More Adventures in ABVD: December 2008

Background

I'm 43 years old and live in a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts.

After decades of having a stuffy nose and breathing through my mouth I decided to have surgery to correct the blockages in my airway. The procedure included fixing a deviated septum, cauterizing enlarged turbinates and removing huge adenoids. The surgery was successful (and painless) and my breathing improved dramatically once the splints were removed from my nose a week later. My care at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital was top notch and the staff was kind and professional. I felt better than I had in ten years.

Two days later I received a call from the office of my ENT. I was told that the biopsy of the adenoid tissue that was removed was inconclusive and the doctor wanted to see me that day. I learned that two hospitals had reviewed my biopsy and thought I might have Hodgkin's lymphoma. I would have to wait a week to have more sophisticated tests performed at Massachusetts General Hospital. Boy was that a long week!

On November 16, 2007, the diagnosis was confirmed. I had cancer. I was told that it was a highly curable form of cancer and that a CT scan suggested that it may have been caught in a very early stage. A PET scan confirmed that it was located in a single area of my body. Since I had no symptoms I was diagnosed with stage 1A Classical Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that affects only about 8,000 people per year in the United States.

Friday, December 12, 2008

6 Month Scan and Checkup

I had another CT scan on December 1st and I got the results last Monday. I also went to see my ENT doctor on the same day. The inspection and the scan both showed I was clean as a whistle. The doctor said it was a good reason to celebrate. With each successive clean scan the chances of recurrence are reduced.

I'll continue to have checkups every three months with my oncologist and scans every 6 months for the next 5 years. I'll also continue to see my ENT on a regular basis.

Merry Christmas everybody and a Happy New Year!

More Adventures in ABVD

Jamie

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Friday, December 12, 2008

6 Month Scan and Checkup