We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Well Christmas has come and gone and it was an amazing experience. So the holidays really started for me when Lauren made it home from school and we were able to see her. It was great to have the family all together and it was just what I needed to push me into the holiday season (better late than never). So Lauren made it home on Friday December 17th and as I said it was great to see her.

On Saturday the 18th we started our morning at the ward Christmas breakfast and we had a great time there. The food was good and the entertainment was great as usual (I guess it helps to have people like Dan Collett in the ward). Following the breakfast we got our stuff and headed downtown for our annual shopping trip and night at the hotel. We started with a trip to Western Nut Company which always ends up being an expensive adventure. Then we went to Gateway for some shopping and fact finding (gift ideas for Mom). Shopping was fun but it wore all of us out and by about 4:30 we had done what needed to be done and we headed for the Marriott hotel to get checked in and rest. As we were arriving at the hotel Lauren informed us that she had left her nice shoes at home so she and her mother headed back to Gateway to buy a new pair (quicker than running home). So the rest of us rested while they went to get shoes. Then it was time for dinner. We had a 7:30 reservation for The Roof restaurant and as usual it didn’t disappoint us. The food at The Roof is always so good and of course the deserts were amazing. So we ate and then we (I) rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and went and walked through Temple Square and took some photos. By this time this old man was pooped and we headed back to the hotel room and retired for the night.

Sunday morning we got up and got dressed and headed to the Conference Center for the Mormon Tabernacle choir Christmas Concert. We got drenched as we walked to the Conference Center in a driving rain. The concert was amazing and we had a great time. It really did a lot to put all of me in a holiday mood. Following the concert it was time to head home and back to reality.

Monday December 20th was a beautiful day but we went to the Infusion Center at Huntsman anyway. Yes nothing like a little chemo therapy to put a person in the Christmas mood. By the way, before I forget, we need to revise our list of products needed for the do it at home chemo kit. If you are doing it please substitute a 16 oz bottle of Liquid Plummer in place of the 409. We have found that this is a better product for what we are trying to do. And as a note to those who may not be all there, the do it at home chemo kit is a joke and not meant to really be used. So back to chemo this week: This session allowed me to introduce Lauren to the chemo process since we decided to give mom a well deserved break from sitting with me, so Lauren went with me. This session proved to be a royal pain in the _ _ _. We sat there for 4 hours before the lab work was all back and we could start the poison. Thanks to some investigative work by Keen the Great it was discovered that the lab tech input the work needed wrong and then due to a machine breaking down and the last test needing to be done manually the results were delayed. So we finally got started and it was time for Lauren (dads Christmas elf) to go and finish up dads Christmas shopping as I sat there being poisoned (more fun than a tic on the butt of a dog). So following the session we went home and I (the wimp) went to bed. This session was rough. All I did until Christmas was go to work and come home and sleep. I do vaguely remember the kids having a Christmas party for their friends on Wednesday night (you would not have believed the amount of shoes at the front door).

So finally Christmas day arrived and the day started out different than any other Christmas has. Spencer came into our room at about 6:45 and proceeded to work on getting Lisa and I out of bed (we were very uncooperative). So at about 7:10 there was a banging on the front door and the sound of bells and a “Ho Ho Ho”. So I got out of bed and Spencer opened the door. Santa was there with three of his elves and we were given hot pastries, oranges and the twelfth day of Christmas gift. Concerning the twelve days of Christmas gift, there has been someone or we think several someone’s that have done the twelve days of Christmas for us. It has been a wonderful experience and we are very thankful for all they have done for us. The gifts are the parts to a beautiful nativity scene and it is a wonderful addition to the season. So once Santa left we opened our presents and had a great time as a family. Then it was time for the Kasteler side of the family to come over and open gifts. Following this it was time to head to Springville for the Scharffs side of the family Christmas party. It was great to see all of them and to enjoy everyone’s spirit. Following this the day was gone and it was time to head home.

All in all it has been a great Christmas but more than anything it has been great to be together as a family and also to feel the love of those around us.

So that brings us to my birthday on the 28th. As always my family took very good care of me and I felt very special. It is always hard to get older but I guess it is a fact of life and I need to get used to it.

