Preliminary biopsy of the lump just below the ileocecal valve (ICV) was read as Mantle Cell Lymphoma (same as neck) and therefore I am Stage 3 (defined as cancer on both sides of one's diaphragm), and it is official that I have not, in fact, drawn the 4 (or 5) Aces required to avoid Autologous Stem Cell Transfer in early 2018. Mrs Bloggerj joined me for the appointment. We were sad, though not surprised (since that picture I posted led naturally to pessimistic thoughts).
But, once official, in quieter moments tears came easily (as Drs or Nurses stepped away to fetch papers or whatever). Beyond that there's a enormous amount of busy-work involved in being a patient: scheduling, sequencing, signing waivers. I will ask my employer to cut back to a 4-day/wk commitment. That will clear 2 days/month for chemo, and 2 more for, we hope, time with each child or a family trip or two before Christmas.
Dr is on vacation next 2wks, so she pulled the trigger on chemo start for next week before she goes.
PET scan on Monday will establish a pre-Chemo baseline, and will likely find what the colonoscopy found, and perhaps more (smaller) that had been below the threshold of the CAT. B
Chemo will consist of about 1.5 days every 4 weeks. First two
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