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!!!
1 comment:
Thanks for the update, Gary.
Denise W
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