The PET scan experience was interesting. After I took a seat in the “injection room”, John the PET scan technician explained what he was going to do. He then injected me with radioactive isotopes while telling me that it was important that I relax for the next 45 minutes so my body could more easily absorb them. I brought the NY Times to read but he didn’t want me to read. So, here’s the concept. Don’t read to relax, just close your eyes and think about the radioactivity flowing though your body. Makes sense to me………..As I left the building, I noticed my technicians outside grabbing a smoke break. Apparently, they are not looking at the scans of their patients.
Next was the bone marrow biopsy. Why do doctors feel the need to do a play-by-play analysis while they are doing the procedure? You’re going to feel a bee sting and then a burning sensation. Take deep breaths. Now we are going to insert a needle to extract the marrow fluid and….Mr. Drumm you’re taking too many breaths, we don’t want you to hyperventilate. Mr. Drumm, Mr. Drumm are you o.k.?? The next thing I know is I have an IV and a smoothie to get me going again. Mr. Drumm, this is what we extracted and this fluid and blood clot should be enough to give the info we need. Again, a note to all doctors, please don’t feel the need to show me anything that you have extracted from my body.
Betsey and I met with the hematologist/oncologist and were told that further testing showed I have Diffused Large B Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma CD 20 Positive. The standard treatment for this type of cancer is R CHOP. Each letter stands for a chemical. The good news is this type of cancer normally reacts well to this treatment. I will start a chemotherapy treatment on May 28th. But first I need another test known as a MUGA scan which is yet another opportunity to be loaded up with radioactive isotopes to confirm that my heart can take the one of the chemicals. I’m feeling better already……
The chemo regimen consists of a 21 day cycle with day 1 consisting of a 4 to 5 hour session of being injected with one chemical that targets the bad cells and then day 2 is a 2 hour session with 3 chemicals that kills everything. Day 3 is a booster shot for the immune system. They tell me that I can expect very little nausea with this treatment but 10 days after the treatment, my white blood cells will decrease so I should experience fatigue and perhaps loss of appetite. Honestly, I can think of better ways to diet. It is estimated that I will have a minimum of 5 of these cycles perhaps as many as 8. Another PET scan will be given after 3 cycles to determine the progress of the chemotherapy. So, the adventure begins…………..
Rick
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Lump? What Lump?
Hello Friends and Colleagues,
I have decided to setup this blog to share my current health status.
For months I felt a small lump about the size of a pea at the base of my neck. It didn’t give me pain but I knew it was there. I dismissed it as nothing more than a cyst but then on April 14 I woke up with an inch and a half lump where the small lump use to be. I’m not one to run to the doctor with every ache or sneeze but this had me a little concerned.
My last physical was the previous September and outside of my usual higher than it should be cholesterol; I was in pretty good shape. When I called my primary care physician on April 14, I was told that he was on vacation and would see Dr. N, his colleague the next day. The look on Dr. N’s face when he examined my neck was priceless. I could see from his expression that this was no ordinary lump. Strangely, it was as though he was getting a sense of joy that he had a case that was more than someone complaining about a cold. Immediately, he asked questions in rapid fire. Have I been exposed to HIV, experienced a loss of appetite, loss of weight, night sweats, or excessive itching? No, no, no, no, and no I responded. Outside of this protrusion out of my neck, I felt fine. Then I felt like I was transported back to early Rome because all words coming out of his mouth were in Latin. I didn’t understand one thing he was saying. All the words were describing potential diagnoses.
When Dr. N mentioned Lymphoma as a possibility, I knew we had entered into serious territory. Although, he said it could be Sarcoidosis. Sarco who? I thought to myself. Then for some reason my mind slipped to Mary Poppins. I can’t explain it, it’s just the way my mind works. Supercalifragilisticespisarcoidosis.
Dr. N immediately scheduled me for a CAT scan of my neck and chest with IV contrast on April 17. He said that he would have the results within a couple of days and would call me probably Monday or Tuesday of the following week. Now I had to go home and share this with my wife, Betsey. Betsey listened as I tried to explain to her what the doctor said to me. She remained calm and reassuring as we both came to the conclusion that we shouldn’t jump to the worst case scenario until all the tests had been completed. It was a beautiful day and the CAT scan was scheduled for early afternoon so I decided to take the afternoon off after the scan and play a round of golf. My game was going along pretty well until I decided to check my messages on the 17th tee box at 4:30 pm. There were two messages from my wife saying the doctor wanted to talk to me immediately. Well either the news isn’t good or this doctor is really trying to impress me with his customer service, I thought to myself. By the time I received the message the doctor offices were closed. Now, I had to wait through the weekend to find out what he wanted to tell me. Needless to say, holes 17 and 18 were not representative of my best golf…..
