Pathology seems to have come to an agreement that it is Hodgkins Lymphoma and we appear ready to get on with treatments after I close up a few loose ends.
I have an appointment Monday morning at Dana Farber with a highly regarded specialist, who will render a second opinion on the diagnosis and course of treatment...from there I will be able to handle the rest of things on Cape, barring anything unusual in his analysis. Doing things close to where I live will be a wonderful convenience and something I am very thankful to have the opportunity to do.
We're wrapping up our trip to Las Vegas tomorrow and flying home. We've had a great time out here and done a lot...everyone survived skydiving and we've gotten some good golf in too - playing again in a few hours.
I'll update again after the Farber appointment - thanks for coming by and I hope you all had wonderful weekends!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Some Time Off
My CT Scans went fine, though I sneezed when I got done and they had to "observe" me in the waiting room for another 10 minutes to make sure my body didn't disagree with the solution they injected me with...I was fine, everyone around here has allergies these days, me included.
They scanned the neck and chest, which gives treatment team a very clear anatomical picture of the areas so they can compare before and after.
I have an additional appointment in Boston this afternoon, and then I am off for at least 5 days; it will be nice to not see the inside of a hospital for a little while, but I am obviously ready to get right back to it upon my return and to move ahead with confidence as we begin the treatment regimen.
During my trip we hope to get final word from pathology on the disease, I should get a date for a trip to Dana Farber, and that's pretty much it...as far as we can tell we have completed the vast majority of the diagnostic portion of this and we appear to be right on the cusp of beginning treatment, which should be a very challenging experience but one I am certainly ready and eager to begin.
Enjoy your weeks and I will update things as I am made aware of them...thanks again for stopping by!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Oncologist
Funny appointment, but the short of it is that it appears to be - pending some sort of final agreement from all pathologists involved - stage II Hodgkins, which will result in 4 months of Chemo, every other week for 4 hours. Because of the pathologists not agreeing on things it is already being reviewed in Boston and they are trying to reach a consensus on the actual diagnosis...initially I thought this might be really good news, maybe I don't have cancer?, but after speaking with the oncologist at length he believes strongly that this is what it is and they simply have to get to a 100% agreement before we can proceed. Once you begin the chemo regimen there is no turning back or changing up the drugs, so it is hyper-critical that we have it right on, right now, so we get off to the right start with treatment.
The Dr (Aviles) handled everything very well and spent a LOT of time with Kristina and I; answering our questions and walking us through the entire process from beginning to end. He spent a full hour with us and we greatly enjoyed his honesty and sincerity, and are very comfortable embarking on the treatment regimen with him guiding things.
We are hopeful that we will get final agreement soon, head up to a specialist at Dana Farber for review and begin treatment by mid-May.
I have some more CT scans tomorrow (neck and chest) and another appointment tomorrow afternoon in Boston. After that I have my final class for Global Management (presentation in Boston) and then we leave for Vegas Wednesday am.
Little perplexed by the pathologists confusion but hope to get that sorted out soon and move ahead on schedule.
Thanks again for coming by and I will keep you all posted as things happen.
The Dr (Aviles) handled everything very well and spent a LOT of time with Kristina and I; answering our questions and walking us through the entire process from beginning to end. He spent a full hour with us and we greatly enjoyed his honesty and sincerity, and are very comfortable embarking on the treatment regimen with him guiding things.
We are hopeful that we will get final agreement soon, head up to a specialist at Dana Farber for review and begin treatment by mid-May.
I have some more CT scans tomorrow (neck and chest) and another appointment tomorrow afternoon in Boston. After that I have my final class for Global Management (presentation in Boston) and then we leave for Vegas Wednesday am.
Little perplexed by the pathologists confusion but hope to get that sorted out soon and move ahead on schedule.
Thanks again for coming by and I will keep you all posted as things happen.
PFT and The Big One
Did my Pulmonary Function Test this morning at the hospital, a breathing test primarily used as a baseline prior to undergoing chemo. You sit in a little chamber, like the one at left, and run through a series of lung function tests...pretty basic stuff.
Couple of hours from now I have my first official meeting with my oncologist (I spoke with him on the phone following the diagnosis, for about 10 minutes) where I should learn more about the stage and course of treatment. I'll post a short note when I get that information but I remain confident it's very early on and we're going to battle hard to beat it soundly and with style.
