Wednesday, June 26, 2013

First post

So, I should explain the title first off. I do have cancer. Non-Hodgkin, B-Cell, Stage IIIA Lymphoma to be as exact as I can be. And while it is not a strictly "First World" problem I want to call attention to the glaring discrepancy between cancer deaththe scar on my photo)  rates in Industrialized and Non-Industiralized areas of the world. I'm not really going to go into it any more than that, because I don't really have expertise in the matter and I don't feel like dragging this blog into the politics that I normally occupy myself with, but it does kind of hover over the whole subject. I'm also not going to pretend that I'm not benefitting from living in the "First World" either. Basically I think the title is kind of funny and kind of true and kind of funny because it's true.

I had my first chemotherapy treatment on Monday. I received RCHOP, which you can google for yourself if you are so inclined. It's a regimen of five drugs that I receive intravenously through the PowerPort installed just below the skin of my chest (see the scar in the attached photo).

It was ten hours of sitting and waiting for drugs to drip into me. It was exhausting.

It has been about two days now since my treatment and I feel pretty lousy. I feel flux like, but I don't have a fever (which would be bad, so it's good I don't). My thoughts are racing and I keep getting tunes or phrases stuck in my head that eventually make me feel sick from the repetition. I should mention here that this is probably related to what many call "chemo brain". Sorry for the typos in advance, my brain is a wasteland. Like that John Mayer song.

The chemo will make my immune system very susceptible to infections, so I won't be out and about too much in the next four months. This won't be terribly different, since I  haven't been out much this year anyway.

I'm supposed to avoid crowds. I might try to sneak off to a mâtinée sometimes so I can catch a film probably while wearing a mask. I don't know how cautious I need to be, but I'll err on the side of caution.

I'm starting to get pretty confused, so I'll stop. Feel free to ask questions in the comments.

Thanks for reading.


ps I'm probably going to shave my head in the next couple of days. Kind of a "you fire me, I quit" to my hair which will fall out on its terms if I don't act first. 


2 comments:

  1. Just because you're avoiding crowds doesn't mean we're avoiding you. I'd like to take you out for food or drinks sometime, once you feel up to it. And they can be craft soda dranks if you can't do the alcohol thang, too.

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  2. When my best friend was going through radiation she learned to listen to her body. Eat. Drink water and hot tea. Also let me know if you want her info so you can talk with her. Even after having clean scans for several months there have been lasting effects and lifestyle changes; so she could have some tips/advice/understanding. And don't be shy; if there is anything I can do, let me know. This is a real offer.

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