Day 5 of Chemo

I only have a couple more hours of chemo today then I'll be wrapping up this week! The next two weeks will be lower key - I only have to come in on Tuesdays for 2 hours, which will give me some time to rest and recuperate. I'm still feeling alright, although this morning I did feel very BLAH... Light nausea, some heart burn, weird taste in my mouth, cottonmouth, and tired. However after taking some anti-nausea medicine, and having the delicious smoothy for breakfast Chels made for me I felt much better. Chels has been with me during treatment all week but today we felt the girls really needed her, so my father-in-law dropped me off at the HCI. I'm completely fine flying solo today because I was exhausted this morning so all I did was sleep anyway. I even got my own small room today, not one of the pods. The bed in here is larger and more comfortable. I still have all my hair in case you're wondering.

Chels has been right there at my side this whole week!

Man am I glad to have gotten the hiccup issue fixed! Hiccups were attacking me Tuesday and Wednesday. I brought this up with my nurses and it turns out the steroid they were giving me in my IV has a tendency to cause hiccups, so my oncologist gave the nurses the green light to use a different type of steroid, and ever since the change was made the hiccups are no longer a problem!

One highlight from this week is when my IV cart toppled over and landed on the floor. Here's what happened: I was reclined in my chair getting some rest, when all of a sudden I got slammed with a "I have to pee NOW" moment...I adjusted my chair to sit me up, not realizing that my IV cart was snagged on the chair. I saw the IV cart start to tip over in the corner of my eye and it was like time froze...it was a gut wrenching feeling. When it hit the floor there seemed to be a ripple of panic that spread through the area. The IV cart started beeping, everyone in the area looked at me, 4 nurses rushed over, it was intense. Luckily everything was fine though. They set the IV cart back up, nothing was damaged, no leaks, and I was back on track. Thankfully my IV didn't get yanked out of my hand either. It was embarrassing but I was told that I wasn't the first. Now I am extremely cautious of the whereabouts of my IV cart when I adjust my chair. I think I'll blame this on the "chemo brain", which is a real thing. Chemo can cause people to be fuzzy and not think straight, so right now I'm going to milk that excuse while I can...  

In one of my earlier posts I talked about the man my grandparents connected me with who had the same type of testicular cancer as me. He went through it 5 years ago. As it turns out he is a student at the U of U and was able to drop by and visit me yesterday! It was an absolute pleasure to meet him in person. Up until now we had talked on the phone several times and have texted a lot, and he has been nothing but a source of comfort. Chels and I had a great visit with him for about 30 minutes and we talked and laughed and had a good time. He told me when you get through it, something changes. You feel different about life and you have a different perspective on life. After he beat his cancer he decided to switch careers and go back to school to become a Physician Assistant so that he could help patients and be an inspiration to them.  

 Me and Brian

I made a friend this week in the infusion center named Chase. He's 22 and he has been going through chemo for about a year now. We've been chatting for about an hour each day. We hit it off right away, talking about our cancer experiences, and about future goals after getting through this. He was kind enough to give me lots of advice on mitigating the side affects of chemo. He's got a few weeks off after today, but I'm sure I'll catch up with him in a few weeks when we're both in at the same time again. He showed me his Mine Craft world he created on his lap top, pretty sweet!     

One thing I have enjoyed this week are the therapy dogs that have been coming through. I learned that it's a volunteer bases, an owner and their dog (who has to pass a training) come through every week or two weeks. One of the dog owners we met is an advanced breast cancer survivor. I will say, the dogs were cute but in my opinion they don't compare to Cash's happy smiley face. The light bulb went off in my head that me and Cash are going to be a team when I get through this! I'll get him certified and take him through to see patients. He has a special gift of brightening people's days.   

One of the therapy dogs sitting on my lap (watch the Minkey blanket little guy!)

 Cash would make a phenomenal therapy dog, just look at that face of his...And there's cute Chloe with a photobomb.

It was great to have Grandma and Grandpa Rogers stop by and visit me today! Grandpa is getting over a small cold so he is being cautious wearing the mask! They will be taking me home here in a few minutes.

Grandma and Grandpa Rogers!

