Merry Christmas one and all

A very Merry Christmas to everyone. Santa Clause found us, yep, even Caity. And her gave her a sign that says, "when you stop believing in Santa Clause you get underwear" and guess what she got with that. Underwear. It was funny. The kids are enjoying their presents, and we are enjoying the time off. I go in on Tuesday for our Digital CT Scan, and preparatory stuff for the radiation. I am not sure when exactly we will start, but I hope to have more answers on Tuesday after meeting with Dr. Kokeny.
We had our First annual day after Christmas "shoot-em-up" It was a lot of fun, we went skeet shooting as a family, kids and all. Alex (my nephew), and Morgan did really well. We played knock out and the kids beat the adults a couple of times. Everyone had a good time, and I think we will try to do it again next year.
Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and kind acts. May the Lord bless you all and keep you and your Families safe coming into and throughout the new year.
Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Love Andy.

Hi ya'll, Andy said I was to write the blog to explain what's next for us. So here it goes. Tuesday we met with Dr. Kokeny (radiology oncology) for Friday's scan results. She first told us that there is no other tumors, lesions, or blobs other than the three in Andy's lungs. This is great news. Next she went over her initial concerns with using radiation to treat the little buggers, however, she felt confident with the possible outcome after talking with others and the new scan. There are several concerns that Andy, myself, and the Dr.'s all have. One is that there will be damage to the lungs that is going to effect his overall health and well being for the time he is given. This damage is definite, but the amount and side effects from it are less defined. Originally Dr. Kokeny thought it would be more than we should gamble with. Now after the scan she is more comfortable and sure that the damage from radiation will not be severe. This does not mean that there couldn't be issues or problems along the way, it just means she is confident that this is the next plausible step in the battle with Andy's cancer. So, next week Andy will be doing the prep/planning stage of radiation treatment. They make a body mold of Andy while doing a Digital CT scan. The mold is made so during the treatment stage Andy will be placed in the same exact settings. This is because the laser they use is so precise it will target the tumors exactly each time as long as he is is the same spot and position each treatment. The Digital CT scan it to view how the tumors move within the lungs while Andy is breathing. Dr. Kokeny is able to see exactly where the tumors are with each breath and she can tell exact where damage will occur. This is amazing technology. We then meet with Dr. Grossman. He went over all the options again that we are facing. And decided that radiation is what we should do. I have to say I am thankful for Dr. Grossman, Karen, and Carolyn. They really have given us what many medical personnel forget to do. They have given us a voice. We have a great blessing of amazing Dr.'s and nurses. We love them and are extremely grateful for their talents and gifts of humanity.
I have to mention something that has been on my mind. Most people refer to cancer as a battle. I have to say lately I feel the affect of that battle. Our generals (Dr.'s) have done an absolute miracle in their stratagem to get ahead of and over throw the enemy has been a blessing. Andy's body is the battlefield and there are days that it shows. He lately has been feeling stronger, healthier, and better than any of us have even thought possible. It shows that some battles are invisible and we are unaware of the goings on. I and the kids feel as we are the watchers of this scenario. We watch and wait for news and information then pick up what we can find to hold on to and breathe through what doesn't seem possible to survive.
I need to also make some mention of the surgery (TIL). We are not at this moment doing it. When we talked about this with our beloved Dr.'s they said to still do the fundraisers. We are not doing the surgery this month, that doesn't mean that it is not out of the picture entirely. They advised us to continue with the donations. Andy's medical cost are going to keep rising from here on out and even though surgery may not be immediately in the future, more scans, treatments, and lots of other medical cost are ahead in the near future and long term.
Now I can be a little more goofy with this blog. I am so excited for Christmas!!! I honestly feel like a little kid who can't wait for the morning and see the tree all lit up and sparkly. This year we are trying to enjoy things as a family (hard to do when stress takes up all energy), so we are singing Christmas carols, watching Christmas shows, looking at lights. It has been fun. We downsized (like many of you)this year and made the presents that were bought more heart felt and true to the giver and the receiver. By the way, I have wrapped Andy's present and placed it next to the tree (heeheehee). He can see it and touch it and it is driving him nuts. I love this. I love making the hubby and kids squirm with curiosity. I love Christmas. I love seeing the kids open the presents and hear them say "I can't believe I got this", or Caity saying, "I fooled the old man, I got a present anyway." Yes, Caity who claims to not believe in Santa is always the most excited when she see that the "old man" brought presents for her. I hope this blog finds you having a great holiday season. Thank you for all you do for us. We are so thankful for the generosity and love you show us and everyone around. And I am actually going to end this with Merry Christmas.

Glow in the Dark Andy

Today I went and had a nuclear scan, I am waiting for the cool mutant abilities to start. Maybe I will be able to fly, or turn invisible, or eat large amounts of food and get fat.. oh wait...., Anyway,... I had my scan and it took forever! But no side effects so I'll take that over taking a long time any day. Now we wait.
The technician came and got me and asked me the normal questions, how much do you weigh, how tall are you, have you had any surgeries, hospitalizations, procedures.. 45 minutes later (j/k) we got to the prep for the scan. He then leaves and comes in with a lead encased syringe, and tells me don't worry, this is perfectly safe. What!?!?! Did I mention the lead encased syringe?!? Its encased in lead! and its Safe!? It really wasn't a big deal but I gave the guy as much crap as I thought I could get away with, he was still smiling when he left so I think I'm ok. Then I got to sit in this weird gravity recliner chair, that once you're reclined you need help to put the chair back down. There is a reason for that, they don't want you to move for an hour while your body lights up, really, while your body spreads the radioactive isotopes through your body sticking to the cancer. It lights up like a Christmas tree on the scan, wherever you have cancer the isotopes stick. ok, enough of that.
We will be meeting with our Radiologist next week to develop a plan. Since I was already at Huntsman, I snuck up and talked with Dr. Joan, and the nurses in the ICU. They pretended to be glad to see me..., no they really were glad to see me. We talked for a minute, but like always they were really busy. Keep up the good work! You guys/gals are awesome!!!! So now you know about as much as I do. In conclusion, Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Love Andy.

A call for help

Ok, I will finally admit it. I can't do everything on my own. It is a humbling experience when this realization hits. We have talked with the doctors recently and one of the promising options we have left, and we don't have many left, has the propensity for the highest costs. From what we have been told it can cost as high as $40,000.00. So we fall upon the good graces of our friends and family. Just for an update, I will be having another scan on Friday, Dec 17th. This is a new scan out of the normal cycle. My doctors, Grossman, Kokeny, and Samlowski, have been talking back and forth about the possible combination of treatments. These may prove more beneficial if done in conjunction, and could have some really good results. But health wise may beat the crap out of me. The scan will hopefully shed more light on the situation. There have been so many things discussed between the doctors that I am still unsure what the next step outside of the scan is. They have assured me once the scans have been read, they will meet with me and explain what is going on. So until then I am sort of in the dark. But that's ok, its easier to pray when the lights are off. And isn't it always darkest before the dawn? Merry Christmas and Have a lovely day.
Love Andy.
P.S. We have a new way to donate-- via Pay Pal. Also we will be sending an email out with donation information, and information about some fundraisers we will be doing in January. If you would like to help feel free to send me an email. adlayne@yahoo.com.

Radioactive Andy.....Dum dum dum.......

We met with Dr. Kokeny today. She is very nice and it was a very informative meeting. To make a long day into a long story, we left early and waited at the Doctors office. When we finally got to meet with Dr. Kokeny, she did a quick check up and got some clarification on my health history. She then talked about what options we have been given. We discussed the options that have been shared with us and the risks involved with all of the options. It was an interesting conversation. She was very intent on us understanding all the risks involved with the different treatments. Some of which we understood, some were new to us. The risk involved with the radiation therapy was higher than we were to believe, while the surgery option was a little less than we were originally led to believe. The conclusion we came to was; more information was needed. So we will be following up with her sometime in the next week or two.
We then went to meet with Dr. Grossman. It must have been a crazy day for doctors, we waited there too. When we finally had Dr. Grossman and Dr. Caroline together we talked a little about the meeting with Dr. Kokeny, and the options we had gone over with her. And the conclusion there, was pretty much the same, lets wait and see. Now while some of you may think this is a frustrating and dangerous thing to do, just to wait. You are mostly right, except that for the time being, my tumors have stabilized and are hardly growing at this point. So until we have some different news the plan now is to wait until the end of January for scans to get a look at the tumors and see whats going on. Now this may change if we get some enlightening news in the next two weeks. So for now the plan is to enjoy the holidays and plan for a wonderful new year. So (finally season appropriate) Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Love, Andy.

Thanksgiving Hai-ku

Ok its not very good, but it meets the criteria 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. Here goes:

Cancer really sucks,
Many great blessings observed
Love and Friends abound.

