This past Thursday was my "mega chemo" day (3 chemo drugs, with lots of IV hydration before and after). This was the second time I've had this particular treatment, and just like the last time, it took a toll on me. Exhaustion is at an all time high, and some nausea to boot :( Fortunately, I was able to spend a lot of time resting in bed this weekend, which has helped greatly.
I got the results of my bone marrow biopsy: "Diagnosis: Variably cellular marrow with no morphologic evidence of involvement by lymphoma." Translation: My bone marrow is NOT involved at this point. Meaning that my cancer is at a lower "stage". (I didn't find out which "stage" I'm at; I'll save that question for another appointment, as the stage won't alter the treatment I'm already on.)
This good news does NOT alter the fact that I will still be going through a bone marrow transplant. That has always been the plan, and is still my best chance for not having to deal with cancer again in the future, God willing. I was able to get some more information about the bone marrow transplant (BMT). As it turns out, Stem Cell Transplant *is* the same thing. (Please excuse my ham-handed attempt at paraphrasing some details...) When BMT was newer, harvesting the bone marrow was the best way they had to extract the stem cells. It was a more invasive procedure (the harvesting was done under general anaesthesia and used needles to draw out the marrow, typically from the hip bones). This procedure is probably still used in some cases, I'm not sure.
When they harvest my stem cells, I will be hooked up to a machine that looks vaguely like a dialysis machine, and they will take out my stem cells via my bloodstream. They will be able to use my PICC for this, so no additional jabs will be required, yay!
After the harvest (sounds so ghoulish), my stem cells have a date with they cryogenic freezer, and whatever else they do that takes 2-ish weeks. Then I will be admitted to the BMT ward, have BEAM chemotherapy (4 days straight of mega-dose chemo to kill everything), and then they will transplant my stem cells back into me, again via my PICC. Then I will get more Neupogen (the same bone marrow stimulant I have after my chemo-light treatments) and travel the road of post-transplant recovery.
I still don't have all the details for the BMT timeline/etc. I will be getting more printed information when I go in for my "chemo light" (only 1 drug, followed by 5 days of Neupogen injections) this coming Thursday.
Time to get the kidlets (and then me) to bed for the night :)
Thanks for reading!
Heather
Sunday 29 January 2012
Tuesday 24 January 2012
Oh dear (and dear and dear and dear)...
It has been quite some time since I updated the blog...this is due to two main things: tiredness and 4 kids! You really can't have 4 kids without *some* level of tiredness ;)
I really haven't talked about how the "4 Kids" factor into this cancer journey I'm on. Let's make something perfectly clear here in the blogosphere; my kids are my "raison d'être" and keep me endlessly motivated and trying very hard to keep things as normal as possible for them. I have been very blessed to have a HUGE amount of support both spiritual and physical - this has enabled daily life to be pretty much as it was prior to this bout of lymphoma.
I could spend a lot of time gushing about how sweet and wonderful my children are :) I am so blessed to have them!!!! The older three always pray for me at bedtime - truly a humbling and precious experience. The youngest (14 months) is just a joy to watch as he discovers the world around him :) His world has recently expanded as he recently learned to walk :) Being a mom is certainly the most relentlessly labour intensive job I could ever have imagined; but also has great and lasting rewards.
I've already had two chemo sessions and my first "week off treatment" since I last posted. The first treatment was a doozy. It was a long day of "hydration" (intravenous saline solution) and 2 separate chemo drugs, plus one more to take orally at home for 4 days. I was, in a word, exhausted. Unfortunately, the first session coincided with a very busy week. So, truly, I am left wondering if the next round (this coming Thursday, January 26th) will be as exhausting as the original one.
The second chemo treatment was only one drug. This was followed with 5 days of at home injections of a bone marrow stimulant drug (Neupogen). I felt much more like my usual self after the second treatment. I have been very blessed to have had minimal side effects during all of this. My main worry was about feeling sick. The anti-nauseants that have been prescribed/taken have certainly been effective :) I did feel very ache-y after day 4 and 5 of the Neupogen injections. This was to be expected, and some Tylenol helped me get through.
This battle still feels far from over. I still have 4 more chemo sessions to get through...and then the bone marrow/stem cell transplant. I am unclear on exactly which one I am having (sometimes they seem to be nearly the same thing...I really don't know for sure). I *am* clear that I am the donor for myself. This is definitely a good thing as it will greatly minimize "rejection" issues. I still don't have hard and fast dates for when it is to happen, other than "March/April". I should have an appointment in the near future to find out more.
Stay tuned for more information as I learn more myself :)
May Jesus Christ continue to pour out His mercy on all of us.
Heather
I really haven't talked about how the "4 Kids" factor into this cancer journey I'm on. Let's make something perfectly clear here in the blogosphere; my kids are my "raison d'être" and keep me endlessly motivated and trying very hard to keep things as normal as possible for them. I have been very blessed to have a HUGE amount of support both spiritual and physical - this has enabled daily life to be pretty much as it was prior to this bout of lymphoma.
