Greetings from the chemo room in sunny Fort Collins!
It's been a few days since I've written, but things are moving along just fine. Chemo is proving to be a less-than-enjoyable experience (as we already knew it would be) but day by day we are powering through.
Monday evening the Smithwicks brought lasagna over and we had a nice meal with lots of good conversation. The lasagna was huge and we have been snacking on it all week, so thank you for that! Always nice to have visitors in our house and we enjoy eating with friends!
Tuesday and Wednesday proved to be mostly uneventful. Kurtis and I are finishing the TV series Weeds and he's been resting. The chemo has really knocked him down and he has been feeling really tired. I started knitting for the first time a few days ago thanks to my friend Amelia. I chose to knit a hedgehog for Kurtis which is now complete and I'm about halfway done with the second one. A local knitting store, My Sister Knits has donated a lot of things for our Etsy shop. I am going to get them up and for sale here in the next few days :) We also had a visit from one of our college professors, Kelly, and it was really nice to see her as always. She brought over a feast as well that we have been munching away on.
Kurtis' mom came up last night and is "enjoying" chemo with us today. It has been really good to see her and we're both happy that she was able to come up! After the lab results came in, Kurtis found out that he has to get a blood transfusion tomorrow since his hemoglobin is low. Once it is in his body, he should start to feel a lot better and less energy zapped. Today after chemo, we'll head to the hospital and Kurtis will have another lung-draining procedure. His oxygen was low and heart rate back up so they took an Xray and found out that his right lung is full of fluid again - this procedure isn't a huge deal. Not in the "fun" category, but not something that is going to make it so he is hospitalized.
We appreciate your continued messages of love and have really enjoyed seeing all of the Warrior Up bracelets around town and around facebook. :)
More soon -
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
Good Morning :)
It's a cool overcast morning in Fort Collins, and Chauncey and I are hanging out in the backyard. I've settled in to write an update and he is patrolling the backyard looking for rabbits, cats, and any other animals that are not permitted. There was a cat walking the fence this morning, so he is hyper-sensitive and feels like aliens may invade at any time. Or something like that.
This weekend has been both busy and relaxing at the same time. Kurtis still wasn't feeling great on Saturday, he didn't do very much but try to rest and sleep. The chemo really causes some lame side-effects like that, but we know that those mean that it is working, so it is difficult to be frustrated about it.
I set to work finishing our backyard by selecting some plants and picking up dirt from Home Depot for our new barrels in the back. I was a few bags of dirt short, so I will probably make a run over there sometime today so that they are all finished. Otherwise, all that is left is a little weed-killing and one more Subaru load of mulch :)
Sunday was better for Kurtis, although still not in the category of "great". His color was looking better and he was moving around and sitting up more which I was happy to see. Our friends Kyle and Leah stopped by to bring bracelets (shipping today! or available for pick up for those of you who live close) and a meal from Kyle's mom (THANK YOU!). It was really wonderful to see them - as it is to see any of you who take the time to stop by.
I also did some reading yesterday about food that helps to fight cancer and we're doing a little bit of a diet shift around here trying to include a lot more veggies and limit sugar. I bought a juicer yesterday to help with this quest and spent the afternoon shoving different vegetables and fruits in and creating samples for Kurtis. Fortunately, most of them turned out well and I'm hoping that they help get those magical cancer-fighting things that exist in things like broccoli into Kurtis faster and more easily.
Today more resting (and hopefully some school work for me) and the Home Run Derby tonight :) We've got dinner coming tonight, so I can clean the kitchen and keep it that way after lunch! Haha.
Hope all is well, sending our love!
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
-Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/WarriorCancerSmash
It's a cool overcast morning in Fort Collins, and Chauncey and I are hanging out in the backyard. I've settled in to write an update and he is patrolling the backyard looking for rabbits, cats, and any other animals that are not permitted. There was a cat walking the fence this morning, so he is hyper-sensitive and feels like aliens may invade at any time. Or something like that.
This weekend has been both busy and relaxing at the same time. Kurtis still wasn't feeling great on Saturday, he didn't do very much but try to rest and sleep. The chemo really causes some lame side-effects like that, but we know that those mean that it is working, so it is difficult to be frustrated about it.
I set to work finishing our backyard by selecting some plants and picking up dirt from Home Depot for our new barrels in the back. I was a few bags of dirt short, so I will probably make a run over there sometime today so that they are all finished. Otherwise, all that is left is a little weed-killing and one more Subaru load of mulch :)
Sunday was better for Kurtis, although still not in the category of "great". His color was looking better and he was moving around and sitting up more which I was happy to see. Our friends Kyle and Leah stopped by to bring bracelets (shipping today! or available for pick up for those of you who live close) and a meal from Kyle's mom (THANK YOU!). It was really wonderful to see them - as it is to see any of you who take the time to stop by.
I also did some reading yesterday about food that helps to fight cancer and we're doing a little bit of a diet shift around here trying to include a lot more veggies and limit sugar. I bought a juicer yesterday to help with this quest and spent the afternoon shoving different vegetables and fruits in and creating samples for Kurtis. Fortunately, most of them turned out well and I'm hoping that they help get those magical cancer-fighting things that exist in things like broccoli into Kurtis faster and more easily.
Today more resting (and hopefully some school work for me) and the Home Run Derby tonight :) We've got dinner coming tonight, so I can clean the kitchen and keep it that way after lunch! Haha.
Hope all is well, sending our love!
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
-Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/WarriorCancerSmash
Friday, July 12, 2013
Working Toward the Weekend
Good Evening :)
One day post chemo, Kurtis is feeling pretty icky. He's tired and sore and just overall not feeling great. This morning he wasn't feeling good at all, but as the day wore on, he was feeling at least a little bit better. Chemo does this, plus he's still recovering from two surgeries...
I spent several hours making a few last trips to the rock store and back while our friends and co-workers Matt, Chris, and Joe all came to help finish the backyard. It feels outstanding to have it completed and the four hours of work they put in means that I don't have to put in four days!! Once it starts to cool down a bit, Kurtis will be able to enjoy it :) Thank you very much guys!
The rest of the afternoon was filled with relaxing - a little cooking - and now baseball. So far the Rox are doing alright with Kershaw, so we'll just hope that they keep on rollin'.
For those of you who bet on the dishwasher to die first, you may be ahead as of now. It has now emitted a smell. Before you get too excited, I ran another load and it was fine. But for now, I'm going to put your group in the lead.
Chauncey fell down on his rabbit patrol duty. I saw several rabbits that he didn't. Dog better watch out or he is going to get demoted!!
Not a whole lot going on here otherwise. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts - we appreciate it.
All our love,
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
One day post chemo, Kurtis is feeling pretty icky. He's tired and sore and just overall not feeling great. This morning he wasn't feeling good at all, but as the day wore on, he was feeling at least a little bit better. Chemo does this, plus he's still recovering from two surgeries...
I spent several hours making a few last trips to the rock store and back while our friends and co-workers Matt, Chris, and Joe all came to help finish the backyard. It feels outstanding to have it completed and the four hours of work they put in means that I don't have to put in four days!! Once it starts to cool down a bit, Kurtis will be able to enjoy it :) Thank you very much guys!
The rest of the afternoon was filled with relaxing - a little cooking - and now baseball. So far the Rox are doing alright with Kershaw, so we'll just hope that they keep on rollin'.
For those of you who bet on the dishwasher to die first, you may be ahead as of now. It has now emitted a smell. Before you get too excited, I ran another load and it was fine. But for now, I'm going to put your group in the lead.
Chauncey fell down on his rabbit patrol duty. I saw several rabbits that he didn't. Dog better watch out or he is going to get demoted!!
Not a whole lot going on here otherwise. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts - we appreciate it.
All our love,
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Port Placement & Chemo Flow
Good Morning!
Today, I am writing from the chemo infusion center as our favorite warrior (Kurtis...duh) is preparing for some magical drugs to wipe this cancer out. The infusion center is an interesting place, but also a comfortable one since we've been here before. When you enter it, entire room is full of comfortable recliners as well as enough doctor "zoom and spin" chairs that I am consistently about thirty seconds from being busted. Kurtis tells me I'm going to be kicked out. We are currently waiting for the labs to come back so that Kurtis can start his infusion. He'll be getting two different drugs today and we should be home in about four hours (or less!)
WAIT! I didn't write about yesterday, so I'll back up first.
Kurtis had his port placed yesterday by our favorite South African surgeon. We headed to PVH at about 2 and then went though the really enjoyable pre-op process. Kurtis' favorite part was that the nurse who was responsible for putting his IV in was having a few issues. Right arm, left arm, right arm, left arm...ow. His surgeon took out his head staples at the same time and then eventually popped the IV in what he called the "Mississippi River". They whisked him away and in about an hour, everything was done. It took another hour for them to let me back to see him which is always the most difficult part. He was doing great - munching away on his favorite post-surgery snack...ice chips. After a couple dixie cups of apple juice we were sent home.
The pain hasn't been too bad, but obviously not great. His port is placed under his collar bone on the right side so it made sleeping a little difficult last night. Once it heals up though, it doesn't really cause him much pain or discomfort, so that is wonderful. It is so much easier for him when the nurses draw blood or infuse medicine than having an IV, so he is happy to have it back.
This morning, Kurtis had an appointment with the cancer doc. Dr. Moore explained that the "specimens" (a seriously weird word - just say it out loud like five times...yea...) were cancerous which we already knew - even if it wasn't official yet. Now the plan is to hit the stuff in his lungs with two chemo medicines and then use pinpoint radiation for his brain in the spots where the remaining tumor is and where the ones that were taken out were. Everything sounds good - just time to get the medication in and get to fighting.
And --- back to where I started ---
Since I started writing, Kurtis has his pre-meds rolling. They infuse medications like benadryl to help with the impact of the chemo. Once those are in, he'll get his chemo drugs and then we'll head home to Colonial Chauncey, Rabbit Patrol. Mr. Rabbit Patrol thought that he was coming with us today because I made the outstandingly intelligent choice to hang the re-useable grocery - "chemo snack" bag on the same hook as his leash. So, when I grabbed that he went nuts. Good one, Chauncey's mom.
