On to the next cycle...

It's been awhile since I blogged last. I am still in Hawaii with my family. There are currently 13 of us here with another 18 extended family arriving today. The weather has been great with lots of sun! I am unfortunately sick with a terrible cold. I think this might be the first time I've been so sick in a couple of years. I think the stress of the last six months is finally catching up with me. Hopefully just a few more days and I'll be back to new.

Now, on to Kavan. He had a great Christmas with his family. I was very sorry to miss it.










He's feeling better after his stint in the cross cancer institute but remains on some pretty heavy duty antibiotics. I think, at times, he feels pretty groggy from all these medications.

Today he had another follow up with his oncologist to determine whether or not he is fit to have chemotherapy next week. The good news is that his blood counts are high enough that he can start his next round of chemo. While this is good news, I am somewhat apprehensive about Kavan starting his next round due to the events of the last couple of weeks. I am hoping that as his radiation is further and further away that he starts to bounce back more quickly.

Have a good weekend all!



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Location:S Kihei Rd,Wailea-Makena,United States

He's free!

I am happy to report that as of 2pm today Kavan was released from the hospital. He's white blood counts have somewhat stabilized and though they are still far from normal, they are now at a safer level. This news made me so happy. I feel as though I can enjoy my time in Hawaii now, though it seems that I frequently think how much Kavan would enjoy it here.

I miss you already kav!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:S Kihei Rd,Wailea-Makena,United States

Day pass

Today Kavan's neutrophils climbed to 0.6. Almost enough to warrant discharge from the hospital. He was given a day pass from the hospital, meaning he was well enough to go home for the day. He's required to return for the hospital for the night in order to ensure he remains well.

Let's all cross our fingers that he is completely discharged from the hospital and he can put this whole ordeal behind him.

I am writing this and the next bunch of posts from the island of Maui. It was extremely difficult to leave Kavan and I was quite upset yesterday. It was a tough decision. My entire family has decided to spend Christmas in Hawaii and as family members age these types of holidays are especially meaningful. So, for the next couple of weeks Kavan and I will have to chat over FaceTime and text messaging. Kavan, I love you and miss you already!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:S Kihei Rd,Wailea-Makena,United States

Good Spirits

Just a quick note. Just got home from visiting Kavan at the Cross Cancer Institute. Happy to report he remains in good spirits. I have to say that he is looking better. Much better colouring! He still is a bit sniffling and has a slight cough but he seems to be fairing better.

Hmmmm....what exactly does this program entail???

Let's all hope for good news tomorrow! Come on white blood cells

Another Hospital Day

Well, Kavan remains in hospital for a second day. It appears as though there will be a third, as well. He sounds a bit sniffly today but is otherwise in good spirits. I am happy to say that his neutrophil level has gone from 0.3 to 0.6 which is definitely a step in the right direction.

Kavan & Patrick

Kavan is still receiving antibiotics around the clock and having blood taken to monitor for infection. Thus far, nothing has come back indicating a definite infection but he will need to receive antibiotics until they are absolutely certain he is no longer at risk. His platelet level is currently quite low which is also a concern. Platelets are the component of blood that helps with clotting. Low platelet levels are concerning because it increases the risk of prolonged bleeding. There is a possibility that Kavan might require a transfusion in the next few days in order to bring up his platelet count.

So, another night to spend in the hospital. Let's all continue to will Kavan's WBCs to increase so he may be released from hospital.

Patrick enjoying some early Christmas Gifts

Admitted

Well, it really was inevitable. We all knew the day would come that Kavan would catch a bug and end up admitted to the hospital. I am very sad to report that last night Kavan spiked a fever of around 39 degrees Celsius and needed to be taken to the emergency room. At the start of this whole ordeal, Kavan was given strict instruction to go to ER if his temperature reached 38 degrees.

