Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Chemo Round Twelve - Finally!

Chemo Round One occurred on March 2, 2009 (after three months of symptoms, testing, and diagnosis), and now, yesterday marked the Twelfth (and final) Round of chemotherapy. I still have to go back to my doctor's office every day this week for my shots of Neupogen, but at least I can stop associating the place with that delightfully rubbery taste in my mouth caused by the intravenous saline.

So what's next? Hodgkin's Lymphoma can recur. The odds are still in my favor given how well I responded to treatment from the get-go, the fact that they didn't have to significantly lower my dosage, etc. I'll continue to meet with my oncologist periodically, and I'll have PET-CT scans every six months or so for the next two years. I'll also have to keep an eye on my lymph nodes for any lumps or changes. There is the possibility for secondary leukemia to develop, thus we'll continue to monitor my blood counts and other related symptoms.

Thyroid news: Surgery has been set for next month. During the surgery is when they'll determine if cancer is present and if complete removal of my thyroid is necessary. They say I should be out of commission for just a few days.

I have some lessons learned and "big picture" stuff I'll post at another time, but I wanted to get this update out there. Thanks again for all your continual support. I'm often not able to get back to everyone individually in a timely manner (or at all, unfortunately), but I guarantee that I read everything and I do appreciate it.

Calendar:
September 10: Thyroid surgery
September 19: MAV Foundation Fashion Show Fundraiser in San Francisco. www.mav-foundation.org
Please support lymphoma & leukemia research ...so cool people like me can continue to rock your world.
December-ish: next PET-CT scan
Today until TBD: Livin' life...

1 comment:

  1. Congrats on finishing up round 12! you are a true inspiration, Justin and I hope that one of these days we get to hang out when you're back in the old hood. ;) Be well. ~Darlene

    ReplyDelete