stahnooz

Post RFA

2010-10-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks,

Just got home a couple hours ago and thought I would post some medical info for all you nerds out there. I was in the hospital from 11AM yesterday to 11Am today and most of those hours were spent sitting in bed trying to sleep, watching tv and thinking about life. As far as a medical procedure, the RFA was pretty light. They put me under but I was off nausea and pain pills by dinner last night and feel pretty good today. I just hope that it did the necessary job and that I may be on the downhill side of this thing. Here is a good link to the details of the procedure: http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=rfa

That is all for now.

RFA

2010-10-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hello People,

Just giving a heads up. Heading in to get a percutaneous Radio Frequency Ablation at the UW today. Should be interesting to get that old familiar pincushion feeling back. I will update after just to let you know how it went.

C is for Cancer, D is for Dogs

2010-09-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

I'm back again with an update on my latest efforts. Well, unfortunately the results of my latest PET scan came back positive for cancer in the liver. So it looks like, I'll be back on treatment in some combination of chemo and possibly a laproscopic radio frequency ablation (RFA) procedure. A laproscopic RFA is basically when the doc makes a small incision and inserts a probe directly to the cancer spot on the liver and tries to burn it to death. Now, I will find out soon whether or not this is in the cards, but hopefully whatever happens will happen soon. After spending the summer abroad and gearing up for the start of the school year, I am kind of ready to put this treatment stuff behind me and get started with my life again. Wishful thinking I suppose.

But it is not as though my life has been completely postponed. I was lucky to have some visitors at my home here in Seattle this past week. Jevan and Casey stopped by for a couple days and a night, before heading up to Vancouver. We got to see the premiere of Volcom's latest snowboard video and hob knob with a couple industry people as Jevan is working hard to get his latest venture with Homeschool snowboarding started. Basically, it is a Portland start up that produces snowboard and skiing outerwear. The company's founder, Danny, is cool cat from the islands of Hawaii, who has a great design aesthetic and an ideal of bringing snowboarding back to its roots before it became the honey pot of large corporations.

It was great to have them here because they brought their dog, Winston, with them. Winston is just a few months younger than Pirate and is some sort of Great Dane, possibly lab mix. Both he and Pirate became instant buds. While Jevan and Casey went to Vancouver, Winston and Pirate had the run of the house with me for the weekend. Here are some pics of our trips to the park.

Good times.

2010-08-29T01:08:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Tis early Sunday morning and I wanted to share what an oddly interesting Friday I just had.

It began by starting the day without food and with orders to not engage in any physical activity whatsoever. The reason being the PET scan I was taking in the early afternoon. Not only was I on a 12-hour fast, I was on a 24-hour no carb fast. No breads or sugars. You see, sugar is the energy source for all of the cells in our body and when cells are splitting and growing rapidly, then they use lots of sugar. The PET scan shows where the sugar in my body is going. In order to learn this, the patient must lower their blood sugar before the scan. Then, also prior to the imaging, I was injected with a radioactive tracer that is encased (so to speak) in glucose. That tracer is what shows up on the image. When they give you the shot of radioactive goo, the doc retrieves a needle from a 2-inch thick, protective metal cylinder. He noted the time down to the nearest minute and then asked me to sit still, for an hour. And by sit still, they mean still. No reading, texting or talking even. Nothing that would take repetitive muscle motions. So you have time think. Close your eyes and rest and think.

On a side note, I often have trouble sitting still in a restaurant chair after a meal is finished. Ants in the pants just a little. Fortunately, I am pretty good at staying still when necessary, which is good because after sitting with the goo spreading throughout my body for an hour, I got to lie down in the machine and stay still for another hour while the technology did its thing.

Results will be out next week sometime.

That pretty much describes my Friday until about 5 o'clock. Because it was at five when I came out of sleep mode. As soon as I got home, I wolfed down a baguette w/apricot jam (thanks a lot France for getting me hooked on that). I then hit the highway for a high-speed burn down to Portland town. I was hesitant to go, but there were some people that were going to be there that I had to see. The occasion was a wedding reception for our good friends Sam and Meg. They eloped a short while back, but decided to throw a fabulous weekend celebration.

Well, I missed the dinner, but I heard that the food was spicy and the whiskey was sweet. The dinner party was then moved to a warehouse used for various events and productions. It was a concrete loading dock with a DJ, who played only cassette tapes, with a couple kegs, and a perfect 4-foot half pipe for skating. Yes, not only did I get to see and catch up with some great old friends from back in the day, but I also got to get down and funky to some late 80s/early 90s R&B, Pop and Hip Hop, and I got to skate the ramp while enjoying a frosty brew. As you can imagine, my Friday night blended into Saturday morning and the day that started off only 20 hours earlier felt like a distant memory.

Lastly, thanks to Jevan and Casey for providing a musty old basement to sleep in. Also thanks to Sam and Meg for having me. It was great to catch up with the rest of you there. And another hello and sorry I missed you to Shannon and Logan Mac.

Slam!

2010-08-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

Oh, I just dropped another post on y'all. Except this one has no purpose but to ask if any of you out there, remember that song called, Slam by Onyx and Biohazard. O the good ole days.

Update

2010-08-27T00:41:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am sorry to those out there that are disappointed in the lack of stahnooz posts lately. But ship man, what the fudge do you expect from a mothertrucker who just spent a summer traveling. Thanks to Sally I have been extremely fortunate to see a bit of Europe, but now that is all over and the memories will endure.

It is time for me to get back to the original purpose of this blog, which was to inform rather than to entertain. However, information from my perspective may be the entertainment of your perspective. Therefore, I will not fret about the intrinsic m0tivation of yours to read this blog, I will simply do my best to appreciate your readership.

C'est vrai. Also, I recently had a CT scan, which showed no change from my previous CT scan in June. That is good news, yet it is not definitive and I now have a subsequent PET Scan. The PET scan provides a different perspective for the docs to diagnose cancer. PET scans basically show metabolic activity in cells much like the Predator's vision shows heat tracers. CT scans show images of detailed anatomy in black and white. So, when my doc sees a couple little areas of interest on the CT scan that may be cancer, but not for sure, then he wants to see a PET scan that shows how much glucose the cells are consuming. If a cell is consuming lots of sugar, then it is likely fast growing and replicating, which is what a cancer cell does. The PET is tomorrow and I'll let you know what's up after.

Hasta madames et monsieurs

Le Retourne

2010-08-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Just got back from Paris...and boy are my arms tired!

Many of you may remember our old friend, Stanus? You know, the foul, bowel-mouthed character who kind of saved my life (eye roll). The one who was tragically cut down in a knife fight by a man in a green mask (still at large). Well, now he is referred to as Stahnooz and he is excited to be home in Seattle. Hopefully many of you followed our exploits at Mon Ete a Paris, if not, then it's not too late.

It was a trip that gave me a lot of time to get lost, get found, reflect, envision, and get back to feeling normal both mentally and physically. As of today, my physical health is in a great place, although I did put on a few pounds of bread, cheese and wine. On a side-note, I did truly fall in love with the prosciutto and canatloupe dish.

Now it's back to eating Taco Bell, aka: Toxic Hell, or Jack in a Box, aka: Crap in Box, or Wendy's, aka: shmendy's. JK, I don't eat there, exept Taco Smells of course on road trips. That is probably something that will never change about me. No seriously, being back in Seattle I get to eat some of the best food in the world. You name it, we got it. I enjoyed dinner at an El Salvadoran restaurant called Los Tropicos Breeze with my Pop the other night. We got to a late afternoon screening of "The Other Guys," starring Will Farrel and Marky Mark and followed with Los Tropicos. Good to see him.

I'd also like to give a shout out to Sal's Paw, Denny Mack. Check out what he and Kimry did for Pirate this summer: Dog Blog. Thanks again you two. And to the rest, thanks for reading.

Le premiere

2010-06-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

Greetings people,

Dom here from SeaTac Airport, just updating Beyond Stanus for day 1 of my European Vacation. As you may have noticed the title of the blog has changed once again, I hope that isn't too much of a strain on your auto bookmarks. Anywho, look for an alternative perspective from Sally's wonderful blog. Thanks for all your well-wishes and check back soon.

