Great news!!

Nate's scans from Tuesday showed that the affected lymph nodes have continued to shrink in size. What does that mean? His cancer is on the run and has not come back-God is good!

Thank you for your prayers and support!

We are celebrating!

A good day...

I know it's been a while and I think we forgot to update after the last venogram some weeks back, but better late than never, right? :)

The venogram (like 7 weeks ago) went well and showed that the angioplasty was working well. Today Nate went to a followup appointment with Dr. C, the vascular surgeon and it went GREAT. Nate gets to stop taking one of his meds and was released from all physical restrictions (lifting over head and such). That was an amazing surprise...Praise God!!

This last weekend, Nate even ran a 5K like a champ and is feeling pretty good for someone who's body has been poisoned and burned and cut...he's amazing and God has been good.

There are scans coming up next month, so prayers for clean ones are greatly appreciated.

That's our update...Hurray!

Update and today's procedure...

Just thought we'd give a quick update since it's been a while.

We are getting ready to head to the hospital for another venogram. The radiologist, Dr. L, will be checking to see how the last angioplasty is holding up. The last few weeks have been almost normal an even a bit easy to forget about health concerns...so that's been a nice break since most of our appointments have been rescheduled due to snowmaggedon #1 and #2 :)

Please pray that the angioplasty has done its work and that Nate's body is in the process of healing itself...wouldn't that be amazing!? And it's possible! Nate's vascular problem could be corrected if his body decides to make a new set of veins to replace the "broken one." And since he's been given some extra time with the angioplasty instead of going directly to more extremes, that is our hope and prayer!
Also pray for a quick and on time procedure...we love the hospital,but don't need to spend more time there than necessary :)

We will update later on the results!

E

Starting to Working out

Yippee!!! Some good news. (bout time, you say)
So yesterday we had an appointment with Dr J (another one), a cardiologist. He confirmed the first degree heart blockage. He said there was nothing to do about it now, but monitor the irregularity and make sure that nothing changes. He did put me in a heart monitor device overnight to see if any changes occur while I sleep. I had eight electrodes on my chest connected with wires to the monitor. Carter noticed the multiple colors on the electrodes.  Good thing I only had to wear it for a day.
What caused this irregularity you may be asking? Well, this doctor has been published for his research on how chemotherapy can affect heart blockages. (talk about divine assistance) He thought that the use of adriomyison (one of my chemo drugs) could be a contibuting factor. We should be getting the results back from the monitoring device and then head in for another EKG and Echo cardiogram for additional info.

Today, we also had an appointment, but this one was with Dr C (vascular surgeon). He took a look at my arm and he said it looked good. The veins were not swollen and they were responsive. He said it was not back to 100%, but was good enough for now. So maybe the second angioplasty worked (at least a little bit). I go in for another venogram in a couple weeks to double check to progress. So, maybe no surgery (prayer request!).
He also gave me news that I have been craving for a while. He gave me the green light to work out again and play sports (with some restrictions)
What do you think I did tonight? -  Felt so good.

Finally!!!!

Prayer requests:
Organization of bills and schedules and such
Anger Management
For Family

Okay...UNCLE!!!! UNCLE!!!

Wow...and the adventure continues.

Nate was admitted to Shawnee Mission Hospital for another angioplasty (the first one, done on Friday, failed). When we met with the radiologist, Dr. L, he basically said that we were just buying some time to review the surgical option by doing another angioplasty and that this was not a permanent solution. This kind of took us aback a bit because we have been praying that this would fix him and that surgery would not be needed.

After the procedure, in which they ballooned Nate's vein even larger than before, Dr. L came back and spoke to us and said that Nate did great but that they noticed an irregularity to his heart beat on the monitor. He sent Nate back to his room for an EKG which confirmed that Nate has a first degree heart block. This isn't a blockage per se but a longer than normal interval between the first and second electric signals. This condition doesn't usually pose a problem but needs to be monitored by a cardiologist (which we will of course introduce on this blog in the next few weeks...starting to be hard to keep all the doctors straight!). The other thing about this condition is that there is some concern when one is under anesthesia during surgery. So more of the heart concern may come into play if Nate needs to have his rib removed. It's just one more thing to worry about...and one more thing that is mostly found in athletes...it feels a bit unfair that all of this is happening because Nate is in such good shape and has taken care of his body...grrrr....

Please continue to pray...Nate feels beaten down...I'm not really even sure what to say...so please pray for healing, hope and joy in our lives and for us not to be pulled into depressing despair. We are once again inundated with doctors appointment and all that comes with that...please pray for patience with each other and lots and lots of grace in our home.

