Wordless Wednesday (one day late)

Space Monkey

Chemo Cravings by Lainey

Pregnancy has nothing on the chemo cravings that Chris has been experiencing over the past week. Here is a list of just some of things he HAD to have:

McDonalds nuggets
Hot dogs
Taylor ham egg and cheese
Wendy's burger
Venison chili
Fried chicken
Subway BMT sandwich
Cupcakes
Frozen yogurt
Buffalo wings
Mozzarella sticks
And basically ANY food that's featured in any commercial he happens to see. Seriously, he was drooling over a Olive Garden commercial last night! There goes my beach bod, haha!!

In other news, things were pretty crazy this week trying to get him better from his cold. He's prone to fevers right now which in a normal person wouldn't be a huge deal but since his immune system is compromised, we have to stay very vigilant on them. We had a late night at the ER yesterday to monitor one fever but all tests so far are not showing any signs of serious infection, which is good.

Very thankful to Grandma & Grandpa Cramer for taking Oliver for a few days and Tim & Debbie Moyer for watching Harry so that we can focus all our energies on getting Chris well (and fed, ha!). Also very thankful for Chris' parents- Michael & Irene for sending us many dinners and a water delivery system! Here's hoping he kicks this cold soon so he can get back in fighting shape for cycle 2.

Xo
L

We survived Week One (by Lainey)

The first week of chemo went by relatively easily. Chris was feeling okay in the beginning of the week, especially on his birthday. He received so many cards, texts and calls from people that care about him. He really felt special and even said that it was the best birthday he had in a long time. Thank you to everyone who helped lift him up with your support and love!!

Chris was able to go fishing a few times locally and probably made him feel pretty good to get out of the house/hospital. On Saturday,  the effects of the medications started to kick in and he started to feel pretty lousy. The weekend was pretty rough as Chris is uncomfortable, tired and nauseous. Eating seems to help with the nausea and he has crazy cravings for all kinds of food! Hey, whatever helps!

Today, Monday, has been the worst day yet, unfortunately. As Chris puts it, he feels like "a bag of a$$." We are currently at the facility and after seeing Dr. Xiao, she has him getting fluids and meds via IV to help with his discomfort. He should start to feel a little better tomorrow or Wednesday. He seems to be coming down with a cold which isn't great, but his blood count is good and no crazy high fever so we will be okay to go home as long as we monitor it and keep Dr. X updated.

Chris mostly sleeps so if you sent him a message, he might take some time to get back to you. He should start perking back up in the next couple of days.

Thanks again to everyone for all your love and support. You're keeping us going!

Xo
Lainey

Quick Update from Lainey

Chemo week is almost over and Chris is doing great. He has some nausea and has been tired but still feeling pretty good. He mostly just sleeps and reads during treatments. He has gone fishing a couple of times by our house and had a very, very good 28th birthday!  He is loved by so many wonderful people.

He's working on a post for tomorrow so stay tuned!

xo
Lainey

Relapse..Bring It! (by Lainey)

Hi all,

Here we are again!  Chrissy and I met with his chemo oncologist yesterday at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Basking Ridge, NJ.  We learned A LOT.  The facility is top notch and in a beautiful building that backs up to nice views of the woods (lots of deer for Chrissy to scope out come hunting season). The team taking care of Chrissy is amazing and leaders in their field. Here are some basics:

MEDICAL TEAM-

Joel Sheinfeld, MD - NYC - Testicular cancer chief specialist and surgeon who performed Chris' orchiectomy and has been monitoring his monthly progress. The best, the end.

George Bosl, MD - NYC - Chairman in clinical oncology and will be monitoring chemo treatment plan from NYC. Very nice guy!

Han Xiao, MD - NJ - Chief in medical oncology and will be managing Chris' care and treatment in NJ. She is the doctor that we met today and we really like her.  She knows her stuff!

STATS-

Chris is considered to have relapsed stage IIC seminoma testicular cancer. I encourage you all to do reading and research on his diagnosis. There is a lot of good info about it on the Internet. It's considered highly treatable, with a cure rate of over 90%. 

Since the surgery, Dr. Sheinfeld has been monitoring small spots (tumors) on lymph nodes near his kidneys in the abdomen. They were stable and not growing for several months. In February, Chris' tumor markers in his blood levels began to rise and the tumors visibly began to grow, as seen on his March 28th CT scan. Some of those tumors are over 2cm in size.  Since this means progression of the disease, chemotherapy is needed to kill those tumors and any others that may be floating around undetected.

Chemo is going to start next Monday, April 8th and will be completed by the last week in June.

He will be receiving two types of chemotherapy drugs, Cisplatin and Etoposide, which is the standard combination with his diagnosis. He will receive 4 cycles of treatment. One cycle = 5 days of 4hr treatments, followed by 2 weeks off. During the 4hrs, he will receive the chemo drugs, anti-nausea medications and fluids. It is imperative that Chris stay hydrated over the course of his treatment. Dehydration can compromise his kidneys and result in ER hospital visits. He will need to drink at least 80 oz of fluids each day.  

He will also be getting regular injections to boost his white blood cell count.  Keeping Chris infection-free and hydrated will be a top priority. No one can be around Chris if they are feeling sick or feeling like they are about to become sick. His immune system will be extremely delicate so we must make every precaution to keep him healthy and strong. Fever+germs+dehydration=BAD. 

Dr. X says he can exercise as long as he's feeling good. He will likely start to feel lousy towards the end of chemo week and will start to feel better mid-week of rest week 1. It may take longer for him to feel well the further we get into treatment. He will likely need to shave his head due to hair loss around week 3.  Everyone handles it differently, so we just have to see how things go.

Dr. X says she has many patients like Chris who have gone on to live happy and normal lives after completing treatment. She has a wall full of baby photos who were born to former patients. She has reassured us that everything will be ok!!

Chris is feeling strong and ready to fight. We are both looking forward to visiting San Diego this weekend for my friend Lily's wedding! Chris hasn't been back there since we moved, so it will be a great vacation before we embark on this next challenge.

Thank you all so much for your love, support and help. Keep those prayers and good thoughts coming!  I'll do my best to keep everyone updated!

Xo

Lainey