La liberté du trou d'âne

2010-06-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

June twenty-something, 2010

Halo,

Once again, time continues to pass. It's running, it's passing. Which of course means, that when we say, "we haven't been up to much and things are fine," much indeed has happened in actuality. Don't even get me started on current events.

In regards to my personal happenings, I am pleased to be bringing forth this, long overdue update. Basically for the last two months, I have been finishing out a 4-round cycle of treatment while continuing to substitute in Seattle. The end of the school year has been marked with lots of rain but I did get the chance to return to one of my past positions and revisit the super fun students I taught.

The chemo has been annoying, but at least it is keeping things in check. Since I got on it back in April, a couple "areas of interest" have shrunken and are now on surveillance. Just in time for my highly anticipated European adventure during the next several weeks.

In case you just joined us, I am going to Paris to meet up with my dearest, Sally, who has been covering some of Amazon.com's European business affaires since mid-May. It is indeed exciting, and while I have missed her a lot, I have been lucky to be at home with the Pirate, Benny and Goose and as much time to watch the NBA playoffs and World Cup action as I could wish for.

So to sum it all up, I have just been hanging with the animals,watching sports, working and tolerating chemo. But most recently I have been back in C.O. visiting my family and friends. From here it is on to Paris, the UK, Italy and beyond. I do plan to keep the blog updated with trip news and pics, so look for dual perspectives, when Beyond Stanus, becomes: La liberté du trou d'âne (dominicdally.blogspot.com) and joins Sal's blog, Mon Ete en Paris (sallyinparis.onsugar.com).

In the meantime, I have some photos for y'all the visually munch on.

Peace 5000 G,

Dominic

Here's me fire jumping outside of Bend.

Adam at Hoodoo (I raided his computer for the photos)

My hot wife and her dad.

Classic Central Oregon sunrise.

Benicio

2010-06-11T23:12:00.000-07:00

6/9/10

2010-06-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

Well, it has been a fair amount of time since my last blog update. I apologize to those of you out there whom having been missing the magnificent wit that spews forth from this brain, much like the stanus used to spew forth partially digested belly material. Again I apologize, this time for the mental image. I suppose I sometimes have slightly twisted sense of story telling, twisted like the many turns and folds of the small intestine.

Why it has taken me so long to post something is probably due to the fact that I am sick and tired of thinking about, and thus writing about, the goings on of my innards. Those of you that I see regularly, know that I almost always bring up pooping during a "how are you" conversation. For that I am sorry, but sometimes I just can't help it. In fact I was gonna be damned, if I was gonna mention anything about digestion in this here blog post and what have I done, exactly what I set out not to do. I suppose that is just the magnetic charm of the stanus. It doesn't seek out the spotlight, it was just made for stardom. And what a weird pink little star it was. Oh dear, there I go again. Well, I guess it could be worse, I could have followed Suzie's advice and shown a gore picture of the stanus back in the day and truly grossed you all out. By the way congrats to Suzie and her wedding to Jesse. Great guy and a great couple you two are. For those of you who would like to check in on Sooz, she has started her own post-wedding blog: thekruegers.onsugar.com

Speaking of blogs, I would like to give a shout out to Sally's Paris blog: sallyinparis.onsugar.com
She has been posting some great pics and sharing the highs and lows of being in a foreign land.

While I am giving shout outs, here is Happy Birthday shout out to my dad. Without you I wouldn't be here pops, and I mean that on several levels of course. I'll save the mushy stuff for the belated card I will be giving you later.

Okay, I need to sign off for now and get some sleep or else I will be a walking Zombie tomorrow at school and thus run the risk of eating too many brains. It is not that I don't like brains, it is just that they are a little hard on the digestive system ,but that is story for another time on Beyond Stanus...

Hubby and Bestie...coming to Paris!...

2010-05-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

Sadie will be here in one week and I am so excited to have someone to tool around the city with! We are also planning a little overnight getaway to Cassis. Yes, we go to the South of France for the weekend around here:)

Nick also got his tickets to Paris - June 27 to August 9. Can't wait can't wait!

I wonder how you say "yay" in French?

Bonne Chance Suzie and Jesse!

2010-05-21T02:55:00.000-07:00

So, tomorrow's the big day - woo hoo! I am so sorry to miss it. I remember Nick and my wedding day like it was yesterday - it was pure joy. I know yours will be too! I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness and will be sending love from the City of Lights.

XOXOXO,

Sally

Elliot!

2010-05-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hi all (this is Sally),

Sorry if this is repetitive for those of you on Facebook or my Paris blog, but I can't help but post a photo of Elliot. He is one week old today.

Love you, E!

Miss you Nick, friends and fur babies. Sending you love from Paris!

XOXO

5/9/10

2010-05-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hello all and happy mother's day out there to all the moms, grandmas, great-grandmas, great-great grandmas, aunts, sisters, and wives. But really I should say happy mother's day to the earth. The earth, which has provided a great diversity of life where even flowers have a mother's touch. Her genetic imprint and her nurturing protection.

Congrats to Tracy, a new mom to Elliot Funk. Watch out for Unky Nick. Aunt Sally is gearing up to be the super fun aunt. Maybe Auntie Rebecca will have something to say about that. Also don't forget about wild aunt Sadie. Should be exciting to see how it all unfolds.

Another congratulations are in order to Andy Funk. Your genes have been passed on just as those of the flowers do. Which is why we'll be saying happy father's day to you in about a month.

Now, that I've said my well-wishing, I can give some news updates. The biology and flower references mentioned previously are side-effects of teaching 6th grade science. Other side-effects include headache, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. But those can be controlled with medicine fortunately. Work is good, keeping me busy.

This past week I've also settled into bachelor life, now that Sally has been in Denver and leaves from there to fly to Paris this evening. I am quite excited for her. As for my bachelor life, I was taken in by the Moch family last night for dinner, thank you very much. Spent a little time with LD, JH and Oscar. Mostly trying to get Pirate and myself exercise during the week. Cleaning a little less, hoarding a little more. Watching and playing a little basketball. Should be outside right now actually. It is just past noon here and an absolutely gorgeous spring Seattle day.

Well then, until next time, this is Dominikolaus signing off.

Nous allons à Paris

2010-04-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Hi friends and fam,

Some of you have already heard Nick and my summer plans so this post will bore you. But now that things are looking a little more certain, we thought we would make it official by posting on the blog...we're headed to Paris!

I am being temporarily transferred for work and will probably leave around May 9th. Nick will finish out the school year at Mercer and then he'll come out and meet me for July and maybe part of August as well.

There's no official "end date" but we will probably both be back home in August or September.

Needless to say, we're very excited and we can't wait to do some traveling while we're over there. And we welcome visitors so set your fare alerts!

Au revoire!

P.S. - I am starting a Paris only blog so that I can add girlie stuff like pictures of poodles and flower markets without boring the Beyond Stanus followers. If you want to follow, the address is sallyinparis.onsugar.com.

Splendidness

2010-04-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sup,

It has been a while and we hope that you all are feeling splendid. As for us, things are going well. My work at Mercer Middle School here in Seattle has been keeping me quite busy. 6th graders as you can imagine, are well, sheesh. But, by golly, they sure can be fun.

You know what else is fun? A little raarr from Sam Jackson.

Yeah Sammy, RIP.

We all loved you, Samuel, but we have to get back to the fun. And speaking of fun, I get to start some more chemo on Friday! Jealous much. Okay so that kind of sucks but at least it is for a good reason, which is to not have any cancer cells grow back. Whaddya gonna do?

How about cheer up with this...

Aww, shameless.

But in all seriousness, the stars are aligning for what may be the best summer ever. I can't say much because our tickets are not punched yet, but there may be a fun little voyage.

Oh really? Yes really.

Voyages are great, just like when we made one to this little lunch spot out side of Black River, Jamaica.

And not much, beats riding on the back of 50cc through the streets of the DR.

How about a Lake Travis, Texas at sunrise?

Of course, the Orygun Coast is not just known for its salty dogs and bloody marys.

Splendid indeed. Hope you all have a wonderful evening, morning, day and so on.

What's in the sack?

2010-04-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

March Madness

2010-03-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

G'Day Mateys,

Long time no blog and lots of happy haps to tell y'all about. So far we've had a pleasant early spring that has included a bit of travel and a few house guests, plus some good news on the cancer front.