So give it a shot and let me know what your thanksgiving hai-ku is.

Merry Christmas and have a lovely Thanksgiving.
Andy

Some Good News, no information just news

This just in......We now have a confirmed appointment with the radiation oncologist. My list of specialists is getting longer and longer. Not a collecting habit I encourage anyone to take up. We will be having a meeting on Dec 1st with Dr. Kokeny, and Dr. Grossman (my original oncologist.) I hope to have a lot of answers from these meetings and a clear path forward for the near future. So there is the news update, and that's about it. so..... I guess....... later..?.?.
Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Andy

vegas baby!!

I have to be honest with you all. I have been back and forth on how to update all of you. I am very good at the robotic explanation of things and show little to no emotion (whether verbally or written). However, I have been floating in a bubble of joy and contentment. Here's how the trip went down. Andy and I left after taking Morgan to school on Thursday. We had several stops before really getting off to Vegas. I needed to take a test at Weber (by the way I did excellent)then meet Marion (Andy's mom) in Layton. We then took off like the wind. We made it to Mesquite and stayed the night. Andy decided I needed to try the slot machines. I got a players card and he commenced on instructing me on the how-to's. I must tell you I think playing slot machines is the most worthless thing anyone could do. I can see how people can become addicted but seriously why? You sit there and push a button, while the stink of the casino clings to your clothes. Yeah you can meet some nice people, but that wouldn't bring me in and waste my money like so many do. I sat down next to Andy and after a whole 8 mins. I was done. BORED TO DEATH!! Andy said I needed to go to the tables but that doesn't seem any more fun. Cards have some thought process going on, but not much though. After the joy of gambling, we left to Vegas. On the way we found out that U of U hospital didn't take labs when they did the scans two weeks ago, and we needed to go directly to the clinic to have labs drawn. We then screwed off for four hours until our appointment with the Dr. We didn't go to another casino (thank goodness) we went to the Bass Pro Shop (arghhh) then to the Attic Mall of America (fun).
We were brought back into the room to talk with first Amy (nurse, nutrition)and while in the room a new Dr. came in and was talking with us about diet and exercise. Then the grand man himself walked in. He gave his two bits about the subject then we go to the nitty gritty. Here it goes the information most of you have been waiting for. The scans have show slight growth (less than 3 mm)and no new tumors..... is this good, you are all asking yourselves. Yes, this is a positive step. With melanoma it grows exponentially and clusters throughout the body once it has attached to the internal organs. Andy's tumors are, in Dr. Samlowski's words "stabilized". This is good! Now for more news. The Dr.'s also feel that Andy is a good candidate to have a new form of radiation. The method is different than the standard radiation that the other cancers are treated with. Typically radiation is ineffective with melanoma, and causes more problems than success. They have in recent years tried a new approach of radiation on melanoma patients that have a few small tumors that are isolated to one organ. Andy falls in this category, especially since there are no new tumors from the first diagnosis. Now we don't know if Andy is doing this. There are many factors and we need to meet with the oncologist that is over this treatment. This will be done in Utah and hopefully before the new year. We have no information on this so we are unable to answer questions yet. The next and last thing is Andy will have scans again in another 9 weeks and then do another round of "ippy" treatment in Vegas (even if he does the radiation). All this seems like nothing is different, but it is. We have struggled so much this last little while that we needed positive news, and we feel as we have been given a small opportunity to fight again and harder. It is not much but we are satisfied with it.
I almost forgot. The extra Dr. in the room when we were talking to the nutritionist was not another oncologist or nutritionist, but a psychiatrist. We had a shrink among us and we didn't even know until the end of the appointment. He was a great guy. We asked him if we needed mental evaluations. His reply was that we were well adjusted. I don't think he was listening. Just kidding. Well this is longer than I would normally write, but there was a lot to convey. So I want to remind you all of our love for you and we pray daily for each of you. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Oh, I almost forgot...

There was so much going on this last weekend, I forgot to mention I had a scan on the 29th. I had to be medicated so I didn't have too much of an allergic reaction. So Friday morning Peg and I headed down to the University of Utah medical center. She drove because I was "medicated" on benadryll. We got there and the scanner person asked if I had been following the predose instructions of benadryll and prednazone. I smiley told her I was not supposed to have prednazone so I took zantac instead. She was not happy with it, and kicked me in the head,(not really) So she got the doctor and he had to call my doctor and while all the doctors were talking I was laying on the cold hard table. Any way, I was right neener neener neener, and we proceeded with the scan. Then I went to the MRI room and waited and waited, oh yeah, I waited some more. Then I had the MRI, and it seemed to take forever. Then they let me go and my arm started to get blotchy, so I took some more benadryll, did I mention I don't like benadryll. So I took a medicated forced nap and pretty much that is how my scan day went, the end. I feel like I just did a grade school show and tell kinda thing. Probably not as entertaining or fun, but informative none the less. I will have the results of the scan around the 12th of Nov. So there may not be much activity on the blog until then, but you never know I may supprise you with some crazy adventure or something. So Keep the faith, remember who you are, and get your finger out of your nose. Merry Christmas and have a lovley day.
Andy

As time goes by.....

This week has flown by, the title this post, is in reference to a BBC tv show. I feel like I have been given a new chance at life. No real reason, but most of my pain has gone away. The only thing I have lingering around now is a splitting headache that seems to randomly appear. I am working on triggers to see if something I am eating is causing it. No luck so far. But, there is a possibility that it is from the treatment and I will just have to work around if for a while. (that's not a fun idea)

We had a Halloween party this weekend. It was a lot of fun. While the weather could have cooperated a little better, we made due with what we had. I hope everyone that came had a good time too. Here are some photos of the donut on a string eating contest. They are pictures of my nieces and nephews, and they all did their best to eat the whole thing without their hands. It was hillarious, and we even had a couple of them eat the whole thing. They even bobbed for apples between rainstorms. They did it quick and I was unaware, so no pictures, sorry about that, but I heard it was funny.

So this weekend we had a great time with friends and family. I have had a chance or two to talk to some of you this past while, I have enjoyed our conversations and appreciate your concern on how my family and I are doing. Thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts. We pray daily for blessings to find you and yours. Merry Christmas and have a lovley day.

Andy

I was actually sick, can you believe it?

The irony is I am receiving immunotherapy drugs that boost my immune system. But for the last few days, I have been sick. Today finally I feel really well. I am still having the pains in my abdomen, not as frequent as I was, so this is an improvement. Before I forget, Peggy finished the bathroom, and some pictures are attached. I think she did an awesome job.

Ok back to the goings on, I have been sick most of this week, the first part of the week was from the treatment last Friday. The end of the week was, I think, from me actually being sick. I am feeling a lot better this evening.

I went with my daughters to "standards night" tonight. I was glad to accompany them. It was a lot of fun. Also I was able to be reacquainted to a mission friend. Chad Lewis was the main speaker, I served in Taiwan the same time as he did, in fact my first apartment was with him. We spent 2 months in the same apartment when I first started my mission. I learned a lot from Elder Lewis about hard work and pushing through the hard times. Later on he passed me off on my memorization of the Chinese discussions. I have always looked up to him, and it was a pleasure to listen to him speak. He was as eloquent and passionate as he has always been. If you get a chance to read this, Chad, thanks for taking the time to speak to the youth. It helped me to remember a few things that I had forgot. I need to focus harder on a couple things in my life that lately I have let lax. Carry on, Persevere, and always do your best.

As a side note, I will be having my scan on Friday. But I won't know anything until mid November. But don't worry, I will let you all know what we find out. Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts. Also thanks for all that you all do for us. The little things make a big difference. Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.

Andy.

Sin City, it is what it is.

