I woke up this morning with nausea, the runs and throwing up yellow bile. I canceled two City of Hope appointments (one a consultation for the Hickman catheter that will be installed next week and one for a CT scan) and then slept for four hours straight.
I'm feeling much better now, just TIRED. It's ironic that the sickest that I've felt has nothing to do with the cancer or the chemo.
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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
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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
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July
(31)
- Whatever happened to Joel?
- Funny Lady Returns to the Ice House in Pasadena
- Next Steps
- What I DIDN'T Do on Vacation
- If it looks like a duck . . . .
- Is it Wednesday yet?
- I thought she'd never leave!
- Vacation from Blogging?
- We're All Connected
- Cancer Banter on Vacation
- GREAT News!
- Talk About a Cliff Hanger
- Pretty in Polka Dots
- A Night at Hotel Hope
- Petty Woman
- "Pole Dancing" Recap
- What a Difference a Doc Makes
- Reminder: "Pole Dancing" at Dutton's, Sunday, 2-4 pm
- What Grows Around, Comes Around
- Day of Rest
- I'm a rarer bird than I thought.
- What is Surrender?
- Diary of a Bald Housewife
- Now You See It, Now You Don't
- Surrender?
- Temperature's Risin' (And so are the blood counts)
- Pole Dancing in Public: Dutton's Bookstore, July 15
- Play to Win
- Happy Hour at City of Hope
- Keep Kicking
- Personal Best, Personal Worst
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July
(31)
Cancer Banter
I can't die. I still have to find the perfect purse.
7 comments:
Don woke up in the night last night, sick to his stomach. Something must be going around.
I hope you recover quickly.
Hope you feel better. Sending hugs, kisses, and prayers from Georgia to California! Will sends a big slobbery kiss, too!
I'm sorry to hear that Don's sick, but I'm relieved to hear that something must be "going around."
Em, I've been loving' the Will blog!
Susan, hope you feel better soon! It sounds like a 24-hour flu bug thing --
Take care,
Lisa C.
Just found your blog and read the whole thing! You are an inspiration!
Hi Susan:
It is Howard from Chicago. I read almost all of your blog last night and I was very impressed ... especially with your headlines. They are almost as good as what I would do! Liza and I send our best wishes and wish you all the best. Talk to you soon. Howard
Susan,
So sorry to hear you are ill. I hope it will pass of quickly and leave you be! I hope you'll be in top form to enjoy your date with stardom on Sunday.
Carolyn
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