Thank you to all of you who have continued to support us with food and love. It's been difficult, no reason to lie about that. But, the support from all of you makes such an incredible difference in our ability to fight this junk. We look forward to your visits as well, so please keep coming over :) Just shoot me a text (970.232.5268) if you want to come and I'll make sure that Kurtis feels up to your visit and check in with Chaunce to make sure that he feels you won't suffer a rabbit attack!
All our love -
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Today, I am writing from the chemo infusion center as our favorite warrior (Kurtis...duh) is preparing for some magical drugs to wipe this cancer out. The infusion center is an interesting place, but also a comfortable one since we've been here before. When you enter it, entire room is full of comfortable recliners as well as enough doctor "zoom and spin" chairs that I am consistently about thirty seconds from being busted. Kurtis tells me I'm going to be kicked out. We are currently waiting for the labs to come back so that Kurtis can start his infusion. He'll be getting two different drugs today and we should be home in about four hours (or less!)
WAIT! I didn't write about yesterday, so I'll back up first.
Kurtis had his port placed yesterday by our favorite South African surgeon. We headed to PVH at about 2 and then went though the really enjoyable pre-op process. Kurtis' favorite part was that the nurse who was responsible for putting his IV in was having a few issues. Right arm, left arm, right arm, left arm...ow. His surgeon took out his head staples at the same time and then eventually popped the IV in what he called the "Mississippi River". They whisked him away and in about an hour, everything was done. It took another hour for them to let me back to see him which is always the most difficult part. He was doing great - munching away on his favorite post-surgery snack...ice chips. After a couple dixie cups of apple juice we were sent home.
The pain hasn't been too bad, but obviously not great. His port is placed under his collar bone on the right side so it made sleeping a little difficult last night. Once it heals up though, it doesn't really cause him much pain or discomfort, so that is wonderful. It is so much easier for him when the nurses draw blood or infuse medicine than having an IV, so he is happy to have it back.
This morning, Kurtis had an appointment with the cancer doc. Dr. Moore explained that the "specimens" (a seriously weird word - just say it out loud like five times...yea...) were cancerous which we already knew - even if it wasn't official yet. Now the plan is to hit the stuff in his lungs with two chemo medicines and then use pinpoint radiation for his brain in the spots where the remaining tumor is and where the ones that were taken out were. Everything sounds good - just time to get the medication in and get to fighting.
And --- back to where I started ---
Since I started writing, Kurtis has his pre-meds rolling. They infuse medications like benadryl to help with the impact of the chemo. Once those are in, he'll get his chemo drugs and then we'll head home to Colonial Chauncey, Rabbit Patrol. Mr. Rabbit Patrol thought that he was coming with us today because I made the outstandingly intelligent choice to hang the re-useable grocery - "chemo snack" bag on the same hook as his leash. So, when I grabbed that he went nuts. Good one, Chauncey's mom.
Thank you to all of you who have continued to support us with food and love. It's been difficult, no reason to lie about that. But, the support from all of you makes such an incredible difference in our ability to fight this junk. We look forward to your visits as well, so please keep coming over :) Just shoot me a text (970.232.5268) if you want to come and I'll make sure that Kurtis feels up to your visit and check in with Chaunce to make sure that he feels you won't suffer a rabbit attack!
All our love -
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Two-step Tuesday
Good Evening! Hi! Hello!
It feels like days are on the verge of just flying by. Hard to look at the calendar and see a nine. Feels like just a few hours ago Kurtis and I were about to hop in the Subaru and adventure - and now I feel like I'm staring work in the face again. Oh, summer. You go too fast!
Today has been quite relaxed. Kurtis slept in for a long time and I spent the morning working, listening to a book, editing photos, and drinking chai. I finally got my desk cleaned off yesterday after several months of it being the how-much-crap-can-we-stack-here pile stand - and so far (drumroll), it's still clean. Shocker, I know. I'm still amazed at how much better Kurtis looks when he comes down each morning. Chauncey has been wanting to get up early so he and I get up at his will...but each morning I find Kurtis to be closer and closer to normal.
We watched more HGTV where we learned all kinds of cool stuff and lucky for everyone, I have yet to touch anything in the house. YET. Before heading off to PT, we had lovely salads for lunch. That's right. I said it. We had salad for lunch. Not just Kurtis, me too. I did shove about seventeen other things in the salad though - just to be honest.
Next on our wonderful agenda was PT. Today was the "evaluation day." If you've never had any PT before, the first session is about figuring out what you can presently do as well as what you hope to be able to do when you are done. The therapist tested all of Kurtis' balance and strength skills and will be working to get him to a place where he can rock the golf course (still looking for awesome golf weekend vacation ideas people...I've only gotten two...) and get back out on the hiking trails. Most of the tests he did really well on, and the therapist is incredibly nice. He has a few things to work on every day to get stronger and then one PT appointment a week for the next five or six weeks.
The PT session wore Kurtis out quite a bit (he rode the bike for five minutes!!) so he came home and relaxed more. Our Subaru has been making strange noises and I thought that it was probably best we take it in. I called today to make an appointment at the dealership and they had one available in "15 minutes" so I zoomed right over and spent the next several hours there while they installed the new radiator. On the plus side, they did wash the car, so that's nice. I am now taking bets on which of our appliances that has been hinging on death will decide to die in the next month.
Meet the Candidates!
Bachelor #1 is the dishwasher that occasionally leaks into the floor for no reason, has difficulty keeping the wheels on the drawer, and sometimes sounds like it is growling. Bachelor #1 is still doing the job, but continues to threaten to explode.
Bachelor #2 is the washing machine that is approximately 100 years old. He enjoys spending his time sometimes not turning on, refusing to use all the settings, and whirling so hard he may launch into space. Bachelor #2 is also still doing the job and also continues to threaten to explode.
Turn your votes in, people. This is serious business.
Meanwhile, back on the ranch....
Chauncey has taken to making himself 'executive rabbit police' and turns into a frenzied yellow ball of"cracker head" (because he eats crackers...not crack...haha...?) anytime a rabbit is in the front or back yard. So, if anyone needs a rabbit alert system...I can hook you up. Currently, he is patrolling the entirety of our backyard.
Kurtis has surgery tomorrow at 3 PM to place his port. The surgery should be quick and fairly painless and he is ready to get it in and get the chemo rolling (that starts Thursday). His surgeon will also remove his head staples, so tonight will be the last night he has to deal with them while watching TV and sleeping! YAY! I know that he is really ready to get them out.
Hopefully everyone is doing well. I'll post updates about his surgery tomorrow in the facebook group, so check there for updates if you are worried!
All our love!
Liz, Kurtis, and Colonial Chauncey: Rabbit Patrol
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
It feels like days are on the verge of just flying by. Hard to look at the calendar and see a nine. Feels like just a few hours ago Kurtis and I were about to hop in the Subaru and adventure - and now I feel like I'm staring work in the face again. Oh, summer. You go too fast!
Today has been quite relaxed. Kurtis slept in for a long time and I spent the morning working, listening to a book, editing photos, and drinking chai. I finally got my desk cleaned off yesterday after several months of it being the how-much-crap-can-we-stack-here pile stand - and so far (drumroll), it's still clean. Shocker, I know. I'm still amazed at how much better Kurtis looks when he comes down each morning. Chauncey has been wanting to get up early so he and I get up at his will...but each morning I find Kurtis to be closer and closer to normal.
We watched more HGTV where we learned all kinds of cool stuff and lucky for everyone, I have yet to touch anything in the house. YET. Before heading off to PT, we had lovely salads for lunch. That's right. I said it. We had salad for lunch. Not just Kurtis, me too. I did shove about seventeen other things in the salad though - just to be honest.
Next on our wonderful agenda was PT. Today was the "evaluation day." If you've never had any PT before, the first session is about figuring out what you can presently do as well as what you hope to be able to do when you are done. The therapist tested all of Kurtis' balance and strength skills and will be working to get him to a place where he can rock the golf course (still looking for awesome golf weekend vacation ideas people...I've only gotten two...) and get back out on the hiking trails. Most of the tests he did really well on, and the therapist is incredibly nice. He has a few things to work on every day to get stronger and then one PT appointment a week for the next five or six weeks.
The PT session wore Kurtis out quite a bit (he rode the bike for five minutes!!) so he came home and relaxed more. Our Subaru has been making strange noises and I thought that it was probably best we take it in. I called today to make an appointment at the dealership and they had one available in "15 minutes" so I zoomed right over and spent the next several hours there while they installed the new radiator. On the plus side, they did wash the car, so that's nice. I am now taking bets on which of our appliances that has been hinging on death will decide to die in the next month.
Meet the Candidates!
Bachelor #1 is the dishwasher that occasionally leaks into the floor for no reason, has difficulty keeping the wheels on the drawer, and sometimes sounds like it is growling. Bachelor #1 is still doing the job, but continues to threaten to explode.
Bachelor #2 is the washing machine that is approximately 100 years old. He enjoys spending his time sometimes not turning on, refusing to use all the settings, and whirling so hard he may launch into space. Bachelor #2 is also still doing the job and also continues to threaten to explode.
Turn your votes in, people. This is serious business.
Meanwhile, back on the ranch....
Chauncey has taken to making himself 'executive rabbit police' and turns into a frenzied yellow ball of"cracker head" (because he eats crackers...not crack...haha...?) anytime a rabbit is in the front or back yard. So, if anyone needs a rabbit alert system...I can hook you up. Currently, he is patrolling the entirety of our backyard.
Kurtis has surgery tomorrow at 3 PM to place his port. The surgery should be quick and fairly painless and he is ready to get it in and get the chemo rolling (that starts Thursday). His surgeon will also remove his head staples, so tonight will be the last night he has to deal with them while watching TV and sleeping! YAY! I know that he is really ready to get them out.
Hopefully everyone is doing well. I'll post updates about his surgery tomorrow in the facebook group, so check there for updates if you are worried!
All our love!
Liz, Kurtis, and Colonial Chauncey: Rabbit Patrol
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Monday, July 8, 2013
Monday, Monday!