The results of the CAT scan indicated that I had a lymphoma. Dr. N. immediately helped me schedule a biopsy of the lump to help determine what type of lymphoma. Unfortunately, the lump shrank just before surgery so the results were inconclusive. That meant that I had to now go through another biopsy of the next most accessible enlarged lymph node which was residing between my lungs. I asked how they were going to do that procedure and he said they were going to make an incision at the base of my throat and then take a device to get the sample. When I heard that was the method of entry, I said no. He said yes. I now have a nice two inch slice at the base of my throat that is healing nicely. I can’t wait to see that bill. I’m sure I could have found many people that would have slit my throat for nothing……
This time there was a pathologist in the operating room to make sure that the tissue sample was enough to determine what type of lymphoma I had. My doctor had the results the next day. He told me that I have B Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. If you want to learn more about this cancer, here is a link: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_Is_Non_Hodgkins_Lymphoma_32.asp There are many different sub-types of B Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. So, next on the schedule are a PET Scan and bone marrow biopsy to determine the type, aggessiveness and stage of the cancer. The important thing to remember is there are many successful treatments with many of these types of cancers.
I am optimistic that we will find one for mine.
I have decided to setup this blog to share my current health status.
For months I felt a small lump about the size of a pea at the base of my neck. It didn’t give me pain but I knew it was there. I dismissed it as nothing more than a cyst but then on April 14 I woke up with an inch and a half lump where the small lump use to be. I’m not one to run to the doctor with every ache or sneeze but this had me a little concerned.
My last physical was the previous September and outside of my usual higher than it should be cholesterol; I was in pretty good shape. When I called my primary care physician on April 14, I was told that he was on vacation and would see Dr. N, his colleague the next day. The look on Dr. N’s face when he examined my neck was priceless. I could see from his expression that this was no ordinary lump. Strangely, it was as though he was getting a sense of joy that he had a case that was more than someone complaining about a cold. Immediately, he asked questions in rapid fire. Have I been exposed to HIV, experienced a loss of appetite, loss of weight, night sweats, or excessive itching? No, no, no, no, and no I responded. Outside of this protrusion out of my neck, I felt fine. Then I felt like I was transported back to early Rome because all words coming out of his mouth were in Latin. I didn’t understand one thing he was saying. All the words were describing potential diagnoses.
When Dr. N mentioned Lymphoma as a possibility, I knew we had entered into serious territory. Although, he said it could be Sarcoidosis. Sarco who? I thought to myself. Then for some reason my mind slipped to Mary Poppins. I can’t explain it, it’s just the way my mind works. Supercalifragilisticespisarcoidosis.
Dr. N immediately scheduled me for a CAT scan of my neck and chest with IV contrast on April 17. He said that he would have the results within a couple of days and would call me probably Monday or Tuesday of the following week. Now I had to go home and share this with my wife, Betsey. Betsey listened as I tried to explain to her what the doctor said to me. She remained calm and reassuring as we both came to the conclusion that we shouldn’t jump to the worst case scenario until all the tests had been completed. It was a beautiful day and the CAT scan was scheduled for early afternoon so I decided to take the afternoon off after the scan and play a round of golf. My game was going along pretty well until I decided to check my messages on the 17th tee box at 4:30 pm. There were two messages from my wife saying the doctor wanted to talk to me immediately. Well either the news isn’t good or this doctor is really trying to impress me with his customer service, I thought to myself. By the time I received the message the doctor offices were closed. Now, I had to wait through the weekend to find out what he wanted to tell me. Needless to say, holes 17 and 18 were not representative of my best golf…..
The results of the CAT scan indicated that I had a lymphoma. Dr. N. immediately helped me schedule a biopsy of the lump to help determine what type of lymphoma. Unfortunately, the lump shrank just before surgery so the results were inconclusive. That meant that I had to now go through another biopsy of the next most accessible enlarged lymph node which was residing between my lungs. I asked how they were going to do that procedure and he said they were going to make an incision at the base of my throat and then take a device to get the sample. When I heard that was the method of entry, I said no. He said yes. I now have a nice two inch slice at the base of my throat that is healing nicely. I can’t wait to see that bill. I’m sure I could have found many people that would have slit my throat for nothing……
This time there was a pathologist in the operating room to make sure that the tissue sample was enough to determine what type of lymphoma I had. My doctor had the results the next day. He told me that I have B Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. If you want to learn more about this cancer, here is a link: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_Is_Non_Hodgkins_Lymphoma_32.asp There are many different sub-types of B Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. So, next on the schedule are a PET Scan and bone marrow biopsy to determine the type, aggessiveness and stage of the cancer. The important thing to remember is there are many successful treatments with many of these types of cancers.
I am optimistic that we will find one for mine.
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