Life with Lymphoma

Some pictures of a few different procedures Kyle has been through.

Needle biopsy on lymph node. Notice the 4 red dots making a square.

This shows his scar from the incisional biopsy on his neck.

Kyle started to get a rash, which we found out was an allergic reaction to the drugs from the PET scan.

Kyle about to have his MUGA scan.

Showing off bandages after MUGA scan.

1st chemo treatment. This is the "Red Devil" drug, and it is a push IV that has to be manually administered through a syringe.

1st day of chemo, Kyle was surprised with a "fan club" book with uplifting thoughts and memories from friends and family!

Let me start out by saying that we are grateful to so many people for constant prayers, meals, phone calls, help watching the girls, and just an overwhelming amount of support! Truly, it is humbling to be served and cared for on such a regular basis. And honestly, all of these acts of service are what keep us going because they help us feel of our Savior's love! That being said, life is still utterly chaotic and stressful. But, what I'm coming to realize is . . . that's OK! It's ok to have moments of despair and disappointment along our journey. It's realistic to have those moments. Those moments don't mean we are weak. Sometimes we get caught up in feeling that we have to be perfect, but I would submit that trying to endure our trials well doesn't mean we don't have those moments of being overwhelmed. As long as overall we have faith and know that Heavenly Father doesn't give us more than we can handle, then it's ok to feel overwhelmed with the stresses of life every so often. Despite any complaints or frustrations I have along the way, which seem to be A LOT sometimes, I can honestly say I have never felt alone.

Cancer is . . .

• Inconvenient
• Time consuming
  
• Painful
• Heartwrenching
  
• Scary
• a Roller Coaster
  
• and it most definitely takes over your life!!!!
  

It is sometimes most overwhelming to just feel completely out of control of our situation. It seems like things keep getting worse before they get better. Kyle was supposed to have his second round of chemo on Friday, but late Thursday evening we found out that his WBC counts were way too low to handle another round. In fact, his counts were so low, they were concerned that he was sick and needed to monitor any signs of infection with extreme precaution and to head to the Emergency Room. Kyle is not allowed to be around pets, fresh flowers, or eat any kind of raw/uncooked foods (carrots, eggs, apples, etc.) because it will put him more at risk for infection. Friday was a day I would have actually preferred to be at the hospital all day than just sitting at home. We are fighters, and we just want this cancer to be gone, so we were pretty disappointed that his chemo got postponed.

Kyle is now scheduled to go back in this Friday for his second round, and we were able to speak to the oncologist yesterday about getting injections to boost his WBC count after each treatment. Many have been asking why Kyle didn't receive those in the first place. My guess is that it all comes down to the money. It isn't standard protocol for our insurance to give these injections after the first treatment. They want to see how each patient's body responds to the chemo, and then decide if the injections are necessary. While I can understand this from a financial aspect, it is frustrating from our perspective. Kyle has Stage 4 cancer for crying out loud~he cannot postpone treatments! But, we are hopeful that from now on, he will stay on track with his remaining treatments. Of course, to top it all off, we found out Kyle doesn't get to have the one time injections, but the kind you have to inject yourself daily for 7-10 days after each treatment! This was not good news for us! Remember, Kyle doesn't like needles. And, I am not a fan of Kyle having needles! The delay in treatment was also frustrating because it has kind of spoiled some plans we had made based on when the original treatments were scheduled. It is difficult to not be able to make any plans! Well, this sums up just a few of the ways cancer has taken over our life! (Believe me, there are MANY more! Like, Kyle can't play sports with his friends, he feels nauseous and tired all the time, has to rinse out his mouth with salt/baking soda solution every time he eats anything, and he has to avoid the sun and large crowds. Seriously, when I mean cancer is inconvenient, it is not an understatement!)

Oh, and Kyle has been sporting a buzz cut the last week. It made me tear up while I was doing it, but now I love it and think it's sexy! Only problem is that he has to wear a beanie because he gets too cold!