The day after my birthday was the greatest gift of the season. On the 29th I went in for a CT scan and then we met with the doctor. It was mostly good news and we really needed that. The CT scan showed that the lesions in my Liver and Lymph Nodes had reduced in size. The Colon lesions appeared to be a little smaller or about the same and the spine was about the same. So this means that the chemo is working. So following the treatment next Monday, they will modify my treatments for the time being and take away one of the drugs. The one they will take away is the one with the worst side effects: sensitivity to cold, numbness, and some of the nausea just to name a few). That will really help. Then we will have another CT scan in 3 months to see again how we are doing. So it was a little late but what a great gift.

Thank you to all of you that have been so supportive and helpful. Your thoughts and prayers mean a lot to us.

Dave

The Do It At Home Chemo Kit

So I am just starting my fifth Chemo Treatment and it has been an interesting experience so far. As I have been watching and as I ask questions I have found out a lot about what is being put into my body every week. So the questions first started when I saw the gown and extra thick gloves that are used by the nurses when administering the Chemo drugs. so as I asked about it and I was told that the gown and gloves (see attached photos of Keen, my nurse) were because the drugs (and i use that term loosely) were considered corrosives! Wow, the images and fright that conjures up. then I went home a couple of weeks ago and I saw a bill for one Chemo treatment and I was even more horrified. Let me get this straight, I sit and allow Corrosive Drugs to be put into my body and my insurance company and I get to pay thousands of dollars for the experience.
So about this time my mind started racing and I decided that with some simple products found around home I could do it my self and save a ton of money. So the following is my first shot at a do it at home Chemo Kit which by the way will come with a months supply of hair in a can from Ronco.

One 12 Oz. bottle of 409 cleaner (aintbacterial is best)
Two cells worth of battery acid (best if from a very large truck)
.5 Gallons of Diesel fuel (this can be siphoned from the same large truck with the Chemo tubing)

You will use the products in the same order as listed above but a flush with tap water will be required between products. The kit will include all needed supplies except for the Battery acid and diesel fuel (this is due to the desire that they come from a large truck and the cost of said truck). This process can take place in your own home and in the comfort of your own bed. This will also add to the cost savings due to the lack of need for medical facilities (at least for now).
**This treatment is strictly experimental and comes with no guarantees so please use it at your own risk.
**Please consult with your loved ones due to the fact that this is an experimental procedure and their help will be needed in the process of administering the process.

More Raffles!

We have started two new raffles to add to Dave's Cancer Fund. These are great for Christmas presents, or just to have for you and your family. Take a look.......

1) Hunt Electric has donated 2 lower bowl seats for the Jan 3^rd game. Parking pass included. Purchase raffle tickets for $5 and receive one Cancer wristband


2) Family Game Basket. Tickets are $2 and come with a Cancer wristband. Games in the basket include:

Life

Candy Land

Sorry

Apples to Apples (on the go)

HiHo Cherryo

Phase 10

Uno

You have until December 22nd to purchase raffle tickets. Drawing will be at noon on the 22nd. Contact Leesha Francis for tickets and additional information. leesha.francis@okland.com

The Worst of Times, and at the same time the Best of Times

Spencer and I had the opportunity to go to the 2nd game of the
World Series

Well it is me again and yes we are still seeing more doctors and hospitals than any person should ever be required to see.

October 14^th to October 18^th: During these days we spent more time meeting with doctors and looking at what would happen as far as my care was concerned (I have become very high Maintenance). We have been setting up many appointments along with working through the insurance to get the proper approvals to do the treatments the doctors want to do. This will allow us to get going with the process of my treatment.

October 19^th: Well this morning started out as most of them have lately with Lisa and I heading off first thing to a doctor’s appointment. This appointment is a little more special because we are having an operation to install a (and I know I don’t know how to spell this) Port-a cath so treatments will be easier (we are affectionately referring to it as my third nipple). This is a port that is installed in my chest under the skin that has a catheter that goes directly into a artery going into the heart. This will allow easy access to draw blood and to administer the “cocktails” that the doctors and nurses call Chemotherapy. The surgery went well and now I have a port that they tell me will make thing much easier.