Day 2 of Chemo

Day 2 - Nerves are not as high today as they were yesterday. I have an idea of what the drill is. Today is very similar to yesterday except we got here at 7:30 am so we will get to go home in the early afternoon. Like yesterday, I'm separately getting pumped with hydration fluids, anti-nausea medication, and BEP chemo drugs. And so far I feel really good!

Here was my thought this morning as I was about to begin treatment...  

Stu: Don't tell me. We're about to go over a huge waterfall. Chemo drugs are going to make me   
lose my hair.
Nurse: Yep.
Stu: Sharp rocks at the bottom? Going to make me weak and sick?
Nurse: Most likely.
Stu: Bring it on.

Kicking off Chemo

Day 1 (1/25/16) - The much anticipated day finally arrived. I'm sure I'm not the only one among my cancer friends here at HCI that felt nervous on their first day. I didn't know exactly what to expect. We arrived early in order to follow up with the MRI results from last week... I mentioned in the previous post that I never heard from my doctor last week about the MRI I got on my brain, which made me assume everything was dandy, but it gave us enormous peace of mind to confirm with my nurse that the results were great! We got the report and everything is perfectly normal up there (Chels begs to differ)...Phew. Immediately after this we checked in to the infusion center and waited in the lobby. Here is where I got my wrist ban...my wrist ban contains a bar code and I quickly learned this is the method used to add medical bills to our tab. Throughout the day, every time my nurse gave me hydration fluids, anti-nausea medication, or chemo drugs through my I.V. she would scan my wrist ban. It's a very daunting sound... Luckily we have good insurance!  

Waiting in the lobby of the infusion center 

The nurses brought me in to the infusion center. It was full of many people of varying ages, shapes, sizes, etc. Including a couple young men like myself. I didn't talk to them yet but I'm sure I will see them again and my guess is they have testicular cancer also. My nurse got my weight and height, then introduced us to my "pod". The pod is composed of a cozy reclining chair and my own TV. The worst part of the day (which wasn't bad) happened when I sat down to get the IV inserted. Prior to getting the IV though, I guess I wasn't hiding my nervousness very well cause the nurses could see it on my face. The nervousness was also exposed when they took my vitals and my heart rate was high. So they encouraged me to take a tiny pill that calms nerves. This little guy had a punch! Within minutes I was relaxed and my heart rate down to a normal range, subsequently I got the IV.

Sitting at the pod, about to get an IV in my left arm 

My pod (photo taken in the evening before we left) 

One thing to note is the view Chels and I had. It's a breathtaking sight overlooking Salt Lake City and seeing the mountains on the other side. We also had a bonus view of the helicopter landing pads on top of the University Medical Center which is only about 100 yards away. We saw multiple take-offs and landings throughout the day, awesome. 

 Nice view of the helicopter pads...and the mountain scenery too I guess

Here is me and my new shadow, the IV cart. We are one during treatment. You can see the resemblance, its tall and skinny. I had to pee constantly throughout the day, so I quickly learned how to accept him.

 Me and my new shadow

All in all I feel really good today. From what I hear though the first couple of days aren't bad...Later this week I will probably be feeling it. We left the HCI at around 6:00 pm and got home at 6:30. It was so good to see Avi-Bird and Chloe-Bee! We didn't have much time with them before it was bedtime, but it was good to see their smiling faces. I did start to feel a little tired and weak around bedtime, but not sick.

The Week Before Chemo Starts

This week has been busy, full of fun times as well as preparation for what's coming up next week. Tuesday 1/19/16 we went to the "bank"...not talking about the monetary type. It provides me and Chels peace of mind now that we have a backup plan in case of infertility. Wednesday morning I decided to take advantage of the cheap massages offered at the Huntsman Cancer Institute...this is one "bright side" to having cancer, cheap massages! It was very relaxing. Time flies when you get a message. I thought my therapist was cutting corners and calling it quits 10 minutes early! I'm going to encourage Chels to grab a message next week while she's with me during treatment. Chels and I also had the privileged of doing one more Temple visit before chemo starts, at the Ogden Temple. We felt close to Heavenly Father and our Savior, and comforted by the fact that they are right here with us during this trial. This temple trip was particularly special because Grandma and Grandpa Rogers had family names for Chels and I to take through, instead of using a name provided at the temple...My ancestor I did ordinances for was born in Canada, back in 1890. I can't help but think of the gratitude he must have felt to finally have his temple work done. I believe he was right there in the temple with us.