So, off he went in the middle of the night. He had a chest x-ray, and blood taken. Kavan's father told me the chest x-ray was clear. His blood work, however, was outside of normal ranges and this necessitated admittance to the hospital. A side effect of Kavan's chemotherapy is a reduction of immunity via a lowering of the cells that fight infection, White Blood Cells. A specific type of white blood cells, neutrophils, were extremely low for Kavan. This is very dangerous and means he is susceptible to infection. After these results were received, it was decided that Kavan would remain in the hospital for a few days for close monitoring and administration of antibiotics. As of right now, Kavan may remain in hospital for three to four days.

Though this was somewhat expected, it certainly did not make it easy for any of us. I know Kavan is exhausted from the events of the last 24 hours. He looks tired and really just wants to be left alone to rest. I know I was quite upset when I heard the news that Kavan was to be admitted for several days. It is difficult to see someone you love so much sick. It's even more troubling to know that there is really nothing you may do for them. As someone who is so accustomed to nurturing/healing others, my inability to help Kavan in this situation has been difficult.

Mark & Kavan
Thanks for the visit Mark!

Again I was amazed at Kavan's attitude throughout all of this. Though he's quite tired, he is in good spirits. He remains just as positive as ever. In fact, he was so positive this evening that he gave glowing reviews to the hospital food he received at supper time. I think this may be the first time I've ever heard someone give hospital food the thumbs up. He was especially excited that he received 2 cups of ice cream. I really do need to take a page from Kavan's book and look at the bright side of life.


So, please send your thoughts and prayers Kavan's way. Let's will his white blood cells to increase. I know he will be hoping for the same thing all night tonight. More to come...

Good News

Another weekend has flown by. Kavan had a bit of a rocky week. He's been feeling quite nauseous since his chemotherapy on Monday. Not so much that it has significantly impacted his day-to-day functioning, but just enough that he feels lousy.

His ankle/left foot has healed remarkably well. He has now ditched all of his walking aids and is cane/wheelchair/walker free. It's a nice feeling to see him on his way back to normal. His daily wound care is winding down and he's been told that in another week he can venture back to the swimming pool. I know he's been struggling with the fact that he's not been able to really work out. Maybe that is why he's been feeling so lousy this week. His usual routine was to work out following chemotherapy as he says this makes him feel better.

Kavan's foot as of Sunday afternoon

So, now on to the REALLY exciting news! Kavan proposed to me this past Friday evening. Of course I said yes! We are ecstatic and looking forward to beginning our life together. It has been nice for just even a moment to forget about the C word and the events of the past six months. I am thrilled and couldn't have asked for a better guy. He amazes me everyday and his love of life is contagious. I don't know anyone quite like Kavan. He finds humor and happiness in even the smallest of things. I can say that he is truly my best friend and biggest supporter.

I guess Kavan's been thinking of proposing for quite some time. I was surprised to hear Kavan had the ring since August. A BIG thank you to Kavan's aunt from England, Auntie Marcelle, for helping Kavan pick out such a perfect ring. It's funny that he knew what I want even before I did. I really couldn't have done it better myself!

It's funny that pretty much immediately following the engagement, people inquire as to when the big day will occur. Kavan and I have briefly discussed this and we've come to the consensus that it will likely be summer of 2014. By then, he will have both his hair and eyebrows back and I will hopefully be done with my masters. We will have about 18 months to plan and will hopefully with all of this time avoid stress. I think we'll look at firming up some of the details in the new year.

Kavan in Gap Kids....Little head!

And now on to the final week before Christmas.....

Sick Day

Kavan received his one day cycle of chemotherapy yesterday. That's the Doxyrubicin, Cyclophosphamide and Vinecristine. The nasty bunch.

He was feeling a bit nauseous yesterday and decided to take it easy last night. I spoke with him early this morning and he has decided to remain home from work today. He was unable to fall asleep until about 3:30 am this morning. Those darn steroids at it again! He was also feeling quite nauseous. So, today he will take a sick day from work and rest at home.