First, my last visit with my oncologist revealed that my CEA (tumor marker) numbers have been holding steady at normal levels for the last several months indicating that I am cancer free as well as can be determined. Therefore the plan is to undergo a few rounds of maintenance chemo in an attempt to obliterate microscopic cancer cells if they are in there. Research indicates that this type of plan following surgery has fairly high remission rates, so yay.

In more interesting news Sally and I recently hosted about 25 of our close family and friends in town for the Mercer Island Rotary Club 5K, 10K and half-marathon benefiting colon cancer awareness. Over the long weekend we had a big ol' spaghetti feed, a night of fine dining and group karaoke, the run and a pizza party. Here are some pics of the run for you all to enjoy. Thanks to all who came out and made it a blast.

Our half-marathon runners. Sads and Sal pulled Ty along, who decided to run it just the night before without having done a single training run. Yowsers.

Team members including TorKat, who both finished 3rd overall in the men's and women's 10k respectively.

Apparently, the marked course was still confusing for these two directionally challenged run/walkers.
D-swizzle showing the hops and the steeze.
J-Lau and Sammy, we see you too.
The Keyes with our youngest team member, Penelope Clover.

Hope that you all enjoyed those fine photos. The next few are from Sal's and my trip to Denver for the Funk baby shower. Another grand time mingling with the laid back country folk, where the gorgeous old west comes to life in blaze of sepia toned glory that is Denver. It was super fun to hang with Dave, Rebecca, Jonas, Eric, Sadie, Jevan, Casey, the Funks and our other Denver pals.

My special lady friend.

If more baby showers turned into parties with Sads and Sal rocking the shades, then count me in.
What what.

Rebecca, Dave, Eric y Jonas.

Tracy looking great at 8 months with Elliot (not pictured?), Rebecca and Sadie.

Well that is all for now. Stay tuned for exciting future updates, including new plants in the yard and more with Pirate, Benny and Goose. Later Skaters.

NYC Pictures

2010-03-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

Hi friends,

I just got back from a work trip to NYC. Managed to have a little fun while we were there! Here are some pictures...

Here's a view from my hotel room (you could see the Empire State Building and the Hudson River but I wasn't a good enough photographer to get it all). We stayed at The Standard, btw, and I would highly recommend it...

Drew and Cece XOXO...

Momofuku ramen...oh yum...(and sat next to Tom Douglas randomly!)...

Work friends, Grace, Karina and Garland at The Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village...

Grace and me with the host of the Comedy Cellar show that night...

Grace H.O.V.A.! Jay Z, Madison Square Garden!

Jay Z on stage...

The boys.

2010-03-01T23:13:00.000-08:00

Sup,

As you might imagine when battling cancer, one tends to go through a range of thoughts and emotions. I am no different in this as I've spent my time recovering from surgery contemplating new thoughts on life and feeling a bit more emotional than usual. While I know that I am on a journey that will inevitably provide many twists and turns, I have just recently decided to amp up my tough-as-nails, bad ass, tough guy, fire-eating, "crappin bigger than Billy Crystal" Jack Palance persona. And the first thing is to post this picture of my homies, Benny and Pirate.

Yeah, yeah. In yo face. What? I didn't think so sucka!

Just a short update.

2010-02-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

Hola amigos,

Dom here with a short update for our intrepid followers. First, I want to say thanks again to all the well-wishers. Just knowing that you are following along with the events and updates makes both Sally and I feel good. And feeling good is my current goal for the near future. 2 weeks post-surgery and I am feeling rather weak. Sally has to keep reminding me to stand up straight when I am up and about, which lately has been less than the amount of time I've been spending resting on the couch. When I first got home from the hospital, I was riding a wave of euphoria from pain meds that made me feel like being active doing some house and yard work. But since I've come off the meds my energy level has seemed to dip as well. That is to be expected I suppose, but I am definitely looking forward to feeling stronger. It will be another week until the staples come out of my stomach and then I imagine an additional two weeks or so until the the open wounds close over. I've got two slits that I have to keep open so they can heal from the inside without getting infected. Perhaps I'll try and get a couple of close-ups for you gore mongers out there. Other than the wounds, the other lame issue I have is the neuropathy side effect in my fingers and toes. It is due to the chemo and is basically just a general numbness in my fingers, which makes typing this update about twice as long as it would normally take.

Of course there is usually a silver lining to everything and this recovery is no different. I have dropped about 10 pounds of fat off my body, which means that I am starting to look nice and model-skinny for my application to the 2012 "Colander" http://www.colonclub.com/colondar.html
Check it out if you get a chance and see if you think I can make the grade. That is all I have for now. TTFN.

New Development

2010-02-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

My judgment may be slightly impaired by the pain meds, but I thought that everyone should know that I had a close to normal bowel movement this morning. Although it has been about nine months, defecating is just like riding a a bike.

Thanks for checking in folks and I'll be sure to continue bringing you the important news and events of the day.

Stay classy San Diego.

Post-Surgery

2010-02-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I am home from the hospital and damn it feels good. I may have 17 staples in my stomach and a steady flow of diarrhea, not too mention the occasional stab of sharp pain, but I feel better than I have for quite a while.

I'd like to say thanks to all of you for your thoughts and well wishes, and it is nice to know that I have a lot of genuinely caring people in my life.

Most of you probably noticed that the title of this blog has changed. Not only did it make sense, but I hope to show you all that both Sally and I are more than just our digestive tracts, but we also have pretty cool neural, cardiovascular, muscular/skeletal, lymphatic and reproductive systems as well. As to how much we choose to delve into those specific area remains to be seen, but don't worry we'll more than likely leave the reproductive system to the good people of the porn industry. But I digress.

I've got a fair amount of surgery recovery ahead of me and hope to get in good enough shape to be a model for the 2012 Colon Club calendar or the 2012 "Colander."

Other than that, we'll continue to post pics and updates of our exciting adventures. Thanks again and take care.

Dom

Warning: Graphic Pictures

2010-02-14T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Just a quick update to let everyone know that Nick's still doing great. He's now eating clear liquids (it's better than nothing!) and he's been cruising the halls and harrassing the nurses.

We also got to see his latest battle wound - there's a semi-gory picture below...

Goodbye Stanus!

2010-02-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

Nick is out of surgery and everything went really well - - he's doing great! His surgeon removed 4 lesions, a lymph node and his gall bladder for good measure (there was no gall bladder involvement but if he were to have issues with it in the future, it could be hard to get to because of previous surgeries).

And...Stanus is history! Goodbye, so long, farewell...

Nick is resting right now but his doctors expect him to start standing and walking almost immediately. Keep your fingers crossed that he tolerates food quickly so he can bust out of the hospital sometime early next week.

Nick will post an update when he feels up to it. Meantime, he'll probably be up for visitors this weekend. Just give me a call and I can tell you where he is!

Love,

Sally

5:30 a.m. - wow that's early!

2010-02-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Nick got his check-in time for surgery tomorrow. He checks in at 5:30 a.m. so we're thinking surgery around 7:00? That means he should be out by noon but don't get worried if you don't hear from us...in my experience, things always take longer than anticipated.

Not sure if he'll be up for visitors tomorrow - Saturday might be better if you are planning to come by the hospital. But feel free to call my cell if you want to stop by and I can let you know if it's a good time.

Lots of love and more updates to come.

Sally

Okay...another change...

2010-02-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

Nick and I met with Dr. Yeung today (the surgeon) and they have decided to push the surgery back one week so they can get some tests done beforehand. No change in strategy or anything - just moving back a week.

We also learned a little more about what to expect:

- Surgery should last between 3-5 hours
- He'll spend around 5 days in the hospital
- Recovery takes around 6 weeks total but he should be feeling fairly normal after 2 weeks

That's the latest for now but we'll keep the updates coming.

Love,

Sally

Mellow Shredding the Rad

2010-02-02T19:04:00.001-08:00

Adam is up in Seattle as part of his Feb. snowboard roadtrip and we spent the day in the foothills of Mt. Rainier at Crystal Mountain.
Bluebird and corduroy.

D-Swizzle getting ready to launch.

Launched.

A-Haynes, aka Method Man

Just like eating a Klondike Bar.

