Preparing for Round 4, Ogunquit & Kennebunkport

The waiting game starts the day before a round of chemotherapy; waiting for someone in the hospital to complete their treatment so that I can start mine. No matter how much the doctors and nurses plan, hospital beds open up when people feel better and I need a bed to start my treatment. Tomorrow morning when I wake up I'll call the hospital and see where I stand. Starting on Tuesday means I get one more day to recoup before the weekend but we have to wait.

This past weekend Autumn and I closed our doors to visitors and had a family weekend. We spent all Friday evening researching dog friendly Bed and Breakfast's within a reasonable drive and Saturday morning we packed up the car towards Maine.

Our first stop was a little artist town called Ogunquit just south of Portland, Maine. We spent the early afternoon at Perkin's Cove walking in and out of the little town's shops and watching the crab boats and sailing vessels navigate through the pier.

After lunch we continued our drive north to Kennebunkport, Maine and checked into our Bed and Breakfast called the Hounds Tooth Inn. Not only was this place "dog friendly," but they actually catered to dogs. They had wide open spaces for their dog guests to run wild and jars of dog biscuits and raw hides decorated each room. Benson was in doggie heaven!

The inn keepers at Hounds Tooth also recommended dog friend itineraries during our visit in Kennebunkport and Benson accompanied every meal and every adventure. It was great to get out and about with our little family!

No canes and or wheelchairs, I felt very accomplished. It wasn't too long ago that I remember wishing to go on a vacation where I could walk around without assistance. If the next three rounds make me feel as good as the last three rounds have made me feel, then I should be in pretty good shape come October so bring on Round 4!

Below is a picture of a little souvenir Benson picked up in Kennebunkport!

The Guyer Interbody Fusion Device

Tonight I received the most notable award in my professional career.

Alphatec Spine, my previous employer in San Diego, launched the GLIF project, which was the project I had led, to the next phase of development and recognized me as one of the key inventors of the product. They dedicated the product line to my name and renamed it to the "Guyer Lumbar Interbody Fusion" technique and created a memory book of how I took the project from a napkin sketch to a fully developed product, capable of revolutionizing the way spine surgeons perceive minimally invasive spine surgery.

The executive team flew out to Boston and we had a video conference with all the team members in Carlsbad who had made GLIF a success. Placards like the one shown above were given to all team members and cakes were cut on both ends while we all shared stories. My parents and Dr. Steve Hochschuler flew in from Dallas and Autumn was by my side.

It's amazing to be recognized and honored in such a generous fashion for a project I truly poured my heart, soul and several years into. Having my family and friends both near and far away in Carlsbad to celebrate the milestone made the experience that much more meaningful. It was great to see the whole team get recognized for without their efforts, none of this would have ever been possible. Congratulations and thank you to all involved.

I really had no clue what to expect going into the awards ceremony and am still in disbelief about the recognition to the entire team over video conference, the dedication of the product line and the memory book. Everything was so nice, so very nice. Alphatec went above and beyond fathomable expectations which goes to show as Dr. Hochschuler stated, "they've got their hearts in the right place!"

From my end, developing the project and the job was the easy part. I was just doing what I love to do. What a great honor!

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A little background in as close to laymen terms as I can find: The GLIF technique is a method for acheiving a full circumferential fusion of the spine (fusion to the front and back of the spine) while the patient remains in the prone position (on their belly). Previously this type of fusion required the patient to be moved during the surgery, either starting on their back then flipped to their belly or starting on their side and flipped to their belly. Moving the patient requires additional operating room time, more anesthesia and theoretically increases blood loss, etc. The technique also avoids dangerous approaches around the intestines and can allow procedures to be simulatenous implemented to really add a new element to spinal fusion.

Ipswich, Clam Box & Apple Pies

Thank you so much to all those who have donated so far! I can't begin to express how much your support means to me and my family. We feel so privileged to have such a great and widespread support group of friends and family spanning across countries and continents! You all raise our spirits and keep us going and for that we thank you!

