Setbacks and Progress

     Cycle 6 is over now that four weeks have passed since my last infusion. I would have had my next chemo by now if there was a Cycle 7. There may be future infusions of Rituximab as maintenance but that has not been decided. I will meet with my oncologist in two weeks (as this is being written) to evaluate my condition and decide on the short-term future. First there will be more blood work and a CT scan.

     I had a bit of a setback a few weeks into Cycle 6. I had an off day on Day 6 but this was pretty normal. Just didn't feel 100%. Not terrible but a low grade headache with very minor nausea makes you feel a bit off. Easily taken care of with Tylenol. The next day I had my annual visit with my primary care physician and I felt fine. He cut back my diabetes medications because my A1c and my daily blood sugar levels were a little low. Otherwise all was okay.

     A few days later, Days 11 and 12, I got really bad. We had Steamers (clams) for dinner on a Saturday night and I thought I had food poisoning overnight.  A fever with chills, shakes, nausea and intestinal distress made for a bad night which lasted all the next day, too. This was what we were warned about way back at the beginning of chemo but had never happened. My oncologist warned me that Cycles 5 and 6 could be worse than I experienced previously. Cycle 5 had me just a little more tired but it was nothing really noticeable. This event in Cycle 6 hit me like a two-by-four upside the head. If this had happened throughout my chemo I could say I had truly suffered. It hadn't. I haven't. I realize how lucky I have been. One really bad day and a few vaguely off days over six months. Could have been worse. Way worse.

     The other interesting event happened this month, too. We broke quarantine/isolation and went on cruise with our daughter and her family, including our grandson. We were on a beach at Block Island when I got a call from my cardiologist. This was not as bad as a call from my cancer surgeon at 0600 a few years back but still disconcerting. She was reporting on the heart monitor I had worn for two weeks and giving me the results of my cardiac ultrasound. The PVCs were a bit more than we expected and the ultrasound showed a minor abnormality in a tip of the heart. More tests are now in my future. Sigh.

     As I continue writing this posting, some time has passed since the previous four paragraphs. Several weeks to be more exact. I've had my usual bloodwork, a CT scan and my planned follow up visit with my oncologist. He told me my cardiac issues are not chemo/lymphoma related. If they were, they would be much worse. Much, much worse. So that means I may have some heart issues. We still have tests coming up for them. Nothing appears serious but we are checking. One never knows do one? The other interesting side note was the bad day I mentioned previously was not chemo related and very likely was, in fact, food poisoning. This was my first guess, but one we dismissed. So now I am back to suspecting spousal poisoning. For my money, probably.

     Oh, by the way, I did get a report on my lymphoma status and the CT scan results. The doctor used the word "remission" which kind of surprised me. That's good news, of course, but my type of blood cancer is chronic and not 'curable'. Still, we'll take the good news. I will get maintenance doses of the Retuxin every few months starting in September. The idea is to ward off future relapses or a return to an active lymphoma state as long as possible. The infusion is not chemotherapy per se but immunotherapy. It doesn't have the side effects of the Bendomustine, the other part of my recent infusion cycles.  Advances in the treatment of this cancer have been very rapid and delaying a likely future relapse will mean better, more effective treatments down the road.

     So, all good news on the cancer front. My lymphoma is back to being indolent, which is great. I still have a cardiac MRI coming up with X-Rays and a VQ test for lung function or blood clots there but these are more exploratory than for serious heart issues. I think. I hope. We will see. Then I'll see an endocrinologist to check my thyroid nodule. Been there a while with no changes but we are in the check everything mode these days. My 'don't go looking for problems' philosophy seems to have gone out the window as I have aged. Sigh.

     Next posting will report on future tests and I'll also get back to reporting on boating events. Yay!