This Isn't Over ... The Recovery Continues

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To get the full background about my cancer, please go here.

From mid-February to early May, I had no hair due to a side effect of one of the chemotherapy drugs. My treatment included three chemotheraphy drugs. My hair is back in full and I've been hiking a ton. In fact, I've hiked over 260 miles this hiking season and even completed the famous Four Pass Loop in late August. That's 30 miles in a day, if you're counting. It was my 9th time and I felt great at the end.

People come up to me every day and comment about my hair and how I look. "You look great," they say. "How are you doing?" they ask because people genuinely care.

"Fine," I reply. "Just fine."

Is that really true? No.

A few months ago, I read an article in The Daily Telegraph about The Princess of Wales, who went through a cancer battle a while ago. You can see the article here.

She talks about the battle continuing when it looks to the outside world that it's over.

Yes, I completed my treatments. Yes, I'm in remission. Yes, my hair is back. Yes, I look a lot better than I did just after my final treatment session. And that's all great and I'm very lucky.

But the mental, emotional, and spiritual fight continues. I look at this like I would look at recovering from the flu. Recovery takes time and requires patience. But this phase of the recovery is really, really hard.

The wonderful people at The Shaw Cancer Center tell me it's normal to feel this way. But that doesn't make it any easier.

My sister set up a Go Fund Me and it’s here. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. Please share as you see fit.

No More Port

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Some background first. I was diagnosed with diffuse large b-cell lymphoma in mid-November. It's a common form of blood cancer. You can read about the background here.

I was in the hospital in the first week of June but only for about 45 minutes. The doctor removed the chemo port.

The chemo port is a plastic fitting, about the size of a bottle cap, that's attached to another device that delivers the cancer drugs directly into the aorta. This means the drugs don't fry veins in other parts of the body. I had full-on surgery for the installation of the port but removal was under local anesthetic.

It was a bit of milestone, thankfully. Now it's on to the full recovery.

My sister set up a Go Fund Me and it’s here. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. Please share as you see fit.

Two Big Dates Coming Up

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Some background first.

I was diagnosed with diffuse large b-cell lymphoma in mid-November. It's a common form of blood cancer. You can read about this here.

The next three weeks are important ones in the battle. On March 5, I'll have my third treatment session at the Shaw Cancer Center in Edwards, Colorado. And then on March 20, I'm scheduled for a PET scan, some blood tests, and a meeting with my initial oncologist, Dr. Kandar.

The PET scan will reveal the success, or otherwise, of the treatment protocol. If it's been a success, then I might be out of the woods, to use an awful cliché. If it hasn't been successful, then more chemotherapy is likely.

My sister set up a Go Fund Me and it’s here. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. Please share as you see fit.

The Treatment Plan: R-CHOP.

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When people get cancer, treatment starts. Not exactly a revelation.

My form of cancer is diffuse large b-cell lymphoma. Delightful.

The treatment is called R-CHOP. It sounds like something from a Karate manual, I know.

Let’s take a look at R-CHOP, the medical definition, then what I wish it stood for.

R = Rituximab, which is immunotherapy. Immunotherapy helps the immune system fight the cancer.

C = Cyclophosphamide, which kills cancer cells but also healthy cells. Chemo.

H = Doxorubicin Hydrochloride, which attacks cancer cells. Chemo.

O = Vincristine Sulfate, also known as Oncovin. Chemo.

P = Prednisone, a steroid that can reduce inflammation.

You can look up all the gory details but R-CHOP has a good track record fighting the type of lymphoma I have.

About a month ago, all this terrified me because I went down the Google rabbit hole and that was a mistake. I got through the first treatment feeling pretty good, overall. I’ll have two more rounds of R-CHOP then a test. If the test is clear, I’ll have one more round of treatment and if things look good, I’ll be through this. But things can and do go sideways. So there’s a long way to go.

When all this becomes history, here’s what R-CHOP will mean.

R = Real Ale. A pint of beer in a pub in England. Fuller’s please.

C = Champagne. The good stuff.

H = Helping people as a way to repay the incredible help I’ve received. And 250 miles of hiking this summer.

O = Optimism, generally part of my view of things but may need a boost, an extra focus.

P = A pie. I like a good savory pie, like a game pie, or a pork pie. Something like that.

I reserve the right to amend the above. I prefer to think about the latter definition as a goal.