oh what a game!

First of all GO HAWKS!!!!

What a nice way to end the season...a WIN. We stayed up all night and did not miss a moment and it was glorious. Brian and I sported our Hawk gear yesterday...hats, gloves, socks, pants, t-shirts, coats.

My older sister was visiting from San Diego so my parents came up on their way to Omaha to drop her off. We ate dinner at Tumea and Sons. We have some friends who recommended it. It was delicious. We were also able to hang with our friend Peter before he moves away. We will miss him a lot but wish him the best of luck!

Brian has been trying to eat a lot this week since last time on chemo he did not tolerate food well. When we went to the Dr. today he had gained about 8 pounds. This is good because his pants are so big that Sunday when he was walking they fell down, it was funny but he almost fell and we don't need another broken bone.

We thought we were going to start chemo today but that was pushed back to Monday and Tuesday. Brian continues to have radiation every day. So far he has experienced no side effects (rash/burns). He is fatigued but it is accumulation of chemo, radiation, and hopping around on one foot. His foot has been bothering him at night. We aren't sure if he sleeps funny, if it is cramping, or what is going on.

Yesterday we met with the Orthopedic surgeon. The results of CT scan showed all 4 broken bones and one displaced bone. They decided not to do surgery because it would be so difficult to reach the bone it wouldn't be worth it. Brian got his hard cast put on and got to choose his color. We selected black for the hawks...I think we are going to puff paint a tiger hawk on tonight!

It is hard for Brian to get out of the house let alone get around the house but we have tried to take him somewhere everyday so that he isn't laying on the couch all day. Monday we went to Sam's club and yesterday we went to Walmart. I wanted him to be able to wheel a wheel chair around so he could get some exercise but all they had were those motorized carts. It is very entertaining to watch him go around with those things. He just follows behind me with it. He has figured out how to do a 360 turn instead of a 10 point turn. When I was at Walmart he drove off to look at video games and then came back behind me quietly. I kept hearing this sound so I turned around and there he was doing 360's by him self in the meat section. It was so funny, but it caught me off guard since I didn't know he had returned. Every time we moved the cart would make this humming sound...I can't keep a straight face when we go out shopping. It is fun and nice to go out and do normal stuff instead of stuck at home.

Happy New Year to you all!!! We will be at home taking it easy, we will have many more New Years to celebrate later on!

Go Hawks!

Stacey and I had an amazing Christmas with both of our families over the weekend. It was so great to get to see so many good friends and family. That is what the holiday's are all about. We thank everyone for all of their fantastic gifts and great hospitality! Also Stacey and I got an HD TV from my parents and Stacey's parents!!! It is awesome! I have been looking at getting one for a long time now. It is really great for all of the sports that I love to watch!!! Thank you guys so much!

Tonight I get to use my new TV to watch my Hawkeyes again!!! I hope that they just come out and play well. I want to see the team that played Michigan State again tonight. No doubt it is going to be really tough to beat Mizzou but I love the way that the Hawkeyes prepare for bowl games. Ever since the Orange Bowl game vs USC they always come out prepared no matter who the opponent is. Go Hawks!!!

I have been doing better. Getting more self sufficient around the house but it is still hard when you have to crutch, scoot or hop around on one foot everywhere. At least a lot of the pain has subsided. It only hurts a little bit during the day but at night when I lay on it wrong it does get pretty painful. Ouch!

Today we are going to the Dr to find out whether or not I have to get foot surgery or not. Hopefully not but if I do that is fine too. Whatever it takes to get better that is what we will do. I have had 3 radiation treatments so far and they seem to be going pretty well. We pray that the radiation is working! I start a new round of Chemo on Wednesday. Hopefully it goes better than the last time. I got sick several times with these Chemo drugs last time and ended up getting pretty dehydrated. We are trying to do a lot better with the liquids this time.

Merry Christmas to all of you and I hope that you had as wonderful of a Holiday weekend as we did!!! God Bless!!!

Brian Pritchard

Retract that previous post

Yesterday Brian was supposed to start radiation however the machine was down so they rescheduled for today. While we were waiting for radiation we ran into our patient care coordinator who stopped to say hi. We told her about our incident on Sunday evening. She looked at Brian's foot called our Dr. to see if we could be seen. We rushed up to their office where they decided we needed to be seen by an orthopedic surgeon. At least they gave Brian crutches so he could get around somewhat.



