I've never been so excited to visit the dentist in all my life.
I've been cleared to have my teeth cleaned, something I usually forget to do, but in this case it was a highly speculative appointment set back in January. I'd always thought I'd have to cancel it--dental work has a lot of opportunity for infection if you're immuno-compromised, and they generally say "not in the first year"
Also, I was cleared to swim. This happened before I went to the beach, actually, and forgot to blog about it. There were two precautions: 1) a belly-shot of neupogen (boosting stem cell production, and ultimately the whole white-cell family) and 2) no bare feet on deck
Basically, they worry about cuts in the mouth and cuts on the feet as being in places where there are a lot of bacteria, and slightly different ways the body heals things.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Monday, June 18, 2018
Now its "Maintenance", bi-monthly, til 2020
Once again, my CT shows clear of cancer. This was actually not a regularly-scheduled one, though, it was because as I begin my "maintenance" phase, I had elevated liver numbers--my liver was clear, too (recall that you can't "PET" a liver because it metabolizes sugar right alongside cancer).
We don't have any good theories as to why the liver numbers were elevated, but it is true that they went down when I stopped taking my Chlorella and Spirulina (two superfoods that are good for your immune system). The nice people at Beth Israel knocked me off them because they were *too good* for my immune system (which they were trying to wipe out at the time). Now they've knocked me off them because they are suspected as being bad for my liver.
But here we go on "maintenance" immunotherapy--targeted to trick my body into thinking that any mutant lymph cells are a disease I've had before. Rituxan every 2 months for the next 24 months.
Next up, August back at Harvard Vanguard in the Fenway. Its an easier place to go now that the super-specialized care at Beth Israel is no longer needed. HV is perfectly capable of dosing me with a big bag of stuff. And they have better WiFi
October, I will, however, go back to BI for a 4 month check in.
On a personal note, I'm crazy-busy with Data Science projects. If you know anyone with a big pile of data that it's nobody's job to look at, let me know.
I'm also completely comfortable on my bike again, climbing hills and doing "Cambridge commute" type rides in the 6-mile, 35-minute range.
We don't have any good theories as to why the liver numbers were elevated, but it is true that they went down when I stopped taking my Chlorella and Spirulina (two superfoods that are good for your immune system). The nice people at Beth Israel knocked me off them because they were *too good* for my immune system (which they were trying to wipe out at the time). Now they've knocked me off them because they are suspected as being bad for my liver.
But here we go on "maintenance" immunotherapy--targeted to trick my body into thinking that any mutant lymph cells are a disease I've had before. Rituxan every 2 months for the next 24 months.
Next up, August back at Harvard Vanguard in the Fenway. Its an easier place to go now that the super-specialized care at Beth Israel is no longer needed. HV is perfectly capable of dosing me with a big bag of stuff. And they have better WiFi
October, I will, however, go back to BI for a 4 month check in.
On a personal note, I'm crazy-busy with Data Science projects. If you know anyone with a big pile of data that it's nobody's job to look at, let me know.
I'm also completely comfortable on my bike again, climbing hills and doing "Cambridge commute" type rides in the 6-mile, 35-minute range.
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