A Little Bit Shinier

My apologies for not updating this blog sooner- unfortunately, I've been feeling pretty tired and crummy lately. I know I'm not actually the sick one, but I've got lots on my plate, so I hope you'll be forgiving. Apparently Zach got a bunch of emails, because he finally told me that tonight I had to do this whether I was tired and cranky or not. (ha!)

Shortly before Zach's second session of chemo the world got a little bit shinier. Zach's hair had started thinning out little by little (due to the chemo, not due to him inching closer and closer to his 30's) and he decided to have the upper hand and remove it himself. We went out to dinner that night as a kind of "Fairwell Hair" party, after which we came back and shaved his blonde locks off with a pair of clippers. I won't lie...we were both a little emotional about it. I don't think we said more than a couple of sentences throughout the process, but Zach said that it really did feel good to be in control of the situation instead of the other way around. I'm so proud of him for being the kind of man that doesn't take the tough stuff lying down. I've included a picture of his newly shiny head for your viewing pleasure- he makes one hot baldie, if I do say so myself. Which reminds me...a big THANK YOU goes out to those of you who have sent him sock hats...they're helping keep the chill away in this 30 degree weather. He wears them so often that sometimes I honestly forget that his hair isn't there any more!


Despite the aforementioned chilly weather, Zach had a GREAT couple of weeks leading up to his second chemo session. We were amazed at how he hardly seemed sick...in fact, I'm pretty sure that he's never been better at Wii in his life. There really aren't a whole lot of updates to be had from that time period because it was as normal as can be!

Zach's second session of chemo went well- they put us in a big corner room and we had a new nurse that was incredibly friendly. She took great care of Zach, and the fact that she could talk football didn't hurt! The session was a little bit shorter than the first one (by about an hour) and even smoother as far as medication goes. During the first session he had to be checked every half hour to make sure he wasn't having a reaction, and this time we knew he would take the medication without any problems so we were able to all relax a bit. His blood tests are still coming back with high numbers, which means that his immune system is still rockin' and rollin'. Lastly, for those of you who were wondering, we didn't watch a single minute of swordfishing. It was all ESPN and CSI this time, which is far more tolerable. :)

Zach's Doc was able to provide us with a full chemo schedule (he'll have 6 sessions total) that runs through April- it's so incredibly nice to be able to look at that sheet of paper and think, "this is the day we can all breathe a sigh of relief!" At this point his doctor is unsure of whether or not he will need radiation therapy, so Zach will be meeting with a specialist in the near future to determine how that will be handled. Surgery has been ruled out, which is HUGELY great news- the power of prayer is at work once again! Since Chemo 2, Zach has been feeling a bit flu-ish. He's had some tiredness, some nausea, and similar (mostly mild) symptoms that thankfully haven't restricted his ability to go about his normal day-to-day life. His cravings for Chinese food definitely count toward the more desirable of his symptoms....his cravings for pickles, not so much. He's starting back on the upswing the past couple of days, and we're confident he'll be feeling back to almost-normal in a day or two.

All in all we're still feeling so blessed that everything has gone smoothly. We continue to get a lot of support from family and friends, and we've met a lot of young people who have 'been there' through their own battle with cancer (or that of their spouse). Thankfully, Zach has such a joyful heart that it's not difficult at all to be optimistic about this situation- he's one in a million for sure. But all of you single ladies, tough luck...he's still mine, bald head and all. :)

-Kristin

Chemo is Boring, and so are Swordfish.

We learned something yesterday...

Chemo is boring.

Boring, however, is not that important when you consider its effectiveness. :)

Zach had his first round of chemo yesterday and things went very smoothly. For those of you who are not familiar with the process, chemotherapy consists of several medications that are administered through an IV drip that is connected to Zach's port. The medications are given one at a time, two of them being very quick and two that drip for hours...they're not painful and Zach said he couldn't feel them at all. All in all, it's pretty "vanilla" as far as medical procedures go- the only slightly exciting thing about chemo is that it temporarily turns your urine red....which I find incredibly amusing and Zach shrugged off as if it were completely normal. Go figure. I guess he's probably seen weirder things at work!

The day was a long one...we arrived at the oncology center at 9:30 in the morning and left just before 5, right when the nurses were leaving for the evening. So if you're wondering what we did for almost 8 hours, I'm going to tell you: we read magazines, chatted with the nurses, spent some time on our iPods, and then Zach watched a variation of "Deadliest Catch" involving swordfish fishing...for a good 5 hours. 5 hours. Not quite as dramatic as the medical procedures shown on Grey's Anatomy, is it?

Post-chemo hasn't been too bad so far...Zach has experienced some nausea and tiredness but for the most part he has been able to go about his day without feeling hindered. It helps that his parents came for a visit this weekend- it's been a welcome distraction and huge comfort to have family here with us. Wii games, shopping, restaurants, and chatter are so much better than 5 hours of swordfish fishing on TV!

Zach's next appointment is 3 weeks from now, but I promise I'll write another post or two before then so that everyone knows how he's doing.