This morning at the orthopedic surgeon they took more x-rays of his foot and found that Brian fractured 4 out of 5 metatarsals in his right foot. They couldn't get a good look at one of the fractures that might be displaced so we will have a CT scan this afternoon. From this they will decide if he will need surgery or not.



The crutches are very fatiguing for Brian especially since he is on chemo and starting radiation. It is tiring to even get to the bathroom. We discussed this with the Dr. and ordered for Brian to have a walker. Yep 25 and already using a walker (wheeled walker so it is cooler!). This thing is so BIG, I couldn't help but laugh when the sales lady brought it out. It is a Cadillac of all wheeled walkers.


Currently, Brian has a splint on (basically a handmade soft cast). Once the swelling has gone down they will give him a hard cast. He will have this on for 8+weeks. Since it is his right foot he can't drive anywhere. So I will have to take him back and forth to work (once he can return) and all his appointments every day.

Oh my what a year! Let's just say we hope 2011 goes much better.

P.S. I must apologize to Brian for making him do ROM exercises and trying to bare weight on it. I was trying to help him recover since it wasn't 'broken'. He was not a happy camper...now I know why. I have made this up by waiting on him all day- with a smile on my face!

The excitement never ENDS!

Brian has been having such a rough go around this time with chemo. Saturday we were debating whether or not to go to his parents house for Christmas and finally late Saturday night I decided to do it. Brian hadn't been sick since the morning and had a few naps in so I loaded the car put him in it and drove home. I knew if we didn't leave at night we wouldn't go and I knew he really wanted to go but wasn't feel well. He was able to be with all of his family, but it was pretty exhausting for him. He was able to stomach real food too!

We got back early last night and Brian was pretty tired so I left him on the couch to do some Christmas shopping. When I got home I got him settled in for the night.....so I thought.

Around 11:30 pm I heard Brian get up to go tot he bathroom and a little while later I heard a CRASH. Not once, twice, possibly three and even four- we aren't sure he doesn't remember and I was in the back room. I heard him yell my name so I went to check on him and my sister and I found him in the hallway. He had some issues and passed out 4 times within about 5 min. trying to get to the back bedroom. We sat him up in a chair, I took some vitals and decided a trip to the ER was necessary. I guess it is good I'm in med school!! Since he kept going in and out I put my gait belt on him and Allison and I carried him to the car- he really couldn't walk at all.
During one 0f the falls he twisted his foot so grabbed an ice pack for the car ride.

Once we got to ER there was no waiting- I guess a good thing about being a chemo pt. there is no wait! We were rushed to the triage area, scary! By then he was looked and felt a lot better. They did an EKG and blood work which were all normal and then X-rayed his foot which was negative for broken bones. By then he had an IV and was back to normal. The ER DR. decided he was severely dehydrated from accumulation of chemo and being sick to his stomach. We got him home after a quick stop at hy-vee for EVERY color of Gatorade- yep every color! I camped Brian next to the bathroom so he could crawl to it. By 4 am we were in bed. We both got up around 12pm today. Brian hopped to his couch- go figure and asked what was for dinner around 2 pm. All is well now and he is back to normal...well he has a GIANT swollen foot.

He has had 6 Gatorade's today so we are staying hydrated. The problem is he couldn't keep much down and then the chemo makes stuff taste like metal so he can't eat or drink a lot because the taste makes his stomach even more upset.

Good thing there is a PT in the family! He is resting on the couch all day with ice and his leg elevated.

Tomorrow starts radiation and lets hope it will be less exciting then the past week.

Brian wanted to try to go back to work Wed. but we will see how his body is doing after this week.

Another lazy day afternoon

Today was a day of rest. We slept most of the day away in order to catch up on sleep. Last night we had some interrupted sleep due to chemo and are hoping tonight we can make it the entire night with no adverse reactions. We are trying to be more proactive in curtailing reactions so we have alarms set to make sure we stay on top of the medication schedule.

Brian hasn't eaten much the past few days as it does not stay down to well. He has managed some soup and we will try some more tonight. Currently, he can handle red Gatorade and sprite the best. Water has been tasting like 'metallic' so we are avoiding it. He says other stuff tastes different which probably is why he is avoiding eating.

Around 6 we finally got up (I told you it was a lazy day, we both just slept) and he showered to see if that would help him feel better. Luckily, my mom made us homemade curtains this summer so we were able to keep the sun out all day.

Our night will be very similar to our day. Sleep. This continues to be the roughest go on chemo. Tonight he starts his neupagen shots which usually brings on its own side effects. We are hoping he begins to feel better tomorrow so that we can participate in Brian's family Christmas. We don't want to push anything because we don't him to get any sicker and his body needs time to recover after 12 rounds of chemo.

