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March 2008 - Sometimes I feel like a wig.
Sometimes I don't.
Up a tree and feeling on top of the world
Blog Designed by
Be the Match!
Links
- About Stem Cell Transplants
- Asians for Miracle Marrow Match (A3M)
- City of Hope
- City of Hope: Donating Blood or Platelets
- Daily Survival Guide for Serious Illness (Gilda's Club and the Tom McDermitt Fund)
- Histopathology of MCL
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- Lymphoma Information Network
- Lymphoma Research Foundation
- Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium
- National Cancer Institute
- Your Brain After Chemo
What does a writer do when she finds out she has stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma? She blogs. Because, as everyone knows, cancer sucks, but blogging rocks.
On January 26, 2007, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma (blastic variety), a rare, aggressive and treatment-resistant form of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
My team at the City of Hope decided to bring out the big guns - six rounds of Hyper CVAD followed by an autologous stem cell transplant. I bounced back after each round of chemo, but my blood counts didn't.
After four rounds we called chemo quits and started collecting stem cells for the auto stem cell transplant. The harvesting took three tries, two drugs and eight weeks, but I finally eked out the minimum two million stem cells.
After megadoses of chemo, I received my stem cells on November 14 and 15, 2007. I bounced back almost immediately. Best of all, I achieved complete remission from the Mantle Cell Lymphoma.
In January 2008, I was hospitalized for 11 days for chemo-induced pneumonia. I bounced back.
In the summer of 2008, my eosinophils (a component of the white blood cells) rose to dangerous levels and infiltrated my lungs and GI tract. My weight dropped to 105 pounds, and I was incapacitated for nearly three months. Once again, I bounced back.
I continue to make monthly visits to the City of Hope for blood tests and check ups, quarterly visits for maintenance Rituxan and semi-annual visits for scans.
I'm still in remission and have more energy than ever. And about that perfect purse? I keep looking.
Here are a few other things keeping me busy:
My food blog, Open Mouth, Insert Fork
My consulting business, A New Leaf Communications
The Orange Cat, a site for family fun in the San Gabriel Valley
A3M - Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches
YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley
IWOSC - Independent Writers of Southern California
On January 26, 2007, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma (blastic variety), a rare, aggressive and treatment-resistant form of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
My team at the City of Hope decided to bring out the big guns - six rounds of Hyper CVAD followed by an autologous stem cell transplant. I bounced back after each round of chemo, but my blood counts didn't.
After four rounds we called chemo quits and started collecting stem cells for the auto stem cell transplant. The harvesting took three tries, two drugs and eight weeks, but I finally eked out the minimum two million stem cells.
After megadoses of chemo, I received my stem cells on November 14 and 15, 2007. I bounced back almost immediately. Best of all, I achieved complete remission from the Mantle Cell Lymphoma.
In January 2008, I was hospitalized for 11 days for chemo-induced pneumonia. I bounced back.
In the summer of 2008, my eosinophils (a component of the white blood cells) rose to dangerous levels and infiltrated my lungs and GI tract. My weight dropped to 105 pounds, and I was incapacitated for nearly three months. Once again, I bounced back.
I continue to make monthly visits to the City of Hope for blood tests and check ups, quarterly visits for maintenance Rituxan and semi-annual visits for scans.
I'm still in remission and have more energy than ever. And about that perfect purse? I keep looking.
Here are a few other things keeping me busy:
My food blog, Open Mouth, Insert Fork
My consulting business, A New Leaf Communications
The Orange Cat, a site for family fun in the San Gabriel Valley
A3M - Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches
YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley
IWOSC - Independent Writers of Southern California
March 2008 - Sometimes I feel like a wig.
Sometimes I don't.
January 2009
Up a tree and feeling on top of the world
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2007
(286)
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March
(40)
- Tuesday Discharge
- Colon Clean as a Whistle
- She's BAAAACK!
- Janet Aird is taking down names!
- A Look on the Bright Side at Hotel Hope
- Drugs? Susan likey!
- Provide a ride?
- News from "the inside"
- Finding chemo...
- Get me to the hospital on time!
- A Day of Cleansing
- What a send off!