October 20^th: Remember the “fitting” I had for Radiation Treatment? Well it is now time for the treatment I was fitted for. I arrived at the appropriate time and the process began. It started with the radiation team (we will call them my radiation Pit Crew RPC for short) getting me into the mold that they made of me back on fitting day. This was a little like dressing a turkey for a thanksgiving feast but as you can see from the photo (I forced the RPC to take) I am anything but golden brown. This process of getting me just right took about an hour and then it was time to move into the CT Machine. The mold along with my very small Tattoo (on my belly rather than my back so no luck on the “Tramp Stamp”) will make sure the radiation is directed to the proper spot. So once in the CT Machine we were ready to start. They told me that it would take about 45 minutes and that for that time I had to stay absolutely still or they would have to start over. At this point I thought this would be easy but little did I know. This was the longest 45 minutes of my life and by the time it was over I was felt like I was ready to go completely crazy. Following the procedure I got dressed and the doctor asked to meet with me to discuss how things had gone. Well he was very nice and informed me that I probably would not feel the full effects of the radiation for about 4 to 6 weeks (remember the back pain that started all of this). So we will have to wait and see on this one.

October 21^st: The day started out with a trip to see Doctor Weis. At this point we discussed that the Biopsy results were back from the Colon and it is as we suspected it is Malignant and it did start (they think) in the Colon. At this point we discussed treatment options which are not a lot due to the fact that the tumors in my colon are inoperable. So the options are to do nothing and just let this grow and spread (does not seem very smart) or to start Chemotherapy as soon as we can and try to beat this back. As you can probably imagine this was not a tough decision to make. We scheduled our first of many Chemotherapy visits. The first of them will be a question and answer session with one of the infusion nurses. This session is only done every two weeks and the next one is tonight so we scheduled it so as not to delay treatment. At 6:00pm we headed back to Huntsman and had our first chance to meet Keen the infusion nurse. Keen was very nice and explained the entire process and really did a lot to make us more comfortable with what was going to happen next. We also set up our first appointment for Chemotherapy for Monday October 25^th first ting in the morning. I was told chemo sessions will last 7 to 8 hours wow.

Well at this point I don’t know about you but Lisa and I have had enough for one week. So we decided to take Friday off and I went to work to clear my mind.

October 25^th: We are facing our first Chemotherapy session and I can’t even explain what is going through our minds. We arrived at the infusion center at 7:30 for a 8:00 appointment and we are told that Keen would be my nurse for the day. This is a great thing in my mind and does a lot to calm my nerves. So first of all she inserts the tube into my port and draws blood so the lab tests can be done to make sure I am healthy enough for the treatment. Following this we wait about 30 minutes for the labs to come back and then when they have confirmed I am healthy enough to receive treatment the party begins. From this point on I have decided we will refer to Chemo days (Mondays every other week) as “Poison Mondays”. So the labs came back and we are ready for the poisoning to begin. Due to the fact that Dr. Weis decided to hold off on one of the drugs the process only took about 6 hours not the 7 or 8 we were told, so we were out at about 2:00 and the party of side effects started. The list of side effects is quite long and they are different for each one of the different drugs that make up the “Full fox” chemotherapy treatment. The other special thing about my treatment is that the last (poison) drug is administered over two days following the fun at the infusion center. Before leaving I was hooked to a pump that I will need to pack around for two days. The pump came with a bag (European Shoulder Bag not a purse) to carry the pump in. When I saw the bag I informed my wife and Keen that I would not be hauling a ESB/purse around with me and that we would need to stop and buy a fanny pack that could be used. When hearing this Keen and some of the other nurses proceeded to decorate  my bag for me. It said Dave’s man purse on one side and it’s a satchel on the other side.

October 26^th and 27^th: We are now hot and heavy into the side effect that are sensitivity to cold (it feels like I am being shocked when I grab a cold door handle or drink a soda and my feet and hands are always cold), very tired, nauseated, dry skin, and muscle cramps just to name a few. They told me that I have a 50% chance I will keep my hair. It was a great day when the home care nurse showed up at work to disconnect the pump. The fact that I need to pack this thing around for 2 days is going to take some getting used to.

October 28^th: This was a really great day thanks to a couple of great friends. The day started with an early flight out of SLC for my son and I to Oakland California. Then after spending some quality time together my son and I had the opportunity to go to AT & T Park and attend Game 2of the World Series. Wow what a great experience this was. I was struggling with the side effects but it was great to be there with my son and to experience something we will never have an opportunity to do again. And to make it even better the Giants won the game 9 to 0.