Brian will start radiation on Tuesday. His appointments will be around 20 min or so. He hopes to be able to return to work later next week.

Continue to pray that this new route of treatments will work and he will recover from treatments.

Thanks!

Hard core....

Yep Brian is pretty hard core. Today he got his new tats...3 of them, what a rebel.

Brian had day 2 of chemo this morning. His chemo is only for a few hours instead of the 8 hours as it was before and the 3-5 days of chemo in the hospital as it was before that. This chemo seems to be taking a toll on Brian more then the others. He was very tired and achy yesterday afternoon and night so he pretty much slept all day. While he was sleeping I ran errands around town filling prescriptions, etc.

This morning after round two of chemo we went for our 'simulation' of radiation. They set Brian up on the machine and then they tattooed marks on him so that they can line him up correctly each time. He said it hurt a lot, they told him it wasn't like getting a normal tattoo. We got done with chemo early so Brian was able to nap for a little bit in his 'special chair' prior to radiation. Where he gets radiation is where his PET scans are so he has this chair that he loves. It is a huge, over sized lazy boy with a remote control that reclines the chair. Brian makes me laugh, if you look in the waiting room Brian is at least 40 years younger then everyone else. However, he sits in the only chair that has a remote that sits the chair up to assist people in standing up. Everyone else sits in a regular chair and sits/stands on their own. Not Brian. He takes full advantage of everything. The chair moves so SLOW, it is funny to watch him go up and down. You have to laugh at something in chemo/radiation right?

This afternoon has been very low key. Brian slept most of the afternoon trying to recover from chemo. I sat in the recliner next to him at home and watched movies on my laptop. That way I could relax too but also be there in case he needed anything. I have been making Gatorade and sprite trips back and fourth the fridge a lot. Today we are being proactive and keeping his stomach in check with some sprite and anti-nausea medicine.

I told Brian I feel bad he doesn't feel good, but it makes me think the chemo is doing something at least. The next few days will be spent lounging out. Our netflix queue is full!

Please continue to say some prayers!

New day, new treatment

As hard and discouraging as yesterday was we have regrouped and have a smile on today. Prior to our appointment with the Dr. we new things were not good so the anxiety that comes with sitting in the Dr. office waiting for news was not as bad as normal. While we were in the waiting room we ran into our friends the Gibson's. As horrible as things are it was comforting to see them and talk to them. Duane said something that was encouraging. He told us not to give up on our faith and although we don't understand sometimes God challenges people more then what he challenges other. We pray for God's healing for the both of them.

Today we met our Radiation oncologist. Him and Brian made a pack that when Brian was ALL done with treatments they were going to the High Life Lounge for a drink to celebrate. That was the encouragement Brian and I needed. With the disappointment of yesterday he put a smile on our face today. Tomorrow he will have 'simulation radiation'. They will do a CT scan to get precise measurements in order to precisely place the radiation beam and then tattoo him where the beam will be placed (Brian's first tattoo!!!). Since chemo is no longer working we are glad to be able to try radiation. At this point transplant has not been ruled out but we have to get this cancer down.

Right now we are sitting upstairs trying another chemo. We don't want to give our hope up but we are frustrated with chemo. This new chemo is also outpatient and lasts only a few hours. Brian is sitting in his chair with his new temperpedic neck pillow watching Dan Partrick.

The hardest part with all of this is how normal, healthy, active, etc Brian is through all this. Our doctor said yesterday just looking at Brian you would not know he was sick but inside it is a different story. Our doctor is impressed by how well he tolerates chemo. The situation could be a lot worse if he wasn't tolerating everything so well. He will be out of work the rest of this week and will attempt it again on Monday. His radiation will be every day for the next 5 weeks with dose radiation ( I think we should just dunk him in the reactor at the nuclear power plant- dad can we make this happen?) I asked him if he ate the fish at Palo as a kid and perhaps that explains everything.

Thank you for the encouraging messages at this time we ask for cards or comments on the blog. We need to have time to regroup mentally before we talk to people on the phone or in person. The best way of communication is the blog because it is difficult for us to have to address the issue over and over.

Thank you for your prayers....perhaps we can all quadruple them now and see if it works!!!

