The Countdown Begins...

Dear Family and Friends,

The countdown to the end of radiation has begun!  Zac has five treatments left.  Woohoo!!!  The end of radiation cannot come soon enough for him and for our family.  For the past three weeks, he’s been battling almost constant nausea, occasional vomiting, muscle soreness, and fatigue.  Zac reports that he feels like he has the flu, especially in the evenings and most especially on Friday nights.  As the effects of the radiation are cumulative, it makes sense that his worst days are Fridays.  He spends the weekend recovering, then just when he’s starting to feel better, it’s back to treatment.  Not a fun cycle.  His skin is a little burned as well.  Looking at his back, it is easy to tell exactly where the radiation is going.  He has an oval shaped burn from the top of his scar to the top of his sacrum.  It is warm to the touch and he says it itches like crazy.  We are putting aloe on it for comfort.  I’ve been giving Zac some tips to help battle the nausea from my experiences with morning sickness.  So far most of them have worked!  I try to be very sympathetic with how he is feeling but I’ve also made a few comments about how he’s getting a taste of what it’s like to be pregnant ;-)  

Being tied to treatment everyday has been hard for Zac.  He feels trapped and confined.  Add to that that he doesn’t feel like himself and can’t do the things he wants to do, he just feels like so much of life is a big tease.  Having him less mobile, less able to help, plus working more has put a lot of pressure on me.  Zac’s doing his best but there’s just a lot to be done.  So I’m looking forward to radiation ending too so that life can get back to something closer to normal.  

Zac’s physical therapy continues to go well.  He’s developing and defining muscles that he lost while in the hospital.  He is very motivated to keep the weight he’s lost off and he’s really committed to working out and strengthening himself.  I’m proud of how hard he’s working.  He will continue physical therapy until he’s scheduled to return to work in early August.

His final treatment day is Wednesday, July 8th.  I’ve started a countdown calendar to help keep his eye on the prize.  Thank you all for continuing to pray and check in with our family.  We are always so humbled by the love you have for us and our children.  We’ve learned so much through this experience…mainly that we are surrounded by some pretty amazing people!

Love,

The Bollinger Family

After Seven Treatments...

Dear Family and Friends,

Zac has had seven radiation treatments thus far (one less than scheduled because the radiation machine was down one day last week).  He’s already experiencing side effects, which we were really, really hoping to avoid.  He has been intermittently nauseous, has thrown up once, is having some pretty bad GI upset and is starting to get a little burned on his back.  No fun :-(  

But in all that there is good news. Overall, he’s tolerating it pretty well.  The extreme fatigue hasn’t hit him yet (still hoping that’s a few weeks off) and according to the oncologist, the nausea should stay pretty stable and not get worse.  So that’s something.  He also had another MRI of his cervical spine to check for tumors there, because in his previous eight MRIs there was never a clear shot of that area, and it showed no tumor.  Another great thing.  He is progressing nicely with his PT and has really embraced rebuilding his strength and his body.  On days he doesn’t have PT, he is swimming or walking or sometimes doing both!  He is also embracing this time at home to focus on the boys and is spending quality time with each of them.  Radiation happens each weekday at 4:15pm in SLO and only takes about 30 minutes.  He’s usually back home by the time I get off work and we have a little time to play before dinner, baths and bed.  

We have so much to be thankful for!  Those long days in the hospital seem so far away as everyday life has replaced those dark memories with happier ones.  Thank goodness for our children who keep our focus forever forward…and for making us laugh every day.  Thank you for your continued prayers and love for our family.  

Love,

The Bollinger Family