 Ogden, UT Temple

Thursday was a busy day. It started off by us going to the Huntsman Cancer Institute to have a Lung Function test done, which is required before chemo. All I had to do was basically inhale and exhale as hard as I could into a tube, which was connected to a machine. Tests came out good. Immediately after this appointment we went to get an MRI done on my brain. This was slightly frightening. I laid on a table and was brought into this tubular machine that was only about 3 ft in diameter. Before I was brought in the nurse asked if I was claustrophobic, I said "I guess we'll find out". I didn't panic but it was certainly uncomfortable in there. It wasn't quick either like the CT Scan, which only took 10 minutes...the MRI took 45 minutes! And believe me time goes by at a snails pace when your in there. The machine worked in stages that lasted on average 5 minutes each. During a stage the machine made loud awkward noises. In between stages the nurse would talk to me through an intercom to see how I was doing. The part I didn't like the most was the odd, warm sensation I felt in my head during a stage when the machine was running. I made Chels drive home after this cause I was a little fuzzy. Thursday night was great though we all went to Red Robin to celebrate Chelsea's sisters birthday. When we got home I called my own sister to wish her a happy birthday! Friday, we all went to the Farmington mall. We bought the girls bears at "Build a Bear" to give to them prior to starting treatment. They absolutely adore them (I hoped they would, those bears aren't cheap). I was anxiously awaiting a phone call from my Oncologist about the MRI results because I know she has been keeping an eye out for them. I did not hear anything from her, which I take as a good sign. If there was a concern with the MRI results, I'm sure my treatment plan would change on Monday. But since I haven't heard anything I am guessing everything is fine and we need to proceed with the BEP chemo treatment plan.

 

Me and Chloe at the Farmington Mall 

Me and Avi at the Farmington Mall

On Saturday we went to a Boydston dinner get-together. It was nice seeing a lot of family on that side and catching up. They were all concerned for us and I was able to fill them in on some details regarding my treatment and how treatable this type of cancer is. We felt their support and love. Tomorrow is the first day of chemotherapy... I'm feeling nervous, but ready to get this started so we can get it over with.

Thought: From the Book of Mormon the prophet Lehi was talking to his son Jacob about the tough trials they had experienced while traveling in the wilderness after leaving their home in Jerusulem. Regarding the sufferings and afflictions Jacob went through, Lehi tells him, "...thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain." (2 Nephi 2:2) God sometimes gives us trials so that he can help us grow, become stronger, and learn something valuable.

First Appointment at the Huntsman Cancer Institute

Yesterday I had my first appointment at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. It's a very nice facility right at the base of the mountain near the U of U campus. It was stunning to see how many sick people were there, most of which were older. Ever since I've been diagnosed I am seeing how many people are effected by this sickness. After meeting the team that will be taking care of me throughout this ordeal, I feel like I am in very good hands. They drew my blood and the results were normal and healthy. No signs of tumor markers. It turns out I only have stage 1B cancer! The past few weeks we thought I was in the stage III zone because the pathology reports said "PT3" and we were told it was stage III...so that's fantastic news. Dr. Gupta (our Oncologist here in Utah) said I could either skip chemo and be monitored closely, or just do chemo and get rid of the cancer. She said there is a 50% chance the cancer would go away or spread more. We decided to go the safe route and go through chemo. The chemo plan I will be on is called BEP, and is very effective for testicular cancers. Two cycles of chemo should take care of it. Each cycle is composed of:
Week 1: Chemo for 7 hours/day Monday-Friday 
Week 2: Chemo for 2 hours on Tuesday only
Week 3: Chemo for 2 hours on Tuesday only
Chemo will be starting Monday 1/25/16. The only thing that made us a little nervous is when I told her I had a light headache (normal headache I always have) she wanted me to get an MRI on my brain. She's a cautious doctor that likes to cover all bases, so even though more than likely I am fine she wanted to make sure there is no cancer up there. I have an MRI appointment this week on 1/21/16. This week I also have an appointment for a "lung functionality test", which is required before beginning. The side effects of chemo definitely sound rough, like nausea and vomiting, potential hearing loss, hair loss, loss of appetite, reduced hormones, possibility of infertility (hence, we have an appointment with the sperm bank this week for backup), etc. The great news though is there is lots of medication to mitigate these side effects, and if one medication doesn't work there are others. Chels and I just need to communicate everything with my nurses so they can take care of me. It is going to be an intense 6 weeks but I am feeling blessed that it is so treatable. There are far worse cancers out there, and the nurse even said "if your going to get a cancer, this is the one you want to get". I will send an update after the appointments this week.