Here are some of the statistics on various stages, pulled from what has been a great online resource;
Survival Rates by Stage
Stage 5-year relative survival rate
I 90% to 95%
II 90% to 95%
III 85% to 90%
IV 80% to 85%
Stage 5-year relative survival rate
I 90% to 95%
II 90% to 95%
III 85% to 90%
IV 80% to 85%
So, even at very advanced stages this disease is eminently beatable...kind of like a Chase Wright fastball.
Weekend was good, got some golf in and saw Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds out at UMASS Amherst, pretty good time all around. Post something up later if/when we get more information and thanks again for coming by.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Free Day Friday!
I got to work a whole day today with no appointments! Seems to be a rare treat these days...looking forward to some nice weather this weekend and a big day Monday.
I have a Pulmonary Function Test in the morning at Falmouth Hospital, another baseline test, and my Oncologist follow up Monday afternoon at 4:40p, where we should receive news on the stage and some further preliminary scheduling on treatment schedules - I'll post some of that news after the appointment and I remain confident and hopeful we caught it early and everything will be just fine after a few months of Chemo.
Enjoy your weekends and thanks for stopping by!
I have a Pulmonary Function Test in the morning at Falmouth Hospital, another baseline test, and my Oncologist follow up Monday afternoon at 4:40p, where we should receive news on the stage and some further preliminary scheduling on treatment schedules - I'll post some of that news after the appointment and I remain confident and hopeful we caught it early and everything will be just fine after a few months of Chemo.
Enjoy your weekends and thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
PET Scan
Went and did my PET Scan today, a fairly mundane procedure requiring an injection, a 45 minute wait for the solution to spread across the body, and then the actual scan in the machine. A remarkable piece of equipment, the actual scan is housed in a mobile truck adjacent to the Sandwich Health Center...complete with full computer screening area, and a prep room.
This was my final diagnostic procedure, until I got back and found out I have another CT Scan next Tuesday, this one of the chest. The big appointment is next Monday, 4/23, with my Oncologist who will look at all the testing and results to date and determine the stage along with the appropriate treatment regime; I am still planning on going to Dana Farber for a confirmation and second opinion, likely in early May.
The calendar fills up pretty quick and I am certainly thankful that we have such a wonderful staff here, I'll be pretty busy with all the tests over the next few days, prior to leaving, and don't look like I'll be in the office all that much...got to figure out exactly what and where it is before you fight it.
Still feeling really good about everything and looking forward to starting treatments; my thought on medical care for the day would be this:
How do they manage to keep such a poor assortment of old magazines in the waiting room of every medical facility? Once in a while I pick one up without looking and you get news of the fall of the Berlin Wall, or the Internet Bubble Bursting...today I read some magazine about New England Architecture, from mid-2006, and Reader's Digest (2005)...finally I just gave up and tried to nap. But seriously, the amount of time people spend waiting, it would be nice if they updated their periodical collection; I'll bring a book in the future.
Stay Dry!
Monday, April 16, 2007
How Do I Feel?
That is the big question; "How do you feel?"
This is the funny thing about all of this; I feel normal...it seems to be part of what makes a Cancer diagnosis so difficult to comprehend - you simply do not feel or look sick, if caught early enough. Remember, I only went because of an abnormal lump on my neck that Kristina noticed...painless and without any accompanying symptoms.
I continue to try and look at the glass-half-full side of this scenario, and try to have fun despite the news - if we go to Boston for diagnostics we'll try to have a nice dinner, catch a Sox game or go to a museum...do anything to try and compliment these trips with some fun and something unrelated to doctors and hospitals.
Cancer is a scary word and a scary disease, but I look at the reality for me, for my cancer, as an issue of having to seek treatment (likely 8-14 visits) and dealing with some side-effects throughout the course of 2007. I am incredibly confident and upbeat about this and looking forward to putting it behind me.
I am trying to get back to the gym, after essentially abandoning it for quite some time due to stress and time committments from work and school. I went today for a while (it's Patriot's Day in MA, bonus holiday) and felt great. An hour on the bike with no problems.
