Fellow Hodgkin's Fighters

As a person who has fought Hodgkin's I know the battle. You hear a lot that it's a highly curable cancer with the right treatment and you also hear "If you get cancer, this is the one you want to get" which truly is an irritating statement while at the same time does offer some comfort I suppose. The statistics are fairly good but you still have cancer and you are still in pain and suffering. My husband and my children are the only ones who saw the full extent of my suffering. It wasn't good but I responded quickly to the chemo. The fear with the treatments available are the fact that there are more long term risks associated with it. So even though the cure rates are good there are fears of the treatments themselves causing yet another cancer years down the road. So my battle with cancer I hope is over but there is always that thought there.

I am sharing today other Hodgkin's Fighters. First of all is a blog I read all the time called The Journal of a Prizefighter. This is one strong man let me tell you and an inspiration at that. He has relapsed and then gone through transplants and other treatments to fight this disease that can be so not the cancer "you want to get". It was through his blog today that I found the blog of another Hodgkin's fighter. His mother used the blog to write about her son's experiences. It was posted today that he has passed away. He lost his battle. You can go here to offer your condolence. I think having a lot of replies to her post to show that people care would mean a lot. I know it would to me. Here is the link: Eric's Updates: Allogeneic Transplant for Hodgkins.


Thank you all for checking out these other Hodgkin's blogs. I come across many noteworthy ones out there in the blogging world. I find others who seem to have fought even harder than I did, pregnant or not. I have found a lot of comfort and strength through other's words and I feel that is why I am out here too! I want to give even one ounce of hope to someone else fighting this battle.

A Quick Update to Say......

I am still cancer free! My checkup went well. The doc made a joke about the papers I filled out being boring because there was nothing I complained about. There was nothing I felt like I had to discuss with him so he had nothing to do. haha Of course this was just a joke and a happy one at that. My blood work came back good. My lymph nodes felt fine. He did feel my tummy and said it felt empty so I must be hungry. Indeed I was! I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast except tons of coffee. The hubby took me to the mall and out to eat afterward. I had this Cajun Penne Pasta and wow was it good. It was hot and spicy. The sauce was creamy and white like Alfredo and there were tomatoes and jalapenos in it. I have realized I am a huge fan of jalapenos. I love them. I am not sure why but wow. I could eat them all the time.

After that we made the long drive home. I got a new cell phone case which is very pretty in a dark pink color with greyish roses on it. I always finally got a car charger for my cell phone. Kind of a necessity! I am feeling good and hope to have some company tonight. Hope everyone is having a good Saturday.

Oh and my dad is still feeling better. It's just kind of a waiting game right now. The old pain is gone and as far as I know they haven't found any cancer in any tests so I am feeling pretty good about that too!

Have I Mentioned?

You know, I usually write about this way in advance and I do believe I have at some point, but it's gotten lost amongst my worry about my dad and school. My follow up is today. It's 1:09 a.m and yes I totally should be in bed. I am a night person. Have I ever mentioned that? Yeah. I pretty much hate mornings. I love staying up late. I shouldn't do it because it's not good for me. I need to get up with the kids and I have to get up early for classes in the fall. It's a bad plan because I inevitably have to get up early anyway, so I just lose sleep. Bad I know!

I got off the point though. I have a follow up today. My appointment is not until 3:00 p.m. but it's a near 4 hour drive and I have to pick up Lexi from camp on the way there which is out of the way. I am not as anxious as usual. I don't think I have had time to worry about myself. I am glad. I don't need that added stress really. I will have the usual checkup and blood work to make sure I am still in remission. I couldn't even begin to imagine it any other way. The thought is simply to horrible too even fathom. So I'll just not worry about that for now.

My dad is home by the way. He was released quickly and guess what? He feels better he says than he has in months. Is that not amazing? The stomach ache (other than his surgery stitches) does not hurt. The pain is gone. How wonderful! I am hoping all final results come back good. His blood sugar got high during all this. There are things to be concerned about but he is better. I am just relieved and thankful about that. I better head to bed. Night all!

Dad's PET Scan

My dad's scan came back clear! There is a mass in there but all I know right now is that it doesn't seem to be cancer. He is going in for surgery right now to remove the gallbladder. He has gallstones. The lymph node swelling on the scan had gone down. This is a good start to this day! He is having surgery outpatient and will be home tonight. I really hope I start to see my dad feeling better. I want to see him moving around again and acting like a normal healthy guy again!!!

Guess What?

I got an A in my Psychology class too. I knew I would based on points but I waited for the teacher to post it. It's official! And check out my GPA! Yes that is a 4.0. I am so happy...so totally stoked. haha I can't believe after all I have been through and how hard I've worked I have gotten this. I know I have TONS more to go and it will only get harder but I am willing to work for it. It makes it all worth it and I hope one day my hard work will result in me being a good nurse!