Hi!
Don't worry! We didn't drown, get eaten by capybaras, or decide to move to New Zealand. I just took the night off - I didn't have a lot to report and I was more interested in finishing my book! For those of you who haven't known me for very long - I have a little bit of a reading "problem" that often intensifies if I'm within fifty pages of the end of the book.
Anyway, you're not here to check in about my reading (or are you...?) so I'll let you know that Kurtis is doing FANTASTIC. He has been moving around a lot more the past few days which is really great. He's now able to get up a lot faster as well as walk while carrying things with ease. It's great! Tomorrow afternoon he has his first PT appointment and I am really excited to see how he improves once someone who knows what they are doing can work with him. Just a week ago he was still pretty dazed from BRAIN SURGERY and now... wow. So many people, including myself, misuse the word "awesome" when we really mean "that is cooler than the last mildly cool thing I saw/experienced/etc." - but this, in every true meaning of the word is awesome. Kurtis really is a superhero! Sorry ladies, he's mine (and Kurtis, when you read this - I love you!).
When Kurtis is sick, for some reason, he takes to watching a massive amount of HGTV. This is bad. I suddenly become a crazed monster who wants to paint, refinish, knock down walls, buy new furniture, and whatever other things you can add to your list. The main problem (besides the fact that we don't have the money for a full-house makeover...haha) is that I am just this side of "not skilled" when it comes to doing any of those things. Except painting. Pretty hysterical. In all seriousness though - at least all the shows are good and it gets the mind working!
I'm thankful that we're not in school right now as I've been spending a lot of time trying to get everything organized and deep cleaned. For those of you who know me, this should be a pretty amusing image. Although, I am proud to share that I only got into one fight with our dishwasher today, and our washer didn't take off into space (although, I think it was on its way), so that's a plus. I've said this before, but I'm also thankful that we've done this before. When we started this journey in the fall of 2010, we didn't know anything which was really scary. Now, it's just a matter of getting everything in place. Thank you to all of you who have been so kind to visit - bring dinner - snacks - hugs. The support means so much to both of us <3
Tonight, our super awesome neighbors came over and brought dinner. We had a great visit with them and it is so nice to live next to such great people. When they moved into their house in the fall, we were really excited that people our age moved in and it's been so great to have friends right next door :)
It's been hot in Fort Collins the past few days, and we've been having some random rain and wind storms. Today, I thought we were going to get a really nice rain so I opened the windows to get the smell to Kurtis. It rained for literally a minute thirty and then it was done. Meanwhile, we've been having wind attacks around 4 am. Silly weather! Now we're just enjoying the evening and thankful that the Rockies are now playing the Padres so they have a shot at winning. :)
More tomorrow!
Lots of love :)
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Don't worry! We didn't drown, get eaten by capybaras, or decide to move to New Zealand. I just took the night off - I didn't have a lot to report and I was more interested in finishing my book! For those of you who haven't known me for very long - I have a little bit of a reading "problem" that often intensifies if I'm within fifty pages of the end of the book.
Anyway, you're not here to check in about my reading (or are you...?) so I'll let you know that Kurtis is doing FANTASTIC. He has been moving around a lot more the past few days which is really great. He's now able to get up a lot faster as well as walk while carrying things with ease. It's great! Tomorrow afternoon he has his first PT appointment and I am really excited to see how he improves once someone who knows what they are doing can work with him. Just a week ago he was still pretty dazed from BRAIN SURGERY and now... wow. So many people, including myself, misuse the word "awesome" when we really mean "that is cooler than the last mildly cool thing I saw/experienced/etc." - but this, in every true meaning of the word is awesome. Kurtis really is a superhero! Sorry ladies, he's mine (and Kurtis, when you read this - I love you!).
When Kurtis is sick, for some reason, he takes to watching a massive amount of HGTV. This is bad. I suddenly become a crazed monster who wants to paint, refinish, knock down walls, buy new furniture, and whatever other things you can add to your list. The main problem (besides the fact that we don't have the money for a full-house makeover...haha) is that I am just this side of "not skilled" when it comes to doing any of those things. Except painting. Pretty hysterical. In all seriousness though - at least all the shows are good and it gets the mind working!
I'm thankful that we're not in school right now as I've been spending a lot of time trying to get everything organized and deep cleaned. For those of you who know me, this should be a pretty amusing image. Although, I am proud to share that I only got into one fight with our dishwasher today, and our washer didn't take off into space (although, I think it was on its way), so that's a plus. I've said this before, but I'm also thankful that we've done this before. When we started this journey in the fall of 2010, we didn't know anything which was really scary. Now, it's just a matter of getting everything in place. Thank you to all of you who have been so kind to visit - bring dinner - snacks - hugs. The support means so much to both of us <3
Tonight, our super awesome neighbors came over and brought dinner. We had a great visit with them and it is so nice to live next to such great people. When they moved into their house in the fall, we were really excited that people our age moved in and it's been so great to have friends right next door :)
It's been hot in Fort Collins the past few days, and we've been having some random rain and wind storms. Today, I thought we were going to get a really nice rain so I opened the windows to get the smell to Kurtis. It rained for literally a minute thirty and then it was done. Meanwhile, we've been having wind attacks around 4 am. Silly weather! Now we're just enjoying the evening and thankful that the Rockies are now playing the Padres so they have a shot at winning. :)
More tomorrow!
Lots of love :)
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Pile of Rocks
Hi :)
Well. Today has been more of a "usual" Saturday than last Saturday, so that is a definite plus. The sun has just about finished setting in Fort Collins and I find myself sitting in a dog-hair covered chair watching the Rockies play less than stellar baseball. Pretty dang normal!
Last night around 4 am, we had a crazy wind attack that not only freaked out Chauncey but made our wind chimes sound like Beethoven's Fifth. On the list of things that I like to do at four AM there aren't very many things, and dragging myself out of bed to stop the symphony is not really one of them. Chauncey took this opportunity to take my spot in the bed which he only relinquished under protest. I am the evil dictator of the bed - the scary, crazed dictator that lets the dog back on the bed after I can get back in. :) Eventful start to the morning to stay the least!
Once Chauncey and I got up for real we hung out downstairs and outside, pulling some weeds and sorting through a few things. On a scale of not productive to productive we were definitely not. All of which, I am sure you really wanted to know. I mean, isn't that why you read this? To find out what I do between 7 AM and 9 AM in the summer when I'm not at work? IT'S EXCITING PEOPLE! I mean, I don't really understand why the reality show people aren't banging down the door right now because the Kardashians have nothing on Chauncey.
ANYWAY.
We had a great visit with good friends today from Kurtis' hometown - his forever friend, Ryan and Ryan's sister Nicole. It's always good to have people stopping by, and since Ryan moved back to Holyoke, we haven't gotten to see him very much. We both enjoyed getting to catch up - and Kurtis and Ryan particularly enjoyed remembering haircuts and chicken coops from their childhood :) They were bonusly cool (Google's red line says "bonusly" is not a word. I'm pretty sure it's not. I'm using it anyway because I feel like it.) and took me to the rock store in Ryan's truck so I can finish(ish) our backyard.
Kurtis' color and movement continues to improve. Today we went for a walk in the neighborhood and Kurtis came outside to help teach Chauncey how to "swim". For Chauncey "swimming" is not only terrifying, but he acts as if we are asking him to step his feet into a plastic pool of acid. The water in his pool is about five inches deep right now and it takes a lot of coaxing from us to get him to attempt to dip a paw into the "terrible" water. It was nice to see Kurtis out on the deck for a little while and I can't wait to see how well he is doing in a week!! He really is a superhero!
Yesterday, Kurtis and I were talking about the fact that the brain people have told him that he can't play golf for a little while. He is quite disappointed about that, which I completely understand. I told him that once he's better that we can go on a trip to somewhere cool and play golf. Let me know if you've been somewhere warm and excellent that you'd recommend (that includes you, Mom and Dad!).
Tomorrow is another rest day as we gear up. We should be home pretty much all day so if you'd like to drop by, just shoot me a text message to make sure that K is feeling up to it.
Hope everyone is having an excellent day - more soon!
Love!
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Well. Today has been more of a "usual" Saturday than last Saturday, so that is a definite plus. The sun has just about finished setting in Fort Collins and I find myself sitting in a dog-hair covered chair watching the Rockies play less than stellar baseball. Pretty dang normal!
Last night around 4 am, we had a crazy wind attack that not only freaked out Chauncey but made our wind chimes sound like Beethoven's Fifth. On the list of things that I like to do at four AM there aren't very many things, and dragging myself out of bed to stop the symphony is not really one of them. Chauncey took this opportunity to take my spot in the bed which he only relinquished under protest. I am the evil dictator of the bed - the scary, crazed dictator that lets the dog back on the bed after I can get back in. :) Eventful start to the morning to stay the least!
Once Chauncey and I got up for real we hung out downstairs and outside, pulling some weeds and sorting through a few things. On a scale of not productive to productive we were definitely not. All of which, I am sure you really wanted to know. I mean, isn't that why you read this? To find out what I do between 7 AM and 9 AM in the summer when I'm not at work? IT'S EXCITING PEOPLE! I mean, I don't really understand why the reality show people aren't banging down the door right now because the Kardashians have nothing on Chauncey.
ANYWAY.
We had a great visit with good friends today from Kurtis' hometown - his forever friend, Ryan and Ryan's sister Nicole. It's always good to have people stopping by, and since Ryan moved back to Holyoke, we haven't gotten to see him very much. We both enjoyed getting to catch up - and Kurtis and Ryan particularly enjoyed remembering haircuts and chicken coops from their childhood :) They were bonusly cool (Google's red line says "bonusly" is not a word. I'm pretty sure it's not. I'm using it anyway because I feel like it.) and took me to the rock store in Ryan's truck so I can finish(ish) our backyard.
Kurtis' color and movement continues to improve. Today we went for a walk in the neighborhood and Kurtis came outside to help teach Chauncey how to "swim". For Chauncey "swimming" is not only terrifying, but he acts as if we are asking him to step his feet into a plastic pool of acid. The water in his pool is about five inches deep right now and it takes a lot of coaxing from us to get him to attempt to dip a paw into the "terrible" water. It was nice to see Kurtis out on the deck for a little while and I can't wait to see how well he is doing in a week!! He really is a superhero!
