…Round 4… That’s a wrap!...

Courage, Strong, and Brave are words that represent Dustin.

He has endured 4 rounds of weekly Chemo cycles and has come out on top. He has been through so much emotionally, physically, and mentally.  We are so happy to announce that Dustin is done with Chemo as of Friday the 25^th.

Dustin handled his 4^th round of Chemo like a pro. Like always he had a smile on his face and willingness to get through it without complaining or whining. There are no words to describe Dustin and how brave he was through all of his treatments. For someone to be facing something so scary and intense but never ever say “poor me” is amazing. Dustin’s resilience and strong sense of self really got him through this whole experience.

Dustin now has to maintain the courage to wait out the results of his treatment. He has to wait about 8 weeks before they will give him another SCAN to see how his body responded to the Chemo. But before the scan we have a follow up appointment with Dr. Harris to get more of an outlook and what to expect in the future. Dustin will also have a monthly shot called Denosumab (Xgeva) to help build his bone back up for 6 months. Dustin also has another pulmonary test on the 8^th of April (Knox’s 1^st birthday!!!).

Right now life is kind of in a stand still until we find out more what the future will hold. Dustin will continue to be a stay at home daddy until Dustin feels up for working again. Dustin is so young and vibrant that he won’t be home for very long were sure.

Thank you all so much for your continuing support and prayers. The best gift and support someone could give us is by lifting Dustin and our family up in prayer and believing he is healed. We feel very confident that we are done for good and now it will just be monitoring his success =)

We will let everyone know how the follow up appointment goes with Dr. Harris next week and what our future holds for us.

With all our love, gratitude, and respect!! We love you all!

Dustin's Last Nap at Treatment Center

Dustin and his lovely mom Cindy!

Let's Celebrate

…Update from Round 3…

Wow life can really take control any precious time people have in the day. We have been so busy between Kai working, Chemo, and baby Knox. We are so sorry it has taken us so long to update the blog. There is lots to share so grab your reading glasses =)

Dustin had his doctor appointment with Dr. Harris on Tuesday March 1^st and Dr. Harris gave him good news about his head scan. It came back looking great except showing Dustin had sinus infection. Dr. Harris has also ordered another routine shot for Dustin to have on a monthly basis, called Denosumab (Xgeva).

This is a new drug that has just been approved by the FDA and is very effective and has little to no side effects.  He will get his first shot at this last cycle (Mar 21st) and then will get a shot once a month for the next 6 months.  It will rebuild the bone at the tumor sight and throughout the body.

 

March 3^rd, Dustin and Kai attended his final follow up appointment with Dr. Zadina (doctor who removed testicle) to double check the incision site and any concerns we may have had. It went well and Dustin’s incision looks completely normal and nothing to fear. We want these kinds of appointments every time!

Dustin finished his 3^rd round of Chemo like a champ.

 

Then the weekend happened… Dustin started hurting really bad by his port incision. He didn’t sleep at all on Sunday or Monday night because of an uncomfortable feeling. He described it like someone was pinching him really hard and wouldn’t stop. He called the hospital where his port was inserted on Tuesday morning and asked if there were any solutions to the pinching feeling and they had him come into the hospital right away.

Dustin got to the hospital and was taken to get an x-ray done of his neck down to his chest. They didn’t give him any results at the hospital but said to ask Dr. Harris in a few days for the results. Dustin wasn’t too please because he was in pain and didn’t want to wait a couple days but he didn’t make a big deal about it. Dustin is a trooper!

After the hospital Dustin has a regular pulmonary test scheduled to check his lungs and see how they are maintaining with the Bleomycin. Dustin went to the appointment and did the routine tests and struggled the entire time. He said that it took everything out of him to perform the breathing exercises and it made him feel really tired and sick. Dustin wasn’t given any results after that appointment either and was told he had to wait for Dr. Harris to let him know the results.

Wednesday, March 9^th, Dustin went in for his Bleo appointment at the treatment center. The nurses started preparing Dustin for his Bleo treatment and Dustin asked the nurses to verify whether he was suppose to have it because he knew his pulmonary test didn’t go well. The nurses checked with Dr. Harris and Dustin was right, they have canceled Bleomycin from now on.

Yeh… one less drug Dustin has to take!

That is where we are right now in life. Dustin will start his 4^th of Chemo on March 21^st and then it’s in God’s hands from there. We won’t know the next step for a while.

BUT….We all know that step will be….. GO BACK TO WORK…. YOU’RE DONE!!... =)

Right now Dustin is being “Mr. Mom” and loving every moment. Dustin has the best opportunity in the world right now and is taking total advantage of it. He gets to watch our son grow up on daily basis and capture all the “first times”. Knox is learning how to walk on his own and learning how to use his words (sounds, lol). Dustin not working is a total blessing in disguise.

Here are some amazing photos of our pride and joy! Knox Wesley Doughty…. 11 months (Yes people its true… Time Flies”)

Thank you to everyone for continuing to check in on us and our family. We are so blessed and the prayers are working. Love you all