March Madness

As I am writing this blog post, I am boring myself. I apologize in advance for the lack of substance, but this is this the current situation.

My body feels a lot like my March Madness bracket... pretty busted

I have had several treatments since my last post, and I wanted to write an update, but this cancer thing makes my life seem like groundhogs day. I was hoping something interesting would have occurred since the last post, but at this point it's pretty mundane.

I am going in tomorrow for the 6th treatment of 12. I am glad this is going to be half way point, and I cannot wait to put this all behind me. I have a scan scheduled for the 5th of April to see any progression the drugs have had on the cancer cells, or if the doctors need to up the potency level because there is not enough progress being made. Regardless if the results show that there are not any signs of the cancer remaining in my body, the Dr. still insists that I finish the remaining 6 rounds... She's not the one with her head in the toilet.

I have not lost my hair yet. It is slowly coming out, but I was under the impression it would be long gone. I continue to cut it pretty short, which makes it easier to maintain. Maybe it's just male pattern baldness. (that's depressing)

My appetite is pretty normal, I eat about 5-6 small meals a day. I have found that food helps settle my stomach, especially after getting belly full of venom. I get cravings for certain foods, some of highlights are whoppers, cole slaw (any type of slaw), Sprite, KFC, stuffing, cheesy Gordita crunches. I am hoping to get over this cancer thing and move onto diabetes after the summer.

Thats about all I have to report on. Here are two photos of from the last two rounds. (descriptions below)

1.                                                                                                       2.

1. Here is the photo from round #4. I am standing in front of the hospital City of Hope. Don't get confused by the serene "light beams" in the photo, I am pretty sure that is just L.A. pollution... 

2. I am including a creepy photo Kristen took during the last treatment (5th), just to show off my new cancer beanie. I look like a baby angel...  Actually, Kristen and I were playing a game of opossum. 

Laughter is the best medicine

Several people at work have spent the last month putting together a charity event for me, and on February 15, the culmination of all their hard work came together in the form of Wes 2.0 at the Comedy and Magic Club in Redondo Beach.

The night was headlined by the comedic acts of Garry Shandling, Kathleen Madigan and Ryan Hamilton. All are extremely talented and skilled in their profession, but I have to say that I enjoyed Ryan Hamilton the most. I actually had the opportunity to talk with him back stage, and turns out I am now the second funniest Mormon that I know, as Ryan is a BYU alumni and served a mission in North Carolina.







The night was closed to the public, and was made up of a combination of family, friends (from Cali and T-Town), and a whole lot of law enforcement support from all over the Southland. (It would have been a good night to rob a bank).

The hard work by a few didn't stop with just the selling of tickets to the event, but also included a silent auction for gift baskets, jewelry, autographed sports memorabilia, theme park tickets and even a free personal flight lesson.

To sum up the night, I was once again humbled by the generosity and support.

Fast forward three days later. I had my third round of chemotherapy. My body has reacted a little bit different every time, and this time was no bueno. I was finished treatment around 2:00 pm, and did not feel anything until around 7:00 pm that night. I spent the next three days no more than walking distance from my bed.











I was told from a nurse at the hospital that Michael C. Hall, famously known as Dexter Morgan (you have to say it like the trinity killer does) was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2010, and successfully overcame it. Fun Fact.

...Up coming Posts will include "High Maintenance Disease, Low Maintenance Haircut"


Thanks for all the love.

Port-a-cath surgery

I had surgery this morning at 11:00 a.m. The surgery was to place a catheter into my superior vena cava (vein going to my heart area), which runs to an opening at the other end on the right side of my chest. This will enable the chemotherapy drugs to be directly shot into my body without needing to stick a needle into the smaller veins in my arm. It is also easier on my veins overall.

When I got to the hospital the receptionist handed me a "last directive" form, which you fill out and list someone to make medical decisions if you are unable to do so on your own. I was not expecting that. It took me awhile to decide who I wanted to have make medical decisions for me, but because I am sure my Dad and Garrett would request that I get breast implants, or a hook for a hand. I ended up not submitting the form. I just figured that me in a coma, could still make better decisions than anyone else could for me. (That sounds like something Dwight Schrute would say).

I was then taken to a hospital bed, and told to completely disrobe and put on one of the humiliating hospital gowns where your rumpus is out in the open. I had a hat and booties to match.

Anyway, the surgery was about 45 minutes in duration, and after a mixture of Verced and anesthesia, I cannot remember much of it. I now know that I am a light weight when it comes to waking up from the anesthesia, and for some reason I sang "you can't keep a good dog down", from the Disney movie All Dogs Go To Heaven for about ten straight minutes until they called Kristen in the recovery room and order was restored.

Third round of Chemo coming up on Friday.

Here are some photos from today's excitement.

Pre surgery smile  (I am pretty sure the chemo caused the zit) Carlie, too soon and rude overall.                                                      

This is the catheter. It runs from the neck area down to my chest. You can see the entire tube, and the reservoir area sticks out about an inch from being swollen. It looks like a third nip.  

Also, I did not put on fake tan before surgery, nor do I have a hill billy of a tan line. Its cleaning solution, and for some reason it goes from my neck down to my belly button... 

Oops, they forget to take the three stickies off my back. 

Round II- more side effects

I had the second round of chemotherapy last Friday afternoon.

I arrived at the City of Hope at 8:30 am for a surgical consultation, as I am going to have a catheter placed in my chest, connected to my heart (to simplify medical terms). This will allow the chemo drugs to go into my body more easy and it is also easier on my veins, which begin to deteriorate when the drugs are injected directly into them regularly.