Yesterday, Kurtis and I were talking about the fact that the brain people have told him that he can't play golf for a little while. He is quite disappointed about that, which I completely understand. I told him that once he's better that we can go on a trip to somewhere cool and play golf. Let me know if you've been somewhere warm and excellent that you'd recommend (that includes you, Mom and Dad!).
Tomorrow is another rest day as we gear up. We should be home pretty much all day so if you'd like to drop by, just shoot me a text message to make sure that K is feeling up to it.
Hope everyone is having an excellent day - more soon!
Love!
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Friday, July 5, 2013
One Day at a Time
Good Evening :)
Today's update probably won't be as in-depth as the more recent ones, simply because we were able to relax a little bit today which was a gift. Chauncey and I woke up fairly early and spent some time curled up on the couch catching up and news, watching sportscenter, and browsing the internet. I was happy that Kurtis had the chance to sleep in before we headed over to the first post-crainiotomy appointment.
The thing about cancer is that along with the battle against the cancer, there are also approximately 3 gazillion appointments to go to. For what feels like, everything...
Today we visited the surgeon that will be putting Kurtis' port in. He's a jolly South African fellow that we really like, so even though the circumstances aren't ideal, we enjoyed getting to see him this morning. More interesting that is that Kurtis had his first set of walking "obstacles":
-curb without rail
-awkward concrete ramp with large cracks
-squishy doormat
-raised door threshold
Amazing what you notice about the world when your circumstances have changed! He did a great job and was able to navigate them without any issues! Can I get an amen?
Kurtis has a PT appointment for next week (Tuesday) - that should help him regain his balance and walking skills. Surgery for the port will be Wednesday afternoon and take about an hour total. On Thursday, he'll start chemo and be on the road to kicking this stuff to the curb :)
Today we had some visitors - a herd of students (and their parents!) with books for Kurtis, chocolate, and lemon poundcake (thank you!) as well as one of our other HS teachers with an outstanding meal (thank you!!). We really appreciate things like that as not having to cook and clean up dinner today gave me some time to sit on the deck with an Easy Street and play my uke. Some much needed down time made possible by some outstanding people. <3
If you'd like to visit at all the next few days, just shoot me a text and I'll make sure Kurtis is feeling up to it. Chauncey loves it more than anyone I think - haha. Thank you for your continued love, support, hugs, emails, notes, etc. We really appreciate it :)
All our love!
Liz, Kurtis, and the crazy pup
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Today's update probably won't be as in-depth as the more recent ones, simply because we were able to relax a little bit today which was a gift. Chauncey and I woke up fairly early and spent some time curled up on the couch catching up and news, watching sportscenter, and browsing the internet. I was happy that Kurtis had the chance to sleep in before we headed over to the first post-crainiotomy appointment.
The thing about cancer is that along with the battle against the cancer, there are also approximately 3 gazillion appointments to go to. For what feels like, everything...
Today we visited the surgeon that will be putting Kurtis' port in. He's a jolly South African fellow that we really like, so even though the circumstances aren't ideal, we enjoyed getting to see him this morning. More interesting that is that Kurtis had his first set of walking "obstacles":
-curb without rail
-awkward concrete ramp with large cracks
-squishy doormat
-raised door threshold
Amazing what you notice about the world when your circumstances have changed! He did a great job and was able to navigate them without any issues! Can I get an amen?
Kurtis has a PT appointment for next week (Tuesday) - that should help him regain his balance and walking skills. Surgery for the port will be Wednesday afternoon and take about an hour total. On Thursday, he'll start chemo and be on the road to kicking this stuff to the curb :)
Today we had some visitors - a herd of students (and their parents!) with books for Kurtis, chocolate, and lemon poundcake (thank you!) as well as one of our other HS teachers with an outstanding meal (thank you!!). We really appreciate things like that as not having to cook and clean up dinner today gave me some time to sit on the deck with an Easy Street and play my uke. Some much needed down time made possible by some outstanding people. <3
If you'd like to visit at all the next few days, just shoot me a text and I'll make sure Kurtis is feeling up to it. Chauncey loves it more than anyone I think - haha. Thank you for your continued love, support, hugs, emails, notes, etc. We really appreciate it :)
All our love!
Liz, Kurtis, and the crazy pup
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Thursday, July 4, 2013
No Place Like Home
Happy Fourth!
We are currently celebrating by watching Sportscenter and listening to some random people in our neighborhood shoot off a few fireworks every five minutes or so. Chauncey thinks that we're in a warzone and wouldn't go out to pee. Really eventful in the Melahn-Huss home tonight.
Even though we're not BBQing and watching fireworks or wearing ridiculous star spangled outfits both of us, as well as the yellow dog, are more than thrilled to be home. "Hospital time" has to be one of my personal least favorite things about this whole cancer-destruction activity. There are clocks in every room, but at the hospital apparently everyone is worse than I am at reading clocks. My parents and Kurtis can tell you that this is a real insult because by the time I can figure out what the analog clock says, the time is no longer correct. In my classroom, students will ask me what time we get out and I'll say something like "at the four"...yea, winner right here. ANYWAY.
Yesterday: "Looking forward to getting you out in the morning"
Today: "Can't wait to get you out this morning"
Us leaving - 3 PM. Um...? Last time I checked that was not the morning.
It was a long morning. As I think I've said, waiting is the hardest part and that doesn't just mean for tests or appointments. The waiting in general can be surprisingly exhausting and when you're waiting to go home, it's even worse. After a quick stop for a frosty, we headed home where Chauncey greeted us with his patented squeal-cry-n-bite. Our fridge was full of groceries and treats thanks to Kurtis' cousin Eric's family and my might-as-well-be-twin Chelsea (as well as some really excellent balloons!!). Thank you!
Kurtis spent the evening where he should be - on the couch resting. I watered our slightly suffering grass and pulled approximately three weeds (an outstanding start...), made some dinner and made sure that Kurtis had clear paths to walk. He is doing incredibly well walking around and hasn't needed any support. Until he is a little more stable, I'll continue to follow him around like a little shadow just in case he ever gets woozy mid jaunt to the kitchen, bathroom, etc. Today he was able to tackle the stairs on his own which still amazes me.
Tomorrow, the shower chair that the PT people wanted us to get (just in case - apparently showers can be problematic due to the temperature change and blood pressure and a bunch of anatomyish stuff that I don't get) will be here tomorrow. This is not important for you to know, but I did want to share that I find it highly amusing that after ordering it on Amazon yesterday, all of the ads on my facebook are for shower chairs, shower benches etc. Like I'm going to start a collection of them. "Oh, do you have this in orange? I have the red and blue striped one, but I'm really looking for the orange one". I mean, really?
We'll head to meet the surgeon tomorrow to go over the port placement that will happen next Wednesday and start looking for a PT to work with Kurtis on improving his stability, etc. If you have suggestions, let us know!! Please! :)
I started a facebook group today so that if you want to be informed via facebook you can - search for: Warrior Kurtis Cancer Smash and you should be able to come up with it. My facebook will go back to normal and I'll be posting all of the links, pictures, etc. in the group for those who are interested.
Thank you for the continued messages of support, it means a lot to both of us.
More tomorrow -
Love, Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncinator
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
We are currently celebrating by watching Sportscenter and listening to some random people in our neighborhood shoot off a few fireworks every five minutes or so. Chauncey thinks that we're in a warzone and wouldn't go out to pee. Really eventful in the Melahn-Huss home tonight.
Even though we're not BBQing and watching fireworks or wearing ridiculous star spangled outfits both of us, as well as the yellow dog, are more than thrilled to be home. "Hospital time" has to be one of my personal least favorite things about this whole cancer-destruction activity. There are clocks in every room, but at the hospital apparently everyone is worse than I am at reading clocks. My parents and Kurtis can tell you that this is a real insult because by the time I can figure out what the analog clock says, the time is no longer correct. In my classroom, students will ask me what time we get out and I'll say something like "at the four"...yea, winner right here. ANYWAY.
Yesterday: "Looking forward to getting you out in the morning"
Today: "Can't wait to get you out this morning"
Us leaving - 3 PM. Um...? Last time I checked that was not the morning.
It was a long morning. As I think I've said, waiting is the hardest part and that doesn't just mean for tests or appointments. The waiting in general can be surprisingly exhausting and when you're waiting to go home, it's even worse. After a quick stop for a frosty, we headed home where Chauncey greeted us with his patented squeal-cry-n-bite. Our fridge was full of groceries and treats thanks to Kurtis' cousin Eric's family and my might-as-well-be-twin Chelsea (as well as some really excellent balloons!!). Thank you!
Kurtis spent the evening where he should be - on the couch resting. I watered our slightly suffering grass and pulled approximately three weeds (an outstanding start...), made some dinner and made sure that Kurtis had clear paths to walk. He is doing incredibly well walking around and hasn't needed any support. Until he is a little more stable, I'll continue to follow him around like a little shadow just in case he ever gets woozy mid jaunt to the kitchen, bathroom, etc. Today he was able to tackle the stairs on his own which still amazes me.
Tomorrow, the shower chair that the PT people wanted us to get (just in case - apparently showers can be problematic due to the temperature change and blood pressure and a bunch of anatomyish stuff that I don't get) will be here tomorrow. This is not important for you to know, but I did want to share that I find it highly amusing that after ordering it on Amazon yesterday, all of the ads on my facebook are for shower chairs, shower benches etc. Like I'm going to start a collection of them. "Oh, do you have this in orange? I have the red and blue striped one, but I'm really looking for the orange one". I mean, really?
We'll head to meet the surgeon tomorrow to go over the port placement that will happen next Wednesday and start looking for a PT to work with Kurtis on improving his stability, etc. If you have suggestions, let us know!! Please! :)
I started a facebook group today so that if you want to be informed via facebook you can - search for: Warrior Kurtis Cancer Smash and you should be able to come up with it. My facebook will go back to normal and I'll be posting all of the links, pictures, etc. in the group for those who are interested.
