I did not
have a lot of happy things to say in my last blog post, but there is now some
good news to report. First, I noticed in the middle of last week that I was
feeling pretty good. The best way to summarize it without getting into the
weeds is to say that I felt better than I did before the first treatment
started. It’s a huge win. Blood tests between infusions #1 and #2 indicated
positive trends, but last week I really felt it and took advantage of it with
some fun social events and a trip to Gloucester for a late breakfast at
the Beauport Hotel. The Beauport has a spectacular deck overlooking the harbor.
The only thing between that deck and the water (which is crystal clear) is a
sandy beach. The cool fog burned off as we enjoyed an excellent meal with a friend
who was able to join us at a moment’s notice.
Infusion
day goes like this. The first thing I do on arrival is get some blood drawn and
have vital signs checked. The test results show up about 30 minutes later. Next
I see a doctor or nurse practitioner and review everything that’s been
happening. They ask a lot of questions and they review the blood tests. Yesterday’s
tests showed improvement in everything measured. The doc turned around the
computer screen around and said, “You see this? This indicates cancer in your blood
a month ago. It’s way over the threshold. Now look at where you’re at today. There
is virtually no detectable cancer in your blood. This treatment is working very
well for you.” We talked about a few other things and then he sent me to
another room for the infusion. Another big win!
My first
infusion did not go well. My body reacted strongly to the immunotherapy drug
called Rituxan. Part of that has to do with the many cancer cells that are
destroyed by Rituxan almost immediately. These cells release cytokines that can
cause inflammation and other potential problems, such as the rigors that I
experienced. Yesterday was different. I did a lot of pre-medication with
antihistamines, prednisone, and cortisone. The combination of these drugs and
the fact that there were far fewer cancer cells to destroy lead to infusion #2
going smoothly with no problems. Yet another big win! It was a long day, but I
had a comfortable recliner next to a window with a great view of the Charles
River basin.
At the
moment I do not feel great, probably because of the massive doses of the
pre-medication drugs. But I do have enough energy to move around and do normal
things and my appetite is still intact. The post infusion crash will start in a
day or a few days and I’ll be miserable, but maybe not as miserable as after
the first infusion. I went into the second infusion stronger than the first.
And finally, there are couple of other good things that happened. My weight
loss stabilized and it appears that I might be gaining weight back. I also
started to go back to the gym and exercise the atrophied muscles in my legs and
parts of my upper body. I don’t think I’ve re-built anything yet, but those
muscles are re-activated. The effort leaves me knackered but only for the rest
of the day.
I think
that without treatment the lymphoma would have killed in maybe 6 months. It dawned on me that it might be time to die, treatment or no treatment. Now I see that things are turning around and I have a fighting chance. I
still have a lot of hurdles, but for now I’ll take the wins.