I just got back, and boy am I tired. The treatment went off without a hitch. I was able to talk to Clyde again, and he has had some trials this last three weeks, he had a tumor in his bowels grow so much that it blocked everything off. (Clyde also has metastatic melanoma and is on the same schedule of treatment as me.) After some surgery and some recovery time, he is doing really well. So if you could keep him in your prayers too, I would appreciate it.
Ok, Dad, Scott, and I had a great time in Vegas. Kallee and Ashley are still awesome as ever, thanks again for letting us stay there. And if you are in the area, Ross jr hawiian, is the place to eat, man was it good. And the next day at the Eureka, Hi Lizette, in Mesquite was good and funny. There was a seafood buffet with crab legs. Don't tell Dad I said this but he was a Crab leg virgin. So Scott and I had to show him the intricacies of the fine art of eating crab. Scott uses the forkin approach, while I on the other hand use the crush crack and pull method. Both are effective and have pros and cons. Scott's way is much cleaner, but mine is a lot more fun and faster. It was fun to watch Dad try the different methods, and possibly ruin a fork.
Saturday we went shopping so Peggy could get some finishing stuff for the Bathroom. With any luck it will be finished this week. Hooray, no kids in my bathroom.
Sunday, I went to my meetings in the morning. By 10:30 I was not feeling well. It was expected but a little earlier than the last few times. So I went home to a sick Morgan, and we both vegged on the couch. The Doc, told me to have some Tea for my pain, and when it is made properly it works. On the same lines as my Dad, I am a tea virgin. I am learning, I still think it tastes like crap, but if you put enough honey in it, it is tolerable. On a good note, they gave me some medication that has also helped with my abdominal pain. So this weekend I have been able to eat real food without too much pain. So for now, all is well and my next thing to happen is a scan on the 29th. But I will not know anything until mid November. So no real news until then, but I will probably blab some more when I get the chance. So until then, Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Andy.

what a pain, literally

Today, sucked!!!!! now that's out of the way. Peggy recently decided to tear out the kids bathroom, and redo the walls. I helped her yesterday, and think I over did it. There is no think, I way over did it. I woke up to pain and more pain. Peg and the kids got ready for church and left me home (so I thought) after about a while (I had no idea how long it had been) I was awaken by the back door opening and someone walking around in the house. I got up and wandered out to see who had come in the back door. It was Caity, she was left home to babysit her dad. Once I was comforted with the knowledge that I had a keeper. I took something for the pain, a nice tall coke. (no really it helps) Anyway, I have spent most of the day in pain. So I hope tomorrow goes a lot better and less pain. The bathroom by the way is about half done, we will work on it a little at a time to finish it by this next weekend. Wish us(by us I mean Peg) luck.
Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Andy.

Hey Dear, no deer

To follow on with the corny titles. Yes it's true, I went hunting last week. While it was very relaxing it wasn't without problems. I have started having some side effects that are really annoying. Abdominal and intestinal pain. The benefit of being up at deer camp last week is that all we did was road hunt. I was also assisted at almost every turn in camp. So a special thanks to Robert, Kirk, Rocky, Joel, Ian, and Morgan. They all helped me out a bunch and let me relax as much as possible. It was a great time had by all. I especially appreciate it, because I don't know how many more times I will be able to do that with Morgan. But I do know that when I am no longer able, he has some Uncles and a Grandpa, that will take him along. He shot his first bird, winged a chukkar, and Rocky finished it off for him, but he was really excited. In fact if the weather co-operates we will be going up this weekend to visit the Elk camp, and maybe try to shoot a bird or two. I did have a chance to try some new dutch oven recipes that worked out great.
So..... for the update. I am doing well for the most part. I am having pains like I mentioned before, but that seems to be the only side effect I am having. Unfortunately the only way I have found to get the pains to subside a little is to lay on my back or side. They don't go away, but they lessen quite a bit.
We are looking forward to the next treatment, my Dad, and Scott are going with me down. I think it will be as fun as the last time we drove. This will be the last treatment of this series. We will then have a scan (end of Oct), then go back and have the consult (Mid Nov). We may have a last treatment party while down there. If you would like to know more, let me know. Merry Christmas and Have a Lovely Day. Andy.

Oh deer, oh deer

I thought since I have not wrote a blog in such a long time, I would take a moment to catch you up on things. Andy has been muzzle loading since Tuesday night. He and Morgan went to stay and hunt with my father and brothers. This might take some of you by surprise since Andy doesn't seem to be the great white hunter type. You would be right and wrong in that presumption. Andy grew up with the ultimate great white hunters. In northern Idaho, Andy and his family would deer, elk, rabbit and anything else hunt. It wasn't until Andy married me that he lost some of that drive to grow the grizzly beard and go into the wilderness to become "one with nature". What can I say, I grew up with hunting, but never really got into it like some. Andy just figured if I didn't want to go he didn't need to go. Until about three years ago, while talking with my brothers, Andy started to remember that feeling and decided to join in. So, last year he and Morgan went up and stayed for two nights and the monster reared its ugly head. Since last years hunt, Morgan has taken Hunter's Ed and passed, and both Andy and Morgan have planned and talked of deer camp. Well, they have been gone for nearly five days and no deer. Morgan shot some chuckers and wanted to shoot a rabbit. Yet, they did not bring home a deer (which is fine with me). Venison is my least favorite meat. Now, you also might question "how is Andy able to go hunting? Doesn't he have cancer?" Yes, the cancer is still here, but Andy has been blessed with good health during these treatments. He does have side effects that make it troublesome but not impossible. He is feeling strong and able so, why not. Andy had made a promise to Morgan just after his diagnoses that they would still go to deer camp this year. That was a goal for Andy. It seemed at the time to be an easy one to accomplish, but looking back I am surprise he has been able to do it. Morgan couldn't be happier, nor Andy. This is their time to make memories and to draw closer to each other as father and son. As always, I pray with gratitude for all of you and your support. You are the strength that keeps us afloat. Thank you.

Vegas and back in record time.

I went to Vegas yesterday for treatment. I left my house about 5:45am and got home last night about 9pm. It was definitely a whirl-wind trip. I had treatment, it went smooth, and a quick lunch while there. Rene and Andee flew me down in their version of the trusty Sopwith camel. I had a great time, and the best part, it only took 2-3 hours each way. I even fell asleep for a while on the way back, I credit that to Rene's great flying and the treatment, you can put it in whichever order you want.
I want to put out a special thanks to my Sin City Cousins, you know who you are, (Kallee and Ashley), thanks for lending me your car while I was down, and when I come down next I will pick up the GPS that was left behind. Until then you better not get lost.
I was able to talk to Clyde, (I am pretty sure that is his name,) while I was there. He has melanoma as well, and is on the same schedule as I am. We decided that next treatment we are going to order pizza and have balloons. His daughter was there, (I apologize but I don't remember her name), she is an oncology nurse at another hospital. I had a great conversation with Clyde and his daughter. I would like to ask all of you to put a special spot in your prayers for a while for Clyde and his family. Like me and mine, they are having a hard time dealing with this unfortunate hand life has dealt them. So prayers and good thoughts going out toward Iowa for his family. And pizza and balloons on Oct 15th.
The shirt went over well, and got lots of smiles and even a few laughs. If Clyde's daughter reads this we'll have to get together I would like to send your dad a shirt.
A reminder to all, let the ideas come forth so we can get some shirts made.
We also have a scan date (Oct 29th) and a followup date (Nov 12) scheduled. So sometime in the future, (Nov 12th) we will get to know if this treatment is working. I am feeling fine, and doing well. If you hear different, the person telling you this is an uninformed dolt. Please let them know that is my official opinion of them. So, there will be a lapse for a while of comments from me, because I am headin to the hills to kill a bambi, sorry to those people who don't like me killin stuff, but I am going to do it anyway. Maybe not a bambi, but a deer none-the-less. That's if I get a chance. So until some undecided date in the future, Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Andy.

New Shirt- possible contest?

I found a local print shop that is willing to work with me on making shirts. Here is the first one. The ipi is on the front and cancer is on the back. I personally like it... anyway it is a prototype and some of your ideas will be put on the shirts. This one is my favorite, so far, so I think we will have a little contest of sayings to put on shirts, regarding cancer. The leaders that have been entered so far are .. the one on the shirt Gabe, "I wish cancer would get cancer and die" Shelly S., and "IL2 = Doctor speak for no wimps allowed"Gabe and I, So these are the front runners, the winner will get a pat on the back and a digital high five. so let the creative juices flow. Some ideas that go with the - my friend, dad, husband, son, brother, is fighting cancer.. would be welcomed too. Oh I almost forgot, things are going good. I will be going in for treatment again tomorrow. This time I am flying down. So I will leave in the morning and be back in the late afternoon. How cool is that. Merry Christmas and have a lovely day. Andy Oh I almost forgot, I am wearing this down to treatment on Friday.

One more day, and crazy stuff happens

I am feeling a lot better lately. I even went to work early today, it felt good to be out and about before the sun came up. I get a phone call that water was shooting all over the bathroom, and Peggy had turned off the water to the house. So I wander back home. After some time and a little effort, the problem was fixed. Here is what happened.
Morgan went to take a shower this morning, and the water knob, came off and water was shooting out of it and spraying everywhere. So he ran and was pounding on the door, yelling, Mom, Mom, Mom, verily rapidly. Peg said his eyes were as big as saucers. It would have been awesome to see. Anyway they turned off the water and called me. I came home fixed it and now I am a hero. (well not really, but I like to think I am.) So we had a little bit of drama today. Oh, I almost forgot. When they turned off the water, Peggy and Morgan were looking down at the water meter and Morgan said, "Well... now what?" I think that is hilarious. well I hope you have an exciting and fun filled day. Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Andy.