***Other info to note:

***Apparently chemo does not cure cravings for Qdoba...it only makes them worse.

***We've added a Snuggie to our arsenal of cold weather accessories: sock hats, an electric blanket, and house slippers. Hopefully chemo doesn't cause hot flashes and sweating or we'll be completely unprepared. I guess he could always go lay in the snow for a while...

***We're not supposed to use our cell phones in the hospital during his chemo sessions, so if you message us and we don't answer please don't assume that something is wrong or that we don't think you're cool anymore. You're always cool...er, well...we think so anyway.

***THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you who have sent Zach "Get Well" cards and sent me cards of support. Thanks for the goodies, the care packages, the messages, and the cherry red BMW convertibles. (Okay, so that last one was just to see if you were paying attention...you got me.)

Thanks again for your love, concern, and prayers. You guys rock. ;)

-Kristin

Good News, AND "Would you like to sit on a doughnut?"

First, let me start by saying that we got EXCELLENT news today!
The results came back from Zach's PET scan and we found out that cancer cells were only detected in the known mass in his chest and in one adjacent lymph node. That means that it has not metastasized to other parts of the body, which makes it easier to treat and also gives a good prognosis. So as I have long predicted, Zach remains stuck with me for many years to come. :)

He underwent a bone marrow biopsy today where bone marrow tissue was taken from his hip, and while he enjoyed the morphine he is less than thrilled that it has worn off. He also did not appreciate being asked if he would like an inflatable doughnut pillow to sit on in the car. My bad. Doughnut pillows aside, the procedure went well and we should have results back next week. After we get the results from the bone marrow biopsy they will be able to tell us how he is staged, but we are expecting good news as his blood work remains clear (praise the Lord!).

The nurse practitioner gave great instruction on how to tweak Zach's diet, and little tips to help make the side effects of chemo less prohibitive. We continue to be astounded at the quality of the staff at the hospital we're using. We've got a great team!

Zach's first round of chemo was scheduled for next Friday, and he will have his next appointment 21 days later. We were surprised at this news because we were expecting more frequent visits, but every 21 days works for us! Because they're so spread out I'm thankful to say that I'll be able to be by his side at every one of them! Once again God is looking out for us!

***Other info to note:

***Those of you who are friends with us on Facebook, Zach (respectfully) asks that you please do not post anything to our Facebook pages that references what is going on right now. He'd prefer not to share this with the world of Facebook at this point since we're still adjusting to it ourselves. Thank you, we appreciate it! :)

***We officially have the grocery list of 70-year-olds. Tonight: Ensure drinks, house slippers, medications, and a heated blanket. Oh, and let's not forget the powdered buttermilk. We're a couple of crazy kids, let me tell ya!

***Things should remain pretty much the same for the next week or so until chemo starts...so don't worry if we don't post anything until then since there won't be too much going on. If something new develops we will, of course, fill you guys in.

Once again, thanks for your love, concern, and prayers. :)
Monetary gifts, balloons, and brownies are also accepted. (Just kidding...Zach doesn't even like brownies.) Haha!

-Kristin

Playing Catch-Up

Welcome to Zach's Lymphoma-A-Long!
This page will be updated frequently with the latest on Zach's recently diagnosed B-cell lymphoma. To get you caught up, here is what has happened so far:

12/19- Zach was taken to the ER for a pretty nasty cough that was causing some nausea, weakness, etc. A mass showed up on his CT scan that needed further attention.

12/23- Went in to see Zach's oncologist (great guy, by the way!) who gave Zach a thorough exam and then promptly called in favors to get him a biopsy that very afternoon. A process that should have taken a week was over in a few hours- thanks Doc! Before we had pulled into our driveway after leaving the hospital we got a call from Zach's doctor telling us that the biopsy results were back and the mass had been determined to be B-cell Lymphoma.

12/29- Zach underwent a PET scan, a type of scan that utilizes radioactive sugar to show whether or not cancer cells have spread to other areas of the body. (Still waiting on results from this...I will update once we have more information.)

12/30- A port was placed in Zach's chest to allow for chemotherapy treatments. (A port is a small removable device that allows IV's to be easily administered...this way he won't have to get poked and prodded all the time.) The surgery went very well and we were once again pleasantly surprised at the great attitude of the staff at the hospital we're using.

***Other Info to Note:

***Zach will be undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, although at this point we're not sure how much of either he'll receive. Tomorrow he is having a bone marrow biopsy performed, but we're not too worried...all of the blood work that he has had done has come back clean and clear.

***So far Zach isn't feeling pain or soreness associated with his lymphoma. Tiredness, lack of appetite, and the cough are the only symptoms he is presenting with at this time.

***The doctor and staff that are treating Zach are A.W.E.S.O.M.E. We have full faith that they will take great care of him and have him back to normal in no time at all. (If Zach could ever REALLY be called normal, anyway.)

***Please refrain from jokes about losing his hair. He's already mourning the potential loss of his blonde locks. For real. Please and thank you. :)

***Sox is being more attentive than usual...Wrigley is oblivious as ever. We're not surprised by this development.


THANK YOU for all of your love, concern, and prayers. We're so thankful to have so many friends and family members by our side supporting us through this. And yes, we promise, if we need something...we'll call. ;)

WE LOVE YOU ALL!

-Zach and Kristin