-The Pritchard's

Another Rough Pet Scan

My cancer is localized to 2 areas in my Lymphatic system. 1 larger area under my arm and 1 smaller area in my neck. These are the only 2 spots showing up on the PetScan but they have both gotten bigger since my last Scan. This means that the Chemo that I was just on did not shrink the size of the cancer like we wanted it too. The bone marrow transplant is put on hold yet again and seems to be further off than before because of this set back. We are doing everything that we can but nothing seems to be working. The strangest part is that physically I feel really normal.

Like every bad scan you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep fighting. I'm going to be honest with you and tell you that it is something that is very hard to do. We have a new treatment plan now with new Chemotherapy drugs that I will start in the morning. These are drugs that my system has not had yet and the hope is that they will shrink the size of my cancerous areas. Along with these new Chemo treatments I am starting radiation treatments. I will likely do 6-8 weeks of radiation while I get my Chemo treatments. We are trying to get a new trial drug approved by insurance as well. It would be an oral Chemotherapy.

The road has gotten even tougher yet again but that just means that we must fight that much harder.

God is Good. Keep the Faith.

Brian Pritchard

Another Fun Relaxing Weekend

Stacey and I had people over on Friday for a Christmas Party. We had many of Stacey's DMU classmates here as well as many people that I work with at Wells Fargo. It felt really good to get together with all of our good friends in one place. We had a blast and Stacey made some amazing food! I have been eating the fantastic leftovers all weekend. Thank you to everyone who came to our Christmas Party. It was a lot of fun! Also Happy Birthday to Quam and Congrats to Peter who got a new job in the Twin Cities!

Today I have been doing some small chores, watching football and taking naps. Stacey has been studying all day for her final DMU test. Good Luck Honey! I was told from the Pet Scan people to take it easy all today and no food and only clear liquids after midnight. I am ready for my Pet Scan tomorrow and no matter what the result is we will accept it and keep on fighting! Stacey and I both ask for your prayers not only for the Pet Scan results but for guidance for our doctors as we take our next steps in the treatment process. The scan is tomorrow morning, then I am going to work from 12:30 to 9:30pm (It's my normal Monday hours). I took Tuesday off of work because no matter what the results of the scan are the last thing that you want to do is head into the office. The results are late afternoon on Tuesday and we will send out a post about them probably on Wednesday.

Keep the Faith! Keep Praying!

Brian Pritchard

Feel free to leave a message of Hope our way as we go through the next 48 hours.

Feeling Good

I was just having a relaxing night at the apartment and thought that I would make a post. I am feeling good and have been back to work now for the last 2 weeks straight. It feels good to be back to work and just live a normal life. Our trip to KC was awesome but its always nice to come home too. This week Stacey has been studying pretty much non-stop since we got back from our trip and I have been doing chores at home. I received a list today in an email with all of the jobs that I was supposed to do before the weekend. Like a good husband I jumped right on it tonight and have gotten most of the list done. Your Welcome Honey! :)

I have been feeling good lately and thank God for that everyday. It is so much easier to stay positive all the time when you are feeling good physically too. We Thank you all for continued prayers and support this week. We feel the peace that we get from your prayers! Keep them coming and let's finish out the week just as good as it has started.

Keep praying for guidance for the doctors and for good results on the PetScan on Monday,

Thanks!

Brian Pritchard

A Fantastic Weekend

It was great to do so much fun stuff since I have been feeling so good. On Friday we ate dinner with our really good friends Jordan and Chelsea. They are great cooks and it was good to hang out with them again. They made meatloaf (one of my favorites) and we watch the Hawks beat Iowa State in wrestling!!! Way to go Hawks!!! Thank you Jordan and Chelsea for everything that you have done for us over the past 9 months. You guys are amazing!!

On Saturday we lounged around on the couch watching football and then at night we went to the DaVinci Exhibit at the Science Center here in Des Moines. There was a reception with wine and cheese before the exhibit for DMU students and faculty. We volunteered to take tickets for an hour and then met up with some friends and went through the exhibit. It was awesome! I would recommend it for anyone that likes museums and exhibits. We had a lot of fun there!

Then on Sunday we woke up really early and headed to Kansas City. Some of Stacey's amazing classmates bought us tickets for the Chiefs game yesterday. It was a blast! The Chiefs won 10-6 over the rival Broncos. I have been a big Chiefs fan since I was a kid and it is good to see them start to play well again. Stacey had never been to a Chiefs game before and she had a lot of fun too. The crowd was loud and the Chiefs D was tough. After the game we headed to Arthur Bryant's (It is a famous BBQ spot in KC) and got some delicious BBQ! I had never been there and it was fantastic! We got there just before the crowd too. The line was out the door as we were leaving.