We don't know what we would do without each of you.

much love,

nate and erin

Why do something once when you can do it twice?

Soooo....over the weekend, my arm was doing well. The swelling went down and it was becoming a normal color again. Unfortunately, this morning, it reverted back to it's old habits (swelling and being purple). And I, being a good little patient, called my vascular surgeon, and Dr. C and being the good little doctor, he got me in today to do a sonogram to rule out blog clots (and, of course, pregnancy).

After reviewing the sonogram and looking at my arm, it was evident that the vein had narrowed back to it's original, problematic state. Much like myself, it is being stubborn (the vein must also be a Taurus). The solution that we came up with...well...more like Dr. C came up with and we followed was two fold: re-do the angioplasty on Thursday and get started on a couple of blood thinners/anti-coagulants. One of the meds, I get to stab into my stomach twice a day...the other is in normal/boring pill form.

What does this mean? Well, for a while, I'll need to give up MMA Fighting and other violent sports.

So the angioplasty is scheduled for early Thursday morning and please pray that it works this time. Dr. C said if it fails again the surgical option will be in play (i.e. removing my rib).

Please pray that this angioplasty works and I can keep my body symmetrical and in tact. Please pray for our attitudes during this time. Also, Carter has been sick this week again, please pray for his healing. When it rains it pours, right?

We will update again on Thursday!

95% is not always an "A"

Alright...after a VERY long day at the hospital here is our update. Nate went in for his venogram this morning at 10:30. The radiologist, Dr. L, gave us many scenarios with a lot of doctor jargon. Long story short, they saw that Nate's sub-clavian vein had 95% narrowing and in some places 99% due to Paget-Schroetter Syndrome (which is found mostly in body builders and weight lifters....go figure). He would have had some narrowing beforehand and many people with this syndrome never exhibit symptoms or even know they have it. In Nate's case, his vein issue was exacerbated by his port.

 It is a miracle that Nate did not have a clot...praise God. While in his vein, they were able to do an angioplasty which basically enlarges the vein with a balloon. That seemed to do the trick unless Nate raises his left arm over his head and then there is no blood flow.  The angioplasty can't fix that. So no more left-handed-up-top-high-fives from people over 6'5".

The recovery is to take it easy for a few day and not lift heavy objects for a few weeks, keep his left arm down (no more military presses) and watch for symptoms to return and if so, head to the emergency room. Nate will also be taking his very first daily medication...but it's worth it!
We have several follow ups appointments scheduled in the next month or two so people are keeping an eye on him.

That's all...thank you for your prayers and support. We feel that this was the best case scenario and thank God for his mercy!

Much love,

Nate and Erin

And our adventure continues...

Today we got some frustrating news. Blood has been pooling for some time in Nate’s left arm (same side he had his port put in) and there has been some discomfort and neuropathy along with that. Today Nate went to a vascular surgeon since this puts him at high risk for blood clots. The surgeon believes that there may not be enough room between Nate’s top rib and clavicle (collar bone) and so blood is not returning efficiently, hence the pooling. Sooo…they are considering removing his top rib to provide relief…yikes…right?

Friday, Nate will go in for a procedure to see if that is absolutely necessary since that surgery and recovery would be kind of a big deal. Nate will be sedated and a catheter will be inserted in his arm all the way through the vein in question. From there, they will be able to tell if the cause of the swelling/pooling is scar tissue, a blockage or because there isn’t enough from between the surrounding bones.

We need prayer…it feels like we have been running a marathon only to cross the finish line and be told that we have to keep running more than the 26.2 miles we had energy for. Nate is feeling crushed and frustrated as am I…Carter is awesomely unaware (although he has the stomach flu…making this week extra awesome J ) Please pray for healing, pray for hope, pray for faith and patience.

Much love,

The Heide's

Summit Success

You know when you get to the top of a mountain and there is such an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and pride. Well I'm there!!!!!

I found the jar and put my name on the paper. The final leg of this journey was completed this last Friday. Dr J was the surgeon and he had the honor of not only installing the Port but also removing it. The answer to your question is no- I did not get to keep it. (he offered, but i declined) It would have been a great Christmas gift for Erin, right?

The nurses and the other staff were friendly as always. The procedure lasted about 45 min, and I took a "recovery" nap afterward. The picture is from me on the way out. They said I still have to stay off the weights for a little bit. Carrying around a 40lb child is good enough now.

