UPDATE

Sorry I have not written in such a long time, I have been on the mend. To give you a quick update since my last treatment : My neck has completely healed, and now has suprisingly soft skin. You really can't even tell i had any radiation done. The sore throat went away completely in about a week and I was eating normal foods after about a week and 1/2. I was off my strong pain medication after about 2 weeks completely. One weird thing happened, I got some kind of bacterial infection in my stomach for about a week and a 1/2 around Thanksgiving time. It really sucked because Diane and i were scheduled to goto Mexico for a visit about this time. I went to the doctor and he thought it was the flu, so he put me back on a liquid diet for a couple of days and gave me some medicine. That did not work, so he gave me an anti-biotic incase it was bacterial. Sure enough that had me feeling better in a day. Honestly, I got better the day before we were supposed to leave for Mexico. So i went to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta Mexico. I have never been to Mexico, so I really wanted to see it, and the beach and warm weather of course. We stayed with my Dad and my Step-Mom, Mary in a nice 5 star resort right on the beach at Nuevo Vallarta. Had a wonderful time. Well back to the update : Voice was weak for a while after the last treatment, but i felt great and had plenty of energy. In all, I am pretty skinny now. When i stared the radiation I was 215 lbs. I put on a few lbs before the treatements because i new i was going to lose weight. My normal weight was between 195-200lbs. Well since i got that infection as well, i lost more weight and got down to 185 lbs. Right now I am 192 lbs and that is fine with me. Diane is pissed at me for getting skinny when she had to work out like crazy to stay that way. Anyway, the voice was not good in Mexico and i have had a constant problem with phlem. It is part of the healing process but it really gets in the way when you try to speak. I have also not been back to work yet. I am looking to return in January. Now the good news! I have had two doctor visits since my last treatment. The first was with my radiation doctor. She looked down my throat and said that it looks like the tumor is totally gone and no signs of cancer at this stage and everything is healing up quite well, yet is still very swollen. Lots of phlem, but that is to be expected. All in all a very good report! I then went to Mexico and just last week, exactly 1 month and 1 and 1/2 weeks after my last treatment i went and saw Dr Sharma, my surgical oncologist. He also looked down my throat and hooked that scope upto a monitor so that i could see what it all looks like. I have seen what it looked like before on the monitor and i could defiantely see the tumor months ago, this time no tumor at all. The left side looked as normal as the right side. No signs of cancer at all according to the doctor. still alot of phlem, you could see whenever i would swallow it would form, and then when i cough it goes away. Another great report. I will have to see these two doctors every month staggering between the two of them for probably 2 years and then not so often but upto 5 years. 5 years is the point where they say you are cured. The voice as of today had gotten much better. I have a lillte bit deeper voice right now but it is a good functional voice. I was able to communicate with the waitress the other night in a loud restaurant, that is something i have not been able to do for about a year. I am very happy right now and can't wait to get back to flying, i really miss it! Merry Christmas to everyone and thanks for your prayers and support.
Pictures to follow !
Chris

Superman is Human After All !

Well. I have officially completed Radiation Treatment. It feels so great to be done, but honestly I don't feel any better yet. The doc told me I won't start noticing a change until a couple of weeks. Oh well, at least I don't have to drive my car down to Salt Lake City every day, anymore. About the pics I posted, they need a little explanation. The first pic is of my radiation team. From left to right is Allison, my nurse, then we have Preston, he is a dosemitrist(he prescribes the right amount or dose of radiation to a patient. He works alot with computer graphics as well. Next is me of course with my certificate of completion and sparlikg cider they gave me. After that is Mark, he is one of the technicians as well as Carol at the end. Those two get me positoned correctly under the machine and help me put on and take off the mask. All of those people have become very close to me through out this and there is a very caring nature to the Utah Cancer Specialists, sorry but much more caring than the Ear, Nose, and Throat center I have gone to for 2 surgeries in the past. The next pic is of me ringing the bell, a tradition on you last treatment day at the UTS. I think I rang it so hard it almost fell off the wall. The next one is a nice close- up of my disgusting red, blistered, raw neck. That actually looks a lot better than it was over that weekend. the next is another pic of the "crew".
Lastly you may have seen references to Superman in some of these blogs. the story behind that is that I tried to and apparently have been very tough through this process and have stayed relatively positive as well. My mom has made references to me being her "hero" through this and lots of talk about strength. When my dad came to visit two weeks ago, he gave me a present. The present was a plastic molded Superman 3 figure. He wanted to give me strength through this and to tell me I was like his Superman. I was actually very touched by that gesture. Any one who knows my dad, knows he is usually one to crack jokes and make light of things but I am glad he did this for me. The figure sits on my night stand now and i look at it every night when i goto sleep and every morning when I wake. So on my last treatment i get to pick a song to play during my radiation treatment and as i searched my CD library of over 1200 songs now, it came to me "Superman, ( It's Not Easy ) by Five For Fighting" . It's perfect because it is a song about how vulnerable even Superman can be. This song is very interpretive, but to me the song isn't really about Superman at all, he is a metaphor because he represents something strong and unstoppable. The conflict in this song comes from the fact that despite his reputation, the Superman that is in all of us does not always know what to do in hard situations and is still vulnerable to these situations. ie, Superman could never get cancer ! But i did ! We are all vulnerable to hard situations, it's how we choose to deal with them and how hard we fight them that makes us true hero's, possibly Superman!
I will be checked again in 3 weeks by the doc, right now it is recovery time at home. Lots of sitting in front of the TV playing XBOX . JK, kinda. i am going to try to keep up my exercise routine through this at home. I also ran into an old friend at Albertsond the other night. Good to see you, Bob. Diane and i must meet up with you guys this Winter before you leave. My mom came down on Wed/ Thurs for my last treatment and we had a grea time that day. Thanks mom for comimg to visit.
Well thanks for all your support and i will continue to update this through out! Tough part is over now !
Chris

