Some bad news today. We got the results from last week's spinal tap and they found some cancer cells in my fluid. Totally unexpected, because this was my eight test and they hadn't found any since the first. And they've been giving me chemo into spine to prevent this. How will this affect my treatment plan?
It is already part of the plan to give me radiation over several days to both wipe out any remaining lymphoma cells and to destroy my immune system so that my donor cells will be accepting of their new home. Usually they would block off the radiation going to my head, but now would like to allow some of that radiation to go through. Unfortunately, this could cause some brain damage, which is something I don't need :)
How do I even go about making that decision? The amount of cancer they found is small, but if left unchecked, there is a real possibility of it spreading to places where it is really hard to remove (like my brain). I'll be going through an MRI next week to make sure I don't have any tumors starting up in my skull. Like many big decisions in my life, I'm going to put it off until it has to be made ;)
Before doing the radiation, we're going to try another chemotherapy regime. The Hyper-CVAD is a stronger chemo administered over three days in the hospital, then an additional two days as an outpatient. If it is effective, I may be able to avoid irradiating my brain. My transplant date will be pushed back several weeks to accommodate the extra round of chemotherapy.
Other than that, I've actually had a quite pleasant experience here in Seattle. In between the blood draws, various types of physicals and preliminary tests, Christina and I have gotten to spend lots of time together. She is my best friend and throughout this experience she has really been a rock for me to stay anchored to. She is the yin to my yang and I feel really blessed to have her for my wife.
I'm also grateful to my Heavenly Father. He has not left me to walk this road alone. I have felt his presence in my life and he has given me many friends to walk with. Thanks for being one of them!
