Chemo vs. Cancer, round 1 begins Wednesday, April 19

Unless the results of the PET scan are a huge surprise, I will receive my first round of chemotherapy Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Be careful with this paragraph, some is boring, so skim it, the next paragraph is better. My treatment plan will begin with 4 cycles of chemotherapy. Each 3-week "cycle" begins with the administration of the standard set of chemicals (affectionately known as CHOP+R) they use to treat anyone with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. CHOP is a set of 4 drugs that beat my body to a pulp, but beat the cancer into oblivion. The additional R is Rituxan, which is a special drug that specifically targets B-cells. There could be complications the first time I receive the +R, so they will give me it to me on a separate day than my CHOP for the first cycle. So, Wednesday the +R, Thursday the CHOP. I believe about half-way through each 3-week cycle my "blood counts" will lower, both red and white blood cells, making me anemic and neutropenic. Anemic is when my red blood cells are low, and since they carry oxygen to my body, I will get less oxygen everywhere and therefore I will be tired. Neutropenic is when my white blood cells and neutrophils are low, therefore I cannot fight infection easily. After my blood count dips, it will rise again, only to be smacked around again by the next round of chemotherapy. I will have 3 or 4 rounds of chemo for sure, then potentially radiation or more chemo. This is a new development...I may actually only have 3 months of chemo in total, if things go well. 3 months is better than 6 months of it. The reason it may be so short, is that we are very likely in Stage I.

I'm going to go bald soon, so, I'm gonna buzz my hair the day I get my first chemo, just so I don't have hair all over my apartment (though it would make a nice rug). I'm going to start wearing beanies and hats and stuff (I already wear hats a lot), but I may just sport the skin just so people will look at me even more...they already stare at me in my wheel chair. I think it is really funny when random people ask me what is wrong and I end up having to tell them I have cancer in my hip and then they try to figure out how to respond to that...I guess I am evil for thinking that is funny. They say the pain in my hip will go away soon after chemotherapy begins, so, unfortunately, no more narcotics at that point. My next 3-8 months will be defined by cycles. Some days I will feel pretty well and I will be normal, and some days I will feel like I "got hit by a truck" (that is how one of the kids at the hospital described chemo). I'm ready to get this show on the road.