1 Year Post Treatments

A couple of weeks ago I had my 1 year anniversary from finishing all of my cancer treatment.

In the past few months, I've slowly regained my stamina and energy, and have improved greatly.  I'm not quite 100%, but I'm about 90% the way there.

I have another CT scan coming up in June (and 4 more years of check ups before I'm pronounced "cured"), and it should be like my last one: NED (No Evidence of Disease).

Critical notes:  

• They have a new barium CT contrast flavor!  CITRUS.  I imagine it will taste like it was made by a guy who has never left a lab his whole life who tried to to make something taste like "citrus" from having it described to him.
• My hair this past couple of weeks has finally returned to it's pre-cancer form, part in the middle and all.

My closest friends threw me a 1 year post-cancer treatment party.  It was great.

Cancer SMASH

Babies everywhere

Appropriate

 Get out of here

 A VERY old obscure joke between friends

 They needed a break too

 I stole their pictures for the blog (I hope they don't find out)

 She wished me a happy birthday about 4 times

"Here's your cancer cake! ...that... name doesn't sound right" 

Still a nope

Started Chemo 1 year ago today

1 Year Post Chemo Update:

1 year and 3 1/2 weeks ago I was diagnosed with Cancer at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. 

1 year ago today I started chemotherapy for stage 2A Hodgkin's Lymphoma.   

8 months ago I started radiation therapy.

7 months ago I was in remission.

4 months ago I went back to work.

1 month ago I got my 1st barber shop cut.

(If you were wondering my hair grew back completely around 2 months ago- it's still a weird texture though)

For the most part, how am I doing?:

• Super fatigue when I exert myself.
• Hair is growing a little weird where I had radiation still.
• Hair texture slowly returning to normal. Still weird and wavy.
• Weird sensations around my neck where I had surgery and my port located- largely due to having radiation muscle fatigue in those places, and the fact I used to have a medical device that ran from my chest to neck in my for almost a year.
• New crown put in on one of my teeth.  The radiation really trashed it, and I couldn't get it pulled due to radiation treatment on my jaw bone. Took about 6 weeks to get it in there, because of the radiation treatment I had to see a specialist etc.

I get tuckered out fairly easily.  How easily?  Walking to the bus stop feels like I'm going to drop dead from a heart attack.  It's probably a combination of recovery from treatment to my heart and lungs, and the fact I sat on ass for so long and am really out of shape.  Using the 3 day weekend to start exercising again- ever so lightly at first for awhile.

Hair grew back where I had radiation treatments about 4 months ago, but a month ago it just stopped for what ever reason. It seems like it's slowly starting to come back again.  It's given me a weird half moustache again.

Although it's really nice to have hair again

I had a 6 month follow up post chemo which went well, and had a CT scan that was clean.  I have another appointment as a general check up in about 3 weeks.

Otherwise minus the fact I can't speed walk everywhere anymore like I naturally do- I'm doing quite well, and minus the hair cut look pretty much like how I did a year ago.  I could just stand to get some exercise... slowly.

The cats are pretty bored now that I'm not home all day everyday