One year ago today I had my first r-chop chemo treatment, which means just about this time a year ago I was losing the big cheeseburger I'd had for lunch. That was the last cheeseburger I ate for several months. I think I mentioned on an earlier post the chances my oncologist gave me - around 60 or 70% the chemo would work and get rid of the lymphoma in my neck and put the lymphoma in my sinuses in remission, so I entered 2013 unsure of much of anything on the medical side.
When I left Kirklin Clinic after the final r-chop/methotrexate treatment in March I was crying because I was so glad, for better or worse, the intense treatments were over.
Last week I had a PET scan and my oncologist said it showed complete (or was the word 'total'?) remission. Best possible outcome. I don't know if the great results are strictly because the chemo did its work effectively, or if the Lord healed me through the chemo or even apart from the chemo (He still does that, you know), so I just thank Him for it, whatever the direct cause. I still have to get rituxan (the 'r' in r-chop) once every two months, but it doesn't have the nasty side effects of the r-chop plus methotrexate, which have been described in previous posts.
It seems like more than a few days never go by without hearing about a friend, friend of a friend, or family member that's been diagnosed with some kind of cancer. When you hear about someone who's been diagnosed, offer your friendship, prayers, and support. If you live near them, offer to bring over a meal or two. This disease is very taxing emotionally as well as physically and financially.
I had planned on running a few miles today to mark the year's milestone but was unable to do so for several reasons, including rainy weather. I ran a lot over a decade ago. In January of this year a cousin was in the hospital at UAB after a near-death experience (she's recovered tremendously, by the way). I went to visit her on a Sunday afternoon and parked near the hospital. I tried to run, or even jog, across the street to the entrance, and couldn't do it. My legs didn't recognize that particular activity and I had to settle for walking. A few months later I started walking around my neighborhood, and eventually started mixing in some running. I still can't run over a mile (and slowly at that) without walking a couple of minutes. Not sure if that's because of the long-term effects of the chemo, or is because I've developed asthma since my former running days, or some other reason. I think my long walk/run so far is 7 miles at about a 12 minute per mile pace, where I used to run 5-8 miles at around a 9 minute pace (still not real fast) then go to work. Not sure if I'll ever try to do another 10K run (6.2 miles), we'll see. I run now to burn calories for weight loss and for all the regular cardiovascular advantages.
I've been able to start back at my part-time job this week. Sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do.
If you have a good major medical plan, you still need a cancer policy that will pay a lump sum upon diagnosis then pay more during treatments. There are a lot of expenses involved other than the direct medical costs.
Pray for those going through various kinds of cancer treatments. Pray as if it's one of your family members, or even you, going through the treatments.
That's all for now.
