Friday, April 29, 2005
Sunday scheduled release from this trip
I am scheduled to be released on Sunday to return home for a recovery period. Today I will receive some vincristine. After this 1 hour drip I will get a 24 hour drip of doxorubicin followed by a second 24 hour dose. This should result in a hospital release sometime Sunday afternoon. The web link noted below (and the link to the side) explains the drugs. I will take neupogene for a period of time and will probably enter the hospital for my second treatment in about 3 weeks.
http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Individualdrugs
Isaiah 26:3-4
Cheers
Bob
http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Individualdrugs
Isaiah 26:3-4
Cheers
Bob
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Better handle on time of treatment
Talked with the doctor today and she wants to run a modified version of two cycles. This means 2 treatments * 2 cycles = 4 in-patient visits with recoups inbetween. We think this will take us into July. This will be similar to the mid-October to January treatment I previously had. After that the Bone Marrow Transplant will take about 4 months so it appears this will be about an 8-9 month journey.
God has given me this path to walk and I now pray for strength to walk it in a manner that brings him honor and glory. He is holy and just and whatever the outcome it is his hand that controls all.
Cheers!
Bob
God has given me this path to walk and I now pray for strength to walk it in a manner that brings him honor and glory. He is holy and just and whatever the outcome it is his hand that controls all.
Cheers!
Bob
Hospital Round 9
As many of you know I am back in the hospital with Burkitts Lymphoma. Symptoms were intially noted in August of 2004 and diagnosis was made in October of 2004. Initial radiation and chemo was begun but the diagnosis was upgraded from large cell to Burkitts lymphoma. In that month the McGrath protocal was begun and a series of hospital stays ensued. In March of 2005 the PET and CAT scans as well as the bone marrow biopsy came back clean. There was some small suggestion of possible cancer in one neck lymph node. This node was the one that grew my neck from a 16.5 to 18 inch size and was the first sign of illness. A 22 day regimine of radiation of the lymph node was completed on Good Friday. Because thyroid and throat damage is standard in this administration of radiation a PET scan and followup was to me done in early May. This would give the throat and thyroid cells time to heal and help prevent a 'false positive' reading of cancer with the PET scan. (A PET scan keys in on fast growing cells and these are presumed to be possible cancer. The healing cells might be confused for cancer cells.)
About 28 March, only a month after the 'clean' reports received after the chemo, my left leg began to hurt. Having returned to work part time on 15 March I thought perhaps it was a reaction to not having sat at a desk for long periods. About 4 April I consulted my personal physician about another issue but mentioned my leg. He agreed it was probably the change in environment. I had begun full time work on 1 April. By 8 April the pain was no better and my right leg began to hurt as well. I decided a return visit to my oncologist was in order.
An MRI indicated a 1"x2" tumor on the left hip at about belt level had developed. In addition a suggestion of wide spread cancer in the bone marrow was presented. A followup CAT scan decreased the sense of wide spread cancer in that only on lymph node was found to be slightly oversized. A bone marrow biospsy confirmed the cancer's presence. A bone marrow transplant is now being pursued but we have to try to know this cancer and tumor down first. This week is the first week of a complete cycle of in-patient chemo. I should be out the 30th of May 1 for a 2-3 week recovery period. At the end of the recovery I will come back for another round. In the meantime a donor will be sought. No volunteers please. The process is pretty strict. All healthy siblings are tested first. If no matches are found the National and International donor databases are searched. The process may take 4 months or more. Until then we have to watch the cancer and keep it knocked down or out.
I will keep this blog posted rather than sending e-mails out periodically. Remember it is all in the hands of God!
Cheers
Bob
About 28 March, only a month after the 'clean' reports received after the chemo, my left leg began to hurt. Having returned to work part time on 15 March I thought perhaps it was a reaction to not having sat at a desk for long periods. About 4 April I consulted my personal physician about another issue but mentioned my leg. He agreed it was probably the change in environment. I had begun full time work on 1 April. By 8 April the pain was no better and my right leg began to hurt as well. I decided a return visit to my oncologist was in order.
An MRI indicated a 1"x2" tumor on the left hip at about belt level had developed. In addition a suggestion of wide spread cancer in the bone marrow was presented. A followup CAT scan decreased the sense of wide spread cancer in that only on lymph node was found to be slightly oversized. A bone marrow biospsy confirmed the cancer's presence. A bone marrow transplant is now being pursued but we have to try to know this cancer and tumor down first. This week is the first week of a complete cycle of in-patient chemo. I should be out the 30th of May 1 for a 2-3 week recovery period. At the end of the recovery I will come back for another round. In the meantime a donor will be sought. No volunteers please. The process is pretty strict. All healthy siblings are tested first. If no matches are found the National and International donor databases are searched. The process may take 4 months or more. Until then we have to watch the cancer and keep it knocked down or out.
I will keep this blog posted rather than sending e-mails out periodically. Remember it is all in the hands of God!
Cheers
Bob
