Thursday, February 7, 2008

Treatment 8 - Down to Four!!

CHEMO FACT OF THE DAY:
Chemo drugs wouldn't be so bad if they weren't so chemo-ish...

Well, we had our latest treatment today. I reviewed the results of the early checks with did for possible Bleomicyn toxicity (which can damage the lungs, and require pulling the drug from the chemo regimen):
  • Dematologist: The "cyst" things on my hands won't hurt me in the long run, and shouldn't spread off my hands. With a wink, she let me know that its a personal decision to either deal with it, or remove the cancer drug (Guess which answer I went with?).
  • Pulmonary Function Test: My lungs are working BETTER than before. We have no worries at this point (meaning we're not getting lung damage).

Treatment itself went fine, no issues in the office and we were out by around 2PM. The treatments are REALLY starting to cause some serious tiredness and weakness for me. I napped about three times today - And its making me wonder if Fridays are going to become "off from work" days rather than "work from home" days for the last two months.


Really can't wait for the PET scans, I need to know this crap is dead. Good news is that Dr. Szarka does not wait on stuff - She'll give me a call and let me know where we stand when the results come in. This is the serious one, boys and girls -- If this test is clear, we're in VERY good shape for the long-term. Doesn't mean that if its not 100 percent clean I'm dead, but it a much better prognosis if we have a Complete Response.

When I was in college, if I aced a test or major project, I'd come home and blast "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground. Partly because I think that's one of the most cocky songs ever made, but also because it made my roommate nuts (Sue wasn't a fan either, but she didn't give me issues with the A grades). I have that song locked and loaded in iTunes -- I get that call, the first thing I do when I get home is play that song. Booya.

I'm going to try to get Before and After copies of the PET scan, to show you what it looked like. Time for bed in the interim, see ya all later!

1 comment:

SunshineBird said...

Arright, stop whatcha doin'
Cuz' I'm aboutta ruin
The image and the style that you're used to...

HA! Hi, this is Birdie from the WebMagic lymphoma forum. Thanks for the post there replying to my comment. It helps so much to know there are many fantastic people "in my corner." My diagnosis is new and was a complete and total shock, but I have the best docs, faith in God, and have found new journey buddies.

Gather round
I'm the new fool in town
And my sound's laid down
by the Underground...

Can you tell I got my B.A. in 1992?


Thanks again and take care!

Lisa
Bloomington, IN