My neck remains somewhat stiff and sore, all from the biopsy, which was done just below and behind my right ear. Other than that I do not notice any differences in how I feel physically. Emotionally I feel really good too; this situation could be much worse and I am fortunate it looks to have been detected early.
So, I feel normal and am in a good place to embark on the treatment regime in the next few weeks, it will be a long process and I am confident in my ability to go on with my life with some degree of normalcy throughout the process.
Thanks again for your thoughts and keep an eye on one another, many cancers are not preventable, but we can save ourselves a lot of pain and heartache with early detection and diagnosis.
This is the funny thing about all of this; I feel normal...it seems to be part of what makes a Cancer diagnosis so difficult to comprehend - you simply do not feel or look sick, if caught early enough. Remember, I only went because of an abnormal lump on my neck that Kristina noticed...painless and without any accompanying symptoms.
I continue to try and look at the glass-half-full side of this scenario, and try to have fun despite the news - if we go to Boston for diagnostics we'll try to have a nice dinner, catch a Sox game or go to a museum...do anything to try and compliment these trips with some fun and something unrelated to doctors and hospitals.
Cancer is a scary word and a scary disease, but I look at the reality for me, for my cancer, as an issue of having to seek treatment (likely 8-14 visits) and dealing with some side-effects throughout the course of 2007. I am incredibly confident and upbeat about this and looking forward to putting it behind me.
I am trying to get back to the gym, after essentially abandoning it for quite some time due to stress and time committments from work and school. I went today for a while (it's Patriot's Day in MA, bonus holiday) and felt great. An hour on the bike with no problems.
My neck remains somewhat stiff and sore, all from the biopsy, which was done just below and behind my right ear. Other than that I do not notice any differences in how I feel physically. Emotionally I feel really good too; this situation could be much worse and I am fortunate it looks to have been detected early.
So, I feel normal and am in a good place to embark on the treatment regime in the next few weeks, it will be a long process and I am confident in my ability to go on with my life with some degree of normalcy throughout the process.
Thanks again for your thoughts and keep an eye on one another, many cancers are not preventable, but we can save ourselves a lot of pain and heartache with early detection and diagnosis.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Where From Here?
Everything else seems to be on the calendar accordingly at this point;
April 18; PET Scan, this is the full body imaging procedure which will help the physicians determine the staging and proper treatment for the disease.
April 19; Echocardiogram at Falmouth Hospital, this along with the Pulmonary Function Tests, will help the Oncologist determine if there was any collateral damage following my Chemo regimen, it is essentially baseline testing and is unrelated to diagnostic procedures.
April 20; Pulmonary Function Test.
April 23; Follow-up with Oncologist, status report and review of all tests conducted to this point. We will also discuss a visit to Dana Farber Cancer Center at this point for an additional review of the tests done thus far as well as a second opinion on the prognosis and course of treatment.
April 25-29; I will travel to Med-Trade Las Vegas, an industry conference with my brother, and we will prolong the trip to celebrate his bachelor party along with our other brother and several friends. This is an important trip for me emotionally and I am really looking forward to getting away from everything for a few days prior to beginning the treatment process...looking forward to some quality golf with my brothers and catching up with some old friends.
It looks like we'll still start Chemotherapy by mid-May, and it will go for 4-6 months. That's pretty much all I know right now; I remain extremely positive about this and am looking forward to continuing my life as normal throughout treatment and beyond.
Thank you all for your thoughts and support!
April 18; PET Scan, this is the full body imaging procedure which will help the physicians determine the staging and proper treatment for the disease.
April 19; Echocardiogram at Falmouth Hospital, this along with the Pulmonary Function Tests, will help the Oncologist determine if there was any collateral damage following my Chemo regimen, it is essentially baseline testing and is unrelated to diagnostic procedures.
April 20; Pulmonary Function Test.
April 23; Follow-up with Oncologist, status report and review of all tests conducted to this point. We will also discuss a visit to Dana Farber Cancer Center at this point for an additional review of the tests done thus far as well as a second opinion on the prognosis and course of treatment.
April 25-29; I will travel to Med-Trade Las Vegas, an industry conference with my brother, and we will prolong the trip to celebrate his bachelor party along with our other brother and several friends. This is an important trip for me emotionally and I am really looking forward to getting away from everything for a few days prior to beginning the treatment process...looking forward to some quality golf with my brothers and catching up with some old friends.
