Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Just checking in after a long radio silence. Meanwhile, the docs have done the biopsy on one of my pesky abdominal lymph nodes in order to decide on the best pre-transplant "salvage" chemotherapy after the last one went south. The good news: it's still a slow-growing lymphoma, not an aggressive one. The plan is now set. Here's the deal:

Starting today is the first of two to four rounds of a new (to me) chemo. (For those keeping score at home: the chems this time are fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab.) As usual, treatments go in one-month intervals. The goal is to shrink the tumors from a current diameter of 4cm down to 2, at which size the pending stem cell transplants have a fighting chance of killing 'em off. On the bright side of all the waiting these past weeks, I've worked through my fear of the transplants and their potential side effects. I'll continue to take on discomfort, inconvenience, women's undergarments... whatever it takes to live, drive and survive.

What I've been up to?

> Doing a lot of reading up on Lymphoma and the various treatment options. (As if I'm going to stumble onto some magic snake oil that the docs don't yet know of)

> Getting in touch with MD Anderson in Houston, the U.S.'s Nr 1 cancer center, for a pending 2nd opinion on my treatment plan. In a few weeks, I'm also heading up to the fine city of Goettingen to talk with a specialist there.

> Spending quality time with Sammy in the eves and on weekends. We're reading a lot together in her English story books. The big hit is one called 'You Read to Me, I'll Read to You.' (If you got young kids, pick it up.) She's really taking it all well and has opened up more to talk about papa's illness. When I told her I'm considering going to the states if the treatment there promises to be better, she said it doesn't matter to her where I go or how long it takes, just so long as I'm healthy again. That's the fightin' spirit.

> Playing a little guitar (a wee one, 'bout this big).

> Been reading your messages. Thanks for them. It's nice to hear from you and what you and your kids/dogs/fish are up to in that great, big, wide world out there. Welcome diversions from my own private Iowa.

> Expanding on a meanwhile impressing library of fave films. Funny, I'm actually kinda looking forward to these hospital stays and sinking into the finest flicks to ever grace the silver screen. First of which, 'Blazing Saddles,' starts in 5 mins, concurrent to the arrival of a fresh, new bag'o'rituximab.

On with the rock.