Results; no cancer was discerned in the CT Scan images.

I won't be released to "maintenance" treatment, however, until I have no lingering side effects, which have been identified as:

Impared executive function (impared learning and focus), which we will address with 30 minutes of uninterrupted book-reading per day followed by writing a summary of exactly 3 sentences. I managed 27 minutes of solid reading before peeking at the timer. (Thanks Tim M. for Ron Chernow's Grant biography!)

Gastro distress. I will stop my antiviral to see if it has been an irritant. I will cut my milk consumption and focus on lactaid and Kefir when I do. Also will do pre-biotic soluble fiber (oats, citrucel) followed by probiotic fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir).

Chemo is generally hard on the GI tract, and the effects can especially linger in the fine structures of the intestines (and the particular digestive processes that happen there).

IGR and IRR are things (enzymes?) That are produced by gut lymphocytes that keep down bad bacteria in the gut. The problem can be that the bad bacteria get entrenched in the interval where the BEAM chemo has wiped out all lymph cells. Sometimes the good bacteria naturally succeed in recolonizing, but sometimes a special (non absorbable) antibiotic is used to knock out the bad gut colonies to clear a spot for good recolonizing.

Ear canal pain. This may be scar tissue in my right neck (where the lymphoma began and was most present) messing up my right eustachian tube. My right ear hurt like crazy on my recent airline flight--recalling the pain that all kids risk when flying--and it still hurts occasionally if touched wrong. We will begin with heat treatment---funny because that's exactly the treatment I tried for a month a year ago hoping my cancer was just a matter of drainage!