Thank you for the continued messages of support, it means a lot to both of us.
More tomorrow -
Love, Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncinator
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Leaving the Hospital Eve
Hello :)
We're at the point now where I have started to put things in perspective as far as time. When you first face a medical crisis, as many of you know, time sort of moves (or stands still) without much consent or personal awareness. However, as things have started to calm down, it is a lot easier to realize that we've been at this a week already. Oh, how time can fly. A week ago, Kurtis was suffering from severe headaches and a little bit of dizziness. Today, he's back to his normal self with no headaches, and we are headed out tomorrow (hopefully in the morning!).
Today was fairly uneventful here at MCR. Several of the doctors came in and checked on Kurtis' progress and all felt like he was doing well. One from the neuro group came in and removed his extremely fashion-forward head wrap and we, well....I, saw the incisions for the first time and both are looking good. One is about two inches long and the other about three inches long - both are closed with staples (he has about 20 staples total). The occupational therapy people came by as well and Kurtis went for a walk and she did some "testing" to make sure that he was ready to go home. This was fun to watch because I think he's doing really well! He was able to pick up items off of the floor, walk with a glass of water, open and close cabinets and the fridge, walk at a fast pace, and stop on command. I still can't express my complete and utter surprise that he was having brain surgery on Monday and today he's doing all the things he is doing.
I expressed this to him earlier today. His response? "When are you going to figure out I'm an f-ing superhero?" Love it.
We also had some wonderful visits today! Childhood friend, staff from school, and a few students! It makes the hospital a lot more enjoyable for both of us :)
Tomorrow we're hopefully headed home in the morning which we are really, really, looking forward to. It will be nice to be in our own house with our pup! So - we're taking in a few last looks at our "high rise".
Many of you asked about helping before and I posted a blog earlier today (called Help!) so if you are interested, check it out! The thing I need the most help with right now is groceries for tomorrow. I have a list up on Lotsahelpinghands, but I am supposed to be with Kurtis 24 hrs a day for a bit to make sure that everything is going okay with his head. I don't feel like dragging him to the grocery store, stuffing him inside one of those little kid racecar carts, crashing into multiple displays, and eventually coming home with like three broken cucumbers is really my best option. I mean really. I can't even push the cart on my own with a success rate of more than like 20% so....yea. I know tomorrow is the fourth, but if you happen to be going anyway it would be a huge help! :)
A few medical things on the horizon:
Friday - Meet with surgeon for port placement (click here to see one). The port is how the chemo goes in and makes everything a lot simpler.
Wednesday - Surgery to place the port at PVH. Should take about twenty minutes. Kurtis has done this before and not a big deal. Not after brain surgery! :)
Thursday - Begin chemo
Other than that, not a lot to report! We had Old C's for lunch and Kurtis was happy to be "off" the really lovely hospital menu.
Lots of love!
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
We're at the point now where I have started to put things in perspective as far as time. When you first face a medical crisis, as many of you know, time sort of moves (or stands still) without much consent or personal awareness. However, as things have started to calm down, it is a lot easier to realize that we've been at this a week already. Oh, how time can fly. A week ago, Kurtis was suffering from severe headaches and a little bit of dizziness. Today, he's back to his normal self with no headaches, and we are headed out tomorrow (hopefully in the morning!).
Today was fairly uneventful here at MCR. Several of the doctors came in and checked on Kurtis' progress and all felt like he was doing well. One from the neuro group came in and removed his extremely fashion-forward head wrap and we, well....I, saw the incisions for the first time and both are looking good. One is about two inches long and the other about three inches long - both are closed with staples (he has about 20 staples total). The occupational therapy people came by as well and Kurtis went for a walk and she did some "testing" to make sure that he was ready to go home. This was fun to watch because I think he's doing really well! He was able to pick up items off of the floor, walk with a glass of water, open and close cabinets and the fridge, walk at a fast pace, and stop on command. I still can't express my complete and utter surprise that he was having brain surgery on Monday and today he's doing all the things he is doing.
I expressed this to him earlier today. His response? "When are you going to figure out I'm an f-ing superhero?" Love it.
We also had some wonderful visits today! Childhood friend, staff from school, and a few students! It makes the hospital a lot more enjoyable for both of us :)
Tomorrow we're hopefully headed home in the morning which we are really, really, looking forward to. It will be nice to be in our own house with our pup! So - we're taking in a few last looks at our "high rise".
Many of you asked about helping before and I posted a blog earlier today (called Help!) so if you are interested, check it out! The thing I need the most help with right now is groceries for tomorrow. I have a list up on Lotsahelpinghands, but I am supposed to be with Kurtis 24 hrs a day for a bit to make sure that everything is going okay with his head. I don't feel like dragging him to the grocery store, stuffing him inside one of those little kid racecar carts, crashing into multiple displays, and eventually coming home with like three broken cucumbers is really my best option. I mean really. I can't even push the cart on my own with a success rate of more than like 20% so....yea. I know tomorrow is the fourth, but if you happen to be going anyway it would be a huge help! :)
A few medical things on the horizon:
Friday - Meet with surgeon for port placement (click here to see one). The port is how the chemo goes in and makes everything a lot simpler.
Wednesday - Surgery to place the port at PVH. Should take about twenty minutes. Kurtis has done this before and not a big deal. Not after brain surgery! :)
Thursday - Begin chemo
Other than that, not a lot to report! We had Old C's for lunch and Kurtis was happy to be "off" the really lovely hospital menu.
Lots of love!
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
-Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
-GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
-LotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Help time!
Greetings!
Many of you have been calling, texting, emailing, facebooking, etc. asking about how you can help...and I promised I'd ask when I knew what was going on...so here we go!
We learned last time about a website called "lotsahelpinghands" that helps us coordinate what we need - meals, help with house, etc. It has a calendar where you can log-in and sign up for different things if you would like to. Once someone has signed up, it will show up on the calendar so that we don't have multiple people on the same day. All of the information about everything else will be here still (I think there are some weird little other tabs...all you need to check out is the calendar)...so check here for updates!
In order to get into this "community" you'll need to go through a simple log-in process and "request" to become a member of the community. Here are the instructions:
1. Go to this website: https://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/
2. Click "Find a Community" (top bar on the right side)
3. Enter the following group ID number: 632922
4. Click "Join the Community"
5. Enter your information
6. Wait for approval
7. Come back in and log-in normally
We've got some dinner help up as of now, other things may be added as we need them.
Thank you!
Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtisLotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Many of you have been calling, texting, emailing, facebooking, etc. asking about how you can help...and I promised I'd ask when I knew what was going on...so here we go!
We learned last time about a website called "lotsahelpinghands" that helps us coordinate what we need - meals, help with house, etc. It has a calendar where you can log-in and sign up for different things if you would like to. Once someone has signed up, it will show up on the calendar so that we don't have multiple people on the same day. All of the information about everything else will be here still (I think there are some weird little other tabs...all you need to check out is the calendar)...so check here for updates!
In order to get into this "community" you'll need to go through a simple log-in process and "request" to become a member of the community. Here are the instructions:
1. Go to this website: https://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/
2. Click "Find a Community" (top bar on the right side)
3. Enter the following group ID number: 632922
4. Click "Join the Community"
5. Enter your information
6. Wait for approval
7. Come back in and log-in normally
We've got some dinner help up as of now, other things may be added as we need them.
Thank you!
Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtisLotsahelpinghandsID: 632922
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
One Day Past Craniotomy
Good Evening!
I really do look forward to updating you all on Kurtis' progress daily. We are so thankful to have each of you in our lives and I love how easy it is to keep everyone in the loop.
I'm sure you're anxiously awaiting information about what Kurtis' first day post-brain surgery was like...so here we go!
First off - think about what you would imagine the day after a craniotomy would be like. Now scrap that...crumple it up, throw it in the trash. Kurtis was quite awake when we started our day at 5:30. The doctors started to come in around 6:30 and around 8 he was taken off to the MRI. I thought that he'd be pretty tired after the MRI, but he returned even more chipper than when he left! I was astounded. He apparently fell asleep in the MRI so he got some sleep (we're pretty tired to be honest...) which made him feel better. Not too long after that, the PT folks had him out of bed and walking down the hall.
I still can't believe that less than 24 hours after brain surgery, Kurtis is walking around like almost nothing happened. Absolutely crazy.
He also was able to eat so he upgraded from ice chips and water to a banana, yogurt, fruit, and lemonade. Not too long after that, we were sent to our new room (4th floor!) so we're spending the next few days in a quieter place which is awesome. Kurtis had some dinner. I had some dinner. We're watching the Rockies now and hoping that the pick it up a little (5-0 LA in the top of the fourth). Tomorrow, I'll take Chauncey to 'camp' for the day which should be really fun for him...he's been alone a lot lately and it will be good for him to get to play with other dogs :)
We're hoping Kurtis will get out on Thursday, but it could be Friday. He thinks he'll be up for visitors tomorrow, so if you would like to drop by, shoot me an email or a text message (970.232.5268) and I'll let you know how he's feeling.
Thanks for your continued love and support :)
More tomorrow!
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
I really do look forward to updating you all on Kurtis' progress daily. We are so thankful to have each of you in our lives and I love how easy it is to keep everyone in the loop.
I'm sure you're anxiously awaiting information about what Kurtis' first day post-brain surgery was like...so here we go!
First off - think about what you would imagine the day after a craniotomy would be like. Now scrap that...crumple it up, throw it in the trash. Kurtis was quite awake when we started our day at 5:30. The doctors started to come in around 6:30 and around 8 he was taken off to the MRI. I thought that he'd be pretty tired after the MRI, but he returned even more chipper than when he left! I was astounded. He apparently fell asleep in the MRI so he got some sleep (we're pretty tired to be honest...) which made him feel better. Not too long after that, the PT folks had him out of bed and walking down the hall.
I still can't believe that less than 24 hours after brain surgery, Kurtis is walking around like almost nothing happened. Absolutely crazy.
