Happy Monday and Steve Update!

Holy winter storm, batman.

We got pounded on Saturday with about 8 inches on heavy, wet snow on Saturday.

It covered the trees and the houses and power lines, making my neighborhood look like a winter wonderland.

Did I mention that Steve has a plow truck?

He was there on Sunday morning before I'd even had breakfast, plowing out my driveway and shoveling off my walking paths/Kempton's peeing paths.

Reason number 9,318 why I love him.

On a related note, I am happy to report that on Friday (exactly one year after his first dose of chemo), Steve met with his doctor after another surveillance checkup, and was given a clean bill of health.

Yay!

I am extremely thankful, and we've been extremely lucky.

You can read about his cancer saga here. 

On a totally unrelated note, I have some new recipes for you this week!

I won't tell you what they are, but I'll give you some clues...

One involves a very unhealthy combination of pizza toppings.

And one involves a healthy combination of citrus fruits.

Sorry Joey -  no meatloaf yet. I'll work on that for you.

Enjoy you day, everyone!

Steve Update

The tests came back clean!!! Thanks everyone!!!
Sent from my iPhone

Monday, Slacking, and Surveillance Checkup #3

I am going to write this post in color today instead of boring black...because it's Monday, and because I ate 2 pieces of quiche for breakfast...and I'm still hungry. 

And because I feel like it. 

I know I have been slacking and neglecting you. 

I have 62 million pictures that I need to upload and then I will be able to post about our camping trip, about making grilled zucchini and sweet and spicy chicken drumsticks, about hanging out with my mom, aunts, grandma and cousins last weekend, and about my sweetheart taking me out for a delicious dinner and mucho vino last night because he loves me and because it was one hell of a week. 

The first thing (is it technically the first thing if we have already talked about a handful of other things?) that I wanted to talk about is Steve's 3rd surveillance checkup...then I will take my own advice and think positive and talk about other things...but since this is first and foremost on my mind...

...Steve had his 3rd surveillance checkup last Monday, and his doctor called on Thursday to tell him that they saw something on the CT scan and that he needs to come back in for chest xrays. Does this sound familiar? Something similar happened last time, except it wasn't in his chest. And thankfully it turned out to be nothing. And like last time, the doctor told us not to worry. Which, like last time, is impossible. He goes back in this afternoon, but we probably won't get results until he goes in to meet with his doctor on Thursday afternoon. 

Please think positive, pray, or cross your fingers that everything comes back clean. Now and in the future.

Sigh. 

Now I can't remember what else I was going to talk to you about. 

Oh yeah - I was going to talk about food. Surprise! 

I was going to tell you that my mom and I made brunch for my family that was in town on Saturday morning...we made 2 different kinds of quiche (hence the leftover quiche in my belly this morning), and delicious monkey bread. Do you want the recipes?

Also, I am making a chef salad tonight (because I have leftover ham, bacon and spinach from making quiche...and because it is suppose to be 90 degrees out today and salad is a wonderful summer food), and then later this week I think I will be making jambalaya and my favorite pulled pork. I just wanted to let you know so that you have an idea what you can look forward to. Then I can fail to upload all of the pictures and put off posting the recipes for several weeks! Ha!

Enjoy your week and I will keep you posted with any updates! 

Thanks Droogies!

Steve Update

Doctor said it was just a cyst...all other tests came back clean :) Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!!!!

Surveillance Checkup #2 - UPDATE

Doctor called last night...they found something on the CT scan that they would like to explore further. The doctor said not to worry (yeah, right), that it is probably benign, and that they want to do an ultrasound on the cyst/tumor just to take a closer look. Ultrasound Wednesday at 11 am, meet with doctor Thursday afternoon. Please God, let him be ok.
I'll keep you posted as I know more...

Surveillance Checkup #2

Steve went in this morning to get a CT scan and chest x-rays as part of his every-three-month-checkup-regiment. I'm sure that everything is perfectly fine, but it is always a little nerve-racking...especially  having to wait for 3 three days to get results! So...if you pray, please pray that the cancer is gone and everything comes back clean. If not, please just keep him in your thoughts.

If you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, then read this post or just click on the tag "cancer sucks" on the left hand side of the blog so you can be in the loop!

And thank you for all of your support through this whole thing. I'll keep you posted!

Surveillance Checkup #1

Good news!

First, Steve moved his doctor's appointment up to today, instead of tomorrow afternoon. Why they make you wait that long to find out results is beyond me - I mean, talk about giving someone a frickin ulcer. He went in for the CT scan/blood work on Monday...they couldn't get the results by Monday afternoon? Or Tuesday at the latest? Give.Me.A.Break.

