Chronicle of a Stem Cell Transplant (and on through to the other side)

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Is This Thing On?

Wow...it's been more than a year since I've written on here, and what a year it's been. At the time of my last post, February 20th, 2007, I had just three days left of radiation and thought that, afterward, I would be well on my way to recovery and would quickly move on with my life "after" cancer. Hmm, slight change in plans. That's not to say that I didn't get on with my life. I certainly have. However, the Hodgkin's decided to stick around and keep me company, not realizing, like an inept house guest, that I'd rather be alone.

While I did recover very well from the stem cell transplant, for whatever reason, it wasn't enough to get rid of the Hodgkin's completely and in June 2007, small spots were found in my hip bone and liver. So, I began chemo again and had more radiation in October, which resolved the bone lesion. Still, this Hodgkin's remains (and I could use any number of creative metaphors here, but let's call it what it is) a relentless mother fucker.

I had no idea when I began this blog that "on through to the other side" would mean looking outside my own country for treatment options. However, whatever it takes, I am willing to do. Just please let it be in Texas and not Alabama. Not that there's anything wrong with Alabama. I'd just rather not receive treatment accompanied by dueling banjos.

Fortunately, our first stop is in Seattle. We will be going down on the 17th to see what their experts have to say. I am also receiving a second opinion from MD Anderson in Houston. By the reaction of the lymphoma "expert" here to our seeking more innovative treatment, you'd think (as I said to a friend the other day) that we were in hot pursuit of voodoo and a magic chicken. That is simply not the case. There are promising clinical trials going on in dozens of centres in the US and we feel that, just because they aren't going on in Canada, or they aren't willing to bring them here, they are most certainly worth exploring. You'd think any informed doctor would think the same thing.