Some Pics From My Last Treatment (THURS 8Th)

A Rough Weekend ( a gross synopsis)

Well, this weekend was no charm. My neck which previously has been really red has now started to blister and ooze. (I know it is very disgusting) It started this on Friday night. I got home from my treatment and put some Aquafore, kinda like petroleum jelly, on my neck because over the weekends I have been using that and it feels great and moisturizes for a long time. I use this other cream on the weekdays to also moisturize, but it soaks in really quickly. The cream does not get in the way of the radiation, but the jelly can, so i only use it on the weekends. Anyway i put this jelly on and about a half hour later it started to bubble and blister up and ooze a green liquid from it. This did not look good, but it also did not hurt and actually felt really good. I cleaned it off before i went to bed that night and woke up with the same blisters and pus situation. I noticed Saturday morning that it looked like a layer of my skin was coming off as well. I looked on the web around noon time and found out that you should never put oil based products on a blister from a 2nd degree burn. Well , Diane and i drove right to the pharmacy and got some bandages, cotton wipes, sterile water and burn cream (that was prescribed to me by my doctor in case i needed it). The pharmacist looked at my neck and thought it might be infected, which i possibly agree with the green color pus. Well not to get to gross but we went home and Diane (my angel) cleaned me all up and applied the cream and wrapped the bandage around my neck and the healing begins. It hurt like hell cleaning up the wounds though. Basiacally what had happened was the burn had turned into a second degree burn and the jelly aggravated it more and possibly, topically infected it. The whole first layer of my skin on my neck is gone and i am bleeding in some areas. I was doing rather well with this whole thing until this weekend came along. I lost a little of my positivity for a day or so, but i feel better now and i know this was never meant to be a picnic. It is the toughest thing I have ever had to do in my life......but i am so close to being done......six more treatments. Not sure if this neck burn is going to change anything or not, i will find out tomorrow. If it was up to me I would stop the treatments right now for good, but I know killing cancer ain't easy and i will do whatever my doc says i must. When i get down, i do sometimes go on this blog and read all the nice things everyone had said to me and it does lift my spitits to know i have such a large support group. I love you all...Thanks Again!
Chris

