I called the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and they have a program where they put you in touch with someone who has CLL (or any blood cancer for that matter) and has gone through treatments. I received the call on Sunday afternoon and it turned out to be a very enlightening talk. The person was about my age and physical condition, a professor and a CLL survivor. Where we differed was the fact that he had treatment 1 month after diagnosis due to the severity of his condition in 1998. He had been through the 6 cycles of treatment which at the time, did not contain the newer drug Retuxin, proven to be very effective when given with the cycles. He had little nausia, no hair loss and worked through much of his treatment period! Promising news! He continued his protocol with a stem cell transpant and 12 years later is disease free! While there are other possible options now in the works for me after my treatment other than the stem cell transplant, his news was uplifting. I can't fool myself to think that only positive experiences exist in this chemo therapy treatment. I've read others that did not turn out as well but I am ready and have been patiently waiting to give cancer a swift kick in the ass.
Your positive attitude amazes me. But hey, that's who you are and that's what survivors are. Know that you are surrounded by true friends that care a great deal about you and don't be afraid to go to them when you need something (no matter how big or small). You know you don't have to make the journey alone. (Hope that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteDoug Y
Thanks DY! That means a lot to me! On a side note,I will have a BIG thirst in October for IPA and hope that you can be there when I need to quench it!
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