Prior to my appointment we stopped by Temple Square and the City Creek Mall. It was nice to be on the Temple grounds where Chels and I were married. Made us nostalgic and brought back that day 6 years ago. We also visited the Christus. The spirit is always felt there, and it causes you to think about the risen Savior and his love for us.

  Avi and Chloe playing on the Christus.

Move to Utah!

Ward Family: This was the easiest move we have ever done, thanks to all the help! Our ward family really stepped up. Around 8 sisters helped us pack up boxes and clean our rental house on 1/4/16, and the following day we had around 12 brothers help move our stuff into storage. One good thing about being in the "cowboy capital of the world" or Stephenville, TX is that there is no shortage of trucks and horse trailers. Several bros from the ward brought these to help us load our stuff up.

On our way to Tuscon: We hit the road on 1/5/16. We decided to take a detour to Tuscon, AZ for a few days to visit Chelsea's sisters and their families. It was great being with everybody and hanging out. Avi and Chloe had such a good time with their cousins...With how stressful the past few weeks have been it was nice to just enjoy time with family and sort of take our minds off of things. Since my appointment with the Utah Oncologist wasn't until the following week, we ended up staying in Tuscan a couple extra days.

 

Me and Chels have been relaxed lately about Avi in Chloe ending up in our bed at night... 

Trying to keep Chloe warm inside my jacket on our way back from the park. Tuscan was colder than we expected!

On our way to Salt Lake City: We hit the road on 1/11/16 for Utah.We stayed the night in St. George, UT and thankfully the girls slept well and we all got rested up. This hotel stay went much smoother than when we stayed the night on our way to Tuscon...we actually got our moneys worth on this one. We finally arrived at my in-laws on 1/12/16. It's awesome being here and settling in. Ironically there's a slight unsettling feeling too, because this means treatment is just around the corner.

We drove by the St. George Temple on our way out...Funny story, Brigham Young (A.K.A. "The Lion") wanted the tower on this temple to be 175 ft tall. It ended up being built to 147 ft tall. Shortly after Brigham Young passed away, lightning struck this tower and burnt it to its base. Subsequently, the tower was rebuilt to 175 ft tall.

I have an appointment tomorrow 1/15/16 with the Oncologist here in UT. We should know when treatment will be starting... 

Oncologist in Texas

1/4/16 - Today we had an appointment with the Oncologist in Weatherford, TX. We were nervous about what he was going to say, since his specialty is cancer and his word would be doctrine. To our relief, the appointment was very positive! He echoed what the Urologist said about this type of cancer being very treatable. He said the "pure embryonal carcinoma" type is very sensitive to chemo and although chemo will be intense, chances are very good that after 4-6 months the cancer would be gone (like above a 95% chance). He told us the CT scan showed small specs on my lungs, and even people with full blown tumors on their lungs are still very treatable. He was a great guy, very understanding about wanting to get closer to family in UT for treatment.

Dallas Temple

1/2/16 - Chels and I had the opportunity to go to the Dallas Temple today! Great way to celebrate 6 years of marriage. I knew I made the right decision to marry Chels on that cold day in Salt Lake City, but lately I have been feeling especially blessed to have her in my life. She is such a strength to me and her support through this is going to make all the difference. We felt so much comfort as we were in the temple. There is a peace that is felt there that can't be felt anywhere else. You honestly get a glimpse of heaven.