Brag time- I have been so blessed with amazing friends, church members, clients, family, and, of course, my rock Erin. The positive thoughts and prayers, even from Conway, AR, have kept me pushing to reach the top.

There is a time when you get to the top of a mountain, enjoy the amazing Godly view, celebrate, and then realize that your journey is not quite over. The hard part is out of the way, but unless you have a helicopter to pick you up, there is still the trek down. So that is why we still need your thoughts and prayers (or a helicopter?).

*Prayer for my nasty cough- Radiating my throat seemed to cause a little irritation, causing some intensecoughing and thus less sleep for me but especially Erin.

*Prayer for my arm- My arm you ask? Yes my arm. Here is the back story.....

After Chemo, and before/during radiation, my arm every now and then had a funny numb-like feeling. If you want to know how it feels, remember back in gym class when the teacher told us to spin our arms in a circle, and you can feel all the blood rush to your fingertips. Yeah like that. Well this feeling has gotten progressively worse as the weeks have passed. It makes my arm a shade or three purpler and swollen (not that I mind that my arm is bigger, but just one side looks weird). It is not a clot, so no worries there, and the doctors surmised that it might be Thoracic Oulet Syndrome, possible caused by the port. Which means the port catheter took up room in my vein and thus does not allow for full blood flow, plus I am an athletic guy. This odd arm feelings started when I started working out again, so it makes some sense. I guess I am just too muscular for my own good! (just kidding)

*Prayers for my doctors as they continue to help my through recovery.
*Continued prayers for patience with all the curveballs that the mountain, life or cancer can throw your way.

As always- much love
Nate

Quick update

Hi there...I know it's been a while, but I wanted to give everyone a quick update on the happenings of Nate's journey. Most importantly, his treatment is OVER! That's right....he had his very last radiation session on Friday..praise God! On the flip side, he is feeling..well...terrible. He has an awful cough and a very sore esophagus and is extremely worn out. This is particularly frustrating since he is free and clear of cancer. The doctors said the radiation side effects could become worse this week before they get better...please pray that recovery will be swift.

On Friday, Nate goes in to surgery to get his port removed...hurray! This is so encouraging because this means that no one thinks he will be needing that port for anything anytime soon. Please pray that the surgery goes perfectly and that recovery is again, swift.

Follow-up appointments with all of his doctors will be going on in the next weeks and months and he will be rescanned probably in February.

Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement...Nate will be giving one of his much more entertaining updates in a few days. :)

Super Powers?

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope you ate too much, drank too much and laughed too much!!

Well I started my radiation treatments on Tuesday. Here is how it happens: I walk down the hall with the special "Radiation Signs" along the wall, and enter into the treatment room. I see in the middle a huge machine, similar to a CT or a PET Scanner with the name Tomo Therapy on the side. The nurses lay me down and bring over my mask......

I have to stop the scenario now to describe this mask. When I was fitted for this special contraption they took a flat piece of warm plastic that looked like a large fish net and put it over my face. They fitted it to the contours of my face and shoulders, let it dry and cool down. It stuck in the shape of my face. Once they took it off, i realized that my nose really is crooked and that I am going to be seeing a lot of the net mask in the following weeks.

Back to the story.. So they secure me down with my mask and proceed to move me into the big tube. I usually think about doughnuts when describing the CT, PET, Radiation Tubes. (Yum) They take a scan to make sure they line everything up correctly with my tattoo (which is just a tiny dot in the middle of my chest). Then the treatment starts- I lay there still for roughly seven minutes while something in the machine circles around me. After being in these tubes alot lately, the one difference during the treatment is the sound. Imagine when you get to go to a fancy Italian restaurant and the server comes over to offer some fresh ground pepper for your salad. It sounds like a very high tech pepper grinder! It goes around my body so that they can pinpoint and avoid hitting my lungs and heart as much as possible (which i really appreciate)  Then I get up and go!

I have a total of 17 treatments and I am done with 2. So, I'm scheduled to be done before Christmas. (didn't even have to wrap that gift)

Couple things that stink about this are that I get to go everyday (minus weekends) for treatments and my Super Powers have not appeared, yet. I tried to turn green and huge, but Erin said I just looked constipated. No jumping over buildings, except for the ones that Carter builds with his toy blocks.

Prayer requests and challenges:
I challenge you to come up with a Super Power that you would want to have! (Super Speed, Flying, X Ray Vision are some examples)
We are always needing prayers for patience with treatments, schedules, making sense of bills.

The end is in sight!!!
Love
Nate (formerly MM)

A Clean Bean...

