Metastatic Melanoma

Well today was probably the worst day. The Doctor came in today and told us that  the Melanomas in his sinus cavity was not operable as it is way too extensive and was sitting there under the base of the brain. The spot on his lung and the top surface lumps that appeared were  melanoma so my worst fear that it has spread is now a reality... Metastatic Melanoma...  They cannot wait the 2 weeks  for the tests to come back for the BRAF mutation because the main concern is shrinking this tumor in the sinuses NOW. So the game plan is BioChemotherapy. Which is basically 1/2 Chemotherapy and 1/2 Immunotherapy .  They begin tonight and this will last for 10 days. Hopefully after the first round we will be able to go home  for a week or so and then he will have to come back and they will do it again. The doctor said 40-60% of patients with Melanoma will see shrinkage in tumors by the second round. Then hopefully they will be able to use the radiation to remove the tumors in the sinus cavity. There is no cure for Melanoma but I have read many cases about Melanomas just disappearing unlike other forms of cancer. So keep the prayers coming and I will keep you all informed with more information in the following days. I can't type too much more I am emotionally exhausted and quite frankly today has been just way too overwhelming.

xo
k

Hopeful

So happy to be at MD Anderson and out of Houston traffic. Chris has a ct scan at 8:30 tonight and we are both in good spirits. I ordered some dinner and am settling in. We found out the one of  biopsied tumors did turn out to be a  Melanoma. We do not know about the other. He will be having another biopsy soon and they will be looking for a mutation called BRAF in his Melanoma. We WANT him to have this mutation because if he does have it the tumor can be treated with drugs and that would be a good thing. Still don't know anything about the spot on his lung and am praying praying praying it has not spread anywhere else. I am just glad we are now in good hands and am feeling really hopeful.
xo

Frustrations

So I left Chris this morning because he was suppose to be transported to Houston today but just found out the Pathology department has not gotten MD Anderson the hard copy of his biopsy results and MD Anderson does not accept admits after 4:30 pm. I am so pissed. I just don't understand why they are so slow at Cabrini, I feel time is of the essence and I am so ready for him to get out of there. His new planned transport time is 6:00 am tomorrow morning so if anyone wants to go visit him one more time, today is the day to do it! This past week feels like it has gone by so fast. I am just so frustrated because we still don't know much, such as exactly what kind of tumors they are (I pray it is not Melanoma again) Has it spread? What stage is it in? He has been hospitalized for almost 9 days now and all we know is he has 2 malignant tumors in his sinus cavity and and a spot on his lung. Its really enough to drive one insane with anxiety. Chris has really been the strongest of all of us. Imagine knowing you have a potenially life threatening disease and your the one having to do the comforting and thats exactly what he has done. I would have already lost it honestly but I prayed for strength and I today I have felt it. Love you all
xo

k

Thank you's

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the love and support. We appreciate it more than anything. We have had more visits here at the hospital this past week than we have had at our house all year, it seems. It helps pass the time and get the mind off the obvious. We have such good friends and family we are truly blessed.  If you have a facebook or Blog we would love if you would link us.  Due to the type of Cancer that Chris has there is not that much information available online and I hope this blog will  help anyone else dealing with a similar case or we would love to connect with anyone who has gone through this or is going through this. We should have more information in the next couple of days so we will keep you posted.

xoxo

No sleep in sight

Well I keep reading awful articles about Sinus Cancer here on the Internet and quite frankly I keep scaring the sh*t out of myself.  I can't wait to get to MD Anderson so we can actually start doing something about this instead of just controlling the pain. They finally gave Chris another steroid shot earlier tonight to control the swelling, its actually the only thing that is really making him feel better. His parents came earlier to visit and we will have an army of visitors tomorrow before we leave for Texas.  They will transferring him Monday if everything goes as planned by Ambulance, I will catch  up with him Tuesday as I need to go home and take care of this months bills and pack up some clothes and things. Everyone is so positive and sure that everything will be ok but I am honestly so scared its not funny. I keep trying not to lose my cool in front of Chris but it never fails I have been bursting out in tears several times a day in front of him. I am praying for strength I hope it comes soon.

