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

Thank God For "Lasts"

Chemo is finally coming to a close everyone - in eight days I will be finished with my last chemo treatment!! I know I said in my post the other day how shocked I am that it is already here but I just really can't believe it.

I am finally to the point where I am doing the last of things - I had my last Lupron shot a few weeks ago and my last Neulasta shot on Wednesday. Thank god for no more hot flashes and bone pain!

The next few weeks will be pretty packed I feel. I will be in the clinic on Monday and Tuesday of next week.  I then see my primary care doctor for a check-in on Friday, February 5.

THEN on February 11, I go over to Dana Farber to meet with another Oncologist to hear her opinion on whether or not I should go through radiation.  Sometime after my meeting at Dana Farber I will have my port removed, have another PET Scan and make a final decision on radiation.

I will keep all of you posted as to what happens, but in the meantime, please pray for good health days :)

Ode to Blue Cross

Oh Blue Cross Customer Service how I heart thee...

Thank you for standing beside me, letting me sit on hold for hours on end, as we battle together our dear friends at BMC Billing.

Why is it that a single medical bill I receive can't be correct? I kid you not that the stack of "Do not pay, refuting" is larger than the "Ok to Pay" pile.  Do we as Cancer patients seem so unassuming and wearied that the people in the billing offices think they can pull the wool over our eyes and have us pony up triple of what we owe?

While I'm sure you think I am exaggerating about this, I'm not. The last time I was on the phone with customer service we refuted six bills that had I forked over the money I would have paid $1,300 to BMC that was entirely covered by insurance!

So this post is for you, customer service representative. You save me money, one day at a time.

Lucky Six?

Today is the start of cycle six! While the past 20 weeks seem to have drug on, I am surprised this morning that I am about to leave the house for the start of my last cycle.

Today will be a long one because of yesterday being closed for MLK day - but hopefully all will go well and I won't get too sick at the clinic.

Love you all. More to come soon.

Thank Goodness For Blondes

So it is official - I think I have approximately 10 eyebrow hairs left!  I suppose the silver lining to this bizarre and slightly disconcerting fact is that you can't really notice a difference :)

Thank goodness for blonde hair - it has totally allowed me to ride out this very fun and exciting time with relative to no pain.  I can only imagine the trauma my dark haired friends had to go through when they began embarking on a similar fate... the images I keep coming up with are flashes of college-aged movies where the drunk kid gets his eyebrows shaved for passing out too early - and then subsequently looks foolish for the rest of the movie.

While my remaining 10 hairs are holding strong, amidst the mineral powder and Chanel mascara, I look forward to treatment 10 tomorrow. You never know, maybe my eyebrows will make a comeback like my hair.

Happy Monday everyone :)