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

Hair Cut (again)

This is my last weekend before I return to work, and I had my friend Omar cut my hair again, as he was the one who gave me the buzz cut initially way back when I started treatment.  I started to actually get a weird half mullet in the back- it was time.

 Before then after.

As my oncology nurse said to me last time I was a few weeks ago:

Nurse: ... hey it's Dennis!  I hardly recognized you with hair!

Me:  That's because I have eyebrows now.

My hair at my radiation bald spot is JUST starting to grow some fuzz back there- so in about a month or so it should be back to growing normally.  It was the area that got the brunt of the radiation, which takes about 4 months to grow back.

For haircut payment I made mint juleps.  Luckily it was one of the 15 or so actually nice sunny days in Seattle.

They might be a little nervous with me gone 40 hours a week... or maybe glad I'm not there all the time- I can't tell.

Clean Bill of Health + Return to Work

I had my final treatment related doctors visit last week, which my doctor told me "I don't think there's anything wrong with you now."  Which is pretty good news.  I still have to be monitored for the next 5 years carefully, to be sure the cancer doesn't return- which is unlikely.  Although I have to have a PET or CT scan every 6 months for the next 2 years, and once a year for the 3 years after that.  Then at the 5 year mark, I get to announce that I'm "cured."  Only 4 1/2 more years to go for that one.


I'm running about at 95% capacity right now.:

• My lungs have recovered and are strong again.  
• About 98% of my taste is back.  I still have a slight dry mouth, which should get better sometime in the next 3-9 months slowly.
• Almost all of my fatigue is gone, although I get winded pretty easily.
• No longer have dulled tingling in my feet from nerve damage from chemo.
• I have a full mustache now.  The beard on my right side is just now starting to grow back.
• STILL have a huge bald patch on the back of my head, which should start to sprout hair some time in the next 2 weeks hopefully.
• Fingernails are growing a full speed along with the rest of my hair.
• I'm ALMOST done peeling in the areas where I got radiation.
• I have to use sun screen on the areas where I had radiation, pretty much forever now- as that area is more susceptible to skin cancer.
• Neck muscles are still sore and inflamed from radiation.  This will go away in the next 3-9 months.
• I'm due for a hair trim soon.
• Teeth... are not so good.

I'm pretty sure I have an abscessed tooth unfortunately, from radiation.  Radiation does a number on the teeth, and dry mouth doesn't help.  The radiation also changes the composition of saliva for quite a long time as well (again 3-9 more months hopefully), so it's not the best environment for teeth. I most likely will need a crown or an implant for that tooth (!), and lots of little repairs to existing teeth on the side of my face that got the treatment.  My teeth like myself, didn't like getting radiated.  My dentist will love collecting my insurance money when I get the work done.  Hopefully I can get it scheduled before I return to work.

I return to work July 1st!  I need to attend new employee orientation (which I normally give).

Wendy and I celebrated her birthday with a hike to Mt. Rainier.  It was... slow, and pretty short, as I was winded quickly, but still a hike. Sitting and laying on ass for 8 months during treatment didn't help my hiking regiment.  To be fair I hadn't hiked since last September, and I did have cancer.

I have hair (and eyebrows).  Just don't look at the back of my head for a few more weeks.

Port Removed, Taste + Hair + Rad Burns, Work

Ooops, been awhile.

Port Removal:

I look quite a bit more cheery getting it out than having it put in.

I had my Medical Port removed 2 1/2 weeks ago, and recovery having it out vs having it put in is quite a bit easier.

I wasn't allowed to keep it because of biohazards, which is understandable.

When I had it put in I had a bone marrow biopsy just before it, so I was extra drugged up.  This time though I wasn't and I spent about 80% of the time having a conversation with my doctor while he was taking it out. I stopped talking because I figured he was busy and I shouldn't be bothering him.  I had pain meds, and couldn't feel anything, but I could still feel pressure- so I could feel the tugging, cutting and pulling during the surgery.  Weird.  He did ask me if I'd like to see it, once it was taken out- he then shoved it about 2 inches from my face.  It was dripping with blood and was covered with bits of me, I think I replied "huh, neat."

I won't have to get the stitches taken out, as they're internal and will dissolve soon.  I still have a little patch of glue over the incision which should break apart in the next couple of weeks.  Where the port bump was located, is a little lump of scar tissue- and if I look carefully I can see about a dozen or so needle marks from when my port was accessed over the last few months.  I won't put a picture of that- it's gross.

Taste + Hair + Rad Burns:

My sense of taste in the past week has returned about 85-90%.  Artificially flavored things no longer taste like phosphorus.  The only thing I'm missing taste-wise would be more complex tastes, I can still taste complex things, but I can't quite get all of the subtle flavors... you know  like that really expensive Scotch I bought.  Ah well, I still have about half of it, and the rest of my tastes should return in the next 2-6 months slowly.

Everything though has a weird super saturated taste to it.  Which is pretty good- savory things taste amazing,  and fruits taste like candy.

My 80's hair cut on the back of my head is still there though, no sign of starting to grow yet.  All of my other hair is growing nicely, and pretty-much-almost-the-right-color which is good enough for me.  Although I hope it starts growing in the next 5 weeks before I return to work.  

My facial hair though is just now starting to grow back... blonde again.  Which should get to the right color in about 3 weeks or so.