Surgery Friday

2010-02-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Hi fam and friends,

Apparently, when you want to schedule a liver resection, they don't mess around (or they aren't very busy-?)...Nick's surgery has been scheduled for this Friday (hopefully they'll get the Super Bowl in his hospital room!). We don't know any details yet but we're meeting with his surgeon tomorrow so will get more info about how long the surgery will take, how long Nick will be in the hospital, etc.

Meantime, here's a pic of Nick's surgeon (since posts are always better with pictures). More to come!

Change of Plans...

2010-01-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

Hi friends and family,

Sorry we haven't posted much lately. Nick's doc's have been going back and forth a little on next steps and I think we've finally settled on a plan. Nick is going to forego radiation and move forward with his liver resection as a next step. This is an important piece of Nick's path to a cure so it's very encouraging news that his docs want to go ahead with the surgery. We will let everyone know once it's scheduled.

In other news, Happy Birthday Shannon!!! 15 - start planning your MTV Sweet Sixteen now! Nick and I love you very much and hope you have a very special birthday tomorrow.

Tracy and I are in Portland right now. T interviewed at OHSU yesterday for a dermatology residency so we've made a long weekend out of it. We're staying at The Nines and have had an AWESOME experience here so far. Lots of shopping, eating and visiting. We just had fresh baked cookies delivered to our room:) Plus, we got to see Clover on her first birthday today - happy birthday little Clo!

Nick and I will do our best to keep you all updated on next steps re: surgery.

Lots of love!

Sally

Welcome to the Jungle...

2010-01-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

We have two new additions to our crib...

Benicio del Toro or "Benny": Benny is 5 months old and a complete maniac. He and Pirate are already BFFs and have been chasing each other around the house since we brought Benny home on Sunday.

And "Goose": Goose is Benny's mom. She is a year old and isn't much bigger than Benny but is way more chill.

We weren't sure if Pirate would be jealous. He seems to think it's the best thing that's happened since Tracy and Andy showed up with Snausages at Christmas...

Funks and New Years Eve

2010-01-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I can't say I'm sad to see 2009 come to an end...it's about time!

We're expecting a lot of great things in 2010, including the addition of baby Elliot to the family. The Funks have been visiting since December 27th and it's been great having them here.

Here are a few pics from their visit and from our New Year's Eve party...

In other news, Nick met with his liver surgeon again a couple of days ago and it looks like he's a candidate for a liver resection (great news!). They want him to do 5-6 weeks of radiation first, followed by 6 weeks of recovery so we're potentially looking at surgery ~3 months from now. They plan to reverse Nick's ileostomy when they do the resection too so we might be saying "goodbye" (and "good riddance") to Stanus. We'll keep everyone posted on developments.

Wising you all a happy, healthy New Year.

Love,

Nick, Sally, Tracy, Andy & Elliot

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-25T15:51:00.000-08:00

The very happiest holiday wishes go out to all Stanus followers! This is guest blogger, Sister Suzie.

Mom, myself, and Jesse drove up two days before Christmas to spend the holiday with Nick and Sally. It has been many years since we have all been together so it has been a Christmas Miracle!!

All is well and we've really lucked out with bluebird skys and mild temperatures. Presents were opened in the morning and tonight we will have a huge feast with guests, Chendy.

I'll be sad to leave, but looking forward to making plans to get back up! Love to all and may your NEW YEAR be happier and healthier!!

Thanks Dominally!

Ct Results

2009-12-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

Just wanted to pass along the latest information from yesterday's CT scan. After 8 rounds of chemo, there is no new evidence of cancer. A couple spots that were on the liver have disappeared and what is left are one small spot on the liver and one slightly enlarged lymph node. According to the scan, those two spots appear to be calcified, basically hardened cells that are not multiplying as normal metastatic cancer cells would. So, it could be said that there is no evidence of active disease, which is great news. Therefore the plan, is for me to finish my chemo with another two rounds, and in the meantime consult with the liver surgeon to decide how to deal with those two spots and from there I might be lucky enough to say goodbye to stanus and resume normal pooping procedures. Like usual we'll keep posting the cancer news, as well as the usual regarding our daily lives. Thanks for continuing to check in on us and take care.

Nick and Sally

Charger Power

2009-12-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

I got down to San Diego a couple weekends ago for the Chargers 50th Anniversary Celebration. Not only was it a fun football weekend, but I also got to spend some quality time with the family. Dan, Jeri, Ryan, Shannon, Suzie, Jessie, aunts, uncles, and cousins all got to do some catching up. Sunday we watched as the Chargers beat up the Chiefs. On Saturday we took a little driving tour around town, visiting some of the old haunts, prior to a Suzie Boozy Floozy Birthday dinner. On Friday night we were down in the gas lamp at the Chargers block party, hanging with some of
Pop's old teamates, cheerleaders and Captain Morgan. Enjoy the pics.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T19:59:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to share some pics from Thanksgiving. We had quite the feast with Chad, Wendy, Torrey and Katy. Also - thanks Wendy and Katy for looking in on Pi while we were gone! You guys are lifesavers...

Ty's Dirty Thirty

2009-11-26T12:49:00.000-08:00

Katie was the mastermind behind Ty's epic thirtieth birthday party last weekend. The day started with a scavenger hunt of sorts. Ty was picked up by a super stretch Lincoln Navigator Limo, and given a clue - or a memory, rather - provided to Katie in advance by one of his friends (Nick and I were first, actually). Ty had to figure out where we were waiting for him, based on the clue. When he made it to our location, we joined him in the limo and gave him the next clue - we drove throughout the city, drinking champagne and picking up friends all afternoon.

Then we ended up at The Seeker - the boat Ty and Katie went on a sunset cruise on following their engagement two years ago. We cruised Lake Washington, snacking and enjoying the stormy views of the lake, and then finished off the night with dinner at Agua Verde.

Nice work on an epic party, Katie. And happy birthday Ty! Here are some pics - enjoy:

Ty found us!

Karin and Matt (nice beard, man)

The cousins!

I'm on a boat!

Ty and his dad

The Imperati siblings

Imeratis and Rogers

Let me make a toast!...to Katie...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

Hi friends and family,

We just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Safe travels for those of you who are driving or flying anywhere.

Nick and I will be with some Seattle friends - Chad and Wendy are hosting, and Torrey and Katy will be there (whoop whoop TorKat!). This is three Thanksgivings with both TorKat and Chendy. Glad we can make our own little tradition here you guys:) Chi Chis? We will post some pics tomorrow before we head out of town.

Nick will be leaving for San Diego on Friday and is planning to spend the weekend with his fam and at the Chargers game. I'm headed to Phoenix on Saturday for some broadcast media stuff - watch those morning shows on Monday!

Happy holidays everyone and more posts and pics to come.

Also, happy belated birthday to Ty (dirty 30! - what a fun party!) and happy upcoming birthday to Rebecca. Love you guys.

Sally and Nick

P.S. - Chad and Wendy, can you make your turkey look llike this?

Posting from an itouch is kind of difficult.

2009-11-13T23:47:00.001-08:00

Now taht I'm bcak on the tstruy lotpat I can fanliy cut out all tsohe tpyos.

Shout-outs

2009-11-12T21:31:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: We now have a pic to post from L & J's wedding! Gorgeous...

We haven't had a lot of news to post lately. But in the world of cancer, no news is good news.

Nick had his 7th infusion today and is now rocking the fanny pack for the next couple days. One more infusion and he'll be ready for his next CT scan (currently scheduled for Dec. 9).

In other news, we went to one of the funnest weddings of all time last weekend...Jake and Lauren, well-played. I can't believe there are no pics on Facebook yet! Nick and I have been waiting to post a "congratulations shout-out" til we had some photos but I caved. Thank you for letting us share in that awesome occasion. It was such a personal, warm, stylish, dance-tastic time! Hope you are having fun in Belize!

I also wanted to give a shout-out to our friend Miss Casey Keasler. Casey is the style and substance behind http://thekidcollective.com. Casey - I freakin love your blog. Thank you for entertaining me:) Are you and Jevan in NYC yet? Just remember...momofuku noodle bar pork buns.

Dedication

2009-11-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen,

For those of you who are reading this, I salute and dedicate this post to you; for you are one of the true fans of stanus as I have been testing your resolve and patience by not posting an update for quite awhile. Yes following stanus is akin to a quest, a spiritual journey where the reader enters the wilderness a boy and emerges 15 days later a man. How else could one describe the arduous task of reading my gobbledegook? Perhaps I give myself too much credit, for what am I but an individual going through a challenging processes just like all individuals go through, whether health, work or relationship in nature.