Waking up after my week of chemo-spins I felt great! Following round 3 I felt as if I was fighting more the effects of the chemotherapy drugs instead of the physical pain + chemo drugs I battled previously; before I was struggling to walk with a cane whereas this round I mainly battled fatigue with little pain.

By Friday afternoon, after a week of homemade soups and meals compliments of our friends Zac, Richard and Jesse, I was back on my feet.

Autumn and I went sailing to kick off the weekend! It was the first time she came out on the water and we had a blast exploring the Charles, racing through the gusts and dodging the "ducks" and other boats floating around in the cool summer air.

Saturday we ventured to Ipswich, MA. Known for their fresh clams, we found a restaurant called the "Clam Box" and feasted on whopping plate of fried clams, onion rings and coleslaw, worth only 3 heart attacks. Afterwards we followed our noses to Appleton Farms entranced by the smell of fresh apple pie and then ventured back home.

Yesterday our Boston friends, the Kapsons, had a BBQ at their new home in Newton. We brought a fresh apple pie from Ipswich which was amazing. It was one of the first social events for us to attend since my diagnosis. In the beginning it was a little hard to stomach conversations of houses, kids and errands that seem so insignificant after all that we've been going through, but life does go on; this has been an important lesson for us to learn. In the end, it was really great to see our friends and socialize outside our home as a normal couple again. Did I mention the pie?

It was a great weekend to officially conclude Round 3. I feel better than I've ever felt going into this week, which should make for productive and enjoyable times at work and at home with my Autie.

Breathe in Hope, Breathe out Love

A month ago my sister manufactured bracelets that display our new family mantra: "Breathe in Hope, Breathe out Love." My mom introduced these bracelets on a comment back in June and we've had a very positive response. Thank you to everyone who is presently wearing the bracelets and supporting my fight.

I wanted to officially introduce the bracelets on the blog and add a fundraising element; we just ordered more bracelets and are happy to send them out to you (wherever you may live). We ask in return that you donate to Sarcoma research.

This time I'm not running a race or biking across a state, this time the donation WILL go towards research for my survival! Please donate whatever you can.

Here's how to Receive your Bracelet and Donate to Support Sarcoma Research:

1. Write an email to my parents being sure to include your Name, Address and # of Bracelets. They can be reached at guyerdfw@aol.com.
2. Click the "donate link" on the right of the screen and follow the instructions or follow below link: www.together4cures.org/mypage/jeffguyer
3. Don't forget to sign the guest book on the donation site and leave a message.

Thank you so much for your support!

Jeff

p.s. If you had donated before, rest assure that your contributions went to the same site that these newer donations will filter into. The new donation website, sponsored by Dana-Farber, allows us to designate the contributions to the same organizations I had previously linked with the added benefit of a specialized interface. Please do visit the new site, sign the guest book and leave a message.

p.p.s. If you previously received a bracelet but haven't donated, I ask that you donate now.

p.p.p.s. Autumn and I are now accepting hand modeling gigs :)

Two Haiku

Routine gets easy,

The treatments hit me harder;

I see a new day!

Spinning on the couch,

My body now recovers;

Round 3 is over!

Special thanks to SpikeHD for the Star Wars Marathon weekend!
Please leaves comments in haiku (5,7,5)

Walking Canes and Wheelchairs for Sale!

I'm feeling very strong for Round 3, stronger than I ever have: This past weekend I was able to walk to fanuil hall with the nieces and WITHOUT a cane or wheel chair. And on Sunday I sailed and passed my Helmsman test at the Yacht Club which allows me to take a guest out on the water in all wind conditions. That was tiring!

For the Helmsman test they make you take out a boat on your own and run a course in high winds. The water must be white capping! I agree with taking the skills tests; however, sailing alone in high wind conditions is difficult by itself, let alone running a course with my an aching back and numb leg. Nevertheless I passed with flying colors, leaping from one side of the boat to the other side of the boat and pulling in the sheets with all my might!

