Treatment

They have the second CT/PET Scan result now so treatment can begin! They had expected it to take at least a week so had me scheduled to start on Monday June 22nd. But the results came back in one day so they quickly got me re-registered to start treatment this Monday. For the most part the current scan was much the same as the scan on May 1st. So it didn't get better but the good news is it didn't get any worse! You are probably thinking how much worse could it get anyway, but it can always get worse, believe me. In fact yesterday they gave me quite a scare: the clinical trial nurse told me she was just going to be upfront with me and let me know I had cancer in my bones. She said that this wasn't new on this scan, but she noticed was also on the previous scan. I was thinking how this was a big piece of information I would have expected my doctor to share with me long ago. She said she had put a call into my doctor to see if he wanted a bone scan. I was stunned and mentioned my neighbor just died of bone cancer and this didn't sound very good. I told her Dr. Wun had never really given me a "prognosis" to which she replied I might want to ask him for one for "planning purposes." Okay, that was about as much as I could take in one phone call. Thankfully I was busy with the babies and couldn't fall apart, but I finally managed to get a phone call to my doctor's nurse and told her about the conversation to which she quickly told me that I did not have "bone cancer" but that my bone marrow and my bones have lymphoma involvement which is not unexpected but that it is different than "bone cancer." It is just like my liver, spleen, lungs, etc. have lymphoma involvement but it's not "liver" cancer. They are hopeful it will be knocked out of my bones and bone marrow and the tumors will go away with the treatment. She also thought the nurse meant "planning" purposes to mean treatment planning purposes not planning for my pending death. She told me absolutely not to worry about anything, that everything is going along as planned and nothing that has been diagnosed is rare for this type of lymphoma, that it is typical. Not that this type of cancer is good, but we are dealing with one cancer and the treatment will be as planned but of course moved up the week. So tomorrow I will get more blood work, visit the Cancer Center to get my arsenal of drugs, stock up on baby aspirin which will hopefully keep my blood thin and ward off blood clots which is one side effect. I take the chemo pill for 2 weeks, along with the baby aspirin and another medication to alleviate the potential for tumor "shock" which some people have been getting because their tumors were melting away so fast. I will have my first infusion 2 weeks later which will be an all day process at the Cancer Center. I am getting lots of rest, playing with the babies, and getting ready for the battle to continue on Monday. You already know who is going to win! Thanks again for the comments, prayers, cards, etc. I feel so blessed to have such loving family and friends. You guys are the best and it is so nice to have you all on my team. Love you all lots. Vicki