My last chemotherapy was 15 days ago. Eleven days ago I finished the high dose steroids (figure 1) which for me was probably the worst part of the treatment. I am starting to feel more energetic and my stomach feels pretty good. Monday I had a colonoscopy because the lymphoma was initially diagnosed in my …
Author Archives: Saskya
Ringing the finished-with-chemo bell
Yesterday, July 8th, I had the last of 6 chemo infusions. It took 6 hours, again, but I have a bit of a cold so I slept through some of it which was kind of nice. Now I am doing the steroid part of the cycle. I don’t think I will feel like I am …
Chemotherapy infusion five, now also done.
Thursday I had the fifth chemotherapy infusion. It still took all day, from 8:30 to 3:30, because they had to wait to get the go-ahead from the oncologist becuase I had a low blood concentration of neutrophils which are a type of white blood cells that the chemo drugs kill off. Supposedly they decline …
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Infusion four: done
Other than the fact that I start and end up looking nearly normal, at least on the outside, this panorama doesn’t do as good a job as the last one did at depicting the last three week chemotherapy cycle. But it is satisfying to see the dandelions have nearly all progressed from flowers to seeds. …
Lymph nodes looking good
This is a short update for those you wondering about the outcome of the CT and PET scans I had yesterday, at almost the halfway point of the chemotherapy treatment. I had an appointment with the oncologist, Dr. Bael, this afternoon. He showed me the images from before treatment started and from yesterday. There is …
Traveling through space and time (by Saskya)
When Andy showed me this spring dandelion panorama I interpreted it in a related but different way than he did (here is how he saw it, which includes an explanation of how he took the photo). I think it’s a representation of my last 21 day chemotherapy cycle. On the left is me looking intact …
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Positive and negative side effects of chemotherapy
After the last chemotherapy the first five days of prednisone were annoying, and I was vaguely nauseous for about 10 days. I have been feeling pretty well for the last week, which I guess means that it is almost time for the next chemotherapy infusion. That will happen this coming Thursday. Until then I plan …
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Another hair cut and the second round of chemotherapy
Over the weekend my hair was falling out all over the house, alarming me and the other members of the household. Also my scalp hurt as if the hairs moving around, or even their weight, irritated their dying follicles. So Tuesday morning I got Andy to help me shave my head. It feels very strange, …
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Avery
Yesterday I had an appointment with the chemotherapy physicians assistant because it is the middle of the first chemo cycle. I also met with her before the first infusion. Her name is Avery. Everyone working in the oncology office says her name with a swoon as if they are in love. I like her too, …
Hair cut
In anticipation of my hair starting to fall out in a couple of weeks I got a hair cut yesterday. Here is a before-during-and after montage.