The past few days have been so insane! My mom and I have spent approximately 24 out of the past 72 hours at Dana Farber clinics - while the hours have been overwhelming and exhausting, the results have certainly been rewarding.
On Monday, I went through quite a few tests to prepare myself for the stem cell transplant with no idea if my fourth Pet Scan was going to provide me with good news -- well, drum roll please, at 4:30 p.m. on Monday we found out that I have no residual disease left!! I can't even explain how exciting this is for me and my family. I'm sure many of you are sitting at your computers asking, "What does this mean?" Well, what it means is that I am now preparing my body and mind for a autologous stem cell transplant (translation= I will use my own) at DFCI.
I'm sure you might also be asking, well why do you need a transplant if there is no disease visible? Essentially, it is the superglue that makes the remission stick and forcing the body to relearn everything it has ever been taught -- AND if the body doesn't know Cancer then it can regenerate itself without ever knowing Cancer's torturous existence. The transplant is so powerful that I will have to receive all of my childhood vaccines again because my immune system will be completely erased.
This process is certainly not easy but seems to be our only option to defeat this disease -- it also holds quite a few magic numbers that M, B and I will be living by. On May 18 I go in to have my stem cells harvested and we are hoping for 2 million in record time (preferably one to two days); on May 25 I am admitted to the hospital at Brigham and Women's (BWH) for hopefully less than 21 days; seven days after admission, I get my stem cells back and I experience the meaning of Day Zero; and at 100 days I look forward to living my life as close to normal as possible.
For the next week or so, I have to wait for insurance approval, go in for more blood tests and then I prepare for surgery to have a Hickman Line put in on May 17. I will blog again soon but I wanted to share the good news with all of you!
xoxo
T
Click here to read more about Stem Cell transplants.
Showing posts with label PET Scan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PET Scan. Show all posts
Friday, May 7
Thursday, February 18
Change of Plans
It certainly has been an interesting week so far! As I mentioned in my last post I had my final Pet Scan on Tuesday, February 16. I initially thought that my appointment was going to be in the morning but of course, the scheduling person in the clinic didn't REALLY reschedule my appointment like she said she did. So instead I had to starve myself all day. I must admit I have never craved sugar things as much!
Once I finally got there the scan went well: the IV team was able to put in my IV with little problems and minimal residual bruising and I thankfully didn't have to drink all of the nasty liquid or have the contrast. I wish I can say that the results were as pleasing as the experience.
It seems as if my Hodgkin's is very very smart -- it figured out a way to resist the ABVD, grow and spread. According to the radiologist and S M.D. it has spread to four lymph-nodes under my arm pits and into the bottom of the tumor at diaphragm level.
As you can imagine this is very disappointing. The updated plan of action is pretty intense and I'm still trying to get my head around it. Yesterday I thought that I was going to be told that I was healed and that things were finally going to return to somewhat normal. Instead, I have to prepare myself all over again for chemo, losing my hair all over again and experiencing a stem cell transplant.
Obviously, this is the shell-shock period - the time to adjust, absorb and seek second opinions. I plan on meeting with a few more doctors to see if the course of treatment is standard and really trying to gear myself up for the long road ahead of me.
More details are certainly to come. Please pray for my recovery and better health days ahead.
Love to you all.
T
Once I finally got there the scan went well: the IV team was able to put in my IV with little problems and minimal residual bruising and I thankfully didn't have to drink all of the nasty liquid or have the contrast. I wish I can say that the results were as pleasing as the experience.
It seems as if my Hodgkin's is very very smart -- it figured out a way to resist the ABVD, grow and spread. According to the radiologist and S M.D. it has spread to four lymph-nodes under my arm pits and into the bottom of the tumor at diaphragm level.
As you can imagine this is very disappointing. The updated plan of action is pretty intense and I'm still trying to get my head around it. Yesterday I thought that I was going to be told that I was healed and that things were finally going to return to somewhat normal. Instead, I have to prepare myself all over again for chemo, losing my hair all over again and experiencing a stem cell transplant.
Obviously, this is the shell-shock period - the time to adjust, absorb and seek second opinions. I plan on meeting with a few more doctors to see if the course of treatment is standard and really trying to gear myself up for the long road ahead of me.
More details are certainly to come. Please pray for my recovery and better health days ahead.
Love to you all.
T
Sunday, November 1
PET Progress
I have finally emerged from a cloud of nausea and very uncomfortable bone pain with the hopes of a fresh start for a new week. I'm not really sure where this week went but apparently it happened and I am one treatment closer to being half way done!
For some reason cycle three, or treatment five, chose to declare all out war on my body with debilitating nausea that had me back in the clinic on Wednesday for more fluids and IV medication as well as forcing me to make myself very familiar with my prescription bottles over the past few days. All in all, things are better now and I can't tell you how much I am hoping for an uneventful week off.
Sooooo - on Tuesday, B and I found out the results of my latest PET Scan which admittedly was a little bitter sweet. Apparently my naked-eye estimation of the tumor size was a little overzealous and it has likely only shrunk 25% which I was so disappointed about BUT the good news is that the two other tumors on my left side are gone.
S M.D. was pleased with the scans and said that everything looked good. Obviously I would like for the tumor to be smaller as I candidly expressed to him but he reassured me that the results showed that we were on the right path and more importantly I would not need to have another PET Scan until the end of my treatment. While it's not exactly the result I wanted, at the end of the day I am thankful that things are going the way they should and this ongoing chapter has an end in sight :)
Have a happy Sunday everyone!
S M.D. was pleased with the scans and said that everything looked good. Obviously I would like for the tumor to be smaller as I candidly expressed to him but he reassured me that the results showed that we were on the right path and more importantly I would not need to have another PET Scan until the end of my treatment. While it's not exactly the result I wanted, at the end of the day I am thankful that things are going the way they should and this ongoing chapter has an end in sight :)
Have a happy Sunday everyone!
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