fun cancer gear & update

i ♥ cafepress.com!

i get tons of cool gear from this site....the badges on the side of my blog are from there - and the bumper stickers on the back of my mini-van are too! i've got some t-shirts, a messenger bag & some buttons from them too - LOVE this site!

u can search for just about anything & find funny & attractive buttons, stickers, stationary, tshirts, hats, bags, mugs, etc. related to what u're looking for....great for gift ideas!

last night, after looking online & discovering that the ribbon color for hodgkin's is violet (the one for lymphoma is lime green - and these 2 colors actually look good together - might get some ribbons made up for my fam), i looked on cafepress for some hodgkin's related stuff - and here are some that will be gracing my blog & mini-van very soon :0)


some of the more serious ones...

some i'd definitely get if i got to keep the doc i've been seeing - i LOVE him! too bad this is his last week in our hospital....he's headed back home to NC
and some that are super funny - more my style! ;0)

speaking of radiation - i met with a radiation doctor today....she explained the options & risks of radiation to me....she told me that some docs feel differently than others, when it comes to whether or not youngin's like me should receive radiation....regardless, whether i have radiation or not (& how much i'll have), depends on how well i respond to chemo....but because of the risks of radiation, they want me to have the lowest dose possible

she said that some docs have tried no radiation after chemo, if the patient is super young (like 18) & is responding well to chemo - but in most of those cases, there's a reoccurrence of the lymphoma, and the patient ends up having to have more radiation than if they'd just given it after the chemo to begin with

the risk of having radiation therapy as a youngin, is that you're more likely to develop other cancers later in life....in the area that i'll b having zapped - we'd have to worry about breast & lung cancer (my risk of developing these cancers after radiation, will b double or triple what they are now)....but the good news is, insurance companies now understand & cover testing - having radiation therapy automatically means you're eligible to receive MRI's 7-10 years after treatment to keep an eye on things like this (MRI's can detect better than mammograms)

i'll have more PET scans done throughout chemo, to see how well it's kicking my cancer's ass....then we'll all decide together....she says that minimum, i'm looking at 2 1/2 weeks of radiation (treatment every day, mon-fri)....& a max of 3 1/2-4 weeks....of course, at the lowest dosage possible (all, after my 4-6 months of chemo)

other side effects include, skin irritation (like a sunburn), sore throat & some possible inflammation in my lungs about a month after radiation (a hacking, dry cough & wheezing - which they can prescribe steroids for)

i learned that chemo can increase ur risks for cancer too - didn't know that! but hey, it's not like i have a choice....with God by my side, i'm ready to deal with whatever may come my way - today, tomorrow or years down the road

tomorrow, i go back to the cancer center (AGAIN - i feel like i freakin' live there!) to talk with my homeboy, the oncologist, one more time before he leaves....we're hoping the marrow results will be back (they weren't back yet today), so we can discuss those....and we'll also start developing a game plan for my chemo & radiation....like i said before, i hope to wait to start after Christmas, but i'm also ready to get this ball rolling!