Lymphoma Is The Winner!

My spleen endured some abuse back on April 18, when it was biopsied and four cores were extracted. It’s an easy procedure for the patient, especially when sedated. The only downside is that I spent 6 hours in the hospital from arrival to departure. The procedure took 40 minutes, but the check in protocol, preparation protocol, and recovery protocol all take time. While I was being discharged the nurse told me that test results would take a week or two. We went home and waited for the results.

The first to arrive was flow cytometry, then cytogenetics, then anatomic pathology. These are challenging to read for me, but I got a call on Friday saying that the overall diagnosis is B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, most likely with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Some of the results were atypical, which is common for patients with a BAP-1 mutation. I was referred to the lymphoma center at MGB and I expect I’ll get a call on Monday to set up my first appointment. They’ll probably do a few more tests and then create a chemotherapy program. Blah. This is likely to consume at least 4 months of treatment, so I’ll miss out on summer fun. On the plus side, treatment may relieve the many symptoms that make me miserable every day.

In my book, which you can easily download (please do, and share it widely) from my web site, I mention that I have juggled 8 different types of cancer over the years. The number just increased to nine. Prostate cancer is now in a race with lymphoma and I’m pretty sure that those cancers cannot be treated at the same time. Then there is mesothelioma lurking in the back room, but under control at the moment. I have to think about building a good attitude for the coming months, but at the moment it looks like a battlefield.