False Alarm, sort of

I am feeling a lot better today. I am still having some slight problems, but nothing that can't be handled. Fortunately I can take care of it without medication, at this point. So we are good for now.
On my last treatment I met a guy who has melanoma and is going through the same treatment as me. He had an interesting story and told me his cancer history, I found it interesting, but I won't bore you with it, I will give you the short version.
To make a long story short, late 2006 found out he had melanoma, had surgery, thought they got it all. 2008 had a lump on shoulder, checked into it, melanoma. It was in his brain, lungs, and colon. They focused on the brain, and shrunk that tumor, the others grew and he has a new one in his abdomen. He is hoping this Ipi treatment will work for him, so do I.
What was interesting to me, (keep in mind it's all about me), was how sad I felt for him, and at the same time, how blessed (lucky) I am to have my cancer only spread to what it has. For him, in two years, it has gone throughout his body, in 5 years for me, it is barely starting to grow in my lungs. One of the most treatable areas it can go. We caught mine early, and it helped to catch a potentially fatal heart problem.
While it totally sucks to have cancer, I have to admit if it wasn't for the cancer there is a really good chance that I wouldn't be here because of the heart problem.
Well, anyway, I had an eyeopening experience to how fortunate I am to be as healthy as I am at this point. And to have the great support in place that all of you give to me. It makes going through the hard days, a whole lot easier knowing that all of you are praying, and pulling for me. Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you! Merry Christmas, and have a lovely day.
Love Andy.

Side Effects are starting to show up.

Well, I knew they were coming and they finally made it here. Side effects, you can't have cancer treatment without side effects. While they aren't likely to do me in, they are a nuisance none the less. Started feeling them come on last night. While they are side effects, they are not the ones I expected to first have so I guess this is sort of a good thing. This is mostly nausea, and achy stomach. Nothing too serious, just need to get a handle on it so I can return to my normal day to day schedule. But on a good note, the sun is shining and it is a really lovely day outside, I can see it through the window. If I get feeling better I may even wander out and sit on the front porch and enjoy the sun. Everyone is doing well, and has adjusted to school ok. Even Peggy, is doing good in school. It takes up a lot of every one's schedule, but such is life. Well, Merry Christmas and have a lovely day. Love Andy

Gone and back in a flash

Hey all, We went to Las Vegas this weekend. My Brother Scott and my Mother drove with me down. Well, Scott drove most of the way down and all the way back. He is a speed demon. Lets just say we made record time. I am very grateful that they were there to help me out this trip. We had a great time and lots of laughs. The treatment went well, and there were no complications. We have reached the halfway mark on this treatment. Two more doses to go and then we will have some scans to see if it worked or not. It has been a great weekend, I got home early Saturday morning and we have been almost non-stop all weekend with more of the same scheduled for tomorrow. Wish us well, because we do all of you. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. Merry Christmas and Have a lovely day. Love Andy.

Updated look, and some updates on us.

School has started for everyone but me. I am still trying to finish some classes from this spring. I am getting ready to head to Las Vegas again in the next little while. But first let me address some changes.
The most obvious is the color change. I like it so thats what we went with. Peggy can choose which one she wants when we get bored with the color scheme.
Second, There is a new thing, over there ------------>. It tells how to donate if you want to. I have had some people ask me, for other people of course, how they could donate. I checked with some people who have had experience in dealing with similar situations, ie cancer, death, etc... and this was their recommendations. So it is over to the right and if you have any questions, what I know is over there-------->. I don't know much beyond what I already put down.
Ok, on to more important things you want to read about.
There have been some rumors going around that I am not doing well. Sorry to burst the bubbles of some people, but I am doing better than expected. While emotionally I had a slight setback when I found that the original treatments didn't work how we wanted, I was marginally upset. But I am all better now, SQUIRREL, sorry about that uncontrolled outburst. (ha, ha, ha) I am doing well. I am looking forward to completing this next series of treatments and like all of you,(except the rumor spreaders), I am hoping that it will send the cancer in remission. So, if you hear a rumor that I am not doing well, check the blog, it will set you straight. or sort of in the right direction, usually.
A big thanks to go out to my Mom and little brother Scott, for driving me down this next trip. I had Scott come along to keep Mom and I on the straight and narrow, because we really are trouble makers. So..... other than that all is well, I haven't had any side effects from the treatment yet, and hope I don't have any. On a good note, my energy level is starting to come back, I walked a mile the other night with Peggy, and didn't need oxygen when we were done. I still needed the walker to help me the last few yards. If schedules work out we are going to go hiking sometime this weekend, and really see what kind of shape I am in. Its late, I am going to go to bed now. Merry Christmas and Have a Lovely day.
Love Andy

Good news for now YEAH!!!!

I was going to go down to Huntsman today and have a biopsy of the lump in my neck done. While I was on my way down, Karen (the nurse) called me and asked how things were going, how the lump was. I told her the lump had shrunk and wasn't as visible as before. Fortunately for me since Wednesday it has reduced in size considerably and is no longer hard. I credit the antibiotics for that. So that means it was just an infection not a tumor. She said that as long as it was getting smaller and seeming to go away I didn't need to come down, (sorry Nelson). We are happy with the good news. We went to the Rodeo last night and enjoyed a relaxing evening watching cowboys getting bucked off of animals. We will be going to the Fair and the exhibits today and then going to bed early. It has been a less than desirable week, but a week at home with my family, so I'll take it. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. Merry Christmas and have a lovely day. Love Andy

I would love to say things here are settling into normalcy, yet alas I can not. Late yesterday, Andy noticed a tiny lump on his neck. He at first thought it was just an ingrown hair. This morning I looked at it and felt the lump. He also said it was bigger than yesterday. So, we called our favorite cancer people at Huntsman. They made an appointment for Andy on Friday and sent him to see his regular doc today. After consulting with Dr. Grossman, Dr. Schow gave Andy a really strong antibiotic. They are hoping it is just the start of an ear infection since there was some fluid in the ear, and the lump was where the glands sit. So, we wait and hope that the pills will bring the lump down before Friday. If it doesn't then Dr. Grossman will do either a biopsy or ultrasound on the lump. This could be from the new treatment or it could be new tumors. Now don't panic! I know that is easier said than done. However, we are trying to stay optimistic. Well on other news, I am starting a new semester at Weber State University and trying to stay hopeful that I don't fail this class (again). On Monday, school starts for the kids and I am back to work. 2 of out of the 3 kids are excited for it to start, the one oddball kid well... lets just say she has always been the one to dance to a different beat. We love her and all her fiestiness. Well, there is the update. Please remember we appreciate all you do for us. You are in our prayers and thoughts. We love you.

Today we went to Andy's mom and dad's for dinner. Andy's little brother David is in from Florida for a short time. David is in the Navy and received his station to Norfolk, Virginia. So, he is here to see family and get things ready to help his wife and son move with him. It was nice to see David. We did not get to see him the last time he was in town. Andy had just got out of Huntsman and David had a nasty cold, so he did not come to see us.
I have received feed back from the last blog. Sorry it was so long. There was so much to say and I didn't even tell everything. One comment that Andy and I have to laugh at is, "Did we go and have fun and see some shows while in Vegas.". No is our answer to that. We didn't have the energy, money, or desire to do that. We did relax and take things simpler and easy. Our purpose in Vegas was strictly to meet Dr.'s and receive treatment. The timeline was strange because it was so long, but we chose to rest and enjoy just being together. We got home Tuesday and it seemed as though the time flew past us. From getting the kids ready for school, getting myself ready for another semester of classes, and going back to work at the school is taking up the little time I have left of summer vacation. I am sure many of you feel the same. So I hope that as the next season comes and summer leaves we can take time to enjoy the beauty around us. I want to express my gratitude for all of you. So many have stepped forward to offer help in so many ways. Thank you again and again. We love you.

Have you missed us?

