Things like this only happen to "the other guy"...
In early 2007, my wife and I went scuba diving in Honduras. We both ended up catching colds from the sneezing guy next to us on the airplane. It was quite frustrating at the time, because the colds forced us to end our diving sooner than planned.
My wife's cold ran an uneventful course. Mine took 3 rounds of antibiotics. Everything was finally okay...except for a bothersome cough that I couldn't shake.
At the encouragement of my coworkers and the insistence of my wife, I returned to the doctor. He decided to order a chest x-ray, just to make sure I didn't have a residual pneumonia. Well, just by complete coincidence (stroke of luck? Grace of God?) the x-ray showed a large mass in my chest, between my lungs. If I wouldn't have caught that darned cold, my problem would not have been found until....who knows when!
Within four days, I had blood tests, CT scan, CT-assisted chest biopsy, and a diagnosis of "Hodgkin's Lymphoma, stage 2a/unfavorable". A tumor the size of my fist, behind my breastbone, with lymph node involvement in my neck.
Within four days, I went from top-of-the-world, peak-of-my-professional-career, high-point-of-my-marriage, happiest-stage-of-my-life, and physically-fit...to not knowing if I would be seeing Christmas!
The following week brought a PET/CT scan, Pulmonary Function Test, Echocardiogram, Venous Port-A-Cath insertion surgery, bone marrow biopsy, and Chemo Class.
Then I began the chemotherapy; every two weeks for four months. It is called the "ABVD" regime; various drugs administered by IV over a four-hour period. These drugs work by attacking the fastest-growing cells in the body.
Once chemo was completed, there was another round of PET/CT scan, Pulmonary Function Test, and Echocardiogram. It was determined that I was ready for radiation.
Six weeks after the chemo, the radiation treatment was initiated. Called Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), it was done every day for four weeks. It mops up the tough cancer cells that the chemotherapy didn't get.
Then after a nervous two months, there were the follow-up tests. Finally, a huge sigh of relief as they officially categorize me as "in remission"!
It took sixty-one appointments and eight months. After this, follow-up monitoring for life, starting with every three months.
Although I had to stay away from my patients since my immune system was knocked down, I managed to make it to the office every single day (unless I had a medical appointment). Good thing I'm a tough Norwegian.
Of the many side effects of treatment, the most distressing one was something called Peripheral Neuropathy. One of the chemo drugs is known to have neurotoxic effects, and it seemed to hit me pretty hard. About three weeks into treatment, my fingers and toes started going numb; my hands and feet constantly tingled like electricity; the muscles were weak, uncoordinated, and fumbly; and they hurt. Topping it off was a new tremor in my hands (like you see in people with Parkinson's Disease). Safely doing fine detailed dental work in someone's mouth simply wasn't a possibility.
The symptoms actually kept getting worse until about two months after the chemo ended. Luckily they started improving somewhat for a few months after that. But then it seemed to reach a plateau, and hasn't changed much. Not as much numbness now, but fingers and toes are still very tingly, weak, shakey, and painful. I still feel like a big klutz.
The experts basically have told me to find a new day job, as the peripheral neuropathy is likely to be there long-term. I'm a very stubborn Norwegian, and full of resolve, so I really hope to prove them wrong!
In any case, I am still here. And that is what really counts.
Find the Relay For Life event in your area!
Here is a web page I put together to help other people with Hodgkin's Lymphoma learn about their disease.