Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I should probably start looking both ways before crossing the street - darn buses!

August 23, 2010-After a calm relaxing Sunday, the medical journey began again Monday morning.  First, life happened.  Zach needed to be dropped off in Clarkston for a tennis tournament.  I needed to be the one to do it.  I guess it is no different than any cancer patient continuing to work during their treatment.  Not only am I a mom but it is also my job.  It is a choice that I have been blessed enough to make.  It was a good morning.  I was able to share my diagnosis with some of the other tennis moms and meet one of Shelby's all time favorite moms, who *God thing* has been coping with a mother with cancer herself.

So I may or may not have been speeding from Clarkston to Flint.  Thankfully, it was still the morning commute and I never had to take the lead ;-)  Gary was waiting in the parking lot of the cancer center and was happy to note that it was only 8 minutes from the plant.  That is really going to be a blessing.  We headed inside and guess what - More Paperwork.  I'm sure this is the generic form I will see everytime I have an appointment with Dr. Black.  The front is a huge list of yes or no questions about your current health.  I loved the mental health questions toward the end.  "How satisfied are you with your life?"  Well, I was extremely satisfied until I got cancer.  So the giggles are starting from the Duffs and then I flip the page over and at the top Chief Complaint Today?  Now we are almost rolling on the floor, so I write PAPERWORK - oh yeah and Cancer.  I wonder if anyone has ever been thrown out of the cancer center?  I guess I'll find out when I start watching "True Blood" in the Chemo room.

Not too much chit chat with Dr. Black this morning.  The test results are in and my bone marrow does not have lymphoma present.  The PET Scan results show multiple hypermetabolic deposits above and below the diaphragm.  The conclusion is Stage IV Lymphoma.  Dr. Black's plan for treatment is 6 cycles of R-CHOP spaced 3 weeks apart with a repeat of the PET Scan after my 4th cycle.  I will do a blog entry on what exactly R-CHOP is next.

Praise the Lord - I had to return to the tennis tournament.  It really kept my mind in a good place while I tried to handle Stage IV.  Even though I had read enough about Lymphoma to know that Staging isn't quite the same as with other cancers, it still knocked the wind out of me for a bit.  At least, I know that there are lots of health benefits to a good cry.  So I should be very healthy today.  It also helped that I came across a blog of a man battling Stage IV Lymphoma who was cancer free after only 3 cycles.  Now my focus is a cancer free Christmas. 

3 comments:

  1. Loved the mental picture of you and Gary in fits of giggles and everyone else looking. are you going to write a sitcom after this? If only a time machine could transport you to your cancer free Christmas- it would save an awful lot of bother.
    The time of your blog suggests that sleeping is a luxury you're not getting right now, or your clock on your computer has never been set. if it is the former, you right reel nice at nite.
    Hugs... Tracy

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  2. Okay Tracy - sleep has been a problem but Gary still was up before me this morning. It wasn't my computer it was blogspot set to pacific time - must be more bloggers on the west coast. Now it is fixed and I've learned one more new thing today. Love it!

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  3. Danell, if anyone can handle whatever stage you are dealing with, it's you. You are strong and amazing. I hope that you keep that positive outlook up and continue to focus on the months and years ahead. Oh, and the tennis and volleyball. :)

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