I'll show you mine if you show me yours

Has anyone ever said that to you?  "I'll show you mine if you show me yours?"  

I can remember being in the first grade and having my first encounter with that little phrase.  And now, about 40 years later I am offering it to you.  Get your head out of the gutter!!!  I'm talking about cancer, this is my cancer blog after all.

During the early phases of this, mainly before I had a diagnosis, there was one question that was asked repeatedly, "What stage are you?"  I didn't have an answer, just a blank stare and a shrug of the shoulders.  Then you find out that with lymphoma, the stage really doesn't matter when compared to other cancers.  Stage 4 lymphoma is drastically different than Stage 4 melanoma or bone cancer because lymphoma is a blood cancer, not a hard body tumor cancer.  

Lymphoma moves around you, it may ebb and flow as your body fights it, or at least my kind is like that.  

So here is my official diagnosis: Classic Hodgkins Lymphoma - Lymphocyte rich, nodular sclerosis - Stage 3.

As far as lymphoma's go, and there are about a dozen kind, this is a good one to have.  Yesterday before my 3rd treatment I met with the oncologist, he was very positive about the treatments so far, and is still thinking a cure is in my future.  In discussing the options of what will happen if I'm not cured, well that is not good.  The road will be much more difficult and dangerous if that happens.

So back to staging, lymphoma is staged based on a variety of factors.  The main ones being:

• Is it on both sides of the diaghram? Both sides is automatically stage Stage 3, one side is Stage 2 or 1.
• Is it in any organs?  You can be Stage 3 and have it in organs or not, it just depends on your disease.  I don't have it in any organs.
• Is the cancer in the bone marrow, liver, spinal fluid or lungs? If yes, it is Stage 4.

Then there are a whole host of other "prognostic factors" that are involved.  Mine are generally "favorable" but it really doesn't matter much.  The treatment is exactly the same.  Chemo, chemo and more chemo. 

Now the I'll show you mine part.  Below is my actual PET scan done in early January.  I've marked the cancer spots with arrows to help with your diagnosis.  This is just one picture out of about 1,000 they take of you. They basically slice you into about 1,000 little pictures moving from you head to about your knees, but this is the main overview to show where cancer is.

  

I didn't include the pelvic region for obvious reasons, but there is cancer there also.  Above and below my diaphragm, not in organs, so stage 3 it is. You can see there are about 6 hot spots around my heart.  In earlier blogs I discussed having some heart palpation's and this may very well have been the cause of it.

So where is everything at now?  My 4th treatment is scheduled for today and a new PET scan is scheduled for next week.  The Doc needs to see what progress, or lack of, the chemo has been having.  If the current regiment is not getting the job done I will most likely start a different kind of chemo.  The next kind is called "BEACOPP" and is typically used in Germany. 

Thanks so much for reading the blog.  Believe me, knowing you are supporting me really helps with the psyche.  

Also, thanks a bunch for the Loveland Fire Dept.  They did an amazing fundraiser for lymphoma and we were able to go up there and meet all the wonderful folks responsible for a great event.  The event was really a partnership between the CSP and the Fire Dept so it was awesome.  

A very special thanks to Gil and Tiffany.  YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST AND THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!