October 29^th to November 1^st: We continue to work through the side effects and they are for the most part done by Monday the 1^st.

November 1^st to November 7^th: Wow an uninterrupted week at work. This Was a wonderful thing and I was able to get a lot of things accomplished. I continued to get stronger all week and by Friday I was feeling great.

November 8^th Poison Monday # 2: We started the day at the lab to get the tube installed into the port and to draw the blood needed to confirm that I was healthy enough to receive the poison. Then we went to an appointment with Dr Weis. This appointment was the standard fair and check-up of my health. We also reviewed my reactions to the first treatment and confirmed the process going forward. We got to the infusion center at about 10:00 and the treatment (Poisoning) started. I was lucky enough to again get Keen as my nurse and I was glad to see this. Keen seems to understand my twisted sense of humor (if she doesn’t at least she humors me by laughing at my jokes). This time all the drugs were administered and we didn’t get out of the infusion center until 6:30. Wow what a long day but I left with the pump and I felt really good to get home.

November 9^th to November 17^th: What a roller coaster ride. Some of the side effects were less like the leg cramps due I think to the new medication. The other side effects got worse this time,  I was not quite as strong as I was for the first poisoning. By the 17^th the side effects are mostly gone and  I am climbing the ladder towards feeling better.

It is amazing through all of this the blessings that are coming our way. in the subject line I refer to “The Worst of Times and at the same time The Best of Times. I do this because a lady in my ward who’s son is in remission from Leukemia said this in a talk she gave a couple of weeks ago and it really hit home. They we are having a lot of struggles but we continue to be blessed more abundantly than I feel we deserve. I know this is due in some part to all the prayers that are being offered on our account. We are so thankful for all that we have and for all that we are learning from these experiences.

Chemo Treatments

Dave

Jazz Tickets Raffle

Hey Jazz fans! Looking for a night out and a way to help the Kastelers? Purchase raffle tickets for the Jazz vs. Nets game, Wednesday November 17th at 7pm. Tickets are $5 each, on sale from November 1st-15th. All proceeds go to the Dave Kasteler Treatment Fund.  Here's a picture of the tickets. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact Leesha Francis at leesha.francis@okland.com

Pictures!

Well hello from the Kasteler household! Just thought you might like to see some pictures of the most recent treatments. From surgery on the left to radiation below treatments are progressing at a rapid pace. Chemo starts tomorrow with pictures to come. Thanks again for all the love and support. Love, Maegan

gotta love that farmers tan and the second belly button!

Update

Yesterday was Dave's first day of radiation for the tumor in his spine. Treatment went well, and now he is getting ready to start chemo on Monday.

Halloween Raffle

The City Creek office is selling raffle tickets for this life sized stocking full of toys. All proceeds go to help pay for Dave's cancer treatment. Tickets are $1, no limit. The winner will be drawn Friday October 29th. If you are interested in purchasing raffle tickets, contact Leesha Francis at leesha.francis@okland.com

The Fight Begins

I am writing this to inform most of you and to update some of you as to the health issues that my family is facing at this moment. First let me thank all of you that have heard about my health and have offered prayers and support  for both me and my family. ALL the prayers and support are very much appreciated and needed. The following is a chronology of events that have lead to many calls and ultimately this email, so I hope you will bear with me.

Wednesday August 18th - I strained my back and went to see the doctor the next day and I was told it was muscular and would go away. In fact, a few days later it did go away, for the most part so we were not concerned.

Monday October 4th – I woke up and my back was a little more sore than normal, but I went about getting ready for work and driving in to work. By the time I got out of my truck at work I could hardly walk because the pain was so bad. At this point I looked at my options as far as care and finally headed home. Once there Lisa took me to the emergency room where about two hours later I received my first MRI. Following the MRI and the ER doctor reviewing it with the Radiologist we were informed that I had a Tumor in my spine. At this point we were referred to Dr Meic Schmidt at the U of U for evaluation.

