Halfway There
Ever since I arrived at the Anschutz Center in Denver my life has been a whirlwind of inpatient treatments intermixed with twice weekly outpatient lab draws and provider visits. Since my second chemo cycle I have been handling treatment quite well so I have been on a tight schedule with barely three weeks between cycles.
This weekend, May 8th through the 12th, I’ve been admitted for my fourth cycle of chemo, meaning I am more than halfway done! Only two more cycles to go!
Back in mid-April I had a second PET scan to check on the lymphoma mass in my chest and make sure there was no evidence of disease spreading. When I had my first PET scan at the end of my first cycle of treatment, the mass measured 11 x 16.5 cm. My oncologist, Dr. Bair said it was the largest lymphoma mass of this type he had ever seen. Well, friends, after my second cycle, the mass had shrunk to 3 x 7 cm!! A huge difference and a vast improvement in the disease burden on my body.
My first PET scan. All of the cloudiness in the center of my chest is lymphoma mass.
My second PET scan. Lots more room for my lungs and heart to do their thing!
I have to say, I was quite trepidatious about going the Western medicine route. I’ve seen first hand how quickly things can go south and have heard many horror stories as well. It wasn’t a decision I made lightly and since I DID decide to get chemotherapy, I wanted to make sure I was being treated by a competent team. UC Denver is ranked number 1 in the mountain region and I feel so lucky that I was told about their specialized blood disorders team. They have and continue to take wonderful care of me.
I have been extremely fortunate to not experience any extreme symptoms either. I don’t have nausea or food aversions and I haven’t touched the Zofran prescription in my cabinet at home. The worst of my symptoms have included fatigue, neuropathy or numbness in my fingertips, and constipation, which I just learned is actually due to neuropathy in the GI tract. The neuropathy symptoms really set in after my second cycle and I have continually updated my nurses and providers during follow up visits but just before my admission this past Thursday the nurse practitioner I met with did me a huge favor.
Since my neuropathy symptoms have been ongoing and I mentioned having a little trouble with small buttons because of the numbness, she sent a message to my primary oncologist, Dr. Bair, to see if my dose of Vincristine could be lowered. Vincristine is known to cause neuropathy and constipation and apparently is not a necessary element of my chemo regimen. For this reason and because I have been progressing in a positive direction, Dr. Bair decided to remove the Vincristine from my regimen completely! I am very happy to have one less toxin entering my system and to hopefully regain feeling in my fingertips over the next few weeks.
Another amazing thing I did was a bioenergetic scan with my friend, Sumer, of Holy Holistic. This test is intended to uncover the energetic reasons for poor health by picking up on imbalances, stressors, and areas that need support. Not only did this provide significant insight into areas that need attention, Sumer was able to help me hone in on my nutrition and supplement dosage to really optimize my healing. I highly recommend checking out her services no matter what type of health issues you may be facing. She’s offering an amazing deal for just $95 right now!
Overall I feel very positive about where my health is headed. I’m feeling stronger every day and have been so lovingly supported by friends and family, near and far. Your kind words, check-in messages, and donations have only bolstered my confidence and determination to make a full recovery. This has been a lesson that I am still learning from and a chapter that will forever change the trajectory of my life. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for being here.