It looks like we'll still start Chemotherapy by mid-May, and it will go for 4-6 months. That's pretty much all I know right now; I remain extremely positive about this and am looking forward to continuing my life as normal throughout treatment and beyond.
Thank you all for your thoughts and support!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
A Beginning
April 11, 2007 I was diagnosed with Lymphoma, it appears to be early stage Hodgkins Lymphoma and is a VERY TREATABLE AND CURABLE disease.
We are very early in the process, but here is how we got to where we are today;
February 24th; My fiance Kristina notices a lump on my neck while we are flying to St. Lucia for vacation.
March 5th; Upon our return from vacation I visit the ER at Falmouth Hospital, where they conduct a CT Scan, Blood Work, and a Chest X-Ray. The results show enlarged lymph-nodes on the right side of my neck. There is concern, however lymph-nodes become enlarged for a variety of reasons and further time and testing is required to make any diagnosis. The attending physician makes a referral to Dr. Douglas Mann, a very well respected Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) physician in Falmouth, MA.
March 12th; I have my first meeting with Dr. Mann who expresses concern, however is also wary of doing a biopsy so soon, as neck biopsy's carry some risk of long-term side-effects. He believes it could be something very pedestrian, such as Cat-Scratch Fever (Ted Nugent must have some experience with this, or he is just a metal-God with a weird sense of humor). We schedule a biopsy for April 5th, but also schedule a follow-up with him for April 2nd, in the hope that the lump has subsided and we will be able to cancel the surgery.
April 2nd; Lump is still there, we go ahead and plan for the biopsy.
April 5th; Kristina brings me to Falmouth Hospital, remaining by my side with strength and love as she has since the outset. The procedure seems to go as planned, and much faster than we had expected. I am anxious to get home from the hospital, and very drugged as we leave, felt like I was leaving a great party. I go home and sit on the couch to watch Master's highlights and BC Hockey skate to a victory, putting them in the Championship; Vicodin helps me ease the pain, and came in very handy when BC eventually lost the Championship game. I remain a fixture on the couch for the weekend, watching the Master's along with a steady diet of ice-cream (have you had Just Jimmies yet? If not get to it, it's great stuff!) and Vicodin.
April 11th; I attend my follow up with Dr. Mann who informs me of the results. He handled the situation with an amazing amount of tact, professionalism, and an appropriate amount of levity...telling people they have diseases is an oft overlooked difficulty for the modern physician - he handled it remarkably well and I was very appreciative.
I speak with Dr. Victor Aviles, who will be my Oncologist and is the same man who treated my father. He is very upbeat about our chances for success and lays out some preliminary ideas on what treatment will entail and look like; pending further tests it appears I will undergo Chemotherapy every other week for 4-6 months, possibly followed by some radiation treatments. Time will tell the actual stages and treatments, but Dr. Aviles is very positive and extremely helpful...I again remark at physician's ability to deal with people in difficult circumstances, many in MUCH more difficult situations than I.
April 12th; We have an all-staff picture followed by a brief meeting to let the staff know what's going on, further discuss the impact this will have on Cape Medical (none, I will simply be out a little more than normal - our plans to grow the company and solidify our position remain strongly in place and the staff of professionals here are working extremely hard to ensure this happens, even in my absence). This is the second time in less than a year we have had to have this meeting; this revealing of my condition, while a relief to no longer have to lie about where I am going, why my neck is stiff, etc., is very difficult. To look at so many people you know, respect, and trust to tell them this news is difficult, it makes the diagnosis more real in a way. I try to emphasize the positive aspects of it and differentiate it from what my Dad went through, it remains a difficult meeting, however I was extremely glad to be accompanied by my parents, brother, his fiance, and my fiance...the show of support in the room was overwhelming and I continue to count myself lucky to have such a wonderful group of people around me.
This is a lot, and there is a lot more to come...I am already putting down additional tests and appointments for the ensuing weeks and looking forward to getting underway with Chemo and beating this disease, which is VERY beatable.
Thanks for stopping by, let me know if you have any questions (gsheehan@capemedical.net) and I will work hard to update this site on a regular basis, particularly at the beginning as we learn more about the staging and other information.