After several hours of sitting in the waiting room playing words with friends, I began Round II at around noon. The nurse (lets call her Nurse 1) was someone I had not dealt with before and lets just say there was a "communication barrier"... and my English is pretty good. A second nurse (Nurse 2) finally came in and straightened some things out.

I have previously mentioned some of the side effects of the drugs (tingling in fingers...) Some of the other issues that I have had to deal with are equally annoying. One of the nurses said that when using the bathroom (going #1 or #2) I should flush twice. My initial thought was that Kristen might have told the nurse to tell me this... you know a "courtesy flush", but the nurse said that its not safe to have any chemo drug residue in the bathroom. So trying to do that is extremely annoying, most people flush and run, not me, I flush, stand around for a bit and try to flush again... usually before the tank fills up.

Another thing that has begun to drive me a bit insane is the semi-insomnia. After the initial chemo injections, I try and get as much sleep as possible, so I don't have to endure the constant feeling of getting off the Disneyland tea cups after eating five nacho cheese dogs. As a result of weird sleep hours, I have found that for some reason I will wake up from my go to tylenol pm/ambien/any other sleep inducing drug cocktail, in the middle of the night and be wide awake. I am not talking about the "I have to go pee" one eye open awake. I am talking about the just got punched in the face wide awake. As a result of the tylenol etc, my eyes are pretty much unable to open, but my legs and body are ready to go. Its my "restless leg syndrome" side effect.  I have found that pacing throughout the house, walking up and down the stairs, stretching and also swearing helps with this issue. It takes between 30 minutes to an hour before I can get back to bed.

Just a few more weird side effects. These will be quick.
1. Sleep habits are a bit off, and I have been known to make some weird whimpering sounds in bed (No, I don't have mommy or daddy issues).
2. Kristen also thinks she is a victim of domestic violence, as she has been on the receiving end of some extreme tossing and turing as I try to get comfortable in bed. She has no marks, so its her word against mine. I was a police officer, I know how it works.
3. The chemo drugs have made me a little bit gassy at times. Since Kristen knows that I have to flush twice... she has translated that into thinking my gas is actually go to inflict real harm. I am sorry to Midas (our dog) who I blame it on. All about projecting the blame.

Other than that, I am good. Thank you for all the support! The phone calls, emails, texts, and inappropriate picture messages are helping me stay positive and optimistic through this difficult time. Oh, and I am 16% done with the Chemotherapy....

Wes 2.0

Its like a beaver dam in there.

It's been one week since my first chemotherapy session. The chemo has done quite a number on my body, and its incredible how just a few drugs can effect the entire system.

One of the recent issues I have been dealing with are the tips of my fingers permanently feel like they are asleep. They have a constant tingling sensation, even while I am typing on the computer. The Drs. that I have talked to indicated that this might happen. Additionally, they said as I have more treatments the tingling can expand further down my fingers or happen on my toes. 

*Wes 2.0 now can't feel pain in the tips of his fingers.   

Also, as a result of the chemotherapy, I have been eating non stop. I am not sure if that is a side effect, or I eat because it is the one thing that feels good right now. (That's depressing). Thanks to the fact that I am eating like a prego, I found out last week that one of the more uncomfortable side affects of the chemo is the way the digestive system has to process everything (chemo drugs, food bingeing). Lets just say it felt like a beaver dam in there.

A few days ago, I started ingesting prunes like it was my job, and those mixed with some additional pills should helped me flush the problem. And don't be fooled by the label, Prunes are not natures super fruit, they taste like garbage. I make a drink that is one part prune juice, and two parts orange juice. (Prune + Orange + Orange = POO).

So to sum things up.

"I can tingle, but I can't poop... very easily anyway"

I have the second chemo session on Friday, so Blah, Blah Blah. 

Round 1: Chemo 1, Wes 0

I had my first round of chemotherapy yesterday. I would now like to refer to it as KARMA-therapy, as I feel that if karma does exist, I am paying for all the times I beat up Garrett.

The treatment went as follows.
I had to give a blood sample to make sure all my counts were normal. (white/red and platelet)

Following the labs, the chemo began.
I have not had a permanent catheter placed into my body, so they placed an IV into my left wrist area. Then they ran a bag of saline solution into system to open the line and get ready for the chemo drugs. The chemo drugs followed, and the whole process took about five hours. The highlight of the chemo drugs was a red solution (don't remember the name), but it looks like unhardened jello going into your arm. (and a few hours later it looks pretty similar coming out).

I left the hospital a little after 3:00 p.m., and we made it about half way home when I started feeling sick. I spent the rest of the day in bed sleeping, with the exception of meal time.
Blue gatorade- thanks Kristen
Enchilada- thanks Danica
Tylenol- thanks David W. Young (inventor of tylenol)

During Treatment

My Thoughts Exactly

Not your typical bank, not your typical deposit.

I will provide a very watered down version of my experience at the fertility/sperm bank. I have received several inquiries as to what that part of this roller coaster was like.
Here is the summary.
After an initial medical consultation, they handed me a soda can-sized cup and told me it is time for me to provide my deposit. They then led me down this hallway and said that I could use any of the three "specimen rooms." All the rooms were about twice the size of a phone both.
Each room had a different theme.
Room #1. White walls and a large picture of a shirtless man holding a newborn baby.  (You should be arrested if you use that room to make your deposit!)
Room #2. The room was covered in abstract chalk drawings of the female figure... for the "artsy" donor.
Room #3. I would call this room the "what you would expect a sperm bank room to be filled with room."

I completed the deposit and dropped it off with the lab tech, who then asked me several questions about my experience.

*I dare anyone in that situation to try and make eye contact with the lab tech while you're answering the questions. It would liken it to trying to keep your eyes open during a sneeze.

Deposit made, and those assets are frozen.