 

The Culprit

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As it turns out, 2016 is going to be a very different year for us. A new challenge presented itself a couple of months ago, that being testicular cancer. This new challenge is the purpose for this blog. I want to not only keep family and friends in the loop on what is going on, but I also want to capture and share this experience. Although slightly scared (inevitable right?), Chelsea and I have already noticed strength from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. This is the good thing about trials in life, they act as a catalyst to rely on God...We have also felt so much support from family and friends lately that we have appreciated so much. Since I'm starting this blog a couple months after things began, I'll go ahead and recap the past two months...

November 2015 - Around mid-November, I happened to notice an odd, unwelcome lump on the right guy ("the culprit"). As soon as I felt it, the thought came to my mind, "what is this, hopefully not testicular cancer". This crossed my mind because back in May, Mom told me she recently had a co-worker who had a lump that ended up being testicular cancer...I figured I would monitor it, and hoped it would go away. A few weeks later it seemed to get a little bigger, and it also started to have a dull ache. This dull ache was also felt in my lower abdomen. That was enough for Chels and I to immediately schedule a doctors appointment.

December 2015 - I went to the doctor in Stephenville, TX at the beginning of December. After examining the lump he referred me to the imaging center to get an ultra sound. Afterwards I was then referred to the Urologist. I went to the Urologist to once again expose myself, and after feeling the lump and looking at the ultra sound images, he confirmed that it was testicular cancer. Chels and I were weak at the knees when he said those words. He confirmed to us that it is very treatable, which was comforting. We scheduled surgery for the following week on December 23 to have the culprit removed. The nerve-racking part of the surgery was filling out paper work, waiting, and getting setup. Chels and I went to a curtained off room where I got setup with the IV and heart monitors. I also met the nurses, anesthesiologist, and talked to the urologist who would be performing the surgery. I felt like I was in very good hands.

Me and Chels waiting in the curtained off room prior to surgery.

As soon as they gave me a dose of something in the IV, the worry vanished. Even when they wheeled my bed into the operating room and I saw a nurse preparing the metal cart with sharp devices, I wasn't phased in the least bit. I scooted onto the surgery table, they placed an oxygen mask over my face and within the blink of an eye I was waking up from the surgery. It was over!?! Anesthesia is an unbelievable thing, it turns a scary surgery into a mere nap. The surgery recovery went well, I was sore and tired a lot but for the most part felt good. The main goal was to prevent Avi from treating me like a human trampoline. When we got home from the surgery, it melted my heart when she started taking care of me. She handed me stuffed animals (including her all time favorite one) and she was so concerned for me. It was a peaceful feeling to have the cancer source out of my system. 6 days later I went to get a CT scan, and the following day we met with the Urologist. Hopes were high that everything was over, but he gave us news that some spreading occurred, in the abdomen as well as some small specs in the lungs (blast). He said it was still very treatable but it would require some work. The rest of the day was an emotional roller coaster. Chels and I were in shock, scared, felt alone, and felt lost as to what we were going to do. We got hit several times with waves of emotion where we sobbed in each others arms. It was difficult to sleep that night, I had a nervous stomach and kept waking up, hoping it was a nightmare. Prayers and scripture reading skyrocketed.

12/31/15 - Things got much better today. The adage that prayers are answered through other people came true. Grandma and Grandpa Rogers connected me with a man in Utah who happened to have the exact type of testicular cancer. After talking with him on the phone, a heavy load of fear was lifted from Chels and I's shoulders. He told me his chemo treatments lasted about 3 months, and although it was not a pleasant experience at all he and his family were able to get through it. The result of him talking about his experience and answering so many of my questions was the flooding of peace into my mind and heart. After speaking with him I felt that it was mandatory that we move to Utah to go through this. Not only for the family support, but also the Huntsman Cancer Institute was where I felt the treatment needed to be done. Fortunately I have outstanding in-laws,who are more than happy to take us in.

Thought: During the course of these past few weeks, the scripture Chels and I have been thinking of a lot and finding comfort in is John 14:27 where the Savior says: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." I find comfort in two ways from this scripture. One, the Savior will give us peace during tests in our lives. He knows what we're going through and he is there for us. And second, no matter what happens in life there is no need to fear because the Savior has completed His atonement, he has fulfilled his supreme role in Heavenly Fathers Plan, which enables all of us to return to live with God with our families for eternity.