I am back with a new post after a while.
The first CT scan after treatment has come out good. The residual tumour shrunk in size during the past few months. The blood counts are normal as well.
I am scheduled for a six months visit now which would be a usual blood test. The doctor would CT scan me after a year again and probably that would be the last scan.
So I have been busy with my life again working full time and studying part time. For next few month I have to see my doctor every three months. And first of these visits happened on the 3rd of Oct.
This visit was quite easy and comfortable. I just had to do a blood test and see my doctor after that. The tests were all normal. My white cell counts were 5.3 and HB was back in the normal range. The ESR which was very high on diagnosis is also back in the range. Let us hope it stays the same. The only thing doctor didn’t like about me was my increasing weight. I have gained about 8Kgs in four months.
The next visit is in January.
On the 16th of July, 2 days ago my port-a-cath was removed from my body. It is pretty easy procedure as compared to putting one in.
My procedure was scheduled at 2 PM. I reached there an hour early for blood tests. The white cells have started to come back up, they were 5.2. Everything was normal except HB which was just a little low at 126. They started the procedure to remove the port on time and I was awake all the time during this talking to the doctor and the nurses there. It took about half an hour lying there. They had me sitting there for a while after that to make sure everything is OK and then let me go. All this happened under local anesthesia.
The stiches will come off after 10 days. I have been told that my local GP can do that.
So I had my first post treatment PET scan this morning. It was all usual stuff which I now know very well. I was there at 7:20 in the morning and was injected with that FDG. A typical 15 minute scan happened after waiting for an hour.
I have received an email a while ago from my haematologist which says ALL CLEAR! So Good Luck to me!
So the last cycle is over as well.
This last one, eighth cycle, proved to be a little tougher than the other baseline BEACOPP cycles. I had some fevers along with cough and flu so I spent days 13, 14 and 15th in the hospital. They gave me some IV anti biotics and sent me home with some tablets. I have no fevers since and flu is also settling down.
I now have a PET scan scheduled in July and a meeting with my doctor a few days after the scan. Let us hope for the best!
Nothing much to write here today which means all good. I have been good in the fifth cycle so far as it looks like it does not effect me like the previous 4 escalated BEACOPP cycles. No signs of nausea and no mouth problems at all. Pretty good as compared to the previous cycles. Another difference was that my WBC are not dropping much as well. They were still 4.2 on day 8 when they used to be around 1.5 previously. The HB still seems to be an issue.
So I have been put to baseline BEACOPP after a good scan at the end of my 4th cycle. The first four cycles were escalated BEACOPP and were more severe. I still go three days in the first week and then the 8th day, the drugs on 8th day are still the same, but the drugs on first three days are now reduced, almost half. Etoposide is still administered over an hour, although at a half dosage. All oral tablets and anti nausea is still the same.
I will see on Monday whether I still need neulasta or not.
A good news in a while, I had a PET scan this Friday morning and got the results later in the day. I had a meeting with my primary oncologist which gave me a copy of the result. I had a good response to the treatment so far and there is no evidence of disease in me.
I am in remission! Let us hope it remains this way.
The forth cycle is almost over. And as I was feeling at the end of the previous cycle, it is the best so far. I have not felt anything wrong in this cycle so far but I have received blood transfusion on the 8th day because my HB was too low.
The good news is that I did not have to go to the hospital in this cycle. This was the only cycle so far when I did not have to go to the emergency. The WCC is also back because I was feeling pain in my back this morning. This pain indicates that my bone marrow is working and producing WC. The pain happens only if you have taken neulasta/neupogen etc. which I take on day 9 of every cycle. Now I will go for a blood test on Monday, hopefully everything will be alright. A PET scan is due now.
And I have started to work full time, I work from home when I don’t feel good.
The third cycle is now complete and so far this was the best cycle. I did not have to admit to the hospital though I went to the emergency with some pain in my mouth but I was not feeling any temperature. So they just gave me some pain killers and sent me home. The pain went away after a few days.
The other news is that I have started working again. I am going to the office when I am feeling good and when my WCC is up and plan to work from home when they are down.
I am into my 4th cycle now and the first three treatments are done. I am due for a PET scan after this cycle and hopefully I will be downgraded to baseline BEACOPP after that.
lymphomainsydney 