1st Session of 18 Months Maintenance Rituxan Today

It was great to sleep in to 6:30 on what would normaly be a work day. Karin and I left at 7:30 for breakfast. We were just a minute or two late for the 8:30 open at LowCountry Cancer Care. I like to be there before they open the doors. I will have to try harder next week. It took quite a while for them to call me back and a bit before the got my port flushed and CBC blood drawn and tested.

Karin went for a run and to run an errand. Soon after she left, I realize that my infusion is scheduled for 2 hours. That was a big relief, and it more than makes up for the late start. I tried to phone Karin, but my phone had no reception. I would now finish before too late and get to go to lunch.

I met a gentleman in the chair next to me with an aggressive form of B-cell lymphoma. He is undergoing a rather rigorous chemo cycle. We had a good long talk about lots of things. Other than staff, there were no familiar faces there today for me.

My Rituxan infusion is uneventful. It took more than the 2 hour that they programmed for the pump. They always seem to deliver a little light or the bags are fuller than they indicate. It’s been a while since I have reset my pump, but I figure it out and save the nurses a few calls. They jokingly ask me to help out with some of the others around me. If I had a waiver form I probably would have.

I will have 3 more sessions on Tuesdays through the first week in June. I finish a week before our big summer outage at work begins.

Karin and I had a good lunch. After lunch we took checks by the American Cancer Society office to turn in for Relay for Life. We’ve turned in around $1,300.00 so far, and I expect us to raise/contribute over $2,000.00 before we are done.

Some bad news on this end: Cid our 14 year old black lab has been declining in health since our trip to Nashville. He has not been eating, he’s lost weight, and he is loosing strength in his hind legs and is having trouble getting up on smooth floors. Karin took him to the vet this afternoon. He is chock full of cancer. His lymph nodes are all swollen. He probably has lymphoma or has cancer that has spread to his lymph nodes. They prescribed for him some pain meds and steroids. He probably only has a couple weeks. Keep Karin and Cid in your thoughts and prayers.

I had a good talk tonight with a friend I met before my transplant in Atlanta. He had been their prior to me. He has had Hodgekin’s disease off and on for 20 years. It is back again. He is interested in going to my blood cancer support group with me. We won’t meet in June, but I will take him in July and put him in contact with social workers earlier if needed. We will try to get together with him and his wife in the next few weeks.

Karin’s tennis team has qualified for state playoffs. They are off to Augusta on Thursday for matches this weekend.

I’ve wasted the extra hour of sleep today by not being in bed yet at 10:00. I’m off to bed. That is all for now.

Take care,

Mark