- Celebration Time
- The Headlines
- Your cancer correspondent
- Striking Gold
- Visiting at City of Hope
- I Heart City of Hope
- These Are a Few of My Favorite Foods (Part 1)
- Tara the Terrific!
- A Twist in the Plot
- Bon Voyage
- "Before You Die" Books and Finding the Perfect Purse
- What's in YOUR Back Yard?
- I Second That Opinion
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered
- Hyper CVAD, Hyperactivity
- Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
- Calendar Girl
- Just the Facts, Ma'am
- It's Crunch Time!
- Chemo Klatch
- Giving Up Selfishness
- Holy Guacamole
- Avocados, Anyone?
- Funny Lady
- It Aint Easy Being Green
- What About George?
- Bad to Good to Great
- What's Worse Than a Root Canal?
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March
(40)
Cancer Banter
I can't die. I still have to find the perfect purse.
17 comments:
"my colon is cancer-free!"
I think you should really spread the word—and put that on a t-shirt. Heh, heh, heh.
Nighty-night.
what a great visit, susan
tack sharp
sharper than I am on a good post yoga day
karen and I just watched you being strong
and amazing
remarking on the way home
that we want to be like you
xo
skye
skye
(It's Mrs. Duck.) Yay!!!! I'd say more, except that I just got in to work, after three hours sleep, and I have a deadline to meet! I'll check in again later.
Wow - so much in such a short time. Just was able to steal a moment away from Shane (things are going better than expected - whew!!!). I can't believe how much is going on. I've been thinking about you constantly. So far sounds like you're kicking some chemo butt!!!!! Well, off to steal a moment to stare off at the few feet of snow that pounded us all day yesterday - sun is shining today - beautiful.
Thinking of you often.
D
Woo hoo! Clean AND Cancer free!
Who knew your colon news could make me so happy!
PS: On a nutritional note, I'm imagining what you could have for breakfast while I add ground flax seed to my NF Light yogurt which is making a paste. Eeeeek.
I felt so good this morning that I ordered the most fattening thing on the breakfast menu - biscuits and gravy. This grub does not hold a candle to Bob Evans' and their famous bisucuits with sausage gravy. (You east of the Mississippi folks will know what I mean.)
The last time I ate at Bob's was at a family breakfast before my niece's wedding at the Ogelby Resort in West Virginia three years ago. Their biscuits and gravy are so arty-clogging that every three years is my quota.
Great news Susan. We are thinking of you and are relieved to hear that you are tolerating the treatments. You are so amazing!!!
Thanks to Paula for the updates as well.
Love from all here, Carla
Yay! Go colon!! :-)
Susan,
Great colonoscopy results! Glad the procedure is "behind" you (sorry, couldn't resist. I'll spare you the joke about finding Jimmy Hoffa...)
Susan, I love your attitude of gratitude -- a clean colon and biscuits 'n gravy are the best of news! Jane
Great news, Sis!!! If I didn't know better, it sounds like your partying. Every milestone is a cause for celebration.
Just for fun, say this quote in a W.C. Fields voice: "Oh yes, I remember it well, the Bob Evans breakfast before Maude's wedding..........I actually heard us getting fatter." I can overnight some Bob Evans' biscuits and gravy if you'd like. As a matter of fact, I know what I'm having for dinner tonight.
Did you know our family lived on the Isle of Skye? I thought it was pretty cool your friend spells her name S-K-Y-E. Very scottish.
My sources in Catfish Hollow tell me to try Takumi for the best sushi in LA. Its sushi bar is headed by Hiro, who spent the last eight years at Sushi Gen. It's located at the southwest entrance of Little Tokyo, on 2nd street. Have you heard about it?
Awesome news, Susan.
I guess that means they didn't find any gerbils either! Oh, I just couldn't resist.
Can you tell I've been watching too many "Scrubs" and "Grey's Anatomy" reruns?
Hugs to you, my brave buddy.
Hooray for the good news!
Margaret
I can no longer remember life without Google, nor can I imagine not being able to instantly find at least some information about something I need to know this very instant, or having a pique of curiousity that must be salved, or just plain boredom that can be relieved by googling something of minor interest.
Did you know, for example, that you can do an inter-active colonosopy on-line?
Glad to hear that you're squeaky clean, Susan!
Cyber Hugs, Dianne
Sooooo glad your colon is not full of it!! love ya!!
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