I’ve had a
couple of months to recover from chemotherapy and things are a lot better. My
appetite has returned. I’ve gained weight and recovered some muscle mass just
from daily physical activity. I no longer get dizzy and feel like I’m about to
fall over. My endurance has improved. I can stand and drive and sit at a table
normally. I can ride my bike farther. I can ride my motorcycle. My hair is
slowly returning. Neuropathy
is almost completely gone. Cognitive fuzziness is in retreat. I generally feel
better and my attitude is far better.
Six weeks after the last treatment I had a
follow up appointment with my lymphoma doctor and he said that the treatment was successful. There is absolutely no sign of lymphoma in my body. This is not
uncommon for this type of lymphoma, but it’s still a huge win. This will be followed
up every three months to look for changes.
I was
dreading the follow up with my oncologist who treats my prostate cancer. I was
taking an unpleasant drug early in 2025 and had to stop it for several reasons.
I assumed that I would have to take that drug again. Imagine my surprise when the
doctor said he does not want to resume treatment and would prefer to watch my PSA
levels to monitor for changes. There is a valid rationale for this that applies in my case. Of course things might change and I may have to go
back on the drug, but for now I am free to re-build and recover and live a
little more normally. The prostate cancer will also be watched with blood tests
every three months.
In spite
of this good news I am not off the hook. Later this week I’ll have a CT scan and
then see my mesothelioma doctor for a follow up. Mesothelioma is an incurable
disease. It is thought to be two different diseases depending on where it is in
the body. I have it in both locations. It’s been treated with good success but
it’s never gone. The trick is to keep an eye on it and attempt to treat any
spread of the disease. This is a six month follow up, but timing can change
depending on test results.
In January
I’ll see my dermatologist. I’ve had a lot of skin problems and right now I have
a proliferation of basal cell carcinoma on my arms and face. It’s not clear how
or whether this can be treated.
My analogy
for this is military. I have been deployed multiple times and been in battle
every time. Sometimes a battle concludes and I move on to other deployments,
only to be re-deployed to a place where I fought years ago. This will
eventually end with retirement or being KIA. No one can possibly know. On the
other hand, there is an old saying that goes something like this: Beware the
old soldier; there’s a reason he’s old.
