First Post-Treatment Scan Incoming!

Let the scanxiety begin, its time!

I get my first post-treatment PET scans next Monday. For those who didn't follow the original blog, PET scans involve getting injected with a radioactive sugar. Cancer cells apparently chow down on sugar faster than most other cells in the body, so you get the injection, hang out for an hour, then get a scan. Cancer pops out on the scans as black masses. Here's a copy of a PET slide from my diagnosis back in October to show you what I mean.

Here's the situation: The odds are spectacularly in my favor that it will be nice, clean, and boring. We're talking 95% or so chance its clean. However, if you're going to relapse from Hodgkin's, its going to usually be in the first two years (after that, its Double Secret Probation rare).

Second, if you're going to relapse, you really don't want to do it in the first six months. To put it bluntly... The odds ain't good, even with secondary and tertiary treatments. So yeah, Suzanne and I are a little scared going into the scan, great odds or not.

Now, its not a guaranteed death sentence if this doesn't go well. We can still be cured with a stem cell transplant (using my own stem cells - rest easy Brian, Tracy, and Billy haha, you're off the hook still haha). However, THAT cure rate is a coin toss - about 50%, and being diagnosed in the first 3 months makes it worse. That's not to scare anyone, that's just the stone cold statistics of the thing. And an explanation on why Ativan is my friend at night again.

Again, the expectation of everyone (including my oncologist) is this will be perfectly fine. However, that doesn't take the fear away for one minute. Sometimes I wonder if that nagging fear will ever go away completely.

Speech! Speech!

Last Tuesday, I gave my speech at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night kickoff. For those who don't know, Light the Night is a big fundraiser for the LLS, as well as a walk to honor those with blood cancers, as well as those who lost their fight. The kickoff was for team captains and corporate fundraisers. I was scheduled in to be the featured speaker.

It was held at T. Burkes in King of Prussia to honor the owner, who recently passed on from leukemia. I thought that was an incredible offering by the bar / restaurant, as the food was incredible as was the room they gave us.

Prior to my speech, they showed a video showcasing last year's Light the Night. Suzanne was in tears, and I started getting a little choked up. NOT how I wanted to go onstage. I held it together, and gave a decent 10 minute speech (at least I was told it was good!) on my story, and why supporting the LLS is as important as it is. That was the easy part.

I enjoyed it, and if it helped motivate one person in that room to raise more funds, then it was worth every minute.

Speaking of, I will have a link over to the side with my team pretty soon, and you can donate online! Please think of donating for my team, as my family will be walking this October.

Vacation!

So, two weeks ago we went on vacation, up to Ricketts Glen State Park (PA). Let me tell you, it was absolutely amazing up there.

We left on Sunday, so as a bonus all of the traffic was heading home, as we headed up into the mountains. It only took us about two and a half hours to get there and while they are relatively low mountains (hey, we don't have the Rockies in Pennsylvania), there was about a 10-15 degree temperature difference. Well, guess who doesn't remember to bring pants? Yeah. Shorts, I have. Pants? Hey, its summer, who needs pants, right?

By Wednesday, I drove 40 miles to around Bloomsburg to buy a pair of sweats. Mosquitos and 50 degree temps will do that to you.

The main attraction of Ricketts Glen is the Waterfall Trail, about 4 miles of almost-climbing into and out of a gorge, with 22 waterfalls along the way. It was absolutely gorgeous, and just the exercise I needed. I also had the smaller rugrat on my back the whole time, so I did the trail with 50 lbs. on my back. Suzanne gets an honorable mention for also attaching full water bottles to the pack, adding a few more on. Hell, just put a saddle on my back and give me a feedbag why don't ya?

I thought we were going to run out of stuff to do, but WOW - No way. We hiked, went boating on the lake, picked blueberries (this place had wild blueberry bushes EVERYWHERE)... Didn't need anything else. We all had a blast.

Speaking of the blueberries, I figure we each ate about two pints of blueberries ourselves while there, then brought home a pint or two as well. Having picked them, I'm glad there are others that have to do so commerically. It reminds me of eating steamed crabs, or unpeeled shrimp - Lots of work for a little reward.

While it was chilly at night, we couldn't have asked for better weather. It didn't rain until the morning we left. Couldn't ask for more.

Oh, and before anyone thinks I'm a camera hog -- Unfortunately, we didn't have electric at the campground like we were told we would, so the battery died a couple days in. Sue was taking pictures while I carried Steven, so... Yeah, she got out of the photos. Not my fault.

Been Gone Awhile

Hey, sorry I've been gone awhile! I'm back though! I have a few things to catch everyone up on - Our vacation, a few scares (but nothing to worry about - I'm fine).

I'm going to nix the IT stuff. Frankly, I'm back to work - Meaning if I get 10 minutes to write something, I'm really not in the mood to write about... Work. If I got paid to blog some, then that's something else, but I don't.

So, I'll keep the posts coming a little more frequently!