Hello From Cancer Care

Good morning! I am at Cancer Care today receiving a treatment. It took a little while to get started as we waited for the blood test results but they finally came back. My white count was okay and the liverr functions were perfectly normal so the drugs are now running through my port. I arrived at 9:00 and will be here until around 4:00. They did decide not to give me the Vincristine because it is causing too much neuropathy in my hands and feet. I am three weeks out from my last treatment and am still having trouble feeling my fingers. The doctor assures me that withholding this medication will not impact my outcome (remission).

I saw the cancer doctor on Monday. He gave me the best news. Today will be my last treatment. I have done so well and my progress has been more than they expected so my 21 day treatments will be stopped. I will however come in twice a year - for the rest of my life - for "remission treatments" of Rituxan. The treatments will be given three weeks in row, twice a year. This will hopefully and prayerfully keep me in remission.

I was SO EXCITED to get this news because the plan was for me to receive treatments through September. I kept saying to the doctor, "are you sure". He was excited too as they do not see these results from every follicular lymphoma patient. They are hopeful that this treatment will not be as hard on me as the last one was. The doctor feels strongly that the two infections I had and the low white blood cell count caused the severe reaction.

So next month I will go for a PET Scan and a C-Scan. If the results of those two tests are good then they will set me up with a schedule to come back in the fall to begin my remission treatments. I am told that there is a 90% success rate of staying in remission with these treatments. There is no cure. The best I can get is a remission. How long that remission lasts is anyone's guess. It could be 6 months to a year or as high as 25 years (and everything in between). I will take the remission and am not going to concern myself with how long. I will continue as I have....living, thinking, acting as though I do not have cancer,

So that is m update for now. The pre-chemo drugs are beginning to work me. I am very sleepy so I am going to close for now.

Thanks to everyone for their support. Your prayers have been heard!

I will perhaps post more later.

Hugs to all!
Doris