EPOCH-C

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2008 09:38 PM, CDT
I didn't go to the hospital today, but I got a lot of information. My parents went to meet with my treatment team, and I chose not to go so I could handle other business. I also will be spending a lot of time at the hospital tommorow, so I enjoyed not being there today.
The report back from my parents was that the biopsy last Friday gave good information. The nature of Grey Zone lymphoma is that it has signs of Hodgkins Disease and Non Hodgkins Lymphoma(NHL). My current tumor did not have signs of CD20 cells, which are the marker for B cell lymphoma. So the treatment I went through last year appears to have been successful in eliminating the aspects of my tumor that more closely resembled NHL. Therefore my current tumor is closer to Hodgkins Disease than the previous growth I had last year. However, the doctors are still classifying my tumor as Grey Zone lymphoma and not Hodgkins disease.
The best news about receiving results from the biopsy is that I should be able to start treatment tommorow. I will continue to receive EPOCH, the same base regimen that I received last time. I also received Rituxan last year, but don't think I will be receiving it this time around. Rituxan is an CD20 antibody, and since there is no presence of CD20 cells in my tissue sample, it doesn't appear to be necessary. There was evidence of CD52 cells, which are treated in Leukemia patients with Campath. The plan from my treatment team is to include Campth with this regimen of treatment. Campath has a lot of side effects and reading about them doesn't give me a reassuring feeling. However, my father explained that Leukemia patients will receive about 1000 mg of Campath over the course of their treatment, and I will be receiving only 30 mg per cycle. I am also younger than most Leukemia patients, so the likelihood of serious side effects should not be as big of an issue with my treatment. That was confusing and the best I could describe this issue. The science that goes into this process is truly amazing.
So tommorow is my big day. All of the talk ends, and I get down to curing this bitch for good. I have a Pet Scan tommorow, which isn't a big deal after undergoing two of these in the last year. My veins get filled with radioactive liquid, and some extremely detailed pictures of the cancer in my body will be taken. This should give the doctors an even better idea of what they are dealing with. I have a meeting with my doctors in the afternoon, and barring any unforseen obstacles I will have a PICC line inserted into my arm sometime before or after that meeting. That will leave some tubes hanging from my arm...kind of strange.
I'll start on my first medication, Prednisone, which is a steroid. That drug is legit, and makes me crave food like an addict. It helped me get back to a healthy weight last time around, but since I haven't shrank this time around, I wonder if it will make me put on extra weight. Oh well...there are worse side effects. Twelve hours after I take the prednisone they will start me on the Campath for 12 hours. That will keep me in the hospital overnight tommorow, which is usually not a fun thing. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep through it. After that I'll get my fanny pack and chemo bag for the next 4 days of chemotherapy joy!
Today has brought me several different feelings. I'm happy because I know I'll be able to start treatment right away and not let this cancer grow any more inside of me. However, the reality of all of the crappy issues I have to deal with is finally setting in. Well...I've got no other choice, so here it goes. Thanks for your prayers and support!