He also was able to eat so he upgraded from ice chips and water to a banana, yogurt, fruit, and lemonade. Not too long after that, we were sent to our new room (4th floor!) so we're spending the next few days in a quieter place which is awesome. Kurtis had some dinner. I had some dinner. We're watching the Rockies now and hoping that the pick it up a little (5-0 LA in the top of the fourth). Tomorrow, I'll take Chauncey to 'camp' for the day which should be really fun for him...he's been alone a lot lately and it will be good for him to get to play with other dogs :)
We're hoping Kurtis will get out on Thursday, but it could be Friday. He thinks he'll be up for visitors tomorrow, so if you would like to drop by, shoot me an email or a text message (970.232.5268) and I'll let you know how he's feeling.
Thanks for your continued love and support :)
More tomorrow!
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
Monday, July 1, 2013
Brain Surgery: The Complete Overview
Hello there!
I am finally sitting down and getting a chance to update you on the goings on of today. It was, as you might imagine with brain surgery, a very busy day for all here. However, things have quieted down and Kurtis is resting comfortably and I have a cup of chai, so all is right with the world.
This morning, we were expecting to have a super early morning wake up where Kurtis would be whisked away at around 6:30 for an MRI and then begin surgery at around 9. Once the clock had made it's way to 7:15 or so, we found out that the surgery had been moved forward to 11:30. Thankfully, it didn't get pushed again. The Rockies posted a special get well for Kurtis on their instagram: http://instagram.com/p/bOeEf6x-y1/ which was very cool :) Things like this, along with the lantern letters from all of you make such a great impact.
I was really pleased to get to travel with Kurtis to his MRI. Once we were down there, the neuro surgeon shaved a bunch of small spots on his head so that he could stick these small sage green donut things to his head. He should probably not be a hairdresser (unless it is for some star who has gone off the deep end or something...). I learned that the small donut things help to make a 3D MRI picture that the surgeon would use for the surgery. Kurtis wore them in the MRI today - along with the special helmet packed with pads so he couldn't move. The MRI turned out great and we were then herded to pre-op.
Pre-op is not my favorite place, I won't lie. From my eyes it's the beginning of surgery, so I start to get really nervous and feel a slight sense of panic in my belly. I have to fight it back down with my brain, using the mantra "I am good at my job. Surgeons are good at their job." which usually works well enough to remain calm. There are multiple nurses plus the anesthesiologist roaming and flitting around and I usually find the best way to get into their way. Skillzzzz, right? Right. Anyway, they were all very kind and after Kurtis repeated his name and date of birth about a hundred times, we said goodbye and he was rolled away to surgery.
We went to the waiting room.
It was supposed to be an uneventful few hours in which I told myself I would get work done for school, and I did. For about the first twenty minutes at which point, I (along with everyone else in the hospital) was met with the blares and flashes of the fire alarm. I sat in shock not sure if I should pack up and get out or...?
The volunteers came over and let us know that the issue was on floor five (we were on two) and that we were okay. The sound continued for several minutes and the blinding flashing light for another several minutes. All in all, a really enjoyable seven minutes of my life. Seriously, who doesn't want their husband to be having brain surgery during a fire alarm? Kurtis' parents, sister, my mom, my dad anxiously awaiting by text, my grandparents, and I had a lovely time passing the hours. Reading, writing, watching TV, playing games, and...waiting. Waiting is the hardest part of this whole 'activity'.
After a few updates and several hours of waiting, Kurtis was taken out of surgery and up to the ICU. We met with the surgeon who said he did great and told us that the pathologist thinks, at first look, that the tumors are indeed consistent with germ-cell which means that it is what they thought it was, his testicular cancer. For those of you who are "new" cancer or haven't really experienced it much first hand, one of the first things that we learned was that just because cancer is somewhere (the brain in this case) does not mean that that is the type of cancer - i.e., Kurtis doesn't have "brain" cancer, but rather testicular cancer that is IN his brain. A little bit confusing, but important. Different kinds of cancers are treated with different types of chemo, radiation, etc.
At first glance, seeing Kurtis after surgery was a little bit scary. His head is currently wrapped up in a big bandage and when I first came into the room, he had on a big oxygen mask...add a bunch of IV type tubing, hospital socks, the fashion forward hospital gown, and lots of blankets, it was a little surreal. However, he looks great once you can get past that first glance. In pre-op, they told us that Kurtis may have some swelling on his face from laying face down for several hours, but he looks great. His eyes are open (when he opens them...) and he is talking, moving a little bit, and drinking water. Currently, he's still a little drugged up, so he's actually quite the stand up comic. Here are a few gems from tonight:
K: "How much ice is left?"
L: "About half of the cup."
K: "Good. I'm going to eat it all before they come take it away"
L: " Wow, you are really chomping on that ice"
K: "I have no brain left to freeze"
Glad to have him back! :) Right now he's chowing down on ice and water...not moving a whole lot...but doing great. The machines are whirring and beeping in their slightly out-of-tune song that I've learned to love as the "getting better noise".
Tomorrow, Kurtis will have another MRI and we may be in the ICU or in another room back on the neuro floor depending on how well he is doing. Once he's up to seeing visitors again, I will let you know. We'd love to see anyone if you'd like to see us!
Being in the ICU is not my favorite place as there are a lot of sick and injured people here - please throw up some good vibes, love, prayers, or whatever your cup of tea is to those folks around us who are in bad shape. They need some love too.
I think that's all for tonight. Big day. Step one in cancer 2.0. I still can't express how much the outpouring of love means to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you for checking on us and keeping us in your hearts. Cancer is a fickle, nasty, little beast who is about to learn that it's time to take his toys and go home.
All our love,
Liz, Kurtis, and (of course) Chauncey
Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
I am finally sitting down and getting a chance to update you on the goings on of today. It was, as you might imagine with brain surgery, a very busy day for all here. However, things have quieted down and Kurtis is resting comfortably and I have a cup of chai, so all is right with the world.
This morning, we were expecting to have a super early morning wake up where Kurtis would be whisked away at around 6:30 for an MRI and then begin surgery at around 9. Once the clock had made it's way to 7:15 or so, we found out that the surgery had been moved forward to 11:30. Thankfully, it didn't get pushed again. The Rockies posted a special get well for Kurtis on their instagram: http://instagram.com/p/bOeEf6x-y1/ which was very cool :) Things like this, along with the lantern letters from all of you make such a great impact.
I was really pleased to get to travel with Kurtis to his MRI. Once we were down there, the neuro surgeon shaved a bunch of small spots on his head so that he could stick these small sage green donut things to his head. He should probably not be a hairdresser (unless it is for some star who has gone off the deep end or something...). I learned that the small donut things help to make a 3D MRI picture that the surgeon would use for the surgery. Kurtis wore them in the MRI today - along with the special helmet packed with pads so he couldn't move. The MRI turned out great and we were then herded to pre-op.
Pre-op is not my favorite place, I won't lie. From my eyes it's the beginning of surgery, so I start to get really nervous and feel a slight sense of panic in my belly. I have to fight it back down with my brain, using the mantra "I am good at my job. Surgeons are good at their job." which usually works well enough to remain calm. There are multiple nurses plus the anesthesiologist roaming and flitting around and I usually find the best way to get into their way. Skillzzzz, right? Right. Anyway, they were all very kind and after Kurtis repeated his name and date of birth about a hundred times, we said goodbye and he was rolled away to surgery.
We went to the waiting room.
It was supposed to be an uneventful few hours in which I told myself I would get work done for school, and I did. For about the first twenty minutes at which point, I (along with everyone else in the hospital) was met with the blares and flashes of the fire alarm. I sat in shock not sure if I should pack up and get out or...?
The volunteers came over and let us know that the issue was on floor five (we were on two) and that we were okay. The sound continued for several minutes and the blinding flashing light for another several minutes. All in all, a really enjoyable seven minutes of my life. Seriously, who doesn't want their husband to be having brain surgery during a fire alarm? Kurtis' parents, sister, my mom, my dad anxiously awaiting by text, my grandparents, and I had a lovely time passing the hours. Reading, writing, watching TV, playing games, and...waiting. Waiting is the hardest part of this whole 'activity'.
After a few updates and several hours of waiting, Kurtis was taken out of surgery and up to the ICU. We met with the surgeon who said he did great and told us that the pathologist thinks, at first look, that the tumors are indeed consistent with germ-cell which means that it is what they thought it was, his testicular cancer. For those of you who are "new" cancer or haven't really experienced it much first hand, one of the first things that we learned was that just because cancer is somewhere (the brain in this case) does not mean that that is the type of cancer - i.e., Kurtis doesn't have "brain" cancer, but rather testicular cancer that is IN his brain. A little bit confusing, but important. Different kinds of cancers are treated with different types of chemo, radiation, etc.
At first glance, seeing Kurtis after surgery was a little bit scary. His head is currently wrapped up in a big bandage and when I first came into the room, he had on a big oxygen mask...add a bunch of IV type tubing, hospital socks, the fashion forward hospital gown, and lots of blankets, it was a little surreal. However, he looks great once you can get past that first glance. In pre-op, they told us that Kurtis may have some swelling on his face from laying face down for several hours, but he looks great. His eyes are open (when he opens them...) and he is talking, moving a little bit, and drinking water. Currently, he's still a little drugged up, so he's actually quite the stand up comic. Here are a few gems from tonight:
K: "How much ice is left?"
L: "About half of the cup."
K: "Good. I'm going to eat it all before they come take it away"
L: " Wow, you are really chomping on that ice"
K: "I have no brain left to freeze"
Glad to have him back! :) Right now he's chowing down on ice and water...not moving a whole lot...but doing great. The machines are whirring and beeping in their slightly out-of-tune song that I've learned to love as the "getting better noise".
Tomorrow, Kurtis will have another MRI and we may be in the ICU or in another room back on the neuro floor depending on how well he is doing. Once he's up to seeing visitors again, I will let you know. We'd love to see anyone if you'd like to see us!
Being in the ICU is not my favorite place as there are a lot of sick and injured people here - please throw up some good vibes, love, prayers, or whatever your cup of tea is to those folks around us who are in bad shape. They need some love too.
