Coming home:

Once I got home, I realized how sick I had been.  Now I was dealing with weakened muscles and an extremely large weight loss.  

Three days after coming home, the oncologist's office called to set up an appointment.  The results of the bone marrow and biopsy where in.  I was scared because I now knew that it was cancer; but not what kind or how bad.  

Dr. Montgomery assured me that the news was good.  3rd stage follicular lymphoma was the diagnosis.  This type of cancer is highly curable and she gave me a 90% chance of surviving and being well.

In another two days, I had been given a schedule for the next month starting with the first infusion.  That chemo was heavy and lasted about six hours.  I was completely in the dark as to what was going to happen.  I had also been given a huge bag of pills.  Pills to keep me from being nauseous and Prednisone, for what I don't remember, and a few other assorted chemo type pills.  The next day I went back for an injection which was part of the chemo and was to up my white blood cells.  

Once a week for the next three weeks I returned to get lab work done to make sure my hemoglobin among other markers were getting better which they were.  This cancer center is a one stop center.  Your blood work is done there, ct scans and PET scans are done there, the infusion is done there and your doctor is on site.  The people are super and helpful and caring.  I was assigned a nurse who has become my friend.  

The doctor and Sherry, my nurse, had told me I would feel better after the chemo.  I had been so sick that it wouldn't have taken much to make me feel better.  And they were right.  I did feel better.  After the second I felt even more so.  I was getting my strength back and eating good again.  Seems the nausea was part of the disease.  Before the second chemo, I had a port put in at the hospital.  Makes it much easier to access and keeps my arms in better condition.  The chemo is very hard on your veins.

My gastroenterologist, Dr. Ahmadi, has continued to see me to monitor the liver lesion.  He's also the angel who had the foresight to do the unusual blood work and see the need for me to be in the hospital.  Without that, I don't think I would have survived.  I tell him he is an angel and he turns bright red.

I have now had four chemo's.  I go tomorrow for a PET scan to see how the tumors are progressing.  Have two more chemo's scheduled.  There could be more but won't know until the results of the scans are read.

A lot of my strength has returned and I continue to work on it.  My eating has been so good, I now am having to watch what I eat so I won't balloon back up to 198 which is where I started.  I like a slimmer me and I feel better but I continue to eat good things.  Eating all that candy, chips, and sweets was fun though.  Now I just have to be more conservative.