Wednesday October 6th – We met with Dr Schmidt and we were informed that a Tumor rarely starts on the spine. It typically starts somewhere else, so off we went for more tests. This began the barrage blood work, the irony is I’m not even a Twilight fan. An appointment was made for a CT scan on the 7th and another appointment with Dr Schmidt on the 11th.

Thursday October 7th – After drinking something called a “Berry Smoothie” (this name should be outlawed) for about 2 hours I was ready for my first CT Scan. This went relatively easy and soon we were on our way out of the hospital. At about 2:00 pm I headed back to the hospital to pick something up from the lab, in route we received a call from Dr Schmidt’s office asking to see me on Friday the 8th rather than Monday the 11th. The reason for moving the appointment up was that they were getting a lot of the tests back and they wanted to get things moving.

Friday October 8th – At 8:30 am we went up and met with Dr Schmidt and we were informed that the CT scan found areas they were concerned about in my Colon, Liver, and Lymph Nodes, so the slim chance this was just the back went out the door. Dr Schmidt made an appointment for 9:30 am for us to see Dr Weis up at Huntsman Cancer institute (yes it is still hard for me to say Cancer in relation to myself but that is what I said). We met first with Dr Manning who is a “Fellow” working with Dr Weis and he did another complete review of me and started to look at what would be needed to move forward. Following this review we met with Dr Manning and Dr Weis and the following appointments were set up. October 11 Colon Biopsy, October 12th Radiation Consult (remember the back pain that started this)for back pain, October 13th follow-up appointment with Dr Weis, and last but not least October 14th Liver Biopsy (isn’t that special). At this point it looked like I might get Friday off for something unrelated to scouting.

Monday October 11th – Now if there is anyone on earth that looks forward to a Colonoscopy I will allow them to do the next one for me (truth is the prep is the tough stuff WOW). So after no solid food for two days and drinking what I will just refer to as “medicinal turpentine” we arrived at Huntsman Cancer Institute at 3:30 for the 4:00 showing. This seemed to go off without a hitch right up to the point the doctor came in and informed us that there were two large tumors in my colon and about 20 polyps. They informed us that the Biopsy’s had been sent off but they were very sure that the tumor’s were malignant.  Now with pictures included we got our first look at colon cancer (and yes I used the term cancer again). One bright spot was that due to this knowledge we could probably (with Dr Weis approval) cancel the Liver Biopsy for Thursday, due to the fact that they were relatively sure the cancer started in the colon.

Tuesday October 12th – We made our first visit to Dr Poppy at the Radiation Oncology Department (ah the back pain). This was a very informative visit and we looked at our options for Radiation treatments to help my back pain. We were informed that as soon as our insurance approves it they would like to do one dose of radiation on my back to see if they can help with the pain (remember on October 4th the back pain was all we had). Dr Poppy set up a follow-up appointment for Thursday the 14th to “fit me” for the procedure (I hear they give me  a Tattoo on my back to mark the spot, the first thought that came to mind was: “it’s on my lower back I hope I get to pick what tramp stamp I have to live with back there”).  Then the procedure would follow a couple of days after that.

Wednesday October 13th – Well yesterday morning we arrived at the Cancer Institute at 9:45 to meet with Dr Weis and another  “Fellow” of whom I am forgetting his name. At this appointment we confirmed the diagnosis from the Colonoscopy and we started to look at treatment options. These are not completely defined at this time but the main thing is Chemotherapy from here on out. The biopsy’s are not back, but there is little question of what we are up against.

So how is that for a week and a half? I never in a million years would have dreamed that I would be delivering this news, but I am and we will deal with it the best we can. I would ask that all of you please keep us in your prayers and that you will continue to rely on me for the things I have always done until I am unable to do them. All the doctors we have spoken to without question agree that the busier I stay the better the treatments will go (so your not going to get rid of me that easy). We continue to be amazed at the great people that are in our lives and we are humbled by this trial that has been placed in our path. I am working with a couple of people along with my wife and daughters to develop a Blog and to also update my Facebook page so that people can go there to get updates, so that these can become a place that I can document all the wonderful comments and experiences that we have through this process. Many people have been so thoughtful to bring in meals and to offer to do such and for now until we start into the treatments I would prefer that you keep us in your prayers and when meals and such are needed Lisa and I will let you know. Thank you again for all the thoughts prayers in our behalf.