Let me see, I think I had a point; however, since I have already flumoxed myself let us take this post in a new direction. Today I had one of those eerie instances in which an issue shows up in multiple ways. First I read an article in the NY Times regarding the chances that certain NBA players have to dunk in a game. It interstingly pointed out that several players although tall enough haven't dunked in a game. And by what can only be described as the most ironic twist of fate, I witnessed a facebook post about a short NBA player who recently dunked twice in a game. With two such signs from God, I can only assume that it is my destiny to build up my calf muscles to the necessary strength and condition that will allow me to rise to the rafters and slam home a two-handed bad mamajamma. Since I am currently spending quality time with the doctors perhaps I can procure a stregthening aid to hasten the process. Because if I can dunk at least once then I can die a happy man.

The Mercer Island Half Marathon to Beneft Colon Cancer Organization

2009-11-03T14:17:00.000-08:00

Hi friends and family,

I learned today that the 2010 Mercer Island Half Marathon will benefit (in part) the Washington Colon Stars, an organization that supports treatment, awareness and screening for colon cancer. It is also a 5k and 10k so there’s a little something for everyone.

The race is March 21st and here’s a link: http://www.mercerislandhalf.com/

This was actually the first half marathon I ever ran 6 or 7 years ago. It’s hilly but beautiful.

If you are interested in any of the runs, let me know. I’ll be planning something festive for race day once it gets closer!

Love,

Sally

Rocky Mountain "Hi"

2009-11-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

Denver has been super fun - some snow on the ground but lots of sun. Lots of eating and visiting too. And a trip to Red Rocks.

Breakfast with the Keaslers this morning:

Red Rocks with the girls:

Dinner with T and friends tonight and then home tomorrow...

Baby Funk!

2009-11-01T06:36:00.000-08:00

I think most of you already know that T&A are expecting a little one. A little baby Funk.

Tracy is due in early May. Here is the first belly shot:

We went maternity clothes shopping yesterday. Not gonna lie...it was weird.

Here's a first photo of the little guy (so far, consensus is that it's a boy - feel free to add your opinion)...

("High-five")

Andy and Tracy, we're so happy for you. And we can't wait to be E's favorite aunt and uncle (Sorry Jonas, Rebecca, Dave and Sadie).

XOXO,

Sally and Nick

Half-Way There!

2009-10-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

Nick had his 6th infusion of FOLFOX + Avastin today. Still no major side effects. Total chemo warrior!

A typical course is 12 infusions so we're half-way there! It's so hard to believe it's already been almost 4 months since his diagnosis.

After the next two infusions, he'll have another scan so we should have a CT update in early December.

I'm actually headed to Denver tomorrow (if it ever stops snowing!) because Tracy has a couple well-deserved days off work. Nick will be home alone on Halloween so feel free to swing by and trick or treat.

Happy Halloween!

Sally

Liver Updates

2009-10-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

We're reporting back after Nick's liver surgeon consult today...

All in all, it was a LOT of waiting around, a lot of reassuring info and a little bit of new info as well. We met with a resident in the morning and Nick answered some basic questions. Then the "tumor board" (surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, etc.) met to discuss Nick's and the other patients' cases for the next hour and a half or so.

They called us back in and we waited another hour and a half in the exam room before Dr. Yeung finally came in. He said that they were in agreement with Dr. Back that because Nick is doing so well on his chemo regimen, he should continue without interrupting treatment for surgery.

One of other reasons (in addition to the effectiveness of the chemo) that Dr. Yeung recommends waiting on the liver resection is that the cancer spots that are there are so small, there is a risk of not being able to see them once the surgeons get in to do the surgery. It makes it more complicated when the spots are small or have disappeared.

The board also recommended radiation to the original tumor site following the systemic chemo. This isn't something we've discussed in any length with Dr. Back and because of the side effects associated with radiation, it will be something that Nick will have to carefully consider over the next few months.

We also learned that of the spots that are visible, they are almost entirely on the left lobe. There is one that is sort of in the middle but for the most part, they all fall on the same side of the liver, which is good news.

None of this was a surprise but it was good to get another opinion (or a whole group's opinion, really) on next steps, and it's reassuring that they are in agreement with Dr. Back on everything.

So, Nick will have his next infusion on Thursday. Feel free to stop by SCCA on Thursday afternoon if you're in the neighborhood!

Cheers,

Sally

Quick Update

2009-10-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update to let you know that Nick is meeting with Dr. Yeung, his liver surgeon, tomorrow. We should have an update for everyone then. I know Nick and I are both anxious to hear what Dr. Yeung has to say about this next step in Nick's treatment plan.

Also, Nick has infusion #6 on Thursday. It's hard to believe he'll be half way through his first treatment course. Hopefully the second half will go as well as the first so he can get a very long, if not permanent break from chemo!

Love,

Sally

Sup

2009-10-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hey peeps,

Work was fine, thanks. Got my haircut today, too. It's thinner but still cutable. In fact, cutting it helps disguise the thinning. Got a jog in with the dog as well. Man I'm out of shape. Well, I guess I should go, oh yes the weather was nice today. Okay, you too. Bye bye now.

Congratulations Law School Friends! (and an update)

2009-10-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone...sorry we haven't posted in awhile. After hearing the great news last week, we celebrated with friends and have been breathing a little easier since.

Nick started chemo again this week. He went in on Friday and has been wearing his pump since then. He'll get detached today. The funny part is that he decided to go to a bachelor party in Portland this weekend - pump and all. He doesn't let it get in the way of anything and I'm proud of him for that.

Doctor Back (Nick's oncologist) stopped by when we were in the infusion room on Friday. He said he talked to Nick's liver surgeon, Dr. Yeung, and that based on Nick's scan, Dr, Yeung is ready to start meeting with Nick about a potential liver resection. This is exciting news. A lot of people don't qualify for resection and/or they have to go through many more rounds of chemo before they can do the surgery. So this is very good news, whether they decide to do the surgery now or not.

We'll meet with Dr. Yeung in the next couple weeks and we'll keep everyone posted.

We want to give a shout out to all of our Seattle law school friends who passed the bar this weekend...Lauren, Jake, Ty and Jeremy...nice work you guys!

While the boys were in Portland, the girls got together for some wine and good food last night. Ladies, thanks for the wonderful evening.

For those of you who aren't in the Northwest right now, the Fall colors are AMAZING this weekend. Pirate and I are going to the dog park in a little while so I'll try and get some good photos to post.

Love,

Sally and Nick

Good News

2009-10-09T14:31:00.001-07:00

In today's segment of the war on Cancer, we bring you a story that has been dubbed unusual by medical experts. It is the story of an individual whose personal situation is defying the usual statistics. If this person were to be ranked on a bell curve depicting the success of chemotherapy treatment on shrinking metastisized cancer cells, he would fall above the 90th percentile, figuratively speaking of course.

Our medical expert, University of Washington Oncologist, Tony Back (pronounced Bock) relayed the situation to our subject and his trusty sidekick, Sal. He said that the chemo had shrunk his liver mets significantly over the recent 8 week period. Two spots have disappeared completely and the rest have gotten smaller. This type of shrinkage represents what the experts refer to as, "really good news" and "best case scenario."

So then, what does this mean for our subject? Well, he will continue to undergo chemotherapy until either all the cancer disappears or it stops working. And then there is a handful of options to consider beyond the current regimen. But for now, this appears to be a story of goods news. We're off to celebrate!

Thanks I'm Dom Burgundy and stay classy Seattle.

Back in Seattle

2009-10-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

Nick and I are back in Seattle and back to our normal routine.

Nick had a scan on Monday. Unfortunately, his meeting with his oncologist was moved to Friday so we won't know the results until then. We'll make sure to let everyone know how it goes.

Just to cap-off the Hawaii trip, here are a few pics from Stacey and Ryan's wedding. These pictures don't do it justice - it was an absolutely gorgeous setting and a wonderful evening.

Congratulations Stacey and Ryan! Hope you're having fun on Maui...