I think that's all for tonight. Big day. Step one in cancer 2.0. I still can't express how much the outpouring of love means to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you for checking on us and keeping us in your hearts. Cancer is a fickle, nasty, little beast who is about to learn that it's time to take his toys and go home.
All our love,
Liz, Kurtis, and (of course) Chauncey
Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
Brain Dig Complete!
Kurtis is out of surgery and it went well met with the doc a few minutes ago and waiting to see him. More later :)
Liz
Liz
Brain Surgery Started!
Hello!
They took Kurtis back a few minutes ago. The nurses are very nice and we know that he'll be just fine. I'll post updates as we hear them :)
Liz
They took Kurtis back a few minutes ago. The nurses are very nice and we know that he'll be just fine. I'll post updates as we hear them :)
Liz
Surgery Moved
Greetings -
We just found out that Kurtis' surgery has been moved to 11:30 this morning. Nothing wrong with him - a trauma case most likely came in and bumped him :) More updates later.
Liz
Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
We just found out that Kurtis' surgery has been moved to 11:30 this morning. Nothing wrong with him - a trauma case most likely came in and bumped him :) More updates later.
Liz
Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
Sunday, June 30, 2013
On the Eve of the Brain Dig
Hello!
I want to start out by writing that Kurtis and I are blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by the love and care of so many wonderful people (which, if you are reading this includes you) and the outpouring of support from so many of you has been uplifting and incredibly meaningful. Thank you for taking the time to write notes, text messages, donate money, share things with others who want/need to know, visiting, hugs, etc. etc. etc. Each of those small things act as a lantern and when we are able to hang all of those lanterns in the tunnel we're standing in right now, it is possible to see the end. I don't have, and I don't think I will ever have, the words that are right for expressing the gratitude that we both feel for all of those 'lanterns' - so think of the best words you can and then multiply that by the biggest number you can think of and that will put you somewhere close.
So, tomorrow is the brain dig. We're both a little rattled if I'm being honest, but I don't think that we would be human if we weren't. Kurtis' surgery has been moved up to 9am (due to neuro cancellations - not emergency status - stop freaking out) which we are pleased about so we don't have to wait around all day. Here is a quick rundown of what will be happening tomorrow:
=Before 9...probably around 630...Kurtis will be taken for an MRI to make sure that the computer and surgeon know where to go
=9 am...surgery begins
=1-2pm...surgery should be completed
After surgery, Kurtis will go to the ICU for a few days most likely and then we'll come back to the Neuro unit. The surgery plan has changed a little bit, so if you want to know about that keep reading...otherwise jump down a paragraph. There are about five tumors in Kurtis' brain right now. Three are in a club by the cerebellum on the right side, one is on the cerebellum on the left side, and one is "on his brain" on the left side. As of this moment, the plan is to remove the clump as well as the tumor "on his brain". The tumor on the left side cerebellum is very small and buried a little bit more so they will use pinpoint radiation to zap the hell out of that little thing. I know that it sounds really scary, but the surgeon is top notch and everything will be okay :)
Kurtis won't be up for visitors for a few days at least, so it was really nice that we had a group today - part of Kurtis' family and one of our lacrosse families came by as well as our old cancer doc. It was a good day full of resting, TV (even though the Rockies lost, Cuddy extended his streak so that was excellent). Perhaps the best thing was that Chauncey got to come and spend the day with us. He would stay the night, but everything starts so early tomorrow that we sent him back home. We're now winding down and preparing to sleep!
I'll update more tomorrow. Keep those positive vibes, thoughts, etc. coming. Please feel free, as I've said before, to share this with anyone :)
Love,
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
I want to start out by writing that Kurtis and I are blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by the love and care of so many wonderful people (which, if you are reading this includes you) and the outpouring of support from so many of you has been uplifting and incredibly meaningful. Thank you for taking the time to write notes, text messages, donate money, share things with others who want/need to know, visiting, hugs, etc. etc. etc. Each of those small things act as a lantern and when we are able to hang all of those lanterns in the tunnel we're standing in right now, it is possible to see the end. I don't have, and I don't think I will ever have, the words that are right for expressing the gratitude that we both feel for all of those 'lanterns' - so think of the best words you can and then multiply that by the biggest number you can think of and that will put you somewhere close.
So, tomorrow is the brain dig. We're both a little rattled if I'm being honest, but I don't think that we would be human if we weren't. Kurtis' surgery has been moved up to 9am (due to neuro cancellations - not emergency status - stop freaking out) which we are pleased about so we don't have to wait around all day. Here is a quick rundown of what will be happening tomorrow:
=Before 9...probably around 630...Kurtis will be taken for an MRI to make sure that the computer and surgeon know where to go
=9 am...surgery begins
=1-2pm...surgery should be completed
After surgery, Kurtis will go to the ICU for a few days most likely and then we'll come back to the Neuro unit. The surgery plan has changed a little bit, so if you want to know about that keep reading...otherwise jump down a paragraph. There are about five tumors in Kurtis' brain right now. Three are in a club by the cerebellum on the right side, one is on the cerebellum on the left side, and one is "on his brain" on the left side. As of this moment, the plan is to remove the clump as well as the tumor "on his brain". The tumor on the left side cerebellum is very small and buried a little bit more so they will use pinpoint radiation to zap the hell out of that little thing. I know that it sounds really scary, but the surgeon is top notch and everything will be okay :)
Kurtis won't be up for visitors for a few days at least, so it was really nice that we had a group today - part of Kurtis' family and one of our lacrosse families came by as well as our old cancer doc. It was a good day full of resting, TV (even though the Rockies lost, Cuddy extended his streak so that was excellent). Perhaps the best thing was that Chauncey got to come and spend the day with us. He would stay the night, but everything starts so early tomorrow that we sent him back home. We're now winding down and preparing to sleep!
I'll update more tomorrow. Keep those positive vibes, thoughts, etc. coming. Please feel free, as I've said before, to share this with anyone :)
Love,
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
Email notes to: rockieslizard@gmail.com
GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Evening Report!
Greetings and Salutations!
In getting back in the swing of things, you can probably expect more blog posts than are probably necessary, but I know that many of you have questions and this is the best way for us to get out information :)
Today was quite restful for both Kurtis and myself. There was only one test today, an EEG, which is a brain wave test. They did that mid-morning - it involved hooking Kurtis up to a bunch of wires on his head and then doing a few things including a memory test, a strobe light test, and then rest with his eyes closed. Through the cancer "experience" Kurtis has had a lot of testing done, but never an EEG - I asked the tech a lot of questions and got to watch along on the monitor. They were running this test to check for seizure type activity which they didn't find which is great!
We had visitors, both family and friends, which helped to keep the mood light and cheerful. To those of you who visited today - THANK YOU! :) Fortunately, the Rockies played today and we enjoyed spending the afternoon watching them - especially with a great walk-off win!
Tomorrow is more of the same, relaxing and monitoring. Looks like surgery is tentatively scheduled for around 2pm...I'll update that if it changes! We met with the neurosurgeon again and he still feels like the surgery should be no big deal.
Thank you to all of you who texted, emailed, and called today. We are so thankful to have such amazing families as well as such a wonderful collection of friends, coworkers, students, and lacrosse players/families and fellow coaches. It is so nice to have heard from all of you and it is so wonderful to know that there are so many of you that care about us. We're also thankful that our gofundme is now rolling and working - thank you for that initial donation :)
Again my email is rockieslizard@gmail.com - please don't hesitate to send notes to Kurtis there :)
All our love and another update soon.
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
In getting back in the swing of things, you can probably expect more blog posts than are probably necessary, but I know that many of you have questions and this is the best way for us to get out information :)
Today was quite restful for both Kurtis and myself. There was only one test today, an EEG, which is a brain wave test. They did that mid-morning - it involved hooking Kurtis up to a bunch of wires on his head and then doing a few things including a memory test, a strobe light test, and then rest with his eyes closed. Through the cancer "experience" Kurtis has had a lot of testing done, but never an EEG - I asked the tech a lot of questions and got to watch along on the monitor. They were running this test to check for seizure type activity which they didn't find which is great!
We had visitors, both family and friends, which helped to keep the mood light and cheerful. To those of you who visited today - THANK YOU! :) Fortunately, the Rockies played today and we enjoyed spending the afternoon watching them - especially with a great walk-off win!
Tomorrow is more of the same, relaxing and monitoring. Looks like surgery is tentatively scheduled for around 2pm...I'll update that if it changes! We met with the neurosurgeon again and he still feels like the surgery should be no big deal.
Thank you to all of you who texted, emailed, and called today. We are so thankful to have such amazing families as well as such a wonderful collection of friends, coworkers, students, and lacrosse players/families and fellow coaches. It is so nice to have heard from all of you and it is so wonderful to know that there are so many of you that care about us. We're also thankful that our gofundme is now rolling and working - thank you for that initial donation :)
Again my email is rockieslizard@gmail.com - please don't hesitate to send notes to Kurtis there :)
All our love and another update soon.
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
The Morning Report!
Good Morning!
We already know quite a bit more than we did when I wrote last night, and we've set up a donation page to help with all the fun medical bills so I wanted to get that out :)
Our donation page is through gofundme and you can reach it using it's main link or through the tinyurl. Please don't feel like you have to help with money - your positive thoughts, good vibes, and love are what we need the most and keeping Kurtis in your thoughts in more than enough. That said, we learned last time that this 'activity' is expensive and know that for some of you, this feels like a good way to help. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Main address: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
TinyURL: tinyurl.com/helpkurtis
Here is the latest information...
Where we are: MCR -- currently in a much better room! Kurtis is out of the ICU (yes!) and we are now in the neuro room that has a bathroom and Kurtis isn't hooked up to as many beeping, whirring, and buzzing machines which is nice. He is both able to move around better and sleep more easily and comfortably. If you'd like to come and visit, you can send me a text or email me (rockieslizard@gmail.com) and I can let you know when a good time would be :)
Medical Stuff: We looked at the scans of Kurtis' brain with the help of the neurosurgeon yesterday. It's a good thing he was there to show us what everything was - really strange pictures that are confusing until you have a frame of reference! There is a small "clump" of tumors on the right side of Kurtis' cerebellum, a small one on the left side of the cerebellum, and then one on the left side of his brain in the back. They are small which is a really positive thing. Although there was a small glimmer of hope yesterday that Kurtis would not need brain surgery, the doctors have decided that the best thing to do is go in and remove the clump of tumors. This is due to his cancer history and wanting to get those things out. It is my understanding that there is a "brain/blood" barrier which does not allow all chemo drugs to work in the brain. Therefore, this option is the smartest for what we're dealing with :) The surgery will take place on Monday sometime - from what I can tell it looks like the afternoon is what they're aiming for - at MCR. It should take 3-4 hours and the neurosurgeon seems confident that everything should go smoothly so we are trusting that!
