New scan

 My oncologist is very optimistic about my latest scan and was talking about changing the schedule so I would only get a scan every 2 years but there is a little spot on my liver which could be a cyst but we don't know.

So she wants to do an MRI soon and we scheduling it in 6 months and then I would have an in-person visit in January 2025.

 She can't say that I am in remission and she can't even say NED (no evidence of disease) but...it is important that I am feeling good and so there's no evidence of a need for treatment. She doesn't think the bright spot on my liver is lymphoma but it IS a little more conspicuous now than it was in previous scans; it's an "ill defined" spot.

NYT:, 2/13/24

the era of frequent imaging has given rise to the vexed problem of “scanxiety”. Patients live from scan to scan and it takes a superhuman effort to suspend worry.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/14/im-an-oncologist-this-is-what-king-charles-and-my-cancer-patients-have-in-common?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

PFAs

With new research coming out about PFAs, I wonder if I could have gotten  lymphoma from drinking water.   A stronger connection is from military bases but I was certainly never on a military base. 

Then I have to wonder about my mother, too, and how she got pancreatic cancer. But how are we to ever know!

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemlee/pfas-cancer-study

My yearly PET scan is coming up soon in January!

Good scan but I wish I was in NED

Dr Ujjani says "no need for treatment" (NNT?) rather than NED (No Evidence of Disease) and the word remission cannot be used. 

My next check up is in 6 months (in person!) and she said we can wait a year for next PET scan! Unless symptoms arise, of course. 

The few areas she was concerned with in my last scan (in June 2022) have gotten smaller but they are still there, still could be lymphoma but she can't tell; they are deep in the belly, under 2 cm and can't be biopsied.

https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer/ned-cancer

Another scan

I had another PET scan this past Monday, 6/13/22. I talked to the doctor today. 

All looks well. White blood cell count still a little low but throat brightness in last scan has diminished; the slightly large nodes of concern last time are smaller!

I can get the Covid vaccines again in July and my next PET scan can wait for 6 months instead of three. The doctor is having a baby so it will actually be January until my next PET scan.

She thinks I had a mild case of Covid19 not because of the Paxlovid but because of the Evusheld.

Covid positive

It finally happened! I have Covid19.  I am feeling quite well, probably thanks to being able to get Paxlovid, the antiviral medicine meant for the immuno-compromised and those over 65. I am pretty sure I got it from looking at a few houses with a Port Townsend realtor. 

It feels like a cold so nothing to be too concerned about. 

It is almost a disappointment after fearing and dreading catching it for so long!

Does this mean I have Covid antibodies that will remain for a while with no effects from chemo?

I guess I still have to be careful...

Throat okay

 It wasn't a fun appointment (is there such a thing for medical appointments?) because the nose scope was very uncomfortable, even after an anesthetic, like a very long Covid PCR test. Then he examined my throat and made me gag. 

But he concluded that there was nothing suspicious (like throat cancer)! Hooray! He said I "had bigger fish to fry." 

I hope not. At least not right now. 

Evusheld problems

Looks like Evusheld antibodies just aren't as good or comprehensive as the ones your body forms after the vaccine:

https://www.verywellhealth.com/astrazeneca-monoclonal-evushield-vs-vaccines-5214237

"an infusion of synthetic antibodies quickly disappears within days or weeks without teaching your immune system this lesson."

https://medshadow.org/evusheld-antibodies-to-prevent-covid/#

And the problem since the beginning, lack of supply, could get even worse!

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220317/It-was-already-hard-to-find-Evusheld-a-covid-prevention-therapy-Now-ite28099s-even-harder.aspx

New PET scan is good BUT...

 I just had another PET scan yesterday and got the results today.

Is it good news? Yes, the two concerning areas have shrunk! Must be that Essiac tea I have been drinking (https://www.essiacnorthwest.com/)! But there is something concerning in my throat, so she wants me to see a specialist to check it out with a scope. (I now have an appointment for April 20th with a surgical oncologist, an otolaryngologist. What a mouthful that is!)

Am I in remission?  No, I am not since there are areas she wants to keep an eye on. There are people with lymphoma who are considered to be in remission but that's not me.

Can I get another Covid vaccine? I will be contacted about getting another dose of Evusheld since they are now thinking the dose should be bigger than I got (300 mg). My antibodies test does not mean I am no longer immuno-compromised; the antibodies were injected into me but they were not PRODUCED by my body (different from the vaccines). This is a clarification that is very important. So I still have to be careful but that doesn't mean that I can't travel. She thinks a year after receiving chemo (Rituxan, specifically) I can get two vaccines, so that would be put me at least at September.

Can I travel to the U.K./Ireland? Yes, Dr. Ujjani said I can travel but just be careful, wear a mask on the plane, etc. And go AFTER I get the Covid vaccines.

When is the next scan? She wants me to get another scan in three months; if that's good, we can go to a six month stretch before the next one. So mid-June and then December? 

Evusheld helped

The Covid antibodies test I just got turned out really well! It looks like Evusheld helped a lot! Anything over 10,000 is a very good result. My doctor said, "This means that your body should be well protected against Covid-19 and you do not need to worry about getting any additional booster shots at this time."

Wow, what a relief! I can go shopping, go to book group, just normal stuff, and feel better. I can also probably think about traveling by plane. I am so grateful for Evusheld! It has only been available since December 8th; I just wish everyone who qualifies for it could get it.

 

Hair!

You can probably tell but upper left and middle is now. Bottom left after chemo. Upper right soon after chemo, a couple months. Bottom right is wig, free from Multicare Cancer Center in Puyallup!