Saturday, July 31, 2010
One year ago this week: (Part 4)
August 1st, 2009 -- I had my hair buzzed off because it was starting to fall out. I do remember it was hot that day, and being bald is much cooler than having hair.
Hmmm. Maybe I should celebrate the anniversary by having the hair buzzed off again....
Hmmm. Maybe I should celebrate the anniversary by having the hair buzzed off again....
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
One year ago this week: (3rd Installment)
One year ago this week was pretty light:
Monday, July 20th: At the doctor for a Neulasta injection. This was to boost the white blood cell count. In retrospect, this may not have been too effective. Ah, well. Better luck next time.
Thursday, July 23rd: Blood work at the doctor.
Friday, July 24th: Met with the surgeon to discuss putting in a port. Ports go in the chest and facilitate infusions by giving a direct route into a major vein near the heart. As I recall, I decided not to do this at first, but went back later and got one installed.
Monday, July 27th: Severe pain in my right leg resulted in an ultrasound of the leg, revealing a large blood clot (DVT). I started Lovenox injections to reduce the chances of additional blood clots. The pain and swelling from this clot was severe. It would be 6 months before I could walk any distance.
Needless to say, this July is much more fun. I walked four miles this morning with no pain, but a lot of perspiration!
Monday, July 20th: At the doctor for a Neulasta injection. This was to boost the white blood cell count. In retrospect, this may not have been too effective. Ah, well. Better luck next time.
Thursday, July 23rd: Blood work at the doctor.
Friday, July 24th: Met with the surgeon to discuss putting in a port. Ports go in the chest and facilitate infusions by giving a direct route into a major vein near the heart. As I recall, I decided not to do this at first, but went back later and got one installed.
Monday, July 27th: Severe pain in my right leg resulted in an ultrasound of the leg, revealing a large blood clot (DVT). I started Lovenox injections to reduce the chances of additional blood clots. The pain and swelling from this clot was severe. It would be 6 months before I could walk any distance.
Needless to say, this July is much more fun. I walked four miles this morning with no pain, but a lot of perspiration!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
One year ago this week: (2nd Installment)
One year ago this week was quite busy:
July 14, 2009: First meeting with oncologist.
July 15: Bone marrow biopsy. Fun!
July 15: Echo test (a sonogram of the chest to look for heart problems. No, I don't know why.)
July 16: PET scan (looking for cancer)
July 17: First chemotherapy treatment. This took place at the hospital. I will recount the hilarity of this event in a subsequent blog post.
This year, 2010, I celebrate with a CT scan on the 14th. See ya!
July 14, 2009: First meeting with oncologist.
July 15: Bone marrow biopsy. Fun!
July 15: Echo test (a sonogram of the chest to look for heart problems. No, I don't know why.)
July 16: PET scan (looking for cancer)
July 17: First chemotherapy treatment. This took place at the hospital. I will recount the hilarity of this event in a subsequent blog post.
This year, 2010, I celebrate with a CT scan on the 14th. See ya!
Friday, July 9, 2010
One more round in the history books....
Thursday the 8th was my latest round of chemotherapy. I am on maintenance -- I get chemo every three months. I am supposed to be on maintenance for two years, and then doctor will watch for more cancer through CT scans and other tests.
Aside from knocking down my white blood cell count, the chemo causes me no ill effects. So, it looks like more chemo around October 1st!
Aside from knocking down my white blood cell count, the chemo causes me no ill effects. So, it looks like more chemo around October 1st!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
One year ago this week:
Monday, July 6th, 2009 -- MRI. The doctor was looking for a bad disk in my lower spine. He found a healthy tumor instead!
July 7th -- Received cancer diagnosis from the doctor. I had figured this out on Monday afternoon when he canceled my appointment with the orthopedic doctor and scheduled me for a Tuesday morning visit. As I recall, I didn't lose a bit of sleep over this: either before or after the diagnosis.
July 8th -- CT Biopsy at the hospital. This is where they put me out, and poked a needle in my backside to extract tissue from the tumor. It took about an hour. As I recall, it was a fairly pleasant experience.
July 10, 11, 12 -- Did the server transition at work anyway. Just because I have cancer doesn't mean that real work can stop! I had great help. The transition was very successful, and I remember it fondly.
More memories next week! It's exciting to not be doing all of this in 2010.
July 7th -- Received cancer diagnosis from the doctor. I had figured this out on Monday afternoon when he canceled my appointment with the orthopedic doctor and scheduled me for a Tuesday morning visit. As I recall, I didn't lose a bit of sleep over this: either before or after the diagnosis.
July 8th -- CT Biopsy at the hospital. This is where they put me out, and poked a needle in my backside to extract tissue from the tumor. It took about an hour. As I recall, it was a fairly pleasant experience.
July 10, 11, 12 -- Did the server transition at work anyway. Just because I have cancer doesn't mean that real work can stop! I had great help. The transition was very successful, and I remember it fondly.
More memories next week! It's exciting to not be doing all of this in 2010.
Friday, July 2, 2010
July 2009 -- A Month that will Live in Infirmary
July of 2009 is when I received my cancer diagnosis. Now, one year later, it's time to relive those exciting moments of big words (Follicular Lymphoma), doctor visits, and exotic drugs.
So in the upcoming weeks I will review and update posts from last year. I will bring my usual blend of humor, sarcasm, and incomprehensibility. The narrative will be predictable -- I am better off today than I was one year ago.
With Obama as your President, can you say the same?
So in the upcoming weeks I will review and update posts from last year. I will bring my usual blend of humor, sarcasm, and incomprehensibility. The narrative will be predictable -- I am better off today than I was one year ago.
With Obama as your President, can you say the same?
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