Showing posts with label Malt lymphoma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malt lymphoma. Show all posts

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Chemo Is Over

I had my last (hopefully, forever!) round of chemo on April 16th! WhooooHoooo! My PET scan showed I am clear! So no more prednisone, thank goodness! I hate that stuff! I am still not over it's effects!

I have to thank everyone at the UNM Cancer Center in Las Cruces! They are a wonderful bunch of people....always ready and willing to answer any question at any time.

I will still have to go in every six months for 2 years for a Retuxan treatment. It is a targeting drug. It is supposed to ensure that the cancer does not come back.

I have gained weight and am eating like a normal person again. When I started the chemo treatments I weighed 110 lbs. Now, I weigh about 130 lbs. Some of this might come off after all the drugs clear my system. The prednisone causes a lot of bloating and swelling (mostly around my middle!). I never thought I would be happy to put on weight! Now I need to get on an exercise regime.

I am going to visit my son, Geoff, in Honolulu on June 18th. I will be gone for three weeks! I plan to take some leisurely hikes and lie on the beach a lot! I think the sea water will be really good for me. We have had absolutely no rain since December here in the desert! Our humidity ranges on the average at about 5%. It will be nice to get my skin hydrated again! I am really looking forward to this trip!

I will probably post again while I am in Hawaii and will include some photos! So, until then, Aloha!

Monday, January 7, 2008

Prospects for 2008

2008 is here and I have some health issues to take care of. I have been going back and forth to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona since October. I have had a lot of tests done and they finally came up with a diagnosis in December. I have what is known as MALToma or MALT lymphoma, a non-hodgkins lymphoma in the stomach. That was quite a shock to hear! No one in my family has ever had cancer and I wasn't prepared. So, I begin chemotherapy on January 14th. I will hopefully be through with chemo by the beginning of May. After that, I hope I can begin to put on weight again and feel like eating again.