Here's an update for those not checking my blog...

11/7/2012: PET Scan #3 at the completion of Cycle 4.

11/8/2012:
1:45: My mom and I head on over to EJGH to meet with the doctor to go over the test results from the PET Scan.

2:00: We get there, I head in and sign in. They go over all the questions, to see if anything has changed, nope, it’s all the same, I still live where I live.

2:15: We are called to the back. The nurse takes my vitals, and asks me how everything is going, and if there are any new developments, or pains or changes.

2:45: The doctor comes in and starts going over the PET Scan results with us. He is not too thrilled because the results are showing a new mass in my neck. Everything else is going down, but if this is a new mass, we are going to have to stop the chemo, do a new biopsy to figure out if its the same cancer or something else. If it is the same cancer, then we will have to change the chemo regimen because that means that the chemo is having no effect on the cancer/tumors anymore. We will have to use the MOPP chemo which came before the ABVD and is more powerful, but the only thing is there are drug shortages for those chemo drugs. If it is not the same cancer, we will have to figure out how to treat it. Dr. Page says either way this is not good, and he has not seen this before. Great, just my luck. Dr. Page tells me that he has not met personally with the radiologist yet, but he will be going to meet with him to go over all three PET Scans to see if the mass was on either of the other PET Scans. He tells me that he will call us as soon as he finds out something, as I have another doctor’s appointment for 3:30.

3:15: We head on out, with not the greatest news, but waiting on a call back. We drive to the parking garage closer to the other doctor’s office. I check in, and am seated in the hallway so that I don’t have to be around the others who are there because they are sick.

3:30: We are called into the patient room.

3:32: My mom gets a call on her cellphone, it’s Dr. Page, he briefly talks to her, and then talk’s to me. The good news is that he found the mass on the original PET Scan, but it really didn’t show up as much on the second PET Scan, why, he is not sure, there are many factor’s with the timing of the second PET Scan being the day after a chemo infusion, which is not a good thing, and also my sugars were about 180 going into that PET Scan which is not a good thing either. However, it is good that he found it, and he said for me to continue my Chemo treatment scheduled for Monday. I get off the phone with him as Dr. Jacob is waiting to see me.

3:37: I update Dr. Jacob on my PET Scan and give him a copy of the PET Scan for his records. I then explain to him about my coughing, which is also waking me up and keeping me up sometimes at night. Also the last time I coughed this morning made me get a headache and pressure in my head. Also I asked for some sleeping pills on the nights that are not my Chemo week to help me try to get back into a regular sleep pattern on those weeks. I also asked for some cough syrup to help me stop coughing at night. He also prescribed me some antibiotics and some Alegra D. I then mentioned to him the findings of my last PET Scan that said something about having a paralyzed vocal cord. He said that he had a machine that he could look down my throat to see my vocal chords, but he doubts they are paralyzed. He then sprays this solution up both of my nostrils, which tastes disgusting as it drips down my throat. He then leaves the room for about 15 minutes while the solution numbs my nose and throat. He then comes back in, turns on the machine, hooks it up, and looks inside both nostrils. He then decides to go up my left one and use that one to go down my throat. He then makes me say A and E in series as he looked at the vibrations and characteristics of the vocal cords as I said those vowels. He then pulled the tube out, and said everything looked fine. He wrote my prescriptions and said that he wanted to see me back in 2 weeks. I thank him for everything as always, and we head out. I make my appointment for the day before Thanksgiving. My mom makes her appointment for the same time as she still has to follow up from her Thyroid removal that he did back in April.

4:30: We are back in the car, and we head back to Dr. Page’s office. I want to get a copy of the first PET scan if possible. I also want to make the appointment for my next meeting with him since we have a better feeling about everything

4:40: We go to the back and get the print outs of the first PET Scan. The nurse says Dr. Page should be out shortly, as he is with a patient. We said that we would wait. Dr. Page is done with the patient, and talks with us briefly again. The game plan as of now is to finish up the 6 cycles of chemo therapy, do another PET Scan and then start Radiation. Dr. Page says I should see him again after the Chemo is done, somewhere the week of January 7th, 2013. He says I should be able to get my oncologist to make the appointment for the next PET Scan. I tell him that my Oncologist office is the one who scheduled the PET scan for the day after my Chemo, which was not the best timing. I even told him that I called his office 3 times about when the PET Scan would be scheduled, and they did nothing to change the timing of the PET Scan. I felt better with him scheduling the PET Scan. He said that he would then have his nurse schedule it in December when they call me up to schedule my January appointment. He also commented that he had a hard time fighting with my insurance company about approving this PET Scan. We wanted to know why they wanted to fight him, and what about so that we could call up and complain to them, but he said not to worry about it, that it is his job to fight them. We thanked Dr. Page again for everything!

5:00: We are heading home.

The results of the PET Scans can be see on my blog.

http://craig.handsfreehelp.com

I am still hanging in there and fighting, just thought I would give everyone an update.

I have been hitting up some Call of Duty 2 at night on my non chemo weeks. My aim has been off, and it doesn't feel the same playing, but I am just trying to enjoy myself and get my mind off of things at night...

