Scuba Strong: Chemo Round II

First I would like to thank all of you that have sent cards, emails, letters and brought stuff by. Steve and I are so grateful for everyone’s help and support …thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Today was round II of chemotherapy and so far it has been a lot better than the last round so let’s keep our fingers crossed. Prior to treatment we meet with Dr. Beck to go over anything new that has happened since last week and to complete another physical exam. Last week Steve felt AWESOME! After the physical exam she was very impressed with the progress Steve is making a mentioned that his lymph nodes have decreased in size by 50%. She stated that if everything internally is responding as well as she thinks it is Steve may only need FOUR months of chemotherapy instead of six!!! So with that being said we will continue with 3 more rounds of chemotherapy (including todays) then have a follow up PET scan. Back to the treatment room we when to meet with Shelley where she completed lab work and confirmed everything looks good to go ahead and start chemo. Steve’s lab work looked great with only his WBC a little low but nothing concerning. All in all nothing exciting which is GREAT news…..Oh unless hearing you husband yell from the shower this morning, “I GOT HAIR”! I go running in the bathroom thinking he is got a hand full of hair but what he meant was he still has hair after 14 days. Yes he is a little nervous about losing his hair and says if he does he is buying a JO DIRT wig.

***NOTE: Changing blog name from Steve’s Journey Beating Hodgkin’s Lymphoma to Scuba Strong…per Steve’s request.

Brief history for newbies...

In July 2011 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma Stage IIB Bulky at the age of 32. August 10, 2011 I received my first of twelve doses of ABVD chemotherapy (6 cycles of chemotherapy = 12 doses). After 4 doses I had a clean PET scan and it was decided to drop down to 8 doses instead of 12 then after 8 doses prior to starting radiation I had another PET scan and there was metabolic uptake which lead the doctors to believe there may be disease still residing in my chest cavity so we continued chemotherapy for the full 12 doses. After completing chemotherapy I had another PET scan prior to starting radiation and the metabolic uptake increased even more than the previous scan and it also showed it had possibly spread to my T6 vertebrae. Next I had a MRI and surgery by a Thoracic Surgeon that confirmed by a biopsy of the tumor, lymph nodes and a cyst on my heart sac that everything was
benign. NO CANCER! I have now gone on and completed 18 rounds of radiation and I am in REMISSION! (4/9/2012)

If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma I hope this site gives you hope that you to can beat this! I will be updating as I reach new milestones post treatment and until the day (5 years from now) I can proudly say I am CURED!

2 comments:

Jeff WinterAugust 24, 2011 at 7:45 PM
This is great news. Stay strong Scuba Steve and know that our prayers are with you and your family. I was in a meeting today with a Women who is going through treatments for cancer, and she spoke about her possitive attitude as the healer for her body. The medicine and treatments were just there to speed up the process. Keep your positive attitude and let God take care of the rest. The Joe Dirt wig will help also!
AlAugust 29, 2011 at 4:52 PM
WOW!!! This great news and very encouraging by how well Steve is doing. I hope and pray for the best outcome for both of you. Steve looks great and thank you for coming and celebrating Linda's birthday with us it is great to see you both. I know Steve will kick ass and beat this so hang in there and keep the faith. Remember the best is yet to come. Take care

Family

Chemo Round II

2 comments: