18 Months Cancer Free!

Yeah!  Steve had his 18 month CT scan today and everything came back looking great!  Steve overall is doing really well with the exception of neck pain here and there.  Steve will have another scan in 6 month and once that one comes back good he will then receive sign off to follow up only once a year.

I just realized I never updated the blog in April when he had his one year scan...sorry I suck.  But in all fairness I had a new baby and was adjusting to being a mom of three!

Off to Moab to celebrate!

Love,
The Waymans   - XOXO

 Steve and Hallie awaiting the results of his CT scan.

Our Beautiful Daughter!

Last February we received the worst news possible that the cancer had possibly spread to Steve's spine and this February we welcomed our HEALTHY beautiful baby girl!  WOW what a difference a year has made for us.  Hallie Ann Wayman joined our family on February 11, 2013 @ 9:11 am.  She weighed 8lbs 15.7oz and was 20.5in.  We are so in love with her!

Steve had his labs on January 29 and everything looked great and has to follow up again on April 5 for his 6 month CT scan.

Love,
The Waymans

Six Month Post Treatment Scan.....

Last week Steve had his 6 month CT scan since finishing treatment and after a long week of waiting the results are in and they are FANTASTIC! The radiologist stated that since Steve's scan in July there has been significant improvement in his chest. The tumor has shrunk so much it is not even measurable and he can't even say for sure if it is still a tumor or scar tissue from where the tumor was. Last all signs of disease in his neck have completely resolved.

Overall Steve is doing really well. Steve is back up to his pre-illness weight; he has most of his energy back and only has neck pain when he has been really physical active. All of his blood work came back normal so he doesn't have to go back for another 3 months for blood work and another 6 months now for a CT scan.

Heres to another great 6 months!

Angie

So sorry...RESULTS

Holy cow I just received a call from my girlfriend wondering if everything was okay because I didn't update the blog with Steve's results.  What can I say, I suck and totally spaced it.  Yes we did receive Steve's scan results and everything looks fine.  The Radiologist noted that he can still see the tumor in his chest but it is smaller so we will watch it and compare with a future scan.  So the good news is we don't have to go back to see the Oncologist until the end of October....YEAH!

Life is GREAT!

Thanks for checking in!
Angie

One YEAR!

Time is really a crazy thing. Some days it feels like yesterday that we received the devastating call that Steve had cancer and other days it seems like forever ago. Any how it will be one year tomorrow since Steve was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Looking back we remember that day so clearly and how we were so scared of what lied ahead of us. I have to say it was definitely the most challenging year of our lives but it was also the year that we learned more lessons in life then we could have ever imagined. Probably the three most important things we learned are: don't put off things until tomorrow because who knows if you will have tomorrow; let the small things go because really it could be so much worse; love unconditionally and let those people know how much you care. I know these are more than likely what most people say when they are faced with life threatening challenges or even worse a tragedy. But honestly when I had heard about these events happening to others I would promise myself that I would always completed the three task listed above and after a couple weeks I would take life for granted again...hey it is human nature right? Well I can say now I truly am way more thankful for the life I have been given and I am living a fuller life and creating memories to last a lifetime.

Steve had his scan this week and after 5 hours 24 attempts and 1 exploded vein the CT scan of Steve's chest and abdomen has been completed. We did get the results on the abdomen that everything looks normal and we should have the results of the chest scan on Tuesday when we see the Oncologist. After talking with the Oncologist today I think on future scans we will go to her office first to have the IV started then to the hospital for the scan to be done. The staff in the oncology office has a lot more experience giving IVs to individuals who have been through chemo and have sclerosed veins then the hospital personnel. Final results to come next week...............

The new chapter to our lives has begun and we couldn't be more excited! Steve and I are expecting baby # 3. Yes that is right after fear of never being able to probably have another child or having to go through very extensive fertility treatment we were SHOCKED and very SURPRISE to find out that we are expecting another baby only 4 short months after Steve had finished chemo. So for those of you out there that are scared and hopeless I just want you to know it can happen. It happened for us and we were on fertility drugs with the two boys and miscarried twice and here we are pregnant again with no medical intervention. We are currently 12 weeks and have had 4 ultrasounds and baby is progressing right on schedule. Once we have the 20 week anatomy ultrasound the doctor, Steve and I will be a little more at ease. But until then we are very optimistic that everything will be fantastic.



Thanks for checking in!

Love,

The Waymans

Remission is GREAT!

Steve has now been in remission for 2 months and life is GREAT! On May 11th Steve had a follow up with the Radiation Oncologist and everything went well and she doesn't want to see him again until November. Today Steve had his follow up appointment with the Medical Oncologist and she said everything is looking good and he will see her again in August when he has a CT scan (He will have CT scans every 6 months for 2 years). She stated that they will no longer do PET scans unless the CT scan shows something concerning or he is systematic again. She indicated that PET scans are not used routinely after being treated for Hodgkin's and especially with Steve's history of inaccurate scans they don't want to do one unless they absolutely need to.


How is Steve doing overall? Each day gets better and better. He is slowly getting his energy back and the neck pain isn't as severe as it was last month. Dr. Beck recommended doing physical therapy to try and reduce the pain but of course Steve turned it down and said if it isn't better next month he will consider it.


Last, over the past couple of months I have had a few individuals that have contacted me because they have been diagnosed with cancer or know someone that has been diagnosed and they would like to know how Steve and I made those very crucial decisions when our whole world was spinning and things were coming at us so fast. And since this blog was primary created to help others who would face these same challenges Steve has faced. I have decided I will start putting those questions on here with answers to help those that are frantically looking for people that have been down the same road they are headed down. I definitely know that it helped Steve and I so much too actually read others that have been there and beat this horrible disease. So in the next week or two I will post those questions and answer them for those of you that are looking for strengthen, guidance, reassurance or whatever it maybe to hopefully make it a little less traumatic.

Back to Life!

Today was Steve's last day of radiation and he couldn't be more excited to finally be done. By this time next week most of the side effects from the radiation should be subsiding. Overall Steve did really well through radiation. The first two weeks he didn't have any side effects then the last week and a half he started to have discomfort in his throat, heartburn, and tender skin (like having a sunburn) and the fatigue was starting to set in. During this past month I kept thinking I needed to update the blog but really there wasn't much to update and life has been busy and FUN so I decided to wait until he was through.
Since Steve's surgery in February he has been out of work because he wasn't released to return until four weeks post-surgery then he started radiation. Also these past twelve days his sister and her kids came to visit over spring break and we had a great time hang out with them. I have to say I LOVE having him home all day with me! He is going back part time this week and next week and I am sad.
Next on the agenda:
*May 11- he will have a follow up appointment with the radiation oncologist.
*June 6- he will have another follow up appointment with his medical oncologist and probably another PET scan
*June 30- Celebration- stay tuned for further details!
*October 13- Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society-further details to come

Now back to enjoying:

New trailer and yes we have already been camping this year and LOVED IT!



And especially these two little stinkers....LOVE THEM!