Author Archives: cliphoma
Getting by…with a lot of help from my friends
Well, I’m home from cycle 5 – only one more to go! This one went a bit easier (so far) than the last and I’ve had my “back home high” for the last 24 hours. Almost forgot… I wanted to thank all of my fantastic family and friends again. I’ve hardly had a lonely moment […]
Drum Roll Please…
…and the last scan is… CLEAN. No observable disease in the PET/CT scan. Sure, it was expected. Sure, it doesn’t mean there aren’t some errant cells still hanging around waiting for their chance. But I’m clean! Protocol says 2 more cycles now – and I’m a day into the first of the final two here […]
Boring is Good, Right?
Nothing really new to report…just been enjoying my relative lack of any really debilitating symptoms during the last few days before cycle 5 (I’m at Chateau Robles again Th-Mon 10/11-15). I even spent a day in Vegas over the weekend to surprise my good buddy (of nearly 40 years!) Leah. The symptoms after week 1 […]
Cycle 4: Going Home!
Hi All, I should be breaking out of this joint in about an hour and heading home! Cycle 4 seems to be going as well as could be expected. A few days at home will finish the “purge”. I’ll get another scan in a couple of weeks and expect it will be CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN! […]
More About Chemo…Protect Yourself!
Thought you’d enjoy these pictures of the nurses geared up for protection from the stuff they’re just PUTTING INTO MY BODY! I’ve had a great stream of visitors and phone-callers today – not a dull moment in the executive suite! Thanks to all for helping the hours pass more quickly. A number of you have […]
Back in the Corner Suite (#2152)
My frequent guest status is paying off – I got the corner suite (room 2152) this time! Lots of windows, very spacious…I’m all hooked up and ready to party. This time, I even brought the wireless HDMI connection so I can display stuff on the TV from my computer (Netflix, family pics, whatever). So, here […]
The Good Week
It is true – I haven’t had much to say. I’m pretty much out of the fog and enjoying my “good week”. I’ve been working, doing actual stuff. Other than getting tired early/easily, feel like a regular person. What does that mean? It’s almost time to start another cycle, of course! We’ll be taking Jordie […]
My Head is Full of Cotton Balls
The first bag drips into me, following a short path straight to my heart. It takes 3 hours to fill my head with cotton balls. The next four bags take four days to create a labyrinthine rubber band inside my body. I can smell and taste the construction. The rubber band stretches from my intestines to my […]
As Good As It Gets (here)
I’m on my last of four 24-hour infusions of my “miracle poison” (this stuff). By it’s nature, a hospital room, however nice, is not a great place to pass a holiday weekend…but, boy, did I have a lot of family and friends making it as good as it could be! Thanks to everyone for helping […]
Welcome to room 2154 at the Chateau Chemo
Here I am…waiting to start the drip. Didn’t get the corner room again, so only one window… 11:40am: the Rituxan drip begins. This is the good stuff. In a perfect world, the entire R-EPOCH regimen could be administered in about 4 days and 1 hour. It will probably be closer to 4 days plus 8 […]
You May Now Vacate The Premises! (or, how to remove the spots from a Dalmatian…)
First evidence: feeling better == getting better. I have received the results of the full-body PET scan I had Monday showing the difference from before I started chemo (now that 2 R-CHOP cycles are done). Here is an excerpt from the contrast-enhanced images (that show higher metabolic activity of cancer cells vs. normal cells) and […]
Shaken or Stirred?
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while – I’ve been feeling pretty much “normal” (really good, just get tired/achy by 6pm) and have been keeping busy! Nevertheless, with continued encouragement from Tracey (the Wonder Wife) to get additional medical advice, I have not become complacent. Just because I feel good doesn’t mean I’m cured… So, […]
Cliphoma 