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to everyone. Diane and I are writing this blog together on Halloween Night. We have had the most trick or treaters we have ever had since living here. Brings me back to when i used to go trick or treat'n a couple yeras ago JK. Now, we both get big'n fat eating all the left over candy, but thank god Diane bought some pretty generic candy this year...not to appetizing.
Well I am a week from being done with the treatments. If everything adds up I have only 5 more days of actual treatment and it could not be soon enough. This burn on my neck is really starting to hurt and the side effects are at a maximum. I still have a voice, though a raspy one, it's still a voice. According to my doc at this point I should only have a wisper, but i actually have more than that, which is a good sign. I thought on this blog I would give you a day-in-the-life of me going through this treatment schedule. My first appointment is at 9:00 am, so I wake up at 7:30 am every morning. I leave the house by 8:30 and do my first radiation treatment at 9. I am out of there by about 9:20am. The treatments are pretty fast, it is really only about 10 seconds of radiation a side. After my first treatment i do some arrends and then go workout for about an hour. (i'm down to 200 lbs now but have built a bit of muscle and it really gives me some nice energy to get through the morning) After the working out, when I have a lot to do, I stay down in SLC until my second appt at 3:30 pm. Latley because the side effects are so strong i am really burnt out about 12 noon and go home to take a nap. The reason radiation makes me so tired is because my body is working over-time repairing all the damage the radiation is causing.There must be a minimum of 6 hours between treatments. I go in again at 3:30pm and I am out by 3:50 pm. I then drive immediately home and take about an hour nap and am refreshed for the evening. I usually pop my first pain pill at 4:00pm (Loritab). then Diane comes home about 6pm and we eat dinner, which has been soup for the last 3 weeks. Getting a little tired of soup, I am craving a nice hamburger. At 8pm i pop two of the the more major pain killer (Oxycontin) and it puts me in a good mood for the rest of the evening...matter of fact I am on them now. so if i start sluuuuurring mmmyy woo rdsss! jk. Actually it is a very effective pain killer without any side effects. We are then in bed by 10pm. Sleep by 10:30pm. Thats my day Mon-Fri. Weekends are just plain lazy.
You may say to yourself, that is a lot of driving, well my driving just go alot more fun. A little over a week ago, i received my brand new 2008 BMW 535i. I LOVE THIS CAR !!!!! It is sheer pleasure driving this everyday and i count my lucky stars that i was able to save up and get one. I am a car guy and this is the ultimate car. Well getting late and i am forcing Diane to watch the movie "Saw" with me tonight, she wil be very scared!!!!! Well we both say goodnight and thankyou for all your input.
Chris and Diane

Hump Day! ......Yea

I will start this post with a statement. You might be a redneck........if you get treated wih radiation twice a day and you have vocal cord cancer! Thats a new one for Jeff Foxworthy to put in his show. Just thought a little humor about the sunburned neck I now have would be fitting and i have not lost my sence of humorthroug this nor will I.
I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to everyone who has posted on this blog. I really appreciate the kind words and encouragement you have given me. Some of you I have not talked to for quite a while and it is nice to hear from you.
Well I am half way done with the 64 treatments that I have to do and that feels good. The side effects are becoming more apparent day by day. I have a sore throat all the time, but i am on some major pain killers so i don't notice it that much. Biggest trouble is when i am sleeping for the night and wake up at 4 in the morning and swallow. That feels like razor blades in my throat. But eventually i go back to sleep and it becomes less of a problem. Food has been a trial and error type of deal. I can eat foods that are liquidy or that break up into small pieces. Bread is a no no, and so is potatoes, some pastas, spicy foods, and tough meats. It has been an adjustment for me, as I am a big meat eater. I am defiantely not eating as much as i used to and i am eating more soups and veggies. I actually think having this disease will change the way I eat from now on. I have been working out 5 days a week since starting the treatment... and i feel great about that. Say goodby to that double chin....I have lost about 9lbs so far, but i am gaining muscle. The exercise gives me tons of energy in the morning and to make it to my 3:30 pm appt. After that I am spent. I go home and nap. I can't believe how much sleep this requires. I took a nap today at about 1:00 pm till 2:45pm and I am now getting tired at 9:30 pm. CRAZY! I used to be a night owl....not anymore! Diane and I are in bed at 10:00pm evernight and it does feel good.
Anyway, back to the side effects. Tastebuds have changed a little bit. Some foods taste more bland to me and some taste vibrant. Also getting alot of phlem in my throat that comes and goes at night mostly. Also even thoughmy neck is red, I still have not had a problem with itching, ot irratation or peeling. Maybe later? The only other big change has been Diane and I adjusting to each other being home everynight together. It really is a big change, I was always gone for 3 nights a week for the 7 years that we have been together. Diane is used to her "alone" time and me too. So this had been a big adjustment for us. I think we are finally starting to get it down. Not sure how you nine-to-fivers do it everyday with each other (JK) Truth be known.....I have really enjyed being able to see my wife every day and sleep in the same bed everynight. I do think I will miss that once we get back to our normal life. She had been a godsend during this time and she is "stepping up " and taking great car of me during these hard times.......but i know I am in for it when she gets pregnant...at least thats what she tells me!
Talk to ya next time!
Chris

