checking in

Hello there :)

Well, the chemo finally seems to have caught up with me. I have been feeling a little under the weather for the past two days with a very sore throat, aching in my joints, and overall exhaustion. The doctors warned me that days 7-10 following treatment would be the hardest because my white blood cell count would reach its lowest point, and they seem to be right. Today was day 7 and I'm definitely feeling it. The sore throat got somewhat better today though, so I'm pretty sure it's just this cold working its way out of my system. Hopefully I won't deal with that after future chemo cycles. I have been spending a lot of time in bed, which is discouraging. It's nice out and I really wish I felt up to going places.

I did manage to tag along with my dad and Keen for their annual trip to see Lauren Hart and Dar Williams at the Concert Under the Stars in King of Prussia, PA on Sunday. We got Charcoal Pit on the way there and brought along a cooler full of drinks and some lawn chairs. It was really an amazing night, despite the fact that thunderstorms cut the concert short. What made it all worthwhile for me was getting to meet Lauren Hart. For those of you who aren't familiar with her, she is a singer/songwriter and "The Voice" of the Philadelphia Flyers' hockey games. Needless to say I was extremely excited to see her perform since I am a huge Flyers fan; however, I was even more interested to meet her because she is a survivor of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma!

After her set, my dad, Keen and I walked up to the table where she was autographing CD's. I wanted a copy of her latest CD and was curious to see if she had any advice for me as I begin my treatment for NHL. When I told her about my recent diagnosis, she immediately stood and hugged me. It felt so good to talk to someone who has been there! I can't even begin to tell you...She had such great advice for me, and even gave me her personal e-mail address so that I can keep in touch with her. Lauren was diagnosed in stage III like I am, and has been in remission for 5 years after 6 months of chemo. Perhaps the most reassuring thing she told me was that if I'm feeling good now, that means I'll most likely continue to feel good throughout my chemo treatment. She told me to focus on caring for my emotional health, because that will be the most important battle. It means so much to me to have her encouragement....what an incredible experience.

Having ended the weekend on that amazing note, I had a pretty low key Memorial Day. I spent the morning attempting to medicate my throat, which was really bugging me, and then went to Dan's house later to watch game one of the Stanley Cup finals. I enjoyed sitting and relaxing with Dan and his parents. They really are a second family to me.

Today was a pretty sickly day. I spent most of it in my bed or on the couch. I felt sort of dizzy, and I can definitely tell that the steroids are wearing off because I can hear the wheezing in my chest again from where my lung is partially collapsed. Hopefully the drugs will get to work shrinking this tumor so I can finally breathe normally after all these months.

The women from Dr. A's office have really been a huge support system for our family, and they came through yet again today. They collected money and got us a gift certificate to the Macaroni Grill (one of my favorite restaurants!), and sent me a beautiful carved wooden Angel of Healing which I placed beside my bed. We ordered takeout from Macaroni Grill for dinner, which really cheered me up. I know it has been a huge relief for my mom to not have to worry about cooking dinner. I'm glad she has such a caring group of friends at work.

Oh, I suppose I should also fill you all in on some news that I received today. I have been waiting to hear the results of my PET scan and bone marrow biopsy because my oncologist was on vacation for a few days. The PET scan is what took pictures of my whole body for about an hour to see if the cancer had spread anywhere besides the tumor in my chest. The biopsy was meant to determine if the cancer had spread to my bone marrow, which would elevate me to a stage 4 (the most advanced stage) of NHL. If the cancer spreads to any vital organs or bone marrow, they consider it stage 4. Thankfully, I got a call today telling me that my bones are cancer free! HOORAY!! The PET scan also showed that the cancer has not spread anywhere besides the original tumor, which is also a huge relief. I was SO happy to get this news!!

Anyway, I really need to get to bed. I'm still pretty achy and very tired. Dan came over tonight and kept me company while I drifted in and out of sleep. He takes good care of me :) I promised him I would get some rest, so I'm going to go do that. I will update again soon and let you know if I'm feeling any better.

Lots of love,
Lauren