Hey everyone, some of you may have wondered what is going on. We haven't blogged or anything for a week. Andy and I received a call from the Nevada Cancer Institute(NCI) late Wednesday. They informed us we had an appointment on Friday at 2:00 pm with Dr. Samlowski. We had much to get ready and little time to do it. We chose to leave the kids home and drive to Las Vegas alone. We set off around 2:00 on Thursday (Shaeli had a dental appointment we could not miss and no one was around to take her). We drove to Mesquite and stayed the night. Andy went down to the casino and talked with some very nice people. He left with 40 dollars and came back with 35 (not bad, not great either). In the morning, we drove on to Vegas. We first went to Andy's cousins place. Kallee and Ashley live in a nice gated community. It is quiet and safe. I am eternally grateful for them and their kindness. We stayed at their house until Monday. They had better things than hang out with their boring older cousin and his wife. Just kidding, they had a family reunion they went to over the weekend. Kallee if you are reading this I have to tell you how beautiful your home is. I really felt comfortable there. Thank you!! So on Friday we went to NCI. I was not impressed by the building or the staff. They actually lost us for half an hour. Then tried to make it sound as if we lost ourselves. I am not kidding about this. We first met with admitting, then sent out to the waiting area, and then the person over financing took us back to her office to go over payments, then sent us out to wait again. This is where things go a little unnerving. We wait patiently for about 30mins until Andy is seen by the receptionist who says that "they" have been waiting for us on the third floor. When we get to the third floor, we are told that they never have a patient wait on the main level, but they are sent directly to the third. We kept telling them that we were told to wait for the next person to come and get us. The nurse looked at us like we were lying. This was not a good start to this experience. We then met with a fellow. She was interesting. That is the nicest thing I can say about her. When she left to get Dr. Samlowski, Andy and I looked at each other and had the same thought. We didn't think this was such a good idea. A combination of the questions and how they were asked by the fellow made us feel this was not going to be the right thing for us. However, Dr. Samlowski came into the room and went through the drug and procedure. He answered questions and gave his opinion on our situation. We finally left that place just after 5:00 pm. What a day. We felt better about our option with this drug, but we were still unsure. All I can say is that we are blessed to have Huntsman Cancer Institute and Hospital with all the caring and kind staff so close. There was an enormous difference in care and procedure. NCI is a good clinic and they have knowledgeable staff, but it is more cold and unpersonable.
We really didn't do anything fun and exciting while in Vegas. We felt worn out and stressed. So we just stayed at the house, although I did get Andy to go with me to the pool at Kallee's. By the way, I think it is odd that the pool at a nice gated community is as cold as the Arctic Sea. If you go before the sunsets it would be a glorious reprieve from the heat(113 degrees), yet at sunset not so much. Thank goodness for the hot tub. To skip this long story and get to what you all want to know, Monday we went back to NCI and after and hour and a half, Andy started the treatment. We sat and did nothing for 2 hours. Every half hour a nurse would take his vital signs and that was all. After the pump completed the meds. We waited another half hour and then the nurse checked one last vitals and removed the IV. We then went on our way. We drove to mesquite where we checked into the Virgin River Hotel & Casino. Andy slept for a couple of hours. I just flipped through the TV channels. We went to dinner at a little Chinese place then went back and slept. Got up the next morning at just before 7 and left for home. With all the chaos that we have gone through I must say that coming home was the best medicine. I am glad for people who care for Andy and I personally. I loved seeing the familiar scenery, and I am grateful for the Lords blessings of comfort and peace. I can not say that this is going to get better, I can only say as we go through each step and misstep I see how much we are loved and blessed. So what's next? Well, in 3 weeks Andy will go back for another treatment. Then again in another 3 weeks and so on for four doses. Then he will have a scan and meet with the Dr. By November we will know if the treatment is working. If it is then we wait for 3 months and start it all over again. Even though this is a huge pain and problematic, this is better than the alternative. Our options are limited, and we are just not willing to give up easily. I ask you to keep us in your prayers, and ask that this treatment will stabilize or set the tumors into remission. Andy and I are so grateful for Marion, Tralyn, and everyone that was willing and able to help with little to no warning. We love you all.

We have not forgotten about you

We have not forgotten about you. Since last Wednesday, we have been trying to accept and understand what the next step involves and includes. To answer the question you all have in a simple sentence is not easy. We are still waiting to hear from the clinic in Las Vegas and the nurse over our account. So we are unable to answer your questions at this point. Having said that in a clinical and calm manner let me say this a little less softly. We are disappointed that the Il2 treatment was not effective. We thought that nothing could be as difficult to hear or was worse to hear than that initial news of cancer, however, hearing that the five months of pure torture that Andy endured showed little against the tumors was heart breaking. I will not sugar coat the frustration, stress, and fear that has floated over us. They say if you talk about your feelings it will help you to come to an acceptance...I want to smack whoever "they" are and then kick them where it counts. It is not easy to explain in a calm voice over and over again that all is not well and our future is unsure. Andy is understandably worn out emotionally. And to make things harder, there has been a misunderstanding about why we went to Florida. Somehow there are some that think that since we went to Florida Andy's cancer went into remission. This is not even close to the truth. We went because of some incredible people in our life realized before we did that a vacation was needed. Our faith is strong, our hearts are low, but we are not going to give up. There are trials at every turn and we recognize that this is our trial to accept and overcome, no matter the uncertain outcome. We keep you all in our prayers and tell everyone that will listen that it is not by our strength that we have done this well. It is because of all of you. You have taken upon you our burdens and heartache and we are eternally grateful. Thank you.

Scan complete, plan disclosed

Today I had an MRI and CT scan done. I started taking medicine to help me with the allergic reaction to the CT contrast last night. We got up early this morning and headed to Salt Lake. Had the scans, and then had to wait around until after lunch for our doctor appointment. Dr. Grossman was out today, so we met with Carolyn. We had some idle chit chat and told how our trip was and how things had been going for us since the last time we met. She told us that there was some growth in the tumors but what to do about it would have to wait until Dr. Grossman called. And just like magic, he called while we were talking. So, ..... The tension builds.........Are you tired of my senseless banter.......?..........ok, he said that while the tumors fit in the statistical area of no growth, compared to our last scan, it showed noticeable growth when compared to our original scans. So, can you say..."Vegas Baby!!!!" (Sorry Aunt Lillian). Dr. Grossman is more comfortable with us going to Las Vegas, because he knows the Doctor there and how he does business, so to speak. Nothing bad on Twin Falls, its just that he would feel more comfortable if we went to Vegas. We are now waiting for Dr. Samlowski's office to give us a call. So, the IL2 didn't work like we wanted it too, but we have another option left still. So we persevere and press on. When I say we, I mean my family and all of you who have shown and shared so much care and faith with us. This battle will continue, and we hope that you will continue to keep us in your prayers, and for that I thank you. Have a lovely day, and Merry Christmas.
Love, Andy.

Well, we are home and the trip seems like a dream that we have woken up from. We had the best time, but a week and a half is a long vacation. Andy and I didn't realize how much we needed to get away until we were there and all seem to slow down and relax. I hope you all have had time to look at the pictures we posted through the link. We had so much fun there is not enough time or words to express what we did, saw, and felt. I do have to say that the jet lag is a pain. We have all been working through being tired and soar bodies. Andy did better than anyone could have guessed. He kept up and was as annoying as always. I advise anyone going to Florida to visit Walt Disney World should stay at Fort Wilderness. It was wonderful to go to the parks and all the sights then go to the cabin away from people and just relax. Each of the parks in WDW had so much amazing things to see, eat, and do. It was like a sensory overload. Although we all had a blast, we all were thrilled to be HOME. As always we love you all.

more photos

http://picasaweb.google.com/adlayne1/20100727#

Quick Update to our vacation

On Thursday we went to Universal Studios and went to the Harry Potter experience. Holy crap were the lines long. Just to get to the Harry potter experience the line was over an hour long, just to get to the park. We then had some Butter beer, it was good the kids liked it. We then got in the line to go to "Olivanders magic wand experience". Did I mention that the line was about an hour and half long. But that line was worth it. When we went in, they chose Morgan to be the one they used to get to choose a new wand. It was awesome. We then went on the Dragon ride, it rocks! By then we were so worn out and tired from standing in lines we went to find some food. Just as we got to a restaurant, the heavens opened up and poured out a whole bunch of rain. It was really impressive, but we were able to stay dry. When we finished eating, the rain stopped and we were able to make it back to the car without any more rain. We went home and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the pool. It was very relaxing. Today we went to Epcot went on some rides and then went to the Hoop-tee-doo Review. It is a country western dinner show. Lots of fun good food and great entertainment. then we went to the pool, so that summed up our day. Everyone is tired and looks forward to getting back to the cabin to relax, and go to the pool. We miss you all and are looking forward to getting back home in a few days. We are going to try and see Sister Schow tomorrow at church. Wish us luck and have a Merry Christmas, and a lovely day. Love Andy. PS we have uploaded more photos check http://picasaweb.google.com/adlayne1/FloridaTrip2010#

Taking it easyu

Hey everyone, today we took things super slow and easy. We noticed that yesterday the kids were cranky and tired, so we decided to take a break from the crowds and lines. We slept in (10:00am), then we went to the pool near us and while the kids splashed around I did laundry. Ten dollars and two hours later, we walked back to the cabin. Have I mentioned how much fun we are having. I peronally have enjoyed the boat ride to and from the parks. We are staying next to a lake and there is a ferry to the Magic Kingdom, from there you take monorail or bus to the other parks. Back to todays business, we basically just checked out the resort and what time thing around here started. Tonight is a sing a long with Chip and Dale. At 8:00 they show a movie in the park. I don't know that we will make it however, we are so tired still the kids want to go to bed early and then get up to go to the Animal Kingdom tomorrow. So much to do and see. I must mention a little problem that happened this morning. Andy thought he would get up early and go for a walk. He did get up and got ready to go, then just as he is placing on his hat on his head the precious sunglasses fell on the floor and broke. IN HALF. The sun isn't bright and blearing like in Utah. However, you need them. Andy has been mopping all day. ALL DAY. Can we say tantrum. Oh well. He will find a pair tomorrow during our trip out. The weather has been hot and humid. Yet, this is not stopping us, and the kids have liked it. We played at the beach (at the lake) and in the water while waiting for the fireworks to begin that happen around 10:00, such fun. We love you all and thank you for everthing you do for us. We are not going to blog until Sunday or later. They charge 10 dollars a day for WiFi. Best Western gives it free, but WDW charges for everything. Must say though WDW is awesome and staying here is beyond our dreams. We will try to post later with pictures. LOVE YOU!!

