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.