Right now Kurtis is just resting and the weekend should be pretty "quiet" as far as tests, etc. go. Today he will have a brainwave scan to help assess his risk of seizures, but that is the only test he has to have today (at least for now). Should be a lot better day for him - much more fun than a 2 hour MRI!
We also met with our oncologist earlier this morning and he went through the treatment plan for the cancer. Kurtis will start with pinpoint radiation for the tumors in his brain (two on the left side) that they didn't remove. Then, he will start chemo. After talking with the doctors at IU, it was decided that we are not in a place where we should be in a clinical trial yet, and there is no need to go to Indy right now which is a relief! Chemo treatments will be straightforward (once a week) and outpatient so that is another positive. He also said that the drugs in this chemo mix shouldn't make Kurtis as sick as some of the other chemo drugs he has had in the past - hooray!
THANK YOU for all the kind words, facebook posts, text messages, emails, etc. They are fantastic and have helped to keep our spirits up! :)
I didn't write this last night I don't think, but please feel free to share this blog with anyone you'd like - it's not an invite only club and the more positive energy we have flowing Kurtis' way, the better.
Love,
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
We already know quite a bit more than we did when I wrote last night, and we've set up a donation page to help with all the fun medical bills so I wanted to get that out :)
Our donation page is through gofundme and you can reach it using it's main link or through the tinyurl. Please don't feel like you have to help with money - your positive thoughts, good vibes, and love are what we need the most and keeping Kurtis in your thoughts in more than enough. That said, we learned last time that this 'activity' is expensive and know that for some of you, this feels like a good way to help. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Main address: http://www.gofundme.com/helpkurtis
TinyURL: tinyurl.com/helpkurtis
Here is the latest information...
Where we are: MCR -- currently in a much better room! Kurtis is out of the ICU (yes!) and we are now in the neuro room that has a bathroom and Kurtis isn't hooked up to as many beeping, whirring, and buzzing machines which is nice. He is both able to move around better and sleep more easily and comfortably. If you'd like to come and visit, you can send me a text or email me (rockieslizard@gmail.com) and I can let you know when a good time would be :)
Medical Stuff: We looked at the scans of Kurtis' brain with the help of the neurosurgeon yesterday. It's a good thing he was there to show us what everything was - really strange pictures that are confusing until you have a frame of reference! There is a small "clump" of tumors on the right side of Kurtis' cerebellum, a small one on the left side of the cerebellum, and then one on the left side of his brain in the back. They are small which is a really positive thing. Although there was a small glimmer of hope yesterday that Kurtis would not need brain surgery, the doctors have decided that the best thing to do is go in and remove the clump of tumors. This is due to his cancer history and wanting to get those things out. It is my understanding that there is a "brain/blood" barrier which does not allow all chemo drugs to work in the brain. Therefore, this option is the smartest for what we're dealing with :) The surgery will take place on Monday sometime - from what I can tell it looks like the afternoon is what they're aiming for - at MCR. It should take 3-4 hours and the neurosurgeon seems confident that everything should go smoothly so we are trusting that!
Right now Kurtis is just resting and the weekend should be pretty "quiet" as far as tests, etc. go. Today he will have a brainwave scan to help assess his risk of seizures, but that is the only test he has to have today (at least for now). Should be a lot better day for him - much more fun than a 2 hour MRI!
We also met with our oncologist earlier this morning and he went through the treatment plan for the cancer. Kurtis will start with pinpoint radiation for the tumors in his brain (two on the left side) that they didn't remove. Then, he will start chemo. After talking with the doctors at IU, it was decided that we are not in a place where we should be in a clinical trial yet, and there is no need to go to Indy right now which is a relief! Chemo treatments will be straightforward (once a week) and outpatient so that is another positive. He also said that the drugs in this chemo mix shouldn't make Kurtis as sick as some of the other chemo drugs he has had in the past - hooray!
THANK YOU for all the kind words, facebook posts, text messages, emails, etc. They are fantastic and have helped to keep our spirits up! :)
I didn't write this last night I don't think, but please feel free to share this blog with anyone you'd like - it's not an invite only club and the more positive energy we have flowing Kurtis' way, the better.
Love,
Liz, Kurtis, and Chauncey
Friday, June 28, 2013
Back on the Carousel
Good Evening -
Although writing in this blog the first trip around the cancer carousel served both as a way for us to pass on information on to those who care and as a therapy of sorts, I didn't really miss it that much. I mean, there are positives to working on your writing skills, spelling, etc. but I'd prefer to attack that in a different venue.
Bad news is, the blog is back. We're back. Back on the carousel.
Over the last several days, Kurtis has been suffering from some pretty strange and severe headaches. Yesterday, I eventually called our cancer doc and it was decided that we needed to make our way to urgent care. After some tests there, we were sent to the ER where they did a head CT and discovered some masses in Kurtis' brain. So far, we don't know a lot...but we do know enough to fire out our first update.
As it stands this is what we know:
-Kurtis has four tumors in his brain. There are three on the right side on/near his cerebellum and one on the left side above the cerebellum in the actual "brain" part (look at my science knowledge!).
-The neurosurgeon and neurologist both described the tumors as "small" - we don't know exactly how big that is, but if the neuro guys are calling it small, I'm good with it.
-It looks like Kurtis will be having brain surgery, most likely on Monday. They will be removing some of the tumors near his cerebellum. After that, they will use pinpoint radiation to get rid of the remaining tumors.
-Kurtis also has one or more tumors that have started to grow in his lungs ... they may be cancerous or teratoma (benign tumor that doesn't respond to chemo/radiation and has to be surgically removed) due to his past history.
-One of Kurtis' lungs also had fluid in it. Today, they drained that doing a fancy procedure that I both don't remember the name of and have no chance of spelling - so look it up or ask someone who is a doctor if you really need to know that name. Seriously. I think it starts with T. He feels better now to have that fluid out and it doesn't sound like the procedure was as painful as you might imagine which is positive.
-Currently, we are in the ICU but later tonight we will be moved to a room - either to oncology or neurology
-Kurtis isn't feeling the possible impacts of the pressure on different parts in a huge way. He is having headaches and he has a small problem with fine motor skills (trouble signing his name) and occasional slight slurred speech...but other than those things, he isn't too super
This news has been quite a shock to us as I am sure it is to you if you're reading this! Kurtis' last clean scan was in April and everything has been clear for a long time. I know that the first question out of your mouth or in your head will be "what can we do to help?" My answer right now is -- we don't know. We're going to need help, I know that from experience. But, we're learning about what this ride around the carousel is going to look like. As soon as I know what we need, I promise I will ask. We may need some food help and/or some help with Chauncey. Until then we can always use positive vibes and love.
If you want to send Kurtis a note, I know he would appreciate it. The best way to do this is to send me an email (rockieslizard@gmail.com) - and I'll get it read to him :)
I'll put more information here as I get it.
Love to all -
Although writing in this blog the first trip around the cancer carousel served both as a way for us to pass on information on to those who care and as a therapy of sorts, I didn't really miss it that much. I mean, there are positives to working on your writing skills, spelling, etc. but I'd prefer to attack that in a different venue.
Bad news is, the blog is back. We're back. Back on the carousel.
Over the last several days, Kurtis has been suffering from some pretty strange and severe headaches. Yesterday, I eventually called our cancer doc and it was decided that we needed to make our way to urgent care. After some tests there, we were sent to the ER where they did a head CT and discovered some masses in Kurtis' brain. So far, we don't know a lot...but we do know enough to fire out our first update.
As it stands this is what we know:
-Kurtis has four tumors in his brain. There are three on the right side on/near his cerebellum and one on the left side above the cerebellum in the actual "brain" part (look at my science knowledge!).
-The neurosurgeon and neurologist both described the tumors as "small" - we don't know exactly how big that is, but if the neuro guys are calling it small, I'm good with it.
-It looks like Kurtis will be having brain surgery, most likely on Monday. They will be removing some of the tumors near his cerebellum. After that, they will use pinpoint radiation to get rid of the remaining tumors.
-Kurtis also has one or more tumors that have started to grow in his lungs ... they may be cancerous or teratoma (benign tumor that doesn't respond to chemo/radiation and has to be surgically removed) due to his past history.
-One of Kurtis' lungs also had fluid in it. Today, they drained that doing a fancy procedure that I both don't remember the name of and have no chance of spelling - so look it up or ask someone who is a doctor if you really need to know that name. Seriously. I think it starts with T. He feels better now to have that fluid out and it doesn't sound like the procedure was as painful as you might imagine which is positive.
-Currently, we are in the ICU but later tonight we will be moved to a room - either to oncology or neurology
-Kurtis isn't feeling the possible impacts of the pressure on different parts in a huge way. He is having headaches and he has a small problem with fine motor skills (trouble signing his name) and occasional slight slurred speech...but other than those things, he isn't too super
This news has been quite a shock to us as I am sure it is to you if you're reading this! Kurtis' last clean scan was in April and everything has been clear for a long time. I know that the first question out of your mouth or in your head will be "what can we do to help?" My answer right now is -- we don't know. We're going to need help, I know that from experience. But, we're learning about what this ride around the carousel is going to look like. As soon as I know what we need, I promise I will ask. We may need some food help and/or some help with Chauncey. Until then we can always use positive vibes and love.
If you want to send Kurtis a note, I know he would appreciate it. The best way to do this is to send me an email (rockieslizard@gmail.com) - and I'll get it read to him :)
I'll put more information here as I get it.
Love to all -
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