Second, he just text me to tell me that he was done with his appointment, and that everything came back clean! *RELIEF* *WHEW* *YAY!!!*

His next appointment is April 26th. Thanks for listening!

Cross your fingers

Steve had his first (post-chemo) CT scan this morning. Now that he is done with his treatments, he has to be "under surveillance" for the next five years. Even though it sounds like he is being watched by the FBI, CIA, TNT, AMA, LOL, or some other top secret organization, it really just means that they (the doctors/nurses/hospital staff) are going to proactively keep an eye on his body to make sure if the cancer comes back, they catch it PRONTO. He has to go get checked every 3 months for the next 3 years, and then every 6 month for 2 years after that. Fun, huh?

Please keep your fingers crossed that when we get the scans back on Friday (and every time after that), they come back clean and he stays cancer free! Thanks for all of your thoughts, prayers, texts, emails, phone calls, hugs, encouragement, distractions, positive words, positive thinking, hand holding and general support through this whole thing...from both of us!

Steve (and random thoughts)

Hello! I have had a lot of people email/call/text to see how Steve was doing so I thought I'd post a little update (not that I mind the calling/texting/emailing - keep em coming!). For anyone who doesn't already know, Steve had his final mega-round of chemotherapy (by mega I mean double what people normally get) last week on Tuesday. This time it took him longer to really feel the effects of the infusion...he was still feeling pretty good until Friday. After that it seemed to hit him pretty hard, but this time doesn't seem as bad a last round...maybe just because we knew what to expect? Or because he knows that he doesn't have to do it again? Or maybe it is just taking longer to hit him, and the worst is still to come? I'm not sure, but his attitude was more positive this time and that helps A LOT. That is the good news. The bad news is that last night he started coughing and this morning he woke up with a cold. Normally I wouldn't think this was a very big deal, but I'm not sure if his body is capable of fighting off any type of infection right now, so I am worrying about it. If he doesn't start to feel better soon I am going to make him call his doctor. I'll keep you posted, thank you for all of your care and concern!
Love you!
L
PS - Go Vikings!
PPS - In addition to giving me bags of frozen garden tomatoes, my brother also gave me a package of venison stew meat. I have been going back and forth on how to use it. The last few years the venison from our shack has been phenomenal. Super tender and not game-y at all. For those of you who are non-venison eaters...I could literally convince you that you were eating a tender and delicious cut of beef instead of deer. You would never know. Anyway, I was thinking I could use the tomatoes and the venison and make homemade spaghetti sauce...or I could use the tomatoes for sauce for chicken parmigiana, and use the venison for homemade chili. Any suggestions???

Chemo Sucks.

About 6 weeks ago, Steve was diagnosed with testicular cancer. A week later, he had a radical orchiectomy (they removed his right testicle). The results showed that it was definitely cancer...Seminoma, which is a slower growing and easier treated form of TC. His surgeon was confident that they removed all of the cancer, but his oncologist suggested that he do 1 -2 rounds of chemotherapy just to be safe. 

Here he is getting his infusion. Yes, I bucked up and went with to hold his hand. Despite the fact that it was in a hospital. With sick people. And doctors. And needles. And blood. I didn't even pass out! I may or may not have hyperventilated a couple of times when the nurse was trying to draw blood and decided it was a good idea to shout out things like, "the blood stopped flowing!", and "Jean, come over here and bring your tourniquet!". Oh, and I almost punched somebody in the face when I found out that the Pharmacist and Steve's doctor were having an argument about whether or not he should have "that big of a dose" of the carboplatin. Seriously - the pharmacist literally did not even want to prepare the meds for Steve, because he felt that it was much too large of a dose. Of poison. Awesome. But aside from all that, we both survived our first chemo experience. It's been almost a week now, and things are going ok. Thankfully, Steve is tough and very optimistic and calm. I am none of those things. So we are a good match, right? Right??? 

Anyway, I just wanted to say that my heart goes out to ANYONE who has ever had to go through chemo before. And to their caretakers. It is a difficult and stressful thing, and I've already found myself praying that he doesn't have to go through another round...please please let his doctor decide that this one mega-round was enough...I can't imagine if he had to do several rounds. Because I'm sure with each round it gets harder and harder for your body to bounce back. But if it means that the cancer doesn't come back, then I guess its worth it. And you would be surprised what people can handle. Without being able to drink away their problems.