Today was blood work, radiation, and the bone marrow biopsy…I was terrified this morning…The radiation techs noticed I was really quiet and out of it and I said that I would not be o.k. until this biopsy was OVER…below is a (yet another googled) picture of the procedure…The reason for this test is to see how far the lymphoma has spread, it helps in diagnosing the type… He numbed both sides of my lower back/butt area…it was two big ‘bee stings’…after waiting for the area to numb he started the actual extraction of the bone marrow…after gently tapping and wiggling the needle into my bone…he described what I would feel as a ‘lighting bolt of pain’ when he sucked the marrow out…he said it would only be two or three seconds and that anyone can handle that because it has to be done…and he was right…it was a lightening bolt of pain and in the end, it was bearable…After the figurative and literal sucking I got really hot…I mean I started sweating, it felt like the temperature went up 150 degrees in the room, and then I threw-up…and felt SO much better after…the Dr. said that getting really hot was …Read more
This afternoon was my second appointment with the oncologist (Dr. M). The pathologist report was not done so there is no actual diagnosis. The Dr. said they are pretty sure it is a lymphoma and that he spoke to the person reading my labs and that they will be for sure done by my appointment with him Tuesday afternoon…I will be starting chemotherapy next week (I don’t know which day)…Dr. M said that he may admit me to the hospital for a day or two when chemotherapy is started so that he can make sure I have enough fluids…The CT Scan of my abdomen and pelvis showed some enlarged lymph nodes in my stomach but nothing going farther down (so there is some good news)…According to the scales in both the radiation department and the oncologists office I have lost 4lbs since Monday…I don’t know if I was weighed at a different time of day or what…I have had less of an appetite and have been drinking A LOT less soda…for some reason that rapid loss in weight really scares me…to date I have lost a little over 15lb…I will not be going to work next week.Yesterday I between radiation …Read more
Finally I am awake enough to feel like writing about what has been going on the last two days. Honestly it feels like it has been a week and I can’t believe it is only Tuesday night. I’m thinking just a timeline/list type update will be the best. Monday 8:30: appointment with Dr. Breckler (my new family doctor) she was great…she asked me if they had told me anything and I said no…she said that they think it is some kind of lymphoma, that there are many types of lymphoma, and that it is very treatable. She said that she will be here for me through everything and that if I needed anything explained to just call her. 11:15: arrived at Dr. Mandal’s office (the oncologist in this story) he was running behind so we waited a long time to see him, (I started coughing up blood again as we were waiting, it seems when I do too much, get hot, or have to talk too much is when the coughing starts and it is hard to stop sometimes) during our appointment he went and looked at my CT scan…he said that I have enlarged lymph nodes in my neck chest and upper stomach (Wednesday I have a …Read more
Last night found us on our way to the Emergency Room. Around 1:00 I decided to go to bed and after I laid down I just started coughing like crazy…when I went to the bathroom I noticed that I was coughing up blood, and got scared…After waking up mom we decided it was a good idea to go to the Emergency Room…I have to say my experience with every ER staff was amazing! They were caring, concerned, proactive, and funny in the process…First I got a huge dose of steroids via this IV… Then they prepped me for a CT scan of the neck and chest…The chest CT scan required an IV in my arm so this happened… it took two nurses and one doctor FIVE tries to get it in…and I have to say they hurt…all five of them! But I was happy to know I’m going to find something out….for some reason the needles wouldn’t go in far enough… After the CT scans there was A LOT of waiting…the scans were sent to Australia to be read because it was daytime there…While we were waiting the ER doctor Dr. Vaughn, called and spoke to Dr.Breckler (the doctor I will be …Read more
