I had an interim xray and check up with Dr. Follows before my 3rd chemo session today. Diagnosis: serious shrinkage. Of the tumors. He couldn't find any of the ones in my neck, and the xray showed that the freakishly large mass in my chest was, well, less freakishly large. It's early days yet but things are going well. Chemo today was fine, the hospital staff were in a festive mood and the opinion amongst the nurses is that I should continue growing my moustache. It's hard to argue with someone injecting you with drugs, so the moustache stays for a while. Still no major side effects except a bit of tiredness and some vein pain. How would I describe vein pain? Pain mainly in the vein. It's not pleasant but I can live with it.
Tuesday 21 December 2010
Chemotherapy Round 3
One of the good things about chemo is that it gives you some practice at being old. A few months ago I was hauling a 50 pound backpack 15 miles a day hiking through rugged back country on Canada's West Coast Trail. Now I takes lots of naps, drink prune juice and watch daytime television. I even have my dinner at 5.30 sometimes which leaves the evening free for taking my medication and worry about going bald. In fact, I might go out and buy a cadillac this week.
I had an interim xray and check up with Dr. Follows before my 3rd chemo session today. Diagnosis: serious shrinkage. Of the tumors. He couldn't find any of the ones in my neck, and the xray showed that the freakishly large mass in my chest was, well, less freakishly large. It's early days yet but things are going well. Chemo today was fine, the hospital staff were in a festive mood and the opinion amongst the nurses is that I should continue growing my moustache. It's hard to argue with someone injecting you with drugs, so the moustache stays for a while. Still no major side effects except a bit of tiredness and some vein pain. How would I describe vein pain? Pain mainly in the vein. It's not pleasant but I can live with it.
I had an interim xray and check up with Dr. Follows before my 3rd chemo session today. Diagnosis: serious shrinkage. Of the tumors. He couldn't find any of the ones in my neck, and the xray showed that the freakishly large mass in my chest was, well, less freakishly large. It's early days yet but things are going well. Chemo today was fine, the hospital staff were in a festive mood and the opinion amongst the nurses is that I should continue growing my moustache. It's hard to argue with someone injecting you with drugs, so the moustache stays for a while. Still no major side effects except a bit of tiredness and some vein pain. How would I describe vein pain? Pain mainly in the vein. It's not pleasant but I can live with it.
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Just followed the blog link on over from the lymphoma boards on the discussion about grad school and cancer and the name of your consultant looked familiar! One of my friends was telling me about the other person from the university who has/has had Hodgkin's and maybe it's you - although you seem to have been diagnosed quite recently so probably it's not. Maybe there are more of us than I figured.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, good luck with your treatment. I'm eight years in remission now, but I remember the chemo-y Christmases all too well.
Hey guys!
ReplyDeleteSame here - I also noticed you are in Cambridge on the lymphoma boards... I am as well, and Dr. Follows is my consultant too :) I remember the mathematician story!!!
I finished the treatment a year and a bit ago... So far so good :) I always wondered how many of us there are in Cambridge...
Good luck with your treatments and hopefully the New Year goes smoothly for you with not too many disturbances and a lot of good things!!!
oh the good ol days of naps, prune juice, and soap operas. how i don't miss you, but quickly have forgotten!
ReplyDeleteIt is a small world indeed! Glad to hear from some of Dr. F's patients - the fact that you're around to post these messages means he's done his job well I guess?
ReplyDelete