Hey we made it

Ok, We are now in Florida, and at Disney World. We have been having a lot of fun and the flight was great. We did hit some turbulence, the kids mostly liked it, (except Caity), they thought it was like a roller coaster ride. Our modem in our cabin wasn't working, but they got it fixed today. The first photo is in our rental car heading to Disney World. It rained right as we got to Florida. This is a map of where we are staying. Photo of Caity and Morgan in the cabin just chilling on the couch.
Here are a couple of photos of our neighbors, an armadillo, and a lizard.


Rather than put a bunch of photos here. A link for the photos we are taking is http://picasaweb.google.com/adlayne1/FloridaTrip2010#

If this link does not work let me know and I will see what I can do. Keep in mind, I just dumped all the photos from the first two days and haven't been through them to weed out the crappy photos.
Now that we have internet service I will post more photos tomorrow. Merry Christmas, and have a lovely day. We love you all and are very grateful for all of you that have made this trip possible. With all we have been through this year, this has been a bigger blessing that we ever would have imagined. I know this is redundant, but Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Love Andy and Family.

we are having technical difficulties in fl. will post later

Night before the big day

We are all ready and tired, but not sleepy. Tomorrow morning bright and early we leave to go to Disney world. This has been a great blessing to us as a family. We cannot thank the people responsible enough for the chance to forget about the looming cancer choices that face us in the near future. This couldn't have come at a better time for us. While there are some anxieties about the flight, the kids are all ready and looking forward to the new experience. and just like when people ask, how we deal with all the stress and trials that come with cancer, I tell my kids to just breathe, it will all be ok, enjoy what you can and be happy. It really works. Well, its way past my bedtime. The next blog you get from me will be from Florida. Wish us luck and there will be pics next blog. Merry Christmas and have a lovely day. Love Andy.

Feeling better every day.

I am feeling great today. Its amazing how good a person can feel when they are not having toxins pushed into their body every three weeks. On Monday I went to the Quack-practor, and had an adjustment. He fixed my hips and lower back. Almost all of my pain went away, I am just a little sore. Now I just have to get my energy level up. Which seems to be easier now that I am not constantly in pain. So Major kudos to Dr. Vrane. We are all getting excited about going to Florida and Disney World. The kids have been packed since Tuesday, and we don't leave until Sunday. Did I mention how great I feel? Ok, we have received a firm date of August 4th to have our next scan and Dr. appointment, to see how the tumors are faring. With any luck they are dieing and shriveling up. But we will have to be patient and let the IL2 do its work. So we won't have an answer on that until August. But we will have regular posts next week on how we are doing in Disney World. A special thanks to all of those who have helped with this trip, to put a bright spot in a seemingly dismal time of our lives. It has given us something to focus on that is not cancer related. We appreciate this very much and really don't have a way to adequately convey how grateful we are. We will do our best to have fun and post lots of pictures. We love you all and wish you the best. Merry Christmas and Have a lovely day.
Love Andy.

Where does the time go?

This last week flew by. Things are getting better in some areas and worse, or harder in others. I have felt a lot better lately, except for my hips. I am stretching, and walking trying to get them to work properly. Some days are better than others, but I think I am making some headway. But then again, I tend to be overly optimistic and it could be that I am not seeing things they way they really are. The kids are really excited about going to Disney World. Ok, Peggy and I are excited too. Its a short post today, but I need to get to work. Which I am happy that I am able to return to. Its nice being able to work again, and if I am lucky I will make it all day today. Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Love, Andy.

What a weekend

I wasn't sure if I should blog or not. I figure since there was no new information on Andy's cancer treatments, there wasn't anything to write. However, since talking with many of Andy's family that lives far from us, I thought we should write the happenings of our week. On Saturday, We went to the Andrew family reunion at Powerhouse in Malad Summit. We got up early(6:00am)and went to have breakfast with the relations. It was COLD up there!! We talked with cousins, aunts, and uncles that we haven't seen for years. It was great. Andy, Dennis, Morgan, and cousins went fishing. They really didn't catch much, but Morgan caught a frog. He tried to convince Andy to let him keep it, but to no luck he had to release it. Live long little frog. All of the siblings with families in tow(except David)came and had dinner up there. I should explain to some of you why David (Andy's youngest brother)wasn't able to come. He is serving in the Navy and is stationed in Florida. However, we we able to have Tanya and little Jonah there. We went home happy and tired. Sunday, we attended our church services then afterword had Tanya, Jonah, Tralyn, and Brecken over for BBQ chicken. Monday, we went all out. We did very little. It was awesome. That night we went to Grandma Layne's for dinner and went to the park to sing before fireworks were lit. We left totally tired. There is more that I could write but I don't want to write pages and pages, so I will leave it at that for now. I do want to send out our love and appreciation to Andy's extended relations. We love you and your support. It was good to know that this blog is helpful to you. We loved seeing everyone there. One more thing. I hope that we can keep those in the armed services in our prayers. We live in such a topsy-turvy life that we forget how we received the freedoms of this nation. It is the sacrifice of men and women in the armed services and their families. Andy and I are very thankful to all.

Fourth of July weekend

Just wanted to take a few minutes and remind everyone its the Fourth of July. Hug a soldier, thank them for the sacrifices they make, retired, currently serving, and support those who may want to make a career out of the armed forces in the future. It is a hard life they choose, but it protects our freedoms. Thanks to my brothers who did and are serving in the Navy. And to my in-laws who served in the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. Thanks to you all, we love you and are thankful for your service. Merry Christmas and Have a lovley day.
Love Andy, Peggy, and Family

Beautiful morning

I was awoken this morning by the strangest sound. The alarm clock was beeping at 5:00am. I have not gotten up this early for at least a month. I had a hard time going back to sleep, so I laid there thinking. This is a beautiful morning. I feel as though with the last two days, we as a family, have recieved a blessing of peace. Andy has been lighthearted, joking, and more his real self. This alone has given all of us a boost of happiness. We are riding this wave and enjoying the ride. So, if we seem a bit dreamy, we are. We will be busy this weekend, just like the rest of you, so have a great 4th and be safe. We love you all.

A difinitive answer at last!

I got some answers this evening. We are not going to have any more IL2. WOO HOO. While some of you may find this a little unnerving, let me explain a little.(Peggy already addressed this in the previous post.) I have reached the point where the balance has tipped from the treatment being beneficial to being detrimental to my health. The kidney doctor is not sure how well my kidneys will bounce back from another dose of IL2, and upon a preliminary look, doesn't see an adverse side effect to my kidneys from the ipilimumab (new drug). So in effect we will not have anymore IL2 because we want to keep my kidneys functioning. The next step is to have a CT Scan done on what would have been our regular schedule, which puts that at the end of July. So the last week of July I will have a scan and see how the tumors are. With any luck and a lot of blessings, they will have kept "stable" or will have shrunk. We are praying for shrinking, but stabilizing will be ok too. If they are stable or have shrunk, we will proceed to a maintenance schedule where I have a scan every 3 to 6 months to monitor existing tumors and check for new ones. If new ones show up or the existing ones start to grow, I will go on the new drug. I am really excited so I may be forgetting stuff here, but right now, I don't really care. If you have questions feel free to post a comment and I will respond to it. Some things I don't know but would be more than happy to find out. Once again, Thank you for the prayers and thoughts, our hearts and prayers go out to you. Merry Christmas and Have a lovely day.
Love Andy.