Thanks for the continued support as always

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My Lymphoma Blog and Updates:

Hang in there man , you will certainly be in my prayers.

Praying for you and your family! One moment at a time and you will get through.

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Hey Craig you are always in my thoughts and prayers. It sounds like you have a good doctor and great support from your family.

Hang in there and we are always here for you. One day at a time.

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Well ya'll thank you for the continued support and prayers. Today, 12/24/2012, should be my last chemo treatment. I'll be getting infusion 12 of 12 which is the completion of cycle 6 of 6. I'll have another PET scan on 01/09/2013 and I'll get the results on 01/10/2013. I'll also know when they will be scheduling me for radiation treatment on 01/10/2013 as well, so I'll be catching everyone up with that as I find out.

Blah, just thinking of the chemicals getting pumped in can get me queasy and sick...

Oh well!!! Wish me luck, and I'll keep ya'll updated with the results!

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Good Luck and we will keep praying!

Thank you, thank you! In the treatment center right now...

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YOU HANG IN THERE INNOCENT. YOU HAVE TO HELP ME KICK BUTT ON COD2. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND LET'S LOOK TO THE NEW YEAR AS A FRESH START ON THIS FRIKKIN' DISEASE.
BEEN PLAYIN' ON OUR VEHICLE SERVER WITH A GUY FROM THE NETHERLANDS AND WISH YOU COULD BE THERE. HE HAS INTRODUCED ME TO SOME INTERESTING GLITCHES IN THE GAME.
WHEN YOU FEEL UP TO IT I WILL HOP ON VENT WITH YOU.

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After undergoing my pet scan last Wednesday they have found that my chest is looking good, but my necks is flaring up on their scans. They sent me for an MRI on Friday which confirmed the same thing.

So I have another neck Biopsy today at 5:30 PM CST. I'll get some Michael Jackson to put me under, and then they will take another chunk of lymphnodes out my neck and the pathologist will see if its the same cancer or a transformed into a different type of cancer. Then once this is found we will see what treatment, most probably another chemo regimen of different chemo drugs, they will throw at me this time around.

I'll keep you updated on everything, oh joy!

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My Lymphoma Blog and Updates:

Thinking of you Innocent , and will send some prayers up for you ! Stay strong.

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12:30: The doctor comes into my room. I am not looking forward to this. I unbutton my shirt, he empties the drain first. He then proceeds to rip all of the tape off of my skin from my chest and neck and yanks the bandage off of the stitches as well. It hurts like a (#$@#. He then snips the stitches holding the drain line in and then pulls that 6 inches of tubing out form underneath my skin. OOOWWWWW! That really hurt! I feel that burning for a good bit! He then tapes a piece of gauze over the hole where the drain line was to catch any additional drainage that comes out. He then sends me on my way and says that he wants to see me in a week to take those stitches out so I make an appointment for 3:00 next Tuesday.

12:50: We get back to the car in the parking garage and drive out of this garage and over to the garage adjacent to Dr. Veith's office building.

1:00: I sign in at Dr. Veith's office and pay the copay. I then just sit with my mom and sister and talk a few different things over. My appointment is for 2:10, we are just here early.

2:00: We get called to the back. My weight is 272, my oxygen level is 93, my temp is normal and my blood pressure 133/83.

This is what went down yesterday, 2 days after my neck biopsy.

2:10: The doctor steps in. He starts talking to us that the pathologist have not issued the report yet, but are pretty sure its the same Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin's Lymphoma. We go over a number of different options of just treating it with more chemo and if that doesn't work go to a Stem/T Cell transplant. I asked him about trying just the chemo first and then if that didn't work then try the transplant, but he said that the numbers showed the longer you waited for the transplant and the more regimens you through at the body, the numbers, although not significantly, do drop for chances of remission. After much discussion we decide that the Stem/T Cell transplant will be the best option. I will need to come into the hospital 2 or 3 times every 3 weeks for 2-3 days out of the 3 weeks to get a continuous chemo infusion. This will clean out my system and get me prepared for the transplant. I schedule the first dose of this chemo to begin next Tuesday, which means I will stay in the hospital to Thursday. The office staff will call up the insurance company and go over all the specifics with them, and then they will call me up with the scheduling for those days. I make my next appointment to see him again in 5 weeks.

I'll keep you up to date and should be updating the blog more often too.

2:50: We are done talking over everything with Dr. Veith and actually heading out the door now. He did not rush us or anything. He answered all of our questions and could not have been more helpful.

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You hang in there buddy.Scott.

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You are the man. You got this, I believe in you, chin up brother we are here if you need.

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Thank's yall! I am not down in the dumps yet, just a setback in seeing that the 6 months of treatment haven't really yielded anything with an overall success.

So I will be in the hospital, tomorrow, Tuesday, 01/22/2013 to Thursday 01/24/2013. A more potent and different type of chemo they will hit me with.

3 days in the hospital, sounds like my idea of a party, who's going to join me? LOL

Thanks for the continued support and prayers! I'll prob be lurking around during my stay...

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My Lymphoma Blog and Updates:

You are always in our thoughts and prayers. Stay strong. We are here for you.

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