Kavan during Chemotherapy yesterday

He is scheduled for physiotherapy later today, so let's all cross our fingers that he is well enough to attend.

Week 23

Wow. It's been a LONG time since I've written a blog post. In the time that's passed since Monday Kavan has undergone tremendous healing. It's hard to believe you're even looking at the same leg or even guy. I'm happy to have my old Kavan back, he seems to be back to his old self. Thank goodness for that.

Each day this past week Kavan had a visit with the homecare nurse to tend to his radiation wounds. If there has ever been a time in which I have been over the moon thankful for our Canadian healthcare, it has been now. I can't say enough how fortunate we are to receive the healthcare services we do.

Bobo nibbling Kavan's toes

Progressively, Kavan's wounds have healed.His swelling and soreness present at the start of the week has slowly dissipated. He can even manage without the cane!! I have such respect for those who regularly use a cane, walker or wheelchair. It seems to be the most difficult thing in the winter. It certainly has made me appreciate my good health.

Kavan relaxing at the cabin

On Friday Kavan had ANOTHER visit with his oncologist. They had delayed chemotherapy by a week due to his foot, but good news this time, he will proceed as planned. His oncologist did comment that his bloodwork reflected the fact that he had been fighting some sort of infection. Likely, the one in his foot. So it seems that those antibiotics really did their job.

Lac La Biche

Kavan's cancer, Ewing's Sarcoma, really is extremely rare in his age group. He literally is, three in one million, if not even rarer. He was recently approached by a researcher wanting him to donate his tumor to a national tumor bank. As well, a few months ago, someone from Hong Kong wanted a slice of the tumor. Kavan's really gaining notoriety as some type of cancer celebrity. Seems weird, doesn't it? So, he will donate parts of his tumor to these two separate researchers in an attempt to help others inflicted with the same cancer. And then, he will be in two places at once....It's funny to think that at this exact moment Kavan's tumor is in some jar in some lab floating around....A very strange thought...


Anyways, on to the weekend. On Friday we headed up, along with our friends Jakub & Lindsay, to my cabin at Lac La Biche. We braved the frigid temperatures and managed to enjoy a beautiful, relaxing weekend. Sometimes it's just nice to escape the city and its busyness. We even managed a nature jaunt, Kavan fared tremendously well. He's almost back to his normal self!

Kavan's foot during dressing change tonight...looks great!

Now, on to the next cycle of chemotherapy tomorrow. It's just the one day treatment this time, which Kavan has not had for a number of months because of his radiation. Let's all cross our fingers that Kavan's treatment goes well tomorrow and he continues to heal as well as he has been! Have a good week!

A Case of the Mondays

Another weekend over...why do the weekends seem to pass so much more quickly than the weekdays?
After a great weekend, Kavan and I were both back to work today. I am finally finished the LAST paper of my first semester of graduate school. It's a good feeling!

Friday, Kavan and I, had my brother and his girlfriend, Layla, over for supper. Afterwards, we went out for awhile to a local pub on Whyte Ave. Now that Kavan has a wheelchair, it has been much easier for us to get out.

Saturday night Kavan had a video game night with the boys. He was able to enjoy this from the comfort of his own home, so the foot pain wasn't so much of an issue.

Sunday afternoon we ventured out to the Festival of Trees in downtown Edmonton. We took Kavan's nephew, Patrick, and he had a ball. It was nice to get out and start to enjoy the Christmas season.

So, now on to an update on Kavan's foot. He remains on both oral and topical anti-biotics which seem to really be helping his wound heal. He had several large blisters on his foot that popped over the weekend. Kavan said this provided tremendous relief as he felt that pressure was released. His wound remains fairly gross looking, but I am feeling good about the healing thus far. It seems like there have been positive, small changes on a daily basis. I can't wait until he is back to normal!

Tonight, we are off to see the new James Bond movie. This was not my choice whatsoever. Nowadays, it's fairly easy for Kavan to guilt me in to activities that I don't want to do....I guess there are some benefits to all of this.