Entering a New Phase

Celebrating with a quick meal at Cavallo Point

Thursday - November 14, 2013

Today's oncology consultation was a wonderful affirmation of all those warm fuzzies that come from discussing no-drama, completely clear, lymphoma-free scans.  YAY!!  Big sigh of relief.  Joe visited UCSF oncology for the first time, participated in the opaque routine of where to put what (in unmarked trays and envelopes) for blood work and vitals, and met my very approachable and reflective oncologist.  In our meeting, we cleaned up a passel of loose ends:

• my scans are now down from every 3 to every 6 months (next scan in April 2014),
• my port is coming OUT (sometime in the next few weeks, date TBD),
• my liver enzymes remain curiously elevated so I am scheduled for a liver ultrasound in the next month, and
• my episodes of nuclear nighttime vomiting are probably NOT a symptom of mozzarella-induced lactose intolerance but are also certainly not a symptom of lymphoma (read: who the hell knows what is going on but maybe it's linked to my liver enzymes; next stop = hepatology).

All reassuring good news. Any (teeny tiny) grains of sand in the vaseline are linked to the repetition of UCSF's view that a Bone Marrow Transplant would NOT have been an appropriate next step in my Stage 4 Large Cell lymphoma treatment plan and that any relapse means an autologous BMT (with its 5% mortality rate) rather than an allogeneic BMT (with its 25% mortality rate).  Say what?  Auto not allo?  Isn't this the conundrum that we faced in July 2012?  I am truly unnerved by how close we came to that allo BMT from VCU.  If I had matched anyone from the registry, I would have ceded my bone marrow to chemo and just rolled right into that high-risk procedure with God knows what outcome....  And mind you we had a second opinion from another esteemed cancer center that allo was the way to go!  Thank you, thank you, thank you Dr. Ambinder at Johns Hopkins! 

So, I embrace my good fortune! I drill down on my gratitude and relief!  I reflect on my amazing great luck.  Friends, community, work, and FAMILY.  That dangerous allo bullet was dodged.  I am healthy, happy, relishing the gift of this BMT-free year, and excited about launching this next stage of health.