October 25, 2009

Bryon is preparing for another trip to Salt Lake for week 3 of treatment. He has not been doing so well with his speech and occupational therapies. The past two weeks or so he has been fighting off a bad case of bronchitis and has had to postpone a few of his sessions. As of today, he is feeling better, and is taking some antibiotics to help get him well again. After his treatment on Monday he will make a U-turn and head to Salmon, ID for a week. His families annual fishing trip, that has gone on for over twenty years, takes place this week. Bryon is anxious to fish, eat, socialize and just be away from things for awhile. No updates will be done on the blog this week as no one will be around to do them, but once the Gundersen's come back from vacation there will be much to talk about. Bryon's next MRI is scheduled after his return from fishing so cross fingers and toes then pray a bunch so it comes out clean.

October 15, 2009

Just a quick update on Bryon. He started another treatment cycle this past Monday and received the nasty once a month chemo, Carboplatin. In addition to that he was also well enough to get his flu shot. Now he is suffering from both treatments. In the long run he will be better off, but it is hard to watch him go through such misery just to get back to being healthy.

On the bright side of things, Bryon was able to do some minor retail therapy. We have been without a dinning table for several years and we finally broke down and bought one. It was the Kmart special, but it was so fun to sit together last night and have a french toast dinner at the table. Bryon also got some much needed pants and a warmer shirt to wear under his t-shirts. He gets chilled very easily and this should save him when he goes out for some fresh air. The purchases were needed so much more than we can put in to words. I want to thank my cousin and his family for helping us put these needs to rest.

Overall, Bryon is surviving. He has been able to go places with his family and see people he hasn't seen in a long time. His is very happy with his decision to stay home. Things always seem to have a way of working out and we are very blessed to have things so good in a bad situation. Thanks to everyone for your help and loving support.

Here we have Audrey eating her lunch on the new table! Yum!

Butterfly Bows

This pair of bows is aprox. 3 inches wide and double stacked with grosgrain ribbon. Perfect for your toddler's pigtails or to clip to a baby headband! $10.

Halloween Blocks

Wooden blocks to add to your Halloween decor! Starting bid $15

Awesome New Auction Item!!

Hold on to your to do list ladies! We have an auction item that can help you get it all done! No more begging and pleading with the hubby to take care of those honey dew's, we have the remedy.
Mackay Wilson (my cousin Mary Beth's own live in 'Bob Villa') has offered his handy man services to the highest bidder. I have seen some of his work first hand and know for a fact he is capable of taking on some pretty big tasks. If you need to hang a shelf, dry wall, or lay some tile Mackay is your man!! Hours are negotiable and should be discussed with Mackay...not the auctioneer. The services are only available to local bidders not outside of the Cache Valley area. Materials for any projects performed are not provided by the laborer, this offer is for labor work only. A handsome laborer if I may add, but keep in mind he is happily married. His contact information will be available after the winner has been determined.

Thanks for this auction item Mackay and Mary Beth! Bidding starts at $50

Great Outdoors Blanket

Great outdoors baby receiving blanket, measures 43 1/2 x 42
Thanks to Camille for the donation.
Starting bid $25.00

Perfect for Any Little Princess

This darling little blanket measures 40X46. Special thanks to Camille for the donation.

Opening bid: $25

Darling bib and burbcloth

**Remember to include your email when you bid**

This hand made set will look darling on your baby! Special thanks to Andi for the donation.

Opening bid: $15.

September 28,2009

Well, we made another trip to the city today. We are still in the hospital waiting to get the ball rolling as usual.

The last week went by so fast with Bryon home and and feeling well. He tried to stay active and involved and we have so much fun driving to Logan together for his speech therapy. He starts Occupational therapy this week to help him work on control his hand and legs tremors. This means we will be in Logan 3-4 days a week for the next little while. The speech therapist explained Bryons evaluation to us. She said that due to his lack of an attention span and delayed reaction time, his driving priveledges have been revoked. This is only until he can get his mind to multitask, and therapy should help a lot with that. If this is really the case then we should all have our licenses taken away....I have been accused of lacking some focus in my time and I seem to function.

In the mean time Bryon is getting excited about the family's annual trip to Salmon, Idaho for a week long fishing trip. We won't be able to take a trailer this year, but since his whole family goes up together, I am sure someone will have room for him. The kids are excited about it too, because they get to do trick or treating to all the trailers in the parking lot. They get more candy from the handful of trailers at Cache Bar than you would combing the entire city of Weston, ID. It will be good for Bryon to get back to what he loves and that's bringing in a wild steel head trout. By the way, Bryon isn't going to work anymore so he won't turn down any invites to go fishing unless hunting gets in the way. I found it very funny that we trust Bryon with a gun, but his employer doesn't trust him with a screw driver.

I just want to ask everyone to please pass this blog on to anyone you know and encourage them to participate in the auction. Donated items are wonderful and much appreciated. If we can get people bidding too, that would really boost things for my cousin. She has already bid on two items in her own auction, maybe we should show a little support for Christina. Thanks for all your efforts cousin, they don't go unnoticed.

Well, it is almost lunch time and I had better get back and see if Bryon wants food! We will update the blog if something should go out of the ordinary.

New Auction Item

Unique Custom Wood Signs!


These pictures are just a few examples of what the artist has already done. All were done free hand so each sign is unique. You can request a smooth wood or genuine barn wood. Custom sayings or family names accepted. If dried flowers are available they can be applied to the sign as well. Biding will start at $15.