Usually "a clean bean" refers to a freshly changed or bathed Carter, but yesterday, I used it to refer to Nate's PET scan which came back CANCER FREE!!! Praise God!!

Nate went in early yesterday morning for the scan and for coordinates to be tattooed and other contraptions to be fitted for when he begins radiation. And we were so pleasantly surprised by a call early afternoon from his Radiological Oncologist, Dr. M herself, confirming our hope that all scans were clean and Nate could move on to the radiation part of his treatment (the last part!)

Thank you for your prayers and celebration with us!!

Enough with the downtime...

The past few weeks have been super boring...no doctors appointments, treatments and we haven't received bills every day either...lame! We have been spending our time celebrating birthdays, Halloween and spending some quality time together (see proof to the left). But enough with that! It's time to get the show on the road...the radiation show, that is! :)

Seriously though, as Nate has been recovering from chemo for the last couple of weeks and it's been nice to focus on the normal things of life for a while.

Yesterday, we met with the radiological oncologist, Dr. M, to discuss the next steps in treatment. She wants Nate to redo his PET scan to re-stage and make sure that he has had a "complete response" (i.e. no more cancer cells left) before starting the radiation treatments. That scan will take place on next Monday, November 12, early in the a.m. After the scan, there will be more planning in the form of more scan to mark out where the radiation will actually be given on his body, coordinates will be drawn and then tattooed on his skin to ensure proper placement and then treatment will begin.

Nate will have 17 radiation sessions total, Monday-Friday with the exception of Thanksgiving and the day after Thanksgiving. The treatment only takes about a minute, so he will be in and out of the office within 30 minutes...so that's good!

More hair loss, fatigue and a sore throat will be the most notable side-effects of this treatment and there are a few long-term things we will be watching for like skin cancer, thyroid problems and scar tissue in the lungs.

For now, we need prayer for the following:

• Pray for Nate's PET scan to be totally clean
• And speaking of the PET scan, pray for the actual time before the scan when Nate is becoming radioactive...he has to sit completely still in the dark without any stimulus (i.e. music, TV, books, talking, etc.). That sounds like heaven to me, but for him, it's just super endlessly boring.
• We would love for the treatments to be given at the Shawnee Mission Campus instead of the Overland Park campus because of proximity to work and home.
• And of course, please continue prayer for patience with the process and one another :)

We are continually amazed by the kindness of people and God's grace and patience with us as very imperfect people.

Much love!

The Heide's

Poster child? (I mean Poster MAN!)

So we finally got an appointment with the radiological oncologist, Dr. M. Unfortunately, it's not until November 5. We were really hoping to be done with the radiation by Thanksgiving, but that's not going to happen now. BUT we are still on the right track.

In other news, I think I bragged on Nate for being asked to be photographed by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as they are revamping all their marking materials. We received a disk with a bunch of the photos this week...super fun! We don't know if he will be used in the materials, but are so thankful for the photographer sharing some of them with us!

Here are a few of my favorites (Nate's not around, so he couldn't veto any of them :) )



Totally didn't plan the matching part....



Honey, I shrunk my lymph nodes!

And Nate passes GO! We had a good appointment with Dr. H, Nate's oncologist, today. The scans taken on Tuesday showed a big improvement in Nate's lymph nodes in all areas that were affected by cancer. In Dr. H's words: "the disease has responded well." And if you knew Dr. H, that's as happy and excited with words as he gets. Praise God! So this means NO MORE CHEMO! That is such a huge relief. Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts and prayers.

So what's next? Radiation. Sometime soon (maybe next week?) we will meet again with the radiological oncologist, Dr. M. to set up Nate's radiation schedule and do more scans if necessary as well as other prep work. For now, the expectation is to do radiation Monday-Friday, for a month. That's a lot. So please pray for Nate's stamina and patience and health through this time.

Other things that we learned today are as follows:

• Nate will retain the awesome port in his chest until all treatment has concluded and there is basically no trace of cancer in his system. That means that he needs to go into get it "flushed" every month so it does get clogged or something.
• There will be another PET scan done after radiation is complete to make sure all cancer cells have been destroyed and then the lymphoma will be re-staged. We definitely vote that the stage is "cured" (maybe that's stage 0?)
• Nate's hair will continue to fall out for another 4-6 weeks at which time his hair follicles will recover and he will have a awesomely full head of hair again.
• We also learned that since Nate is doing chemo as well as radiation, the amount of chemo given, though an effective amount, should not cause problems down the line...that is a HUGE relief!