Island Life

2009-10-02T17:22:00.001-07:00

Well, the wedding day is finally here and we're about to go get cleaned up but thought we'd post a few pics from the last couple days. We've been hanging out at our hotel, alternating between the pool and the beach. Fruity cocktails in-between. Not much to complain about here!

We also had a great time at the rehearsal dinner last night. Kahlua Pork, Mai tais and hula lessons. Mahalo Keller family!

Poolside

Beachside

Poolside

Hula lessons for the girls.

Hula lessons for the boys.

No More Mai Tais Please

2009-09-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Nick and I are sitting on our lanai, staring out at the Pacific Ocean and doing our best to cure our Mai Tai hangovers with some chips and salsa.

The trip has been awesome so far. We spent yesterday morning on Hapuna Beach and then met up with Stacey and Ryan and Stacey's sister and brother-in-law, Lindsay and Jeff, for lunch at the Four Seasons. We enjoyed more beach time afterwards and even caught a few glimpses of sea turtles right off the shore.

Stacey's mom hosted a happy hour get together later that evening and we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset before heading out for a group sushi dinner. We ended the evening at Stacey and Ryan's pimp pad where we played lots of dice games and partook in some drinking game shennangins.

We're getting ready to head out to breakfast and then to some sweet beach somewhere. Here are a few pics in the meantime...

Trying to kill time at the rental car company.

Part of the group.

Hapuna Beach.

Happy hour.

Aloha!

2009-09-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends and Family,

We're headed to the Big Island of Hawaii tomorrow and will be there until Sunday, October 4th. We'll have our cell phones with us but please don't call:)

We will try to post a few pics from the beach when we get the chance.

Aloha!

Nick & Sally

Happy Birthday Katie!

2009-09-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

Just a quick shout-out to Katie. Happy Birthday and have fun at Wicked tonight. Looking forward to celebrating with you tomorrow!

Love,

Sally & Nick

An open letter to Andy Funk

2009-09-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Andy,

You are our best house guest of all time. You should get a medal or a trophy or a t-shirt that says "Ultimate House Guest."

Thank you for handling our potentially disastrous sewer problem, halting a budding rat infestation (no connection to the sewer problem), building a fence in the backyard, cleaning everything, aerating the lawn, helping me reconnect with VPN, replacing the light on the back porch and loading, unloading and spreading 4 cubic yards of bark in our backyard. I'm sure I missed a few things.

Yes, you eat a lot and drink a lot of coffee and PBR. But we promise to keep the fridge stocked whenever you want to visit. Please visit. Often.

We love you brother,

Nick and Sally

P.S. - Pirate asked where you went this morning.

Funks, Keyes & Rogers

2009-09-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

Baseball, babies and dogs. It was a an all-American evening with our dear friends, the Rogers, Keyes and Funks. Here are a few snaps...

Go Mariners!

2009-09-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Funks and Keyes were in town this weekend. We met up with Ty and Katie at the Mariners Game and watched the Ms lose to the Yankees. Fun times though. Andy hung up Ty and Katie's old lamp under some construction scaffolding. It added a nice touch...

Friday, the 18th of September.

2009-09-18T23:01:00.000-07:00

So I'm a little overdue for an update for all of you dedicated "dominally" followers, who are greatly appreciated by the way. It looks as though the number of followers is increasing, which means that I better keep things fresh or else.

I'll begin with the latest news. As some may know, I started teaching again at Eckstein Middle School. It's 8th grade science, covering mostly earth science related topics for the semester. There are about 150 kids in my 5 class periods and so far it has been a smooth start to the year. The school is exactly where I like to be as it is pretty close to home and it is where I student taught a couple years ago so I still know most everyone there. I feel lucky because when they asked if I was interested, I told them I had chemo and other doctors appointments that I would have to go to and they were completely okay with it. Basically, they have another substitute that they like, who is available to cover for me whenever, including the trip Sal and I have planned to Hawaii for Stacey and Ryan's wedding next week (look for upcoming posts of us kicking it beach side in the near future). So I am quite thankful to be working in a position that is just about perfect.

Sally's work has been pretty good lately as well. She's been busy in the good, fast-paced exciting kind of way. Amazon's turning out to be such a great company for her to work for that she feels pretty lucky herself.

That is pretty much most of the recent happy haps around here. We've gotten a short break from visitors this past week, but just this evening Tracy and Andy got into town so I am sure we'll be back to the old posts and pics of us partying pretty soon.

Aside from the news updates, I wanted to make this post more about my experience with the cancer. I feel as though, I've been more apt to post the positive aspects of our lives and I think it is important for me to express a little bit more of the reality.

It is has been a little over two months, I think, since we first introduced you to Stanus. While he has settled in, I can't say that I've gotten to enjoy him any more. First of all, it is a pain in the ass, well actually in the stomach to be honest, to have to squeeze the early stages of poop out of a bag stuck to my belly as though I were icing the bowl of a toilet shaped cake. The ileostomy is probably my greatest day-to-day source of frustration and anxiety. The strange thing is that I have gotten somewhat used to dealing with it, yet it makes me uncomfortable both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, I anticipate needing to have it for about a year if all goes well, but when Stanus goes back inside, where he belongs, I will emit a huge sigh of relief.

Interestingly enough I have similar feelings toward the chemo as well. Getting the chemo infusions suck. They feel like gross chemical poisons running through my body almost to the point where I think that I smell like chemicals. Accompanying the chemical feeling are subtle nausea and pain, which is kept in check by a few meds but still bothersome. What is weird is that I feel like the chemo is not as bad as I expected it to be. Other people in the treatment center look worse off and in greater discomfort than I do, and it makes me think that I actually may be lucky to be able to handle it as well as I do. I suppose the true test will come on October 6th, when I find out if my current regiment is effectively combatting the cancer cells in my body or not. I don't want to hear that they aren't and then have to try a different mix of chemical poisons that may or may not work.

The dual nature of the feelings I have about this treatment is just odd to think about, but I suppose that it is import to discuss in order for others to gain a better understanding of what dealing with this cancer is like. It is definitely scary and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Before I got it, I know that I didn't really think that deeply or that sympathetically towards others who've had it. I am not sure why, probably because it is so prevalent along with my egocentrism.

Basically, that is all want to say about it for now. We'll get the upcoming posts to be more on the lighter side again, with pictures. Maybe sometime, I'll get the urge to put out nice incoherent rant on the meaning of life and dying, but until then, Stanus says hello and stay classy San Diego.

Thanks

2009-09-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I just want to share a bit of good news. In addition to having a smooth 3rd chemo session, I got a long-term substitute teaching position at my favorite middle school in Seattle. It will take me through winter break and they are totally willing to work with my doctor's appointments. I was planning on subbing throughout the Seattle school district this year, but now I know where I'll be going each day and it happens to be close to home.

My very thoughtful, beautiful and sweet wife made me a cake as a congratulations. Aside from the cake, she has done and continues to do so much for me throughout all and I'm very lucky to have her.

Later,
Dominic

Wiiiiii Chemo!

2009-09-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Chemo was actually fun this week - really. Ty brought his Wii along and Sads was in town so we filled Nick's room and played Mario Cart all day. We got a lot of comments from the nurses passing by!

Ty thinks Sadie's weird.

I made Nick share the bed.

Nice nipple.

Let's get that Wii up and running!

Uh oh. Ty's talking to tech support.

Success!

Wiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!

Dinner with Chendy

2009-09-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

Chad and Wendy, a.k.a. "Chendy," hosted quite the Naked Chef feast for Nick, Sadie, Ty, Katie and me tonight. We also got an anatomy/art lesson from Dr. Lorentz.

Good times. good food, good people...

Ty found out we were having brownies and ice cream for dessert.

Demonstrating the rabbit.

Paddle harder

2009-09-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

Nick and Sadie took a little kayak adventure through the arboretum on Lake Washington today...

Acting Our Age

2009-09-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Sometimes I find it interesting how grown-up some of the activities Sally and I participate in seem. For example, having dinner challenges like the ones we have with friends every now and then, makes me feel like a character on that late-eighties tv drama "30-Something," with Peter Hornton and Mel Harris et al. I have never seen an episode, but I remember the commercials so I can't quite say the comparison is a good one, but I hope that you get the idea.

