On the Menu Today - Chemotherapy

Good news!! My bone marrow biopsy was clean of any cancer. I also learned that my lymphoma is Stage 3 which means I have growths in two or more lymph node regions above and below the diaphragm. In my case I have growths in three regions. It is intermediary/aggressive which bodes well for a better chance of a full cure.

I started chemotherapy on May 28 and 29. Day one was a six hour injection of what I will call the neutron bomb. It just targets the bad cells. I just had one slight side effect which they corrected immediately. I came home and practiced the drums and ran a couple of miles. Day two was a two hour session with multiple injections of what I call the atomic bomb. They just kill everything. That’s the stuff that will cause me to lose my hair and hopefully other body parts don’t fall off. Worse side effect of the second day was the prednisone made me hiccup all day long - so far, not so bad.

The nurses in the oncology center are angels. I sit in a large recliner and they are constantly checking on my status. I feel like I’m in first class minus the scotch. These chemicals cannot replace a nice single malt scotch but they will keep me alive.
I have had the opportunity to speak to a few people that have gone through the process now and all have said don’t be fooled by how easy the first session goes. It gets progressively more difficult with each cycle.

I have done a lot of reading on exercise and chemo and found that moderate exercise can dramatically reduce the fatigue and also improve mental state. So I will keep running and playing the drums. Hopefully that will help with the more difficult cycles. I have five more cycles to go through which are each 21 days apart. I should be completed by mid-September. Maybe my hair will be home for Christmas.

Thanks again for all the comments. I have had a number of comments from people outside of my family and friends that are reading the blog. They think that you are a weird and wonderful support group.