I could spend a lot of time gushing about how sweet and wonderful my children are :) I am so blessed to have them!!!! The older three always pray for me at bedtime - truly a humbling and precious experience. The youngest (14 months) is just a joy to watch as he discovers the world around him :) His world has recently expanded as he recently learned to walk :) Being a mom is certainly the most relentlessly labour intensive job I could ever have imagined; but also has great and lasting rewards.
I've already had two chemo sessions and my first "week off treatment" since I last posted. The first treatment was a doozy. It was a long day of "hydration" (intravenous saline solution) and 2 separate chemo drugs, plus one more to take orally at home for 4 days. I was, in a word, exhausted. Unfortunately, the first session coincided with a very busy week. So, truly, I am left wondering if the next round (this coming Thursday, January 26th) will be as exhausting as the original one.
The second chemo treatment was only one drug. This was followed with 5 days of at home injections of a bone marrow stimulant drug (Neupogen). I felt much more like my usual self after the second treatment. I have been very blessed to have had minimal side effects during all of this. My main worry was about feeling sick. The anti-nauseants that have been prescribed/taken have certainly been effective :) I did feel very ache-y after day 4 and 5 of the Neupogen injections. This was to be expected, and some Tylenol helped me get through.
This battle still feels far from over. I still have 4 more chemo sessions to get through...and then the bone marrow/stem cell transplant. I am unclear on exactly which one I am having (sometimes they seem to be nearly the same thing...I really don't know for sure). I *am* clear that I am the donor for myself. This is definitely a good thing as it will greatly minimize "rejection" issues. I still don't have hard and fast dates for when it is to happen, other than "March/April". I should have an appointment in the near future to find out more.
Stay tuned for more information as I learn more myself :)
May Jesus Christ continue to pour out His mercy on all of us.
Heather
Monday 2 January 2012
I am Girding My Loins for Battle.
This is the week that chemotherapy starts, Thursday to be exact. On Wednesday I get outfitted with a necessary piece of "armour" to help fight this war that rages inside me: the PICC line.
Other items from the armoury include:
-A fighting spirit. A very necessary thing to combat this molecular-level war. I daresay that my fighting spirit was virtually non-existant for the past month. Grappling with the news that I have cancer...again...was difficult to deal with. However, the depression has been shaken off and I have rallied myself to beat this!
-Prayer warriors. I am very blessed to have so many people praying for me and my family. It fills me with great comfort and peace to know that I am not alone. I know that I would be faring worse if it were not for all those prayers! Please, keep them coming!
-A special shirt. An outward indication of my situation. I had one made for myself last time, AND a dear friend gifted me with a funny one last time as well :) Another dear friend has gifted me with a new one for this new battle.
-War paint (a.k.a. sparkly eyeliner). Looking fierce (fashion-y and intimidation-y) is a boon to my self worth as I humble myself to enter the chemo ward at the hospital.
During this fight I will get three chemo drugs: GDP. Gemcitabine, Dexamethasone and cisPlatin. The chemo plan is more lengthy and involved than I had originally understood (my mind was mush after the last meeting with Dr. Rubinger). I will have 3 cycles of chemo. In my case a cycle consists of 3 weeks. Week one=chemo, week two=chemo, week three=NO chemo. As a self-described granola, knowingly and willingly ingesting mega doses of chemicals is a paradigm shift. But, everything is a balance...and surviving cancer to continue being a mother (and wife, and daughter, and friend, etc) very obviously tips the scales!!!!
Sometime during this month I will be meeting with the bone marrow transplant team to learn more about *that* upcoming battle. One day at a time...
Are you ready, cancer?!? Here I come - swords drawn and guns blazing!!! FOAD, cancer.
Other items from the armoury include:
-A fighting spirit. A very necessary thing to combat this molecular-level war. I daresay that my fighting spirit was virtually non-existant for the past month. Grappling with the news that I have cancer...again...was difficult to deal with. However, the depression has been shaken off and I have rallied myself to beat this!
-Prayer warriors. I am very blessed to have so many people praying for me and my family. It fills me with great comfort and peace to know that I am not alone. I know that I would be faring worse if it were not for all those prayers! Please, keep them coming!
-A special shirt. An outward indication of my situation. I had one made for myself last time, AND a dear friend gifted me with a funny one last time as well :) Another dear friend has gifted me with a new one for this new battle.
-War paint (a.k.a. sparkly eyeliner). Looking fierce (fashion-y and intimidation-y) is a boon to my self worth as I humble myself to enter the chemo ward at the hospital.
During this fight I will get three chemo drugs: GDP. Gemcitabine, Dexamethasone and cisPlatin. The chemo plan is more lengthy and involved than I had originally understood (my mind was mush after the last meeting with Dr. Rubinger). I will have 3 cycles of chemo. In my case a cycle consists of 3 weeks. Week one=chemo, week two=chemo, week three=NO chemo. As a self-described granola, knowingly and willingly ingesting mega doses of chemicals is a paradigm shift. But, everything is a balance...and surviving cancer to continue being a mother (and wife, and daughter, and friend, etc) very obviously tips the scales!!!!
Sometime during this month I will be meeting with the bone marrow transplant team to learn more about *that* upcoming battle. One day at a time...
Are you ready, cancer?!? Here I come - swords drawn and guns blazing!!! FOAD, cancer.
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