an update from Josh...

I hope you are having a great week!  I have been pretty busy with work, so I have not been able to post, but I do have some ideas for my blog coming soon :)

I wanted to thank you for all the sweet comments and emails regarding Josh!  It is so nice to know I have so many friends (near and far) keeping him in their thoughts and prayers.  

Josh has been sending out email updates throughout his cancer journey and I thought I would share his most recent update (I think he should start a blog).

I am definitely overdue for an update, but here it is...

I have been in the hospital the past 2 weeks or so getting 2 more rounds of chemotherapy.  (This leaves 7 more chemo's, 4 of which are in the hospital).  I am very excited to be done with going to the hospital...  I got out of the hospital last night, and I go in to my oncologist's tomorrow for my outpatient chemotherapy (they are really putting these things back to back now!).  I am still on track to finishing in March.

A month or so ago I noticed that my heart was feeling a little bit different.  Almost like it was weaker, or not working quite as it was before.  I notified my oncologist and he had me go in for another echo-cardiogram (heart ultrasound).  The results came back the other day while I was in the hospital and it looks like my heart is not working/pumping in the normal range at this time.  A cardiologist met with me and notified me it was congestive heart failure and that my heart was working between 45-50% (normal is above 55%).  They did not seem too worried, which was a relief and my cardiologist is optimistic that my heart should return to normal over time.  The cause of the heart issue is from the radiation treatments that I received (because they were near my heart) as well as one of the chemotherapy's that I receive called Adriamycine (which is toxic to the heart).  They recommend I keep active by walking daily to return my heart back to its original capacity.

**Edited...I spoke with Josh today and they are NOT going to continue with the Adriamycine, due to the heart related side effects.  They will give him another chemo medication in the same family but with less side effects for Josh's heart. (I am kinda happy about this!!!)

  

Jessica and I have been doing well since our last update.  We have mostly been in the hospital, so we cherish any time that we have at home together.  We are very excited to be nearing the end and we are planning out all of the things we want to do once this phase of our life is over.  Life is good.

I hope you are all doing well!  I will definitely try to send another update soon :)

Love,

Josh and Jess

Enjoy Today!