So here we go..

Hi my name is Kendra and this is my online diary. Yesterday I found out my husband, Chris, has cancer. I am devastated, mad, sad, and just really confused. I thought this would be a nice way to keep our family and friends (and whoever Else that is interested) updated while giving myself an outlet for my feelings.


The Story So far


About 4 weeks ago Chris started suffering from nosebleeds. We just thought it was the dry hot weather and left it that. Then his tooth started hurting so he made a dentist appointment and the Dentist told him nothing was wrong with the tooth but he thought Chris had a major sinus infection so he prescribed him a Z-pack. After finishing up his antibiotics Chris was still feeling bad and had developed a constant headache. Well his headache continued to become worse and nothing he took made him feel better. Last Friday night he awoke in such pain he was nearly in tears, i brought him ibuprofen and BC powder but nothing helped. Chris went to work that next morning and by the time he got off he was in so much pain we went straight to the ER.


Upon arriving at the ER they immediately gave him a vidocan and c-scan. The vidocan  didn't help at all. They brought us to a small room and and a nurse practitioner proceeded to tell us that the cat scan showed a mass in his sinus cavity and that they would have to do further testing to find out more. We were then admitted into the actual Emergency room where Chris was given 2 shots of morphine, 2 shots of Dilaudid, and then 4 more shots of morphine over a 5 hour timespan... his pain was intense and his eyes had began to swell.


At around 6 am they finally moved Chris out of the ER and into a room but not before stopping off  for an Xray. I was in shock they made Chris stand up to take Xrays after being pumped up with so many narcotics, the nurse 20 mins before told me he was not to get  not even to go the bathroom because they were scared he would faint. Needless to say Chris vomited everywhere, my poor darling.


After the xray we finally get to a room, they put Chris on a Morphine Drip and they have ice bags for his face due to all the swelling that is building up. Sunday passes without much information on whats going on, it seems the hospital is working on a skeleton crew and not to mention its Fathers day.


Monday comes and goes still without any information we are told he is going in for an MRI but it gets pushed for Tuesday morning. An ENT Dr comes in and tells us he has an extensive mass and he is almost positive it is a tumor and not an infection or polyp as we hoped.


Tuesday morning comes and goes and no MRI. We ask the nurse, we ask the the Social Worker, we ask the CNA.... no one knows when they are going to be able to get him in they are talking that it might not be until Wednesday now. We find out they are taking patients from the ER first even though Chris was admitted from the ER and for gods sake he has an Extensive Mass in his head.. what is wrong with these people?!?  After calling  many people and having to get irate they finally fit him that evening. Hours after his MRI someone finally comes in and we find out not only does he have 1 tumor but now there are 2 tumors. We also find out that there is a spot on his lung that showed up on Xray (we still know nothing more about this as it has not been tested any further yet) He has a Biopsy scheduled for the next day at noon.




Well noon comes and goes, its pouring rain outside and my poor baby hasn't eaten since 5:00 the previous day. His biopsy gets pushed back and doesn't happen until 5:00 that evening instead of 12:00. When he gets out his nose is swollen and he looks just awful. I went and got him an orange popsicle  to ease his throat pain. The Doctor comes in and tells us he will do everything he can to find out ASAP the results of his biopsy before Friday, as the Pathology dept is closed on the weekends.


Friday was full of alot of anxiety and waiting but the doctor finally comes in and lets us know although the tests are not all the way done it is cancer, they will know by Monday what kind but this is the info we need to know to expedite getting out of here and into MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
After lots of crying and praying the Nurse returns with news that a Dr.Patel from Houston has accepted Chris as a patient and a bed should be open by Monday.


So that's the story so far, I just want to thank everyone who has come by and who has called, texted, facebooked... we appreciate all the love. We don't know what to expect but we will take it one day at a time. Chris is a tough cookie and I know in my heart God will take care him. If you would like to help we are accepting prayers and donations for upcoming expenses. You can find a link to that below. I will keep everyone updated. Thank you for reading. We love you all.
xo
k