Special thanks goes to my lovely fiance Kristina; without her sharp eye we may not have found this so early, and without her love and support my life would be much more difficult right now, I am truly blessed to have her and know she will be a strong pillar for me to lean on during the difficult times ahead...thank you Kristina, I Love You!!!
We are very early in the process, but here is how we got to where we are today;
February 24th; My fiance Kristina notices a lump on my neck while we are flying to St. Lucia for vacation.
March 5th; Upon our return from vacation I visit the ER at Falmouth Hospital, where they conduct a CT Scan, Blood Work, and a Chest X-Ray. The results show enlarged lymph-nodes on the right side of my neck. There is concern, however lymph-nodes become enlarged for a variety of reasons and further time and testing is required to make any diagnosis. The attending physician makes a referral to Dr. Douglas Mann, a very well respected Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) physician in Falmouth, MA.
March 12th; I have my first meeting with Dr. Mann who expresses concern, however is also wary of doing a biopsy so soon, as neck biopsy's carry some risk of long-term side-effects. He believes it could be something very pedestrian, such as Cat-Scratch Fever (Ted Nugent must have some experience with this, or he is just a metal-God with a weird sense of humor). We schedule a biopsy for April 5th, but also schedule a follow-up with him for April 2nd, in the hope that the lump has subsided and we will be able to cancel the surgery.
April 2nd; Lump is still there, we go ahead and plan for the biopsy.
April 5th; Kristina brings me to Falmouth Hospital, remaining by my side with strength and love as she has since the outset. The procedure seems to go as planned, and much faster than we had expected. I am anxious to get home from the hospital, and very drugged as we leave, felt like I was leaving a great party. I go home and sit on the couch to watch Master's highlights and BC Hockey skate to a victory, putting them in the Championship; Vicodin helps me ease the pain, and came in very handy when BC eventually lost the Championship game. I remain a fixture on the couch for the weekend, watching the Master's along with a steady diet of ice-cream (have you had Just Jimmies yet? If not get to it, it's great stuff!) and Vicodin.
April 11th; I attend my follow up with Dr. Mann who informs me of the results. He handled the situation with an amazing amount of tact, professionalism, and an appropriate amount of levity...telling people they have diseases is an oft overlooked difficulty for the modern physician - he handled it remarkably well and I was very appreciative.
I speak with Dr. Victor Aviles, who will be my Oncologist and is the same man who treated my father. He is very upbeat about our chances for success and lays out some preliminary ideas on what treatment will entail and look like; pending further tests it appears I will undergo Chemotherapy every other week for 4-6 months, possibly followed by some radiation treatments. Time will tell the actual stages and treatments, but Dr. Aviles is very positive and extremely helpful...I again remark at physician's ability to deal with people in difficult circumstances, many in MUCH more difficult situations than I.
April 12th; We have an all-staff picture followed by a brief meeting to let the staff know what's going on, further discuss the impact this will have on Cape Medical (none, I will simply be out a little more than normal - our plans to grow the company and solidify our position remain strongly in place and the staff of professionals here are working extremely hard to ensure this happens, even in my absence). This is the second time in less than a year we have had to have this meeting; this revealing of my condition, while a relief to no longer have to lie about where I am going, why my neck is stiff, etc., is very difficult. To look at so many people you know, respect, and trust to tell them this news is difficult, it makes the diagnosis more real in a way. I try to emphasize the positive aspects of it and differentiate it from what my Dad went through, it remains a difficult meeting, however I was extremely glad to be accompanied by my parents, brother, his fiance, and my fiance...the show of support in the room was overwhelming and I continue to count myself lucky to have such a wonderful group of people around me.
This is a lot, and there is a lot more to come...I am already putting down additional tests and appointments for the ensuing weeks and looking forward to getting underway with Chemo and beating this disease, which is VERY beatable.
Thanks for stopping by, let me know if you have any questions (gsheehan@capemedical.net) and I will work hard to update this site on a regular basis, particularly at the beginning as we learn more about the staging and other information.
Special thanks goes to my lovely fiance Kristina; without her sharp eye we may not have found this so early, and without her love and support my life would be much more difficult right now, I am truly blessed to have her and know she will be a strong pillar for me to lean on during the difficult times ahead...thank you Kristina, I Love You!!!
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