We are sorry that we have not posted a new blog sooner, however, we just didn't know what to write. Monday we met with Dr. Mcgreggor (kidney doctor). Andy had more blood tests done and then we were told to wait. So, we did. We learned what we already knew. Andy's kidney's have been through major trauma with the Il2 and the other meds that are needed to keep him alive when at Huntsman. This is old news. We also learned that with continued treatments it will progressively get worse for the kidneys and failure is plausible. Also old news. The new news is that Dr. Grossman (oncologist) is leaning toward going to plan B and not finishing out the Il2. We will have the decision made by Thursday at the latest on what we are doing. I know that many of you are feeling alarmed about this information. Let me put it to you this way. We are at the first of probably many crossroads of decisions about Andy's treatments. The question is, "what is worse, the treatment or the disease." I know that the disease would be the first and loudest you all would say, but let me remind you of the very real fact that Andy has stage 4 melanoma. This is a cancer that is in the top 5 most aggressive and non-treatable cancers our society is facing. It is not a matter of if it takes Andy's life, but when. We want as a family to have as much time together on this earth. We also want it to be possible for Andy to be able to function during that time. Right now we face a real possibility that continuing with Il2 will take away a quality of life that we have right now. I don't want to alarm any of you. We pray for and believe that miracles can and do happen, and have seen them frequently happen over the last six months. And that Andy may have that chance to out live most Doctors theories. That is why we look at every possibility and options. For Andy, he is positive and upbeat about the direction the doctors are going. Andy and I personally feel that Dr. Grossman, Dr. Mcgreggor, and all the staff at Huntsman are truly being inspired in Andy's treatments. I hope that all of you that read this do not think I am being depressed or negative. I just what you to know what is going on with treatments and how Andy is progressing. I am comforted by the doctors and their real concern of Andy and his overall well being. To prove my point. If Andy does not go into Huntsman this weekend for treatments. The doctors have said they will wait until we come back from our trip to Florida to continue. They want us as a family to go on this trip and they know that Andy will not be able to go it if there is not enough recovery time between the treatment and the trip. We all feel the Lord's hand in this trial. We feel there is much to learn and we will be given the time to learn it. No one knows their time line in this life. But we all know it will end someday. And we have decided to live and enjoy what beautiful things the Lord has provide us. We have wonderful neighbors that are willing to sacrifice time and energy to help us with things that were at one time very simple for us to accomplish. Cutting, baling, and water the field was the simplest of tasks for Andy, until now. And we are blessed with Bruce Zundel and family, Jay Capner and family, and Rob and Danny, who are our heroes for their help, just to name a few. We love you and appreciate all you do. Thanks to all of you and your prayers. We will see miracles upon miracles as we all progress through this. I feel that the Lord has many things for Andy and I to do still, and cancer will not impede us. So with this very long posting, we want to remind you to wear your sunscreen and stop to smell the flowers. We love you!!Keep up the prayers.

More labs.....

This pretty much sums how I have felt today. I called the lab a couple of hours after I had my blood drawn, and they told my my creatnine levels were almost 1.7. This is bad. They were 1.5 last week when they said no treatment, they are supposed to be below 1.2. I called Dr. Grossman's office and talked to Karen (the nurse). I told her the numbers for the Creatnine, and then she went and checked the fax machine, and talked with Dr. Grossman, she called me back and said I needed to meet with Dr. Mcgregor, the nephrologist (kidney doctor) and informed me that I would be taken off of the list for coming in this weekend. This is really frustrating, because there is nothing I can do to fix it. It is totally out of my control. Which is a recurring pattern with this cancer stuff. Maybe there is a lesson here that God would like me to learn? I'll work on trying to figure that out later. But in the meantime I got a message at 5:30 on my home phone, how they got that number I will never know, that I need to get with Dr. Mcgregor, while my cel phone, which is practically attached to my hip, and its the only number I gave them to call me at, never rang. So I breath, and just keep breathing, hoping for more patience and less reminding that I am not in control. On a good note, it looks like I will be able to attend a day at the Andrew Family reunion, and then spend the 4th of July in the hospital (maybe), if my kidneys cooperate. I will keep on praying for patience to deal with this, keep smiling and trying to keep a positive outlook. I just looked at the clock and it's later than I would like to admit, but I have been too upset to write until now. Thanks for the prayers and thoughts in my behalf, if it wasn't for all of you and my family, I would have been overwhelmed long ago. My heart felt appreciation is not truly conveyable, but I truly love you all and am honored to make it to your personal communion with God. Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Love Andy.
PS. I am very aware that Peggy is a lot better writer than I am. She is a lot better at most things. I am truly lucky to have such a wonderful supportive Wife.

labs, labs, labs...

Andy was not feeling well yesterday, he had problems with his balance. He stayed home from work to try to rest and drink lots of water to help flush his body and try to get his kidneys working better. Today he was able to get up and get ready for work with little trouble. He is also going to the hospital to have his labs work done. This will then be sent to Dr. Grossman at Hunstman to deciede if Andy's kidney function is good enough to start IL2 on Sunday. Tomorrow we will have a conference call with the Docs to find out what they want to do. We are hoping that Andy will go on Sunday because otherwise this runs into our Florida trip. We want Andy to have every chance at beating this cancer, we also want to be able to go on this family vacation that so many have put time and effort into. If we have to postpone the trip the kids will understand. They are very good at not holding grudges about things don't go their way with postponed trips. Our kids are very patient. Yes, even Caity. They are learning how to look at a more eternal perspective of this life than just the here and now. I am proud of our kids. It is not easy trying to grow up with a parent that has to battle cancer. Andy does not have the energy or strength that he once did. And we were forced to give up some very important things, like horses. We sold two of them weeks after the diagnosis. We knew that things would be too difficult with them. We have kept our sweet Sue. She is an Arabian/appy cross. Some very wonderful nieghbors/friends have taken her up on their ranch for us until we can take her back. Last week, Andy took the girls up to their (Roche's) ranch to see her again. It has made us miss her more. Andy loves riding and working with horses, but the docs have advised that he does not ride or work them, not because of infections or anything like that. His balance is not its best and would cause an accident if he tried to ride. We are all hoping that next year will bring better days with our Suzy. Thankyou again to the Roche family for taking such great care of our horse. Thank you for all of your prayers and love.

Fathers day weekend

The kids went to Lava Hot Springs for the Verhaal annual outing. They had a blast, they went up Thursday and we went up Saturday to get them. It was really nice to see everyone. Fathers Day was kinda rough for me but we made it through and still had some times that were enjoyable. We went to my parents for dinner/supper, the last meal of the day (the clarification is for my Dad.) Tanya and Jonah came over and it was fun to see them. He is growing so much. Tanya is my little brother David's wife, Jonah is their son. ok, enough genealogy. It has been frustrating feeling sick still, but now we know why and it makes it more bearable and have a plan for getting over it. Water, water and a little more water, with some Gatorade, and cranberry juice. A little walking and lots of bathroom time. If all works well I should be back in shape for treatments by Thursday. If not, I will be making an appointment to go and see the kidney doctor. So lets hope and pray that all will be well by Thursday, that's when I have to do more labs. While putting treatment off for a week may seem like a setback, it just shows how much Dr. Grossman and the team care about my well being and success over cancer. They want me to get as many doses as I can and we all agree that under current circumstances I probably would have only got 1 maybe 2 doses before my body said no more. We take everything day by day and enjoy the little successes during each day that we have and endure the bad times. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers. Merry Christmas, and have a lovely day.
Love Andy.

hope floats

Today is a good day. Andy and I went to Huntsman and did the regular pre-admit check up with Dr. Grossman. Although Andy will not be admitted on Sunday to start the 2nd half of the 3rd series of IL2. We did find out that Dr. Grossman went to a national melanoma conference, and learned more about a drug that has shown a remarkable number of success in the battle against this form of aggressive cancer. We all know that we are not immortal, yet when you have been given an actual time line you tend to get excited when the experts tell you about another possible way to stay here on earth with the ones you love. I would love to give you the name of this treatment, but I can not even say it more or less write it. Plus we were not given specifics, just a little bit of hope for a new plan B. I guess you would like to know why Andy is not going in on Sunday for treatments. His labs came back showing that his kidneys are not functioning at an acceptable level to begin the treatments, so Dr. Grossman has delayed Andy's admit until next Sunday. Andy's recovery this time around has been slow compared to previous recovery times. His feeling of being extreme tired and sick to his stomach is due to dehydration and high creatnine levels in the kidneys. We were not surprised about the delay and we actually feel this will be better, and will allow Andy to have a better chance to recieve more doses. If you can not tell we are happy with this news. I hope you can tell how much the Dr.'s and staff at Huntsman really care about Andy and our family on a very real personal level. We are so thankful to them. They are always looking for ways to fight this cancer with Andy as partners in crime. We want you all to remember to keep a possitive attitude and know we love each of you and pray for you and your family. Keep up the prayers we always can use them. We really do feel your love, thoughts, and prayers. Thank you.

