Some rest and some bone marrow.

A lot has happened since my surgery and PET scan.  Thursday and Friday were nice having a break from all this doctor stuff just being able to relax.  Friday was especially nice because Taylor and I went home for the weekend to see family.  It was really good being home, minus somethings.  I got to see my brother and sister and got to go to my favorite place for food,  House of Pizza with my family and Taylor's family.  It was a really good time and I probably ate more pizza than I should of, nothing new there though. :)

Sunday Taylor and I hit the road on our back to Grand Forks, North Dakota.  My dad left shortly after and was pretty much behind us the whole drive.  Just minutes after we arrived he was here too.  We made it back in time for me to watch The Walking Dead with my suite mates, and then at 9 I treated Taylor and my dad to some Buffalo Wild Wings.  After that it was bed time.  The next day, Monday would be a busy one.

Monday morning Taylor and I both went to our first 9am classes, and then headed back to her dorm.  My appointment with the oncologist was at 11am so we had sometime.  She did some homework while I rested, and eventually my dad showed up and came and sat with us in there til it was time to go.  Everyone at the cancer center was very nice.  After checking in we didn't have to wait long.  Taylor and my Dad both came with me.  All three of us went back to this little room where I got all the questions then we waited for the doctor.  After a short wait he came in.  Dr. Gorouhi is his name.  He proceeded to asking a bunch more questions and then asked if I had seen my PET scan yet, I had not and I did want to.  He loaded it up and there were a lot of areas that had black on them.  Taylor and my Dad got scared because the brain area and bladder were black, but that didn't worry me because I thought it was just because of the high sugar use in those areas, which was exactly the case.  Taylor says that when she saw it she wanted to throw up.  Dr. Gorouhi explained that those two areas were not cancer, but the rest of the black areas were.  There were black areas in my neck, chest, and spleen.  Since it is on both sides of my diaphragm it is considered stage 3.  To find out if it is stage 4 a bone marrow bisopy had to be done, which was done this morning.  Not matter what though the treatment is the same, they are doing that basically just to know.  So right now my Hodgkin's Lymphoma cancer is Stage 3BS.  "B" because I have the systemic symptoms (fever, drenching night sweats, weight loss) and "S" because it is in the spleen.  Hopefully the bone marrow biopsy comes back negative and it stays stage 3.

After looking at the PET scan and a quick examination Dr. Gorouhi ordered various tests for the remainder of the week and set up my chemo to start on Friday.  Tomorrow, Wednesday I will be driving to Fargo to a sperm bank to get some frozen, in case the Chemotherapy treatment makes me infertile.  Hopefully that doesn't happen, however.  Thursday I will be getting a portocath inserted into my chest, which will make Chemo and all blood draws and whatever a lot easier of the next 6 months.  Instead of poking my arms and veins they will go in through this thing and it should be painless for me.  This will be another procedure that I will need a ride for.  Then on Friday I will meet with Dr. Gorouhi again before starting chemo.  We will probably go over the bone marrow biopsy results.

As for today, Tuesday, October 25th.  This morning my day started at 6am.  Waking up early to get ready for the day.  My dad was up then too.  After getting ready we sat around for an hour before heading to the Altru main clinic where I was getting a bone marrow biopsy.  When we got there and checked in I was called back real quickly and brought back to a room with a table, where I would be laying.  Some quick questions and then an I.V.  was placed.  Dr. Gorouhi took a long time to get there, apparently he went to the wrong place.. or something.  Not quite sure.  Shortly after he arrived I was flipped over onto my stomach.  My shirt was pulled up and my pants pulled down some and they placed the blue sheet thing over the area they would be working with.  My left rear hip area.  After that I was out, put to sleep.  Next thing I know I was on my back waking up and my Dad was in the room with me.  I was given 2 small cans of apple juice and 2 slices of buttered wheat toast.  After I was feeling more awake they brought in a wheel chair for me and brought me over to the hospital to get a MUGA scan, which is to check out my heart make sure it is healthy and get a baseline because some chemos can be hard on the heart.

After that my dad brought me back to my dorm, made sure I got up to my room took my box fan and we hugged good bye.  I went straight into my bed.  While I was laying in that room waiting for the doctor I just kept thinking that my life has changed so much within the last week or so, and that the next 6 months will be nothing like I expected them to be.  Life is very different right now but I am sure I will get through this and it will all be just a bad memory before we know it.  I don't really care that I will lose my hair, I will look funny sure, but it will come back.  I am very thankful for everyone around me being so kind and caring during all of this.  If there is anything I can do for any of them I would do it in a heartbeat.