April 27, 2012

First appointment with Dr. Glenn, Hematological Oncologist.  Diagnosis: Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, B-Cell, Indolent.  They key word is indolent:  low grade, slow-growing.  THANK BUDDHA!

I'm INDOLENT, not aggressive!

Next steps:

• Lab work
• PET scan (to be scheduled)
• CT scan (to be scheduled)
• Chest x-ray (to be scheduled)
• Bone marrow biopsy (May 30, 2012) 

All of the above will enable Dr. Glenn to stage the lymphoma (I, II, III, or IV), which will then determine a treatment strategy.  Depending on where all this shit is in my body, treatment can vary from “watch and wait” to chemo, radiation, immunotherapy, and/or surgery.  If it’s confined to the lymphatic system and not spread to blood, marrow, or organs and I’m not experiencing any side effects from the cancer (which I’m currently not), “watch and wait” is the approach.  Once it evolves into a treatable stage, other treatment options are pursued. 

So…..right now I’m waiting.  Waiting, but certainly NOT putting my life on hold.  There’s still my job to go to, lawns to be mowed, dog poop to pick up, hiking boots to lace up and a desert to explore.  Life goes on, you know?  I’ll go through this like I’ve always done, one step at a time, and get to the other side.

Of course, no self-respecting Lympho Pixie would venture out to her first Oncology appointment without the company of her entourage:

Amanda and Lauren, with matching photos of Jake on their phones.
They are SO in love with our dog!!!

April 22-26, 2012

In San Francisco for training for work, and anxiously waiting for a call from my primary physician with the referral to the oncologist.  Finally they call with the appointment date:  Friday, April 27. 

I indulge in a little talisman gathering in Chinatown and return home with three additions to my lymphoma arsenal:


Medicine Buddha, who sits on a glass butterfly plate by my bedside.

Wood bead tassel with Chinese symbols for good health.

Yellow kimono, embellished with a dragon for strength and a phoenix for rising out of the ashes.
And yellow because of its positivity, nourishment, and celebration of life.
(Sorry for the crappy photo.....)

  

April 20, 2012

My “official” initiation into the Cancer Club of Lymphoma Warriors – celebrated by going out with Carol Ann, Amanda, and Lauren.  Carol Ann put together a huge gift bag full of wonderfully meaningful self-pampering goodies and a beautiful letter (and thank you Ryan for picking out such a magnificent bag!).

Goodies!

April 17, 2012

“Terry, you’re going to be busy the next few weeks.  Are you sitting down?”  The call from my primary physician with the result of the biopsy wasn’t a surprise – I fully suspected he’d have not-so-great news.  “You have lymphoma.”

Now it was definite, real, concrete.  But, that’s how I deal best with things.  I hate ambiguity and vagueness.  I need certainty, sureness.  So this news was, for me, a relief in a way.  No more “What if it’s lymphoma?”  “What if it’s something else?”  Now I had a direction to go in.  And, in the words of a wise spiritual leader, “Always moving forward.  Always one foot in front of the other.”

Lymphoma.  At this point, I didn’t know what type (Hodgkin’s or Non-Hodgkin’s) or sub-type.  But one thing I knew for sure is that lymphoma is not a death sentence.  Being an info junkie, I had been researching my brains out since the first mention of the word “lymphoma” in the ER on March 10.  Most important, however, has been the presence in my life of an amazing angel and lymphoma warrior, my LaLa, Carol Ann.  She underwent her own battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and royally kicked its ass, and is now eight years cancer-free.  Her strength, exceptional positivity, and unfailing huge heart throughout her diagnosis, treatment, and beyond are, for me, the ultimate in showing how to fight this disease and win.  Yes, she was sick during chemo, yes she lost her hair for a time - but that was then.  Now she’s competing in freaking TRIATHLONS and traveling the globe!

I certainly couldn't have known it then, but watching Carol Ann’s journey through lymphoma was laying the foundation for how I would react to my own diagnosis.  Because of her, my first thought was “Lymphoma?  No biggie.  Bring it!”