MD Andersen

Dad completed his first day of a two-day visit to MD Andersen Cancer Center in Houston. The lymphoma specialist there shared new insight and wants to do further testing. Apparently, Dad's 2nd cancer (the aggressive one) is more aggressive than previously thought. Because of that, the doctor in Houston recommends a more aggressive form of chemotherapy (not R-CHOP). The doctor also plans on doing a spinal tap and other tests to determine what kind of neurological effects the cancer has had on Dad (if any). Apparently there are some vision symptoms going on, and often that's related to neurological involvement of the cancer. Because MD Andersen wants to do a more thorough assessment of Dad's cancer, they are going to perform multiple tests tomorrow. They will then schedule a time for Dad to return in a week or two to complete the assessment and come up with a game plan. Mom and Dad are, once again, relieved that they made the trek out to Houston and feel like they're in the right place. We are so grateful for the support that they have down there with Dane and Emily. We are also grateful for caring, intelligent doctors who are taking care of Dad.

YAY FOR TOLERATION!

Dad had 4 more hours of chemo treatments on Friday, and luckily, his body handled it well. He is feeling really good this weekend, and he and Mom have been able to run errands and make some visits with friends. They're so grateful that Dad isn't in bed. He will return to work on Monday, then they'll head to Houston mid-week to seek a second opinion. They'll skip up to Utah after their Houston trip to look at homes in the Salt Lake City area. Hopefully, the next 3 weeks will be fairly slick, given that Dad already feels so good.

Day One Continued

Dad started his chemo treatment first thing this morning, and he ended up being the last patient to leave. A few hours into treatment, he had an allergic reaction to the rituximab. They had to stop treatment and give him oxygen. Once the reaction dissipated, they started treatment again at a much slower intake rate. He put in a full 8-hour day of chemo treatment, and he gets to go back tomorrow and do it all over again.

Chemo Day One

In order to keep all of us current on Dad's cancer treatments and condition, I've started this blog. I'll try to update it at least weekly.

As most of you know, Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma at the end of May. Specifically, it was diagnosed as indolent B-cell lymphoma that originated in his bone marrow. It transformed into an aggressive form of B-cell and follicular lymphoma once it travelled to his lymph nodes and other body organs. Other than being winded during his 6 to 8-mile runs, he has been healthy and strong. He felt a lump in his neck back in February, but waited to see if it would dissipate. When it didn't, and after getting an intense case of laryngitis, he called the doctor. That was in April. They couldn't fit him in until May, and that's when they discovered other lumps in his body, performed an x-ray, and found it in his chest cavity.

The next several weeks consisted of biopsies and tests to determine the specific cancer and extent of spread.

Dad started his first chemotherapy treatment today. He will be in the chemo chair for 6 hours while they administer rituximab. He'll go in tomorrow to receive the 4 other chemotherapy drugs. After this treatment, he'll travel to MD Andersen Cancer Center in Houston to get a second opinion. Based on their advice, he'll either stay on the same regimen or alter it based on new information from MD Andersen. Until we hear otherwise, he'll receive chemotherapy treatments every 3 weeks for 24 weeks.

Mom and Dad are grateful for all of the support and are also grateful to have each other. Mom can truly sympathize with every single thing that Dad is going through. Hang in there and be strong. We love you!