctors at Huntsman are staffing my case that day. When we have all of the test results, they will be making a decision on what treatment we will do. Likely, I will be starting that treatment next week, whether that is another surgery, or chemotherapy.
We really appreciate all of the prayers, well-wishes, and donations. The support that we have received has been overwhelming.
March 5th, 2015: Got a call from the doctor at Huntsman. He said the tests were mostly within normal ranges, but the cancer markers had actually gone down, so now they are unsure how to proceed. They want me to get an appointment with an Oncologist here and get my cancer markers checked again on Wednesday. We made an appointment with an Oncologist in Pocatello, because that is the closest doctor that our insurance will cover. We have really good insurance so we are happy to go there and be covered!
So as we sit right now, we are waiting until Wednesday to get the cancer markers checked. The doctors at Huntsman are staffing my case that day. When we have all of the test results, they will be making a decision on what treatment we will do. Likely, I will be starting that treatment next week, whether that is another surgery, or chemotherapy.
We really appreciate all of the prayers, well-wishes, and donations. The support that we have received has been overwhelming.
-Dan
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