Tired, again

I went to work yesterday. Today I am recovering, just for the record, Cancer sucks!!! But the miracles, the blessings, the love and concern that has been showered upon us has made this a bearable, all be it not comfortable, situation. Through inspiration and people thinking of us, just this week we have had some wonderful things happen. My shed was re-tar papered where the wind ripped what we put down last fall (thanks Rob). We had a bunch of shingles dropped off at our house (thanks to the Scott Family). and some people that put them up for us (thanks Mom, Dad, and Josh.) All of this happened since Sunday. With nary a word from me. People have told me to just go sit down and stay out of the way, which right now is where I should be. But it doesn't make it easy for me to just watch others do things I used to be able to do fairly easy. Things are going well on the recovery side, I just need to remember that I got 5 doses this last time. The Doctor thinks I am crazy by going to work, but I feel like I have to do something when I feel better, and maybe getting more rest is the best answer. But going to work is sometimes more therapeutic than just sitting in a chair relaxing. You can only watch so much TV and reading is not a great option for me, my eyes don't work like they should, so reading is really hard. And at this point, my body doesn't need sleep all day and all night long. Although today I may end up taking a pain pill if the pain doesn't go away soon. I am hoping that I start to feel better sometime this afternoon. I will be taking it easy all day so I can go to work again tomorrow. Thanks, to all the caring Co-Workers, you guys and gals are awesome. We as a family pray for all of you on a daily basis. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts, may God bless you all today, and may you see the miracles in your life. Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Love Andy

Good morning

I woke up this morning having actually slept in my bed all night. This is boring for most of you, but for me, at this point it is quite an accomplishment. If I lay completely flat I have a tendency to stop breathing, (while I have the water weight on.) So I didn't need to sleep in the recliner. And Peggy didn't wake me up about midnight and say, "you, need to sleep in the other room, your breathing keeps stopping." At least that's the excuse she keeps giving me.
I will say I now have a lot more sympathy to the supervisors that stand around and watch people work. Whew!!! that is hard work. I watched my wife and kids dig holes and set fence posts yesterday, then went and took a nap I was so tired. It is amazing how much of a tole this IL2 puts on your body. I think it was just being upright and the little bit of walking around I did that wore me out. Recovery, like always has been slow but progressing.
Today I am finally below 240, and my legs and hands are not swollen anymore, so I guess I have gained a little weight over the last few weeks. My appetite is coming back and eating is more enjoyable than it used to be. Thanks to all who have brought in meals over the last while. They have been delicious.
All is quiet at the Layne home this morning. I can hear the second hand on the clock in the other room ticking away. The sun has yet to come up this morning but it looks like it is going to be a beaufitul day. I can hear the birds chirping through the window, and the cat wants to go out and try to eat them.
By the way, a HUGE thanks to Lisa and Georgia for helping us out with Reese, it has been a lifesaver for us here. I haven't heard from you so I assume that all is well. Anyway, I think I will be making some pancakes for the kids for breakfast. As always, Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. Merry Christmas, and have a lovley day.
Love Andy.

I may not have been totally forthcoming.

Ok, Here are somethings I didn't even tell my wife. (partly because I was not aware until later the following day.) On Monday I turned blue again, during, rigors. It seems lately that the first rounds are the most vicious. And have had a tendency (for me) to be the most dangerous. My blood pressure for the most part stayed fairly stable. I had to stop because of internal pressures on my liver and gall bladder. The weight gain I have is hard to deal with because of the pain that it causes, can't be helped other than passing it through. It is slowly coming off. I feel better today if I don't move at all, but that is one of the things I have to do to help getting the water weight gone. Movement on my part helps immensely. Thanks for the prayers and good thoughts to get me through this last series. Only one more to go before we have to draw a line in the sand and decide which is the better course of action. To proceed on this same course to no avail, or take a more drastic, more invasive, and life disrupting course. May your prayers be with us, as our's are with you. thank you, thank you very much. I can not express it enough.
Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Love Andy.

Today Andy called me around 6:00am, this is our usual morning talk time before the chaos begins. He is doing well, he is positive and upbeat. Around 2:30 he called to let me know they are done with this weeks treatments. He recieved 5 doses total, which is more than expected, but then you all know Andy(has to press his limits). He was really wanting to do 8 doses just to show Dr. Grossman that he could do it. I swear the more those two men are together the more I think their little boy, "I can do it better than you can" attitude comes out. Dr. Grossman will say, "Andy, if we can get 3 doses, that would be great." Andy's relpy is usually something to the effect, "If I'm down here for a week, I think 6 doses would be better." As if this is some kind of bargining/haggling item they are talking about. I am going to go down tomorrow to bring him home. He has gain 33 pounds of water and feels like the stay puff marshmellow man. There were no scares or problems this time around. The doctors/nurses were aggressive in predosing Andy before each treatment and this seems to help. I would like to clear up so things. On my post from last friday, I did mention that we needed some time to absorb info that was given to us. I feel as though I am in a more calm and understanding place and I can further explain so things. Andy and I have been very focused on these treatments to stop and reverse the growth of the tumors. The information from the scan from last week were not great. They did show growth, and this threw us for a loop. We really did not expect it, and we felt as though we were just told all over again of the statisic and real number we are facing with this cancer. Our happy place that we had been building during this last month was blown down by melanoma once again. But, yes there is a but, we are refocusing and accepting what lies ahead. This is not as easy as I make it sound. Life is never certian, but we all have expectataion and goals to how we are going to live it. At this time Andy and I don't see a clear and forward future. We are building it slowly one month at a time. Having said that, tomorrow is the last day of school for the kids, Andy is coming home (sick and bloated), and I have more time to try to get the yard to look nice for the summer. Another thing we are looking for to our vacation in July. Some month ago my sister Andee and her lovely hubby found a charitable group call Compassionate Partners. They help families with individuals of life threatening diseases to go on a family vacation. We are going to Florida, DisneyWorld, Universal Studios, Sea World, and the BEACH!! Yet, with my luck that muck flowing from the Gulf will make its way to where we will go and the beach will be closed. Pray that mother nature doesn't let this happen, I know that sound very selfish, but my kids have never seen an ocean at all. So we are all excited beyond belief. Thank you Andee, Rene, and those of Compassiontate Partners. We want to remind all of you how much we are grateful for your love and prayers. Thank YOU!!!!

On Sunday, we took Andy down to Huntsman to start the first week of the third series of treatments. This was hard on us all. You would think this would get easier the more you do this, it doesn't. Monday the started the Il2 at 1:00 pm. It was a slow start because of the lack of x-ray tech that were available. Before they start Il2 they must take an x-ray to make sure the line in okay. Things went well enough, he did have some problems with his blood pressure. They have decided to take this week slow. Possibly only one dose per day as long as Andy's body does okay. Today he had his dose around 9:30 am. We need everyone to say a prayer that the weeks and the second half of this series will reduce the tumors. Things are a bit shaking at this point and anything is much apprieciated. We love you and I will post an update tomorrow. Thank you

Not the day we hoped for

We went to our Dr.appointment today at Huntsman. The news is not what we have been hoping and praying for. The tumors have shown a slight increase in size, but show stablility. I know what you are all thinking. (Is this bad or good) Well, it is indifferent. It is not what we wanted but it is not without some hope. Dr. Grossman explained it like this. The tumors are like a ball, if you were to slice it into small sections then place them together again, then leave it for a time, then go back and slice it again, the chances are that you will not remove the same exact slice on the second time. The scan work similar to this. When you take a picture of a section of the tumor there is a good chance that it is not the same exact location as the scan before. Andy's tumor growth is measured in millimeters. Dr. Grossman said that the growth is small and still feels that proceeding with Il2 for another series is the right direction to go. So, Andy will go into Huntsman on Sunday and because of the holiday they will start treatments on Tuesday. So, many of you will have questions and the most evident is "what is next?" Next, will be the option that was not first on our list, surgery. I know that surgery seems the perfect answer, however, it holds many unknowns. We would have to go to either Texas or Maryland to have the specific surgery and gene therapy. Expensive and distant is how we view these options. Up to this point we have been able to place minimal effect on the kids and those around us. The surgery option will definetly change all of that. Please don't see this new information as negative and depressive. Andy and I have a firm faith that things will be okay, not perfect or easy, and possibly not what we foresaw. I know there is alot here in this post, and there is more that you want to know but please we ask that the questions will be limited, so we can have time to absorb what we have learned and accept each step that is placed before us. So with the memorial weekend here, we want everyone to enjoy it and not worry about or for us. We are going to bbq and have as much fun on Saturday as possible. I am going to take the kids to a movie on Monday, and we are going to live. That is exactly what we want you all to do. We also want to remember those in the armed service and those loved ones that have gone before. I hope that the rain will stay away and the sun will shine abundantly. Thank you for all you do, and please keep up the prayers they are needed and most accepted. We love you all.