The Follow-Up

I'm sure that some of you have been constantly checking the site for updates because you knew that we were meeting with Dr. Nagasawa this afternoon.  Well, the update is finally here, so let's get to the details.

Again, Dr. Nagasawa reiterated that Hodgkins Lymphoma is the "better" lymphoma to have.  It responds well to treatment and he's very upbeat about it.  Over the next three weeks, I will undergo some "house keeping procedures" before I'm able to start the Chemotherapy treatment.  I have to have heart and lung test to determine baseline levels to compare to during my treatment.  I will also have a minor procedure done to put a port in my chest.  The port will allow the Chemo Nurse to easily access my blood stream to administer the drugs.  It'll definitely beat needle pokes every couple of weeks.

Treatment will consist of 4 cycles consisting of 2 rounds each.  Rounds will be administered every 2 weeks.  I know it is hard to do the computations, so we're looking at 16 weeks of initial treatment.  After those 16 weeks, I will have another PET & CT Scan to determine if the lymphoma is still present.  If it isn't present, I'll be in remission!  If it is present, I'll undergo 2 more cycles of treatment.

The drugs are what is called ABVD and will all be administered via the port.  A= Adriamycin  B= Bleomycin  V= Velban   D= Decarbazine.  He also said I'll have some anti-nausea meds and need to avoid large areas of germs and certain types of foods.  

The bottom line is that things are looking on the up and up right now.  Thanks again for the continued prayers and positive thoughts.  

-bw