May 11: Buh-bye, OJ

I just got home from seeing the oncologist. There were really no surprises, but it was mostly good news so I’m not complaining a bit. Well, maybe a teeny-tiny bit.

OJ is now the size of a kumquat, a large olive, or a shooter marble, depending on what makes the most sense to you. To me, a kumquat is just a funny sounding fruit that, for all I know, could be the size of a watermelon. I prefer the olive comparison.

I’m done with the CHOP-R chemo regimen (hooray!), but I’ll be continuing the ‘R’ (Rituximab) for six more months. It’s a targeted drug and should kill off the last of OJ, as well as lower the risk of OJ’s reappearance. Dr. O said with the high grade lymphoma that I have, recurrence is most likely in the first two years after treatment, so this will help keep OJ at bay.

I’m thrilled that the CHOP part is done, because that was the killer stuff. My hair should start growing back. My pain in the week after chemo should stop. The tingling in my fingertips, mild nausea, and heart damage should go away, or at least not get worse. However, while Rituximab *is* pretty awesome, it still has some of the sucky side effects of the other killer chemo drugs:

• skin rash (I sooo hate this)
• low blood counts (makes me tired, susceptible to infection, and overall kinda snarly)
• confusion (we cancer chicks call this CHEMO BRAIN and it is real, no matter what Kim F’n says—right, Brenda and Kari???)
• mouth sores (ouch)
• lightheadedness, falls (the lightheadedness sucks, but let’s be honest—the falls would happen even without the Rituximab)
• skin redness, blistering, peeling (super-duper! love this.)
• muscle aches (…remind me again why this is considered a less annoying drug?)
• night sweats (great, I get to keep waking up thinking I’ve peed the bed)

I do not love these things, and I am not thrilled about continuing to experience them for six more months. But the idea of these side effects being less severe is not so bad. We’ve got to get rid of OJ somehow. I guess I’m on board.

Sometime in the near future I’ll have an echocardiogram to see how much the Adriamycin farked up my heart. I’ll continue on the same chemo schedule and get the Rituximab every three weeks, but I won’t have blood work done every time, nor will I need to see the oncologist every time—this means that my appointments will be a lot shorter. My time in the chair will be a little shorter, but not much; Rituximab is administered rather slowly. We’ll check out OJ—or, more accurately, the spot where OJ once lived—with another CT scan after six months.

Generally speaking, we got very good news today. We are pleased.

Now, when am I getting that medicinal marijuana? I’ve been waiting oh-so-patiently…