Fortunately, Sally and I also manage to engage in some good shennagins and tom-foolery every now and then, harkening back to the times of our early twenties for which I need no tv metaphor, rather simply a few hazy memories.

Last evening, we had night that included both types of events. It was one of the most fun nights I've had in a long time and has some special meaning for me in light of having cancer. I did something new, a thing of growth and maturity that I hope to practice and improve upon over a long, healthy life. I also did something that reminded me to take opportunities to be young, spontaneous and slightly wild, with the fact that the future is unpredictable.

It started with an invite to have an Iron Chef style dinner challenge with our pals Ty and Katie. The ingredient we were required to include was cheese, and each one of us had to secretly cook a dish and serve a drink pairing on which we would judge taste, presentation and the quality of the drink pairing. I am not much of a cook, but I took the challenge on, fully intending to infuse my taste on a dish that would be edible and presentable to the others. It was quite fun as each of us took our turn in the kitchen preparing our meals, guessing what each other was cooking and drinking wine. I ended up making a chicken parmesan, Sally did a french onion soup, Katie a swiss chard/cayenne mac and cheese, and Ty did a cheese injected mini-burger. We cooked, ate and drank the evening along until we were satiated with decadence.

It was cool that we started early enough, because we all felt like continuing the evening out at the karaoke bar with another group of friends. At this point, I will say that none of sang a lick at the bar because we ended up at one of those places where the people are serious as all get-out, and even a twenty dollar bill couldn't get Ty bumped into the rotation by the DJ. So, since Ty wasn't able to get his singing jones satisfied and because we were close to his and Katie's old high-rise condo building in Belltown, the four of us decided to attempt to break into the building and go hot-tubbing in our skivvies. This entailed us walking into the lobby and fooling the concierge into buzzing us inside as though we were residents. It worked like a charm, and we ended up hot-tubbing for a bit before Ty and Sally had a synchronozed swimming contest a la Zoolander in the pool until we got kicked out at 1 in the morning. We then cabbed it home, soaking wet under our clothes, minus a few scruples but with a belly-full of laughs.

Since most of the night was spent in action, we only have a few pictures to post. Sorry that I don't have any photos of me and stanus poolside, but just know that I've been doing some pushups and I am looking pretty good these days.

This is what happens after a few too many and a visit to the late night mini mart where one can buy pretty much anything including these ridiculous gangsta caps.

You Can't Rain on Our Parade...

2009-09-05T19:15:00.001-07:00

Nick and Shannon braved the Seattle rain today and rode their bikes to the Husky game. Try to stay dry you guys!

Don't Call Me Shirley.

2009-09-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hi People,

Dom back in blog action with some updates from a Fouts family visit weekend. As you may have guessed from this picture below, I became an airline pilot for an undisclosed airline. I figured I should spend my time between treatment doing the Seattle to Miami redeye, which provides me the opportunity to tan a couple days of the week in Southbeach. And since I am doing chemo, I don't worry about skin cancer, and I also smoke and eat olestra and aspartame.

Actually, that is my grandpa Bob as a new enlistee during WWII. My folks think we resemble each other, which is weird considering we're blood relatives. But back to the updates:
Dan, Jeri and Shannon came up to the Emerald city for a bit of football, shopping and eating.

Down at Westlake Center

Dan and Jeri lunching at P.F. Changs.

I found that the moist towlettes provided to us for the ribs would make great stanus cleaners.

Shannon and me at P.F Changs.

Sally and Shannon tackle Nordstrom.

Shannon's in Seattle!

2009-09-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm Shannon, Nick and Sally's coolest sister from Sisters, Oregon! So here I am in Seattle visiting them one last time before school starts. We will be going school clothes shopping, watching Project Runway, maybe going to the University of Washington vs LSU football game, admiring how cute Pirate is, and having a great time!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2009-08-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

We girls had a book club meeting tonight. The August book was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I think it was enjoyed unanimously by the group. Several of us decided that if we were to have little boys, we'd want to call them "Dawsey." Ohhhhh Dawsey.

The book club meeting was at Ashleigh's lake house and it was a perfect spot for a late August dinner. Thanks for hosting, Ashleigh! What a beautiful night!

Here are some pics - starting with Katie and my happy hour rendezvous at Blue C Sushi...

A Man, His Dog and Their New Truck

2009-08-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Nick got a new truck today. It's an '08 Toyota Tacoma with 12,000 miles - pretty much brand new. Now he can haul dirt and do all that other manly, homeowner stuff we've been putting off! We celebrated by taking Pi to the Magnusson dog park...

Detachment + 500 Days of Summer + 500,000 Calories

2009-08-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

We had a very good day today. Nick's 3:00 p.m. "detachment appointment" gave us plenty of time for blueberry pancakes, coffee and a lazy morning.

Juli, Nick and I went in for the brief chemo #2 detachment and celebrated afterwards with margaritas and a 5:30 showing of 500 Days of Summer. Super cute movie and awesome soundtrack.

Then, there's this neighborhood italian restaurant called Salvatore that Nick and I have been talking about trying since we moved to Greenlake four years ago. Well, we finally tried it and we've been missing out. While the decor isn't going to win any awards, the food - yum. We tried the osso bucco, halibut and spinach pappardelle with wild boar. So full afterwards - but so delicious!!!

500 Days of Summer's cutie cast

(The end of Polar Bear)

We'll miss having you here, Juli! It's been a fun weekend. Come back soon!

Hey Kellys!

2009-08-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

We had a great dinner with the Kellys last night - thanks Erin and Merideth! Maybe we'll get their awesome chicken recipe and post it here. And Nick got to ride the water buffalo! Ha!

We also got to see all the great work they've done on their house. You can check it out at: raincityremodel.blogspot.com.

For those of you who don't live in Seattle or know the Kellys they live in Wallingford, a really cute neighborhood sandwiched between Lake Union, Greenlake, the University District and Fremont. It is also home to a Dick's Drive-In and the Erotic Bakery...both of which are just a block away from the new Kelly residence. Nice work on the location guys!

Chemo #2

2009-08-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Nick and I spent the day at the SCCA today for his second infusion. Lu was his nurse again - she's awesome!! We started off the day with his blood draw and were able to go get breakfast at The Portage Bay Cafe (yum!) while we waited for the results.

The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance is in the South Lake Union neighborhood and is just off the lake. Nick took a cool picture of the views from the infusion waiting room.

We actually went to breakfast near the new Amazon buildings that are going up just down the street from the SCCA. Will be an awesome spot when it's done!

When we got back to the hospital we met with Charlie, Nick's nurse practitioner. It looks like his blood work was pretty much perfect today -- even better than it was two weeks ago. It's almost totally back to normal post-surgery.

So chemo went as planned. Except for this foot that kept kicking me under the curtain (eww!).

Fortunately, those chemo neighbors were done after an hour or so and then we got a very quiet mom and daughter duo after! The rest of the day was very peaceful.

"Nutrition room" snacks

Nick's mom, Juli, got into Seattle this evening for a nice four-day weekend visit. Should be a good time -- we'll post lots of pics!

More soon,

Sally

A Saturday-like Monday Night

2009-08-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

Salutations blogophiles,

It's a cool and partially cloudy Tuesday here in the Emerald City. Sal and I had a lovely evening last night with two of our favorite people in the world, Mary and Jeremy. Ty and Katie were over as well. I kid, Ty and Katie are pretty swell too, but Jeremy and Mary are leaving us for bigger and better things in Chicago therefore I will pay them a special tribute by singing "I will remember you," in my head. Let us pause for a moment, so that you can sing a verse as well....

Okay then, here are some photos to commemorate the moment.

Mary and Jeremy

Grillmaster Dom

Dinner Scene

Obligatory pic of dogs begging for treats.

Me, Mary, Jeremy, Katie, Ty, not pictured (Sally-photog)

8/20

2009-08-20T15:39:00.001-07:00

Hola amigos,

It's been a few days since that last post, so here is some news. Actually, not much news to report. Things are all quiet on the cancer front since I am in between chemo appts, however, I did have a nice and informative meeting with a stoma nurse today. I now am more aware of the various fecal collection devices that may be more effective, comfortable and unobtrusive for me. Now, I know that you must be thinking, "hey, a shitbag is a shitbag man." But actually there are some shitbags and shitbag accessories out there that splatter the competition. I apologize for the visual and, yes, shitbag is the technical term. So if you ever have any questions on the subject, you know who to talk to.