September 22, 2009

This week was slightly different...thank heavens for change! No blood draw and no EKG's during treatment. This made for a very speedy stay in the hospital. We were in by 8:00 am and out by 1:30 pm. Bryon was so happy that he got to go to the Point Restaurant in person that he had me by some of their fabulous chocolate cake. He ate Buoy Soup and a mango smoothie. I took a picture of him while he was finishing up, he was having a very good day.


The new trial protocol also requires a new trial coordinator. His name is Travis, and he is every bit as silly as Chris was, our last trial coordinator. He doesn't have it all down yet, but he is trying and that is what counts. We appreciate all he does to make our stay comfortable every week.





As for long term, Bryon officially called it quits at work today. He was too exhausted to get out of bed and came to except that life could be better for him without work. We are excited to have him home and see him do things that make him happy, not tired.

Recent happenings...

Bryon has given his current situation a lot of thought. He has concluded that working a full time job is no longer possible. It is not fair to his employer and it takes a lot more out of him than it gives back. So, after he made this decision he said he would work until he can see his doctor, which should be able to recommend long term disability. Then he will be able to stay home and be a lot less stressed. Bryon is not sick every day all the time, but he has limited amounts of energy to give. When he is rested he can function quite well for an hour or so, but shortly after, he resigns to the couch where he sleeps for 3-4 hours just to recuperate. We wish him luck in this new venture and am very glad to see he made it this far.

***Scroll down for auction items. Check back for new items added often***

The Porcelain God

***Scroll down for auction items. Check back for new items added often***


I don't think Bryon, or myself, had any idea how things would work once his health really went downhill. The last few days have been very frustrating and stressful. Bryon has been very good at taking his meds so he isn't sick, but the fatigue alone has hit him like a truck. He can sleep all day and be wide awake for an hour and be able to sleep another 8 hours with no problem. You can see when he is awake that he really wants to be useful, but his legs just want to fall out from under him.

The real worry, as of today, is he has lost his appetite and made a mad dash to the thrown of the porcelain God and forcibly sacrificed what little he did have in his stomach. (he threw up.) He immediately came home and is now resting. This is the longest he has been away from work, except after surgery, and even though his co-workers are concerned he is starting to walk on a thin line with his employer.

What can you do? He is the sickest I have ever seen him, but the worst part is knowing it is self inflicted in order to prevent worse things from happening. This cancer is becoming more than just headache to us, and I wish I had a magic baseball bat to knock it out of the ball park.(Bryon's head.) I have vented a little and rambled a lot, and that is not what this blog is for.

I want to thank everyone who is participating in the online auction. There will be new items coming soon, so keep checking in to see whats available. A great big thank you is also thrown out to everyone who reads this blog. Just knowing your checking in on Bryon is very comforting to him and he loves your comments.

What a conundrum!

I was reluctant to take a photo of Bryon this week since he decided to shave off the beard. It isn't that he looks bad, but he does have his father's chin, and it tends to make him look quite juvenile.

In addition to the baby face, he had sores under the facial hair. They were red splotches that did not appear to be infected, but unsightly none the less. The doctor looked at them and explained his skin is probably more sensitive than it used to be and has over reacted to being dry. This also explains why he breaks out so bad when his skin is oily. So, he has to put his modeling career on hold for awhile while his skin regroups, but his blood cell counts are a different story.

We were told Bryon would become immunosupressed (spell check just isn't up on the medical terminology, so I apologize for spelling errors.), but he has done so well that it was kind of a shock when they said his counts were low. What this means is the white and red blood cell counts are low enough to suppress his ability to fight infection and cause severe fatigue. He is supposed to avoid large crowds (basically work), anyone who is potentially sick(or wear a mask instead), and report immediately to the ER if he has a fever of 101 degrees or higher. His numbers are not bad enough to give him a booster shot at this point, but we would like to avoid it anyway. The shot would create panic in his bone marrow, causing it to produce more blood cells. The worst and most common side effect of this drug would cause serve aches in his joints and bones throughout the body. The only time they would give him the booster is if absolutely needed it. For right now, he is still able to be in the medical study, even though he is also having troubles with blood clotting. We will just have to keep a close eye on him and wait to see how this affects his day to day life.

Bryon is considering going on disability while I (the wife) go to work. I am not tremendously excited for him if that is his decision. I do feel that work gives him something to focus on and a reason to get out of bed. I also feel that if he were to stay and run the home, he would be doing his family a great service without putting his health in jeopardy. There are always choices in these matters, and this one is totally up to him.

As for now, life goes on, but much bigger decisions are yet to be made. It is a tense time, but like the seasons, it may be time for a change.

September 9, 2009

Just a quick update on Bryon and recent events. Bryon went to Salt Lake yesterday to have his 8 week MRI and doctor visit. Even though there was some massive confusion about where the MRI was supposed to take place, it happened and we were able to move on. Doctor Jensen was able to see Bryon this week and was very optimistic as usual, but someone should inform him that an extended period of silence while reviewing the images only creates stress in those sitting in the room with him. After much debate, he decides there is little to no change and treatment may continue. Bryon and I had our own opinion of what changes were there, but thank heavens that our medical opinions on this matter are irrelevant.

So, life continues and we will keep pretending we have a normal life. Just a quick side note, however, I am incredibly busy since my kids started school. It makes it very difficult to update to blogs when news happens. I am going to keep this blog as current as possible, and only update the family blog when I have time. Both blogs will remain, but I am sorry if they do not always reflect the latest gossip.