Today began the waiting process for getting admitted to the hospital but when I called in the morning they said I would probably b admitted tomorrow. So I took my mom sailing with my newly acquired sailing rating. It was a beautiful day and the wind was just strong enough to gingerly push us around the Charles River while we talked and soaked in the sun. Much more relaxing than Sunday's sail :)

Though I couldn't start my treatments, this was a great way to relax before getting admitted tomorrow.

The End of Self Loathing

This past week Autumn and I had a couple of sad days but I think we're done without the self loathing.

On Friday I had a doctor's appointment with my other oncologist. A little more confident after my positive meeting on Wednesday I dared to ask braver questions: "What's the prognosis of my disease? Can I live 60 more years?" The oncologist answered, "On paper the odds of living another 10 to 15 years aren't as great as we'd like but we'll have to see." My heart sank.

Just getting married, with brights plans of a future together, starting a family with children, it's tough not to let those numbers go into your head. Will I see my unborn children graduate high school? Will my 9 month old dog out live me? It's all really sad.

My cousin Sandy, who eariler this year completed rounds of chemotherapy to eliminate her own cancer, guided me along, "No one in the world knows how long he will live. We go ahead with our lives assuming that we'll be very old when we die. It's all so surreal when we finally see that we are mortal beings. The thing is, we've always been mortal. We just didn't think about it until something scary happened. You make your plans for your future, Jeff. You have as much a one as anyone else in this world."

And she's so right! Just this past month my friend's son died of a sudden heart failure and another friend's sister died from a freak car accident. We just don't know what the future holds.

So I'm going to fight for those next 60 years if not more and make all the plans for a future. There's a lot of great research out there and the medical field is changing fast, so we're all going to cross our fingers for a cure.

If there's one thing I know about my future it's that I'm going to enjoy the hell enjoy out of every single day: wake up with a smile, hug my beautiful wife and kiss my children (just Benson & Hemo for now).

p.s. I also got told on Friday that this is likely going to take more than 6 rounds of chemo before it's beat. Tear,

The Aftermath of Two Rounds

Today we met with the oncologist at Dana Farber. After reading the reports from both the CT and MRI scans he was very optimistic about the results. The cancer has not shrunk but it has has not significantly spread either. These were precisely the results that he expected 4-5 weeks into the chemotherapy treatments (less than 2 full rounds). So we're crossing our fingers and trucking forward for another two rounds after which we'll re-check again.

Obviously these are not the results I really wanted to hear. I wanted to hear that the cancer was completely gone and I was cured, but I guess that's not very realistic. This will be a long fight!

One day at time :)

My Visit with Hal on the Charles River

Today I started the series of re-tests to evaluate my treatment progress. In the morning I had a Chest / Pelvic CT scan and tomorrow I get an MRI of my leg.

I've decided that I don't like CT scans because 1.) they need to put in an IV and 2.) they use this contrast that has to be power injected into your veins. Specifically it's the contrast part that I dislike. They put you in this dark room where you're lying a mechanical table with your legs through a stargate (donut like orb) and you have an IV hooked up to this weird contraption displaying two vials: one that is labeled saline and the other that is labeled contrast. Hal, or one of his friends, speaks over the loud speaker, "Breathe in," and the saline vial empties. Hal then says, "Breathe." The machine makes weird noises and then quiets. Again you're asked to breathe, the contrast vial empties, and you're left on the mechanical table feeling like you just wet your pants.

I'm skipping a lot of the details and there were more sounds, ticks, bells and breathing demands but you get the point; no one likes to wet their pants.

After the CT Scan Autumn and I made our way to our Yacht Club. It's really much more of a boat house as I previously explained but it feels so much more Beacon Hill to call it a Yacht Club. I walked in, asked for a boat and started sailing! I still can't take Autumn with me but she had fun sitting on the docks and taking pictures of me hustle less experienced sailors.

I've become desensitized by all these tests, pricks and office visits. Everyone says they get nervous when it's time to check their treatment progress, but I see it more as just another annoying task to do for the evil cancer in my leg. I have visits with my oncologist on Wednesday and Friday so let's keep our fingers crossed.

p.s. I didn't wet my pants on the CT table.