Catching up

It has been a long time since I started this blog and I really haven't kept up with it very much, but I intend to change that.

First, allow me to bring everyone up to date with what is going on in my life.

December 30, 2007 Go to the emergency for a cold I cannot get rid of and it seems to be getting worse. I've only had this thing for almost 3 months. The Dr examines me and, upon checking my glands under my jaws, she finds lumps on the side of my neck and then starts checking elsewhere for more lumps. She starts the process with my PCP to get testing done.
March 28, 2008 Get a CT scan done. Took about 20 minutes to do a full head and abdomen series done.
June 2, 2008 Had biopsy surgery on a swollen lymph node.
June 6, 2008 I am diagnosed with a low grade lymphoma. Type unclear as of yet.
June 13, 2008 My place of work has decided to close its doors. This is great since I have been recently diagnosed with cancer and now I will have no insurance.
June 19, 2008 I get to finally talk to an oncologist. He says he believes it to be a type of Leukemia, but wants to do a bone marrow biopsy to be sure.
July 2, 2008 Get the bone marrow biopsy performed. Have to wait 3 weeks to get results.
July 24, 2008 See my oncologist. He confirms I have Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. He tells me this is a very slow progressing type of Leukemia and it could be several years before I would need any treatment. He also tells me that this disease is incurable, but they can put it into remission and can keep it there for many years.
September 13, 2009 Getting another CT scan. The Dr's are concerned about my condition. My white blood count is elevated, but not to a degree that would warrant any immediate action. They are concerned about the increase in my lymph nodes.
September 19,2009 See my oncologist. They tell me my lymph nodes have increased in size by 70% in the last 18 months. The danger here is they can press against other organs and shut them down....not good. They recommend chemo treatment. Not the words I wanted to hear, but I knew it was coming eventually. I always thought eventually meant you had plenty of time. Not necessarily.
October 5, 2009 Had a port-a-cath (or power port) put into my left shoulder. I am now a permanent Borg.
October 13, 2009 Started my first series of treatments. Really nervous because I wasn't sure what to expect. This first series is 4 days of treatments followed by a shot the jump starts my bone marrow. The chemo drugs tends to shut down my bone marrow from making white blood cells, the shot gets it started again.

There are a total of 6 treatment cycles I go through, the first one was the only one that was 4 days. The rest are 3 days followed by a shot the next day. The shot is the only thing I feel any side effects from. It gives me aches and pains like I had the flu, but no other flu like symptoms. I have had no side effects at all from the chemo drugs. I even have all of my hair still.

Today I started my 5th treatment cycle and will end it on Thursday and get my shot on Friday. Sometime Friday night I will start to feel the effects of the shot and that will go all day Saturday. I will start to feel those effects easing going into Sunday. By Monday, my battery is recharged and I am ready to go. My 6th and final treatment starts March 2, 2010.

Since losing my job in June 2008, I have had 43 interviews up until July 2009. I used all of my unemployment benefits and was beginning to wonder what we were going to pay the bills with. I did some research and it was suggested that I check into Social Security Disability. I checked into it, applied in August 2009 and in November 2009 I was approved. A lot of people ask me what I did to get it the first time around and get it so quickly. I tell them it helps to have a terminal disease. The looks of shock are priceless.