At night we went to the Plaza in KC and Stacey did a little shopping. I was getting tired and I don't care for shopping very much so Stacey kept it pretty short. (Thanks honey!) It was really pretty in the Plaza because they light up the entire district with lights for Christmas. It wasn't too cold so we walked around the Plaza and had a great time. I was tired so we headed back to the hotel room and went to bed by 9:15! It was a busy but amazing day! It felt great to go on a trip because Stacey and I love to travel and have not been able to for quite some time now.

Keep praying for good results on the PetScan which is scheduled for next Monday Dec 13th and we get the results from our oncologist on Tuesday Dec 14th. My attitude has been a lot better over the last week and I am going to be ready for whatever treatment plan we will have. Keep the prayers coming!

God is Good!

Brian Pritchard

A busy, fun week

In the midst of everything Brian and I realized that while trying our hardest to keep him safe we forgot to be normal. To avoid crowded places filled with germs and the cold weather we continually stayed at home and rarely ventured out. It didn't help that the past month I was on high alert trying to cram for school. So this week we decided to forget everything and just be 'normal'.

Prior to Brian's diagnosis we would walk anywhere from 1-3 hours a night during this time we would just talk and catch up as well as get some exercise. However, we quite doing that in midst of trying to understand and deal with everything. We have definitely felt the affects of not exercising and not spending time together. So this week we changed gears and decided to get back on board. We have worked out Monday, Tuesday, Wed. (Brian skipped b/c we had a special day and couldn't fit in), and Thurs. It feels amazing. It is always hard to get back in the groove but we both said how much better it feels to get back into our normal routine, plus it helps Brian sleep without medication! We did have one minor incident while easing back into the workout routine, Brian fell off the treadmill. As horrible as it sounds we both LAUGHED so hard. I couldn't walk I had to hit the emergency stop button and collect myself. It was the perfect release of all our emotions. However, there were TONS of people there so Brian is known as ''the guy who fell off the back of the treadmill.''

Next on our normal list, we used to go meet our friends out for a drink now and then and we really haven't done that since spring. Brian is such a social person and not being around his friends constantly and be stranded at home has taken a toll. We dusted off our Mug Club Card and went and had one mug at Granite City, in time to sample their October Fest. We watched Iowa vs. Wake forest (Brian and his love for the Hawks did not get it at home and listened to it on the radio till we left). We were only out for an hour or so but it was nice to get out of the house. I forget how many great times we used to have and cherish them all with all our friends.

Further down the list, going to fun things around town. I think the last thing we have gone to was the World Food Festival and we went early morning so it was not packed. This week we planned two fun things around Des Moines. Wednesday night we went and saw the Broadway play Mary Poppins at the Civic Center. IT WAS AWESOME, we both recommend it!!! Before the play we grabbed a quick drink at Splash Oyster Bar- the only way I would ever go to an oyster bar. It was so quiet, cozy and the perfect spot to be alone and catch up! On Saturday we are going to a wine and cheese party at the Science Center of Iowa to see a special Da Vincci exhibit. DMU is hosting a reception there and we had been talking about going to the exhibit so it was the perfect opportunity to go.

Finally, a quick weekend sports get away. We LOVE TO TRAVEL. Our favorite weekend spot is Chicago but this time we are headed south to Kansas City. Our friends rallied together and got us tickets to the Chiefs game Sunday. Brian is a huge Chiefs fan (go COLTS) and hasn't been to a game in years and I have never been. We always talked about going but kept saying next year, well this year we are going. I can't say thanks enough for the opportunity to go it means so much because I thought we would never make it down there. The game is at 12 on Sunday so we will leave in the morning go to the game feast on some famous KC BBQ and then head back Monday morning. I don't have class (YIPPIE) and Brian works at 12:30pm so it is the perfect get away.

This week has all the components of our normal life and so far it has been enjoyable. We were up till 12am laughing last night about Mary Poppins (there was one fan who was excited about the play and at the end he was trying to lead the encore as if he was a band director, it was FANTASTIC) as well as Brian's treadmill accident! It has helped to put a lot of stuff in the back of our mind and just enjoy life! I haven't laughed this much in a while and it is nice to have a big smile on my face and Brian's.

Needless to say for all you who ordered bands they are getting done tonight and will be in the mail tomorrow, I PROMISE. We didn't forget about you but we had some stuff to work through and had to get ourselves back on track. If you purchased a band please send us your address and the number of bands to justtryandruinmyday@gmail.com