Working on week three

It has been a very interesting first few weeks. Chris and I have gone from spending three or four days a week apart to being together everyday and night! It has been an adjustment, but allowed us to bond even more than I ever thought we could,I guess that's what I signed up for when we got married, bonding for life! :)
I think now we finally have a good treatment schedule for Chris. He now has treatments at 9am and 3pm. Chris has joined a gym to keep up his energy and we looking for good soup and easy to swallow food recipes. So if anyone has some please feel free to email me at damend@utah.gov. We are starting to see a slight burn on Chris' neck. Also this week he has had a bit of a sore throat and some fatigue.
Some good news, Chris sold his WRX and is getting ready to pick up his BMW soon! We will be sure to post lots of pic's of the new car. Thanks again for all the support and great comments! We love them!
Diane

Me and My Shadow

Me and my perforated friend "Mesh". Kidding aside, this is the mask I wear during the treatments I am given. It holds my head and neck in place for the best angle to aim the radiation. You can see I am starting to get a double chin, I have been eating everything that i will not be able to eat once the eating normal foods become hard to swallow. I am expected to lose 20 pounds through this and i am taking stock. By the way, this mask fits so tightly that it leaves indentations in my skin.

Some Pics

Me in front of the Radiation Center where I receive my twice daily treatments.

Michelle's point of view

Chris is really excited about this blog and i think has more fun reading everyone's comments than posting about himself so I wanted to chime in while i have the chance.

As he already said, we were all here to go to his radiation appt on Friday. There was an entourage of women (Diane, Mom and I) with him while they got him ready on the machine. This is a picture of the position that he's in when they begin radiating his neck. It's sorta a plastic mesh material that holds him very still so they line up the precise area - and it actually locks onto the table itself. We all had to leave the room when they started up the machine that rotates back and forth with giving him his daily dose of radiation. The whole process took about 3 minutes. I'll be going back to his appt again tomorrow before I get on the plane to go back to Chicago.

I'm thankful we all got to spend this family time together...having fun eating, shopping and more eating! We spent the day downtown in Park City and are cooking a turkey dinner tonight here at their home. Better go...think it's happy hour time for and Diane and I - cheers!

One Week down.....

Well, one week down and six weeks to go. I don't have any side effects yet, but my neck is getting a slight tan. Right now my treatment schedule is twice a day, first at 7:30 am and the second is at 3:00 pm. I must have a minimum of six hours between treatments. I joined a gym this week, so in my down time I have something to do. I have been enjoying all my favorite foods these last few weeks, knowing most will be off limits in the near future. I feel like I'm not getting any treatment, as there are no side effects yet and I am in and out of there in ten minutes. I am told that within two and a half weeks I'll start feeling the side effects. I'll be sure to share them along the way. I'm feeling fine and optimistic about the cancer. I think we made the best choice and I'm feeling at peace about the radiation treatment.

My mom, Anne from San Jose, and sister, Michelle from Chicago, are visiting this weekend. They are here for a support boost! They came to my afternoon appointment and got to see the facility and how I receive the treatment. We then had a great day at Gardner Village, looking at the witches and shops, dining at Archibald's. It is all decorated for Halloween! Today it snowed here in Park City, earliest snowfall we have seen in four years we've lived here! More to follow next week, and pictures of the radiation facility.
Chris

First Day

Well I just came from Chris's radiation appointment. It was really interesting to see the machine and how they do the radiation. I was able to go back with him while they got Chris on the table and get him set up. They have a plastic mask with holes in it that goes over his head neck and shoulders. It is fitted. They created it last week, the plastic once in water becomes like paper and then placed on Chris. It then drys on his face and becomes hard again. Once they get him lined up to the machine myself and the techs step out and watch through a monitor how he gets the treatment. The machine is huge. It's rotates around Chris while he's on the table. Then a tech goes in and makes some adjustments and then they radiate again. He gets radiated on both sides of the neck. The staff there is really nice and great at explaining everything to me. It is really fast.

Looking forward this weekend for Anne and Michelle's visit. They too will get to see how the radiation is done.
I feel excited to finally have started the treatment, but feelings of insecurity do linger from time to time.
Diane

A brief history

For those friend and family who haven't been updated for a while I though I'd let you know what has been going on these past few months. Basically since October of last year Chris has been diagnosed with cancer of the voice box or cancer of the larynx. Since then we have been doing laser surgery to try and rid him of the cancer. Unfortunately it has never been completely successful and in August he had another biopsy that showed cancer cells. His doctor recommended radiation treatment. After several weeks of research, mostly done by family, (thanks so much Anne!) we debated between another surgery and radiation. Chris and I have decided to go with the radiation treatment. So for all our loving friends and family I though it would be a good idea to create this blog so we can keep everyone updated on how Chris is doing over the next few months. I hope this help those who are wondering whats been going on and keeps you apart of the support system Chris needs.
Diane