Things to pray for:

• First, join us in thanking God for his grace and kindness. Even though the road hasn't been easy (and is still looking rough for a time), we have learned a lot, grown stronger in our faith and relationships.
• Please pray for patience, energy and grace for our little family as the doctor's appointment schedule becomes crazy again right as the holiday/birthday season gears up.
• Please pray for the side effects of radiation; that there won't be any :)
• Please pray contentment during this next phase of treatment and life

We love you all!


 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

Does Nate get to pass go?

We don't really have an update other than we would like to ask people to be praying for the CT scan tomorrow morning (10:30 a.m.). This scan will show the amazing doctors what the last two months of chemo has done to fight (and hopefully destroy) the cancer cells. If the results are good, Nate will pass go and move on to the radiation part of the treatment, if not good, he will not pass go and will go to chemo jail for another two months. Please pray for God's will and that God's will might involved healing :) .We trust God and his awesome plan, please pray that we will be content in the result. 

Both Nate and I are kinda done with this whole "bump in the road." We are tired and crabby and it's been hard to keep up with simple life things and even harder to keep up positive attitudes. However, we are so thankful, once again, for so many things. We are thankful for the amazing autumn weather. We are still so thankful for our amazing family and friends. We are thankful to not have needed to worry about making dinner for the last two months (you all rock). We are thankful for the time where we can laugh and the times where we can cry; both make us stronger and more flexible with life. We are thankful for a fantastic prognosis. We could go on, but we are ready to sit down, have a glass of wine and watch some of our new fall programing on TV :)

Thank you for your thoughts, kind words and prayers. We will let you know how things go tomorrow...we meet with Dr. H (oncologist) on Thursday for the results.

A little celebration...

How fun is this? So at the end of Nate's chemo session today, the nurses in "pod 2," where we always sit, brought out the kazoos and did a tiny celebration of Nate's (most likely) last day of chemo! They even made a certificate and signed it...see below :)

(Picture taken by the awesome Todd Stover who brought by delicious lunch!)

We also got his schedule of next steps before we left this afternoon: scans on the 16th and follow up and scan interpretation with the oncologist on the 18th of October.

Please pray that the chemo has done its job and that Nate can move on...we would hate to have his certificate of graduation taken away!

Last session of chemo!?!?

Here we are...at perhaps the last chemo session Nate has to endure! We got a great report from Dr. H, the oncologist, about his blood work-yippee! So now, after this fun day in the infusion room, the next step it to have Nate rescanned to see what his chemo therapy has done to the cancer cells. The hope is that there isn't a trace of malignancy and then Nate can graduate to radiation to seal the deal.

Right now, Nate is dozing in his reclining chemo chair and not feeling great...please pray for him to get rest and that the drugs will be working and that he will experience peace and not be so woozy.

We are so thankful for the amazing nursing and support staff here at the Kansas City Cancer Center. We are thankful for our amazing and talented oncologist. We are thankful for faith and for trials that bring us closer to God. AND we are thankful for all of our family and friends who have showered us with encouragement in all sorts of ways; we have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of people.

Give me a Boost

We have been meaning to update everyone all week, but things have been crazy busy. Last Thursday was my 3rd round of chemo. I was feeling okay after the treatment until Friday afternoon and then the rest of weekend was a hard one. I felt super tired and woozie and couldn't function properly. My balance was off and I couldn't sleep enough.

We had mentioned in our last post that my white count was down and that I might have to get daily shots to boost my reproduction of white blood cells. Well, it happend. Today will be my third and hopefully final day of the "booster shot." I guess we will see as my blood work will be redone. The shot is called Neupogen and the side effects are pretty awesome; sore joints and bones.

New research is showing that strength training  has been shown to be beneficial when going through chemo, so I got to work out this week on Wednesday and felt really good. Obviously I had to go lighter on my weights, but still managed to check myself out in the mirror (for medical purposes, of course).

We continue to be thankful for your thoughts and prayers and notes and meals and everything. They really give our spirits a "boost."

Chemo Carb Loading

Nate is cruising through his third chemo session as I type. His blood counts were low today and if they drop any lower he will have to have get a series of shots to boost his immune system. We are voting against that happening.

Otherwise, we are having a grand old time eating lunch, getting some work done and fattening up the Cancer Center with the donuts Nate brought as bribes for superior drugs (evidently the drugs are pre-set and aren't up for negotiation). Drat!

Please pray for the days ahead as the effects of the chemo start...it appears that the fatigue and wooziness will increase with each treatment. Pray for rest for Nate and that he will give his body grace as it fights.

We love you all and are so grateful for your prayer and support!