I'm still recovering from the radiation "burns" though.  My skin along my neck mostly and partially my chest are very dry, and a dull greyish patchy color.  The skin is just now starting to die, and peel off.  I'm supposed to avoid direct sunlight for the next few months to allow it to heal... thankfully in Seattle, sunny days are few.  I spent my first day outdoors for a large amount of time a few days ago:

Bald patch is in the back.

Return to Work:

I finally have my return to work date:  July 1st 2013 Monday.  I had thought about trying to return mid June, but that was a little too hopeful in thinking.  I have 2 "final" doctors appointments mid June, and a regular CT scan then as well. By "final," I mean last appointment for my  course of treatment, a follow up ot treatment ( I still have to have 4 1/2 years worth of routine check-ups).  I have my 1 month follow up with my Radiation Oncologist who will check my skin, etc to see how I've recovered, and my my regular Oncologist who will check my lymph nodes again as it's been 3 months (!) since I finished Chemotherapy,  to see how my recovery is doing at that point and if there are any complications lingering from treatment.

Hopefully my weird bald patch from radiation grows back by my return to the office.

For my day job, I'm the person at work who meets with new employees and sends them to dreadfully boring training classes- I think I need to attend new employee orientation, as I haven't been to work in 8 months come July, since my diagnosis and treatment.  I hope they go easy on me....

No cats allowed at the office

Radiation Recovery + Port Removal + Future

Wow- it's been about 3 weeks since my last post.  Mainly because not much has happened since I finished radiation, other than SLOWLY recovering from radiation therapy.


Radiation:
I still have my mask, which I use to scare the shit out of little kids in my neighborhood:

 with fava beans

 just kidding... maybe

My hair is still recovering nicely... except for that radiation bald patch I have.  The doctor said it would take about two more weeks until it starts to grow back slowly.

  

the1980's are back

My skin held up fairly well to radiation, I'm STILL a bit "burnt" from it, but it's healing nicely.  I'm FINALLY able to taste things though.  For the first 2 1/2 weeks after I finished, I couldn't taste anything.  Sweet things tasted bitter, and my mouth was incredibly dry.  However my tastes have slowly started to come back- I can kind of taste sweet things again, and non-complex flavors.  Strangely, red wine tastes like nothing at all- like thick water, while beer tastes for the most part fine.  I did notice that if I ate any processed foods or non-naturally flavored things- I could only taste the artificial flavoring... phosphorus isn't a very appealing taste.  However for naturally flavored things, I can for the most part taste.  I should take about another month for most of my taste buds to come back- well technically grow back, as they were pretty much burnt off from the radiation.  For more complex flavors though, like dark chocolate and fine wines (and sadly that very nice Scotch I have)- will take 3 months to a year to fully return.

My neck muscles are still pretty inflamed, it basically feels like they've been over worked- all the time.  It's from the radiation, and should hopefully start to dissipate more in the next month.

Oh yes- I also started shaving again when my facial hair grew back... only to have most of it fall out because of the radiation.  So I have to shave my half moustache for a while now:

 at least it's a quick shave

My radiation recovery is happening a LOT slower than I had anticipated, but my still hopeful return to work will be mid to late June.

Port Removal:

I had my port flushed for the last time about a 3 weeks ago- and said goodbye to my oncology nurses (who I admittedly will miss).  It's supposed to be flushed once a month if not used- so rather than do that, I'm getting that sucker taken out.

My surgery is scheduled for this Monday May 6th.  Wendy is giving me a ride home after the procedure, and afterwards I'll probably crash for a few days and sleep- it wasn't particularly fun getting it in, and probably won't be getting it out.

I have to remember to ask them if I can have it once it's out (since I did pay for it and all).

Future:

In mid-June I have my FINAL treatment doctors appointment, with my regular oncologist and my radiation oncologist.  I'll get a CT scan, and see if everything went according to plan- which it already looks like so.  So from post port removal until then- I'm supposed to just relax and take it easy for the rest of my sickcation.

I'm getting tired of hanging out with you too cats

All Done (for the most part)

Today I had my last radiation therapy treatment, and my last visit to the oncology nurses.  Yay me.

I also got to take my mask home:

I'm glad to finally to be able to not have to wear that on a daily basis.  When it's clamped down, it's pretty skin tight, it usually leaves the honey comb pattern on my face for a bit after.  It needs a wooden plaque, and some antlers- I suppose I also need a fire place to put it above as well.

I had to have my port flushed one last time (supposed to have it accessed, or flushed once a month).  In a month I'll have it removed (and added as another cancer souvenir) after I get over the worst of the radiation side effects.  It was good to see my oncology nurses one more time in the chair.

After that- I rest for a month and a half or so to relax, recover and have my body return to normal.

I do have a mid June appointment with both my oncologists, just to see how everything has gone- but more so to check up on my health to make sure my recover is going well.  It's looking like I should be back to work around middle/end of June now.

I still can't taste anything, and probably won't for the next month, as it slowly comes back. Because of the way I was situated, I lost part of my new hair on the lower back of my head:

That sucks.  Although- most everywhere else is growing well.  My facial hair I noticed, has stopped growing on the right side of my face because of the radiation... but still grows on the left side.  So I have to shave half of my face now.  At least it's not blonde anymore.

Cats:

They do in fact like each other.