Hello forgotten blog. It's been a while.
As of the 9th, I've finished 16 rounds of chemotherapy. That's more than anyone should ever have to do, and it's more than I care to ever remember.
I'm tired and grumpy and everything hurts. I've started having pain in my hips and the bones in my thighs after the last few rounds, and this last time was no exception.
But I'm mostly over all that. I'm starting to bounce back a bit. Still tired and shellshocked, but I'm bouncing back.
I have a CT scan coming up to document the size of the nodes after "eight cycles of ABVD". I have a PET scan coming up to gauge glucose uptake, and perhaps lead to radiation.
15 percent chance of recurrence in the next two years.
If PET is clean, 2-3 percent chance of recurrence.
Just thought I'd write to thank all those who continue to offer support. I'm sorry I'm running away, but it's pretty much all I know how to do now. I don't update anymore, I got rid of my facebook account, I've deleted a bunch of old email addresses, etc. If I could get away with canceling my cellphone plan, I would.
Life's good, except for when I remember that there is no day in sight when I won't think about cancer. My life changed for ever, and it did not change for the better.
I did some reading on radiation side-effects, and how if it hits the lungs, it causes breathing problems, and if it hits the esophagus, it makes it hard to swallow, causes constant heartburn and coughing fits. I read how people who had radiation for hodgkin's in the past came out with a variety of cancers afterwards. Yeah, I'm pretty depressed about the whole affair.
Also, I thought I'd share a brief non-cancer anecdote. The other day, I was waiting at a red light to turn left. A bus tried to squeeze past me and turn right. In the process, it mangled the front right corner of my car. Then the police officer who came to file the report took my driver's license, and promptly lost it. Now my car's in the shop. I have no car, I have no ID... Tip of the ice berg.
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