In other news I am including some pics from the weekend, during which I got to be a kid again and play beerpong and see GI Joe with Josh.

The movie was interesting enough, taking me back to the old cartoon. The beerpong was super fun, except for two minor details. The first is that I lost a close match to my rival. The second is that I played with water, rather than beer because I didn't feel like drinking. Which if you notice the fanny pack in the picture, is because I was getting chemo pumped at the time. Yes, while playing and no I don't blame it for losing, rather, I believe I lost because I played with water and the beer pong gods were none too happy about that.

Still got it.

Additional news: Sally and I had a nice couple of meals with a couple couples of the McCann and Shea clans. First, Paul and Mary took us to nice breakfast. Second, we had a great dinner at Casa del Mojito with Erin and Mike on Monday. It felt Carribeanish out on the patio and got us counting down the years (2-1/2) until the third reunion Jamaica trip.

That is all for now. Hasta Luego.

-Dom

Pork and Potatoes

2009-08-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

We had a great Friday evening with friends. Thanks Chad, Wendy, Nate and Jessica, for bringing dinner. And our buddy Josh came up from Portland - we love having you here Josh! Next time bring your hot wife and adorable little Clover!

Lots of good food, wine and a belated birthday cake for Nick and Wendy.

Love you guys. Thanks again for dinner!

David Gray Concert at Lunch...Aahhhhhh. Good for the Soul

2009-08-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

We had a little Amazon Fishbowl concert today with David Gray. He did a couple new songs and a couple oldies. What a treat! Sorry I couldn't get a better shot - definitely need a new phone! Check out his new album next month...

- Sally

Chemo: Day 1

2009-08-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well, today was long but it went very well. They started Nick on fluids at around 10 a.m. and about an hour later, started Avastin and some other stuff.

It seemed like he had a bit of a reaction to the Avastin - just a hot sensation in his abdomen so they gave him some IV Benadryl. He fell asleep almost instantly - makes me want to pull a Michael Jackson and do some IV Benadryl at bedtime every night!

Anyway, the chemo started around noon and there have been no side effects so far. There's a "nutrition room" full of not-all-that-nutritious food so Nick and I both ate our way through the afternoon. So far so good on the appetite front.

Nick is wearing his pump now and he'll go in on Saturday to have it disconnected.
We didn't get many exciting pics - we'll try to do better next time (Sally).

Not much else to add. The Chemo drugs made me only slightly tired and sick feeling, which is what they said I should expect for the initial treatments. Because the treatment is cumulative, they told me that I would probably feel worse the more treatments I get. I guess that it is good to ease into it. Other than that, I am looking forward to kickin it with Josh this weekend and seeing pictures of the Mochs and Lorentz's trip to Europe. Do I know how to party or what. Hasta (Dom).

PowerPort Day!

2009-08-12T12:47:00.001-07:00

Nick got his "powerport" in today. We can't post a pic of it yet cause it needs to stay bandaged until tomorrow but we'll add a pic when we can.

He had an AWESOME nurse (Tahara) and his Doc, Dr. Petty was great. It took very little time and now Nick's just kicking it at home.

We're headed back in the morning for his first chemo infusion so more updates to come.

Here are some pics in the meantime. Dr. Petty said we were the first patients to take pictures of the x-ray images on his computer. I took them with my phone so they aren't great but you can see there's a nickle-sized, triangular thing on the right side of Nick's chest. Then you can see how the tube attached to the port goes up, over his collar bone and into a main vein near his aorta and then almost all the way down into his heart. Right where it's supposed to be!

More tomorrow.

Love, Sally (and Nick)

Getting down to business

2009-08-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

So, I don't have any pictures to post today,which is too bad because I feel as though pictures are the best parts of blogs . But I know lots of people are wondering how things are going and with that in mind, this post is an update on my treatment status more than anything.

On friday, I had a CT scan, an EKG, and consultation regarding managing the side effects associated with chemo. The EKG was just to make sure that my heart is healthy. The CT scan taken, is the baseline imagery showing the current stage of cancer in my body following a month of no treatment, post-surgery, and will be compared to another scan in a couple months following chemo. It showed that I now have 4 lesions on my liver, and a couple additional lymph nodes with signs of cancer. Although , I wasn't thrilled to hear this progression in just a month's time, the doctor, Tony Back, said that this was pretty normal and to be expected. He also noted that there continues to be no signs of cancer elsewhere in my chest and abdomen.

So we are moving forward with the insertion of my portacatheter on wednesday next week, followed by my first session of chemo on thursday. Fortunately, the weekly schedule that was set for me will allow me to travel to Hawaii in september for our friends' wedding without missing a treatment.

Other than all the logistics, I am feeling good. I'm adding some weight back on and am only a little scared of the upcoming chemo. Probably the worse thing to happen recently was that I had to drink this barium solution for my CT scan and it was disgusting. I only managed to get the taste out of my mouth hours later when Sally and I got some hot wings at the Hooters across the street from the treatment center.

One of the recent good things that happened over the past two days occured on Friday morning before I went to the SCCA. I took Pirate to the dog park in the morning and on the way back, we stopped by the lake cause he loves to swim. Normally he likes to swim out and retrieve a stick, but this time he wandered out to the end of one of the docks. So, naturally I encouraged him to jump in off the edge of the dock and he was totally game. But he didn't jump rather, he hunkered down on the edge and pawed at the water with his front paws, expecting to feel the bottom. Well, he leaned over far enough and fell in, completely submerged and came up freaking out. I tried to direct him to swim for shore, but he was scared and focused on climbing back on the dock, which he had no chance of. So I grabbed him by the neck and yanked him on the dock. I thought it was hysterical, but someone watching may have thought about calling animal cruelty.

That is all for now.

- Nick

Seattle Sounders...

2009-08-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

We watched the Sounders play Barcelona yesterday. We went with our friends Stacey and Ryan. Unfortunately, the Sounders lost (0-4) but it was a beautiful evening and lots of fun. They filled the stadium - Seattle loves its Sounders!

Nick has his next CT scan tomorrow. He'll also work with the nurses to learn all about his port so should be an interesting appointment. We'll let you know how it goes!

Love,
Sally

Pirate the Apple Bobber

2009-08-04T21:41:00.001-07:00

Nick took Pi to Magnusson Dog Park today. He (Pirate, not Nick) was bobbing for sunken tennis balls in Lake Washington...

Hello everyone! Meet Stanus...

2009-08-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

Stanus is the newest member of our family. Some people call him an "ostomy." Because he's sort of a combination of a stomach and an anus, we've named him "Stanus."

Stanus joined the family on July 6th, as a result of Nick's colon cancer diagnosis. We've since learned a lot about the human G.I. tract. It turns out that Nick had a little more than half of his colon removed (he's now a semi-colon) as well as part of his rectum and 30 lymph nodes. Take that cancer.

Another thing we're learning a lot about these days is chemo. I think we both have a whole new respect for drug researchers and shall I say, drug companies? Don't quote me on that. But it is just amazing how many new cancer drugs they have now that they didn't have 10 or even 5 years ago.

Nick will start chemo in a couple of weeks. They have to put in a "portacath" first, which is a catheter that is surgically implanted in the chest. The chemo will then be infused through the portacath over a three-day period every other week. The cool thing is...it's a fanny pack, ya'll!!! Actually, the cool thing is that Nick can spend the majority of time at home - or out on the town for that matter - while he's getting his infusion. No hospital chemo room for three days. For you drug geeks out there, he'll be on a cocktail of Folfox, Oxaliplatin and Avastin.

In another couple of months, we'll report back on how this regimen is working.

Meantime, we've had a lot of people ask how they can help. Fortunately, our lives are really just pretty normal right now. Once we know how well Nick's body will tolerate the chemo, we'll have a better idea of whether he could use some company during the half days he does spend in the chemo room, or whether he could use an occassional ride to an appointment or something. But for now, we just enjoy seeing friends and family like always so anytime you want to visit, our door is open. Just make sure you give us dates in advance because Stanus has been pretty popular since he joined the family.

Thank you so much for all the funny (and mostly inappropriate) cards and gifts while Nick was in the hospital. They got a lot of laughs and more importantly, Nick felt the love.

XOXO,

Sally