"No Evidence of Lymphoma"

I just received my 5th treatment out of 12 today (only 7 left, almost halfway!). I have had the best chemo dates on this "adventure" and today was no exception. My two great friends from college accompanied me this morning. We laughed the entire 3 hours. It made the treatment go by quickly and kept my energy and spirits up well into the afternoon.

I was also able to read the full results of my PET scan from last week. My two very favorite phrases of all time: "Complete response to treatment" and "no evidence of lymphoma" were prominent. (!!!!)

What this means for my remaining treatments is:

1.) We know it's working. The cancer is responding to the chemo and dying off quickly. See ya, sucker. I never wanted you here in the first place! I should be done in October, which sounds closer and closer every day!

2.) I will still have 12 total treatments to ensure that we get any roaming cancer cells and keep them from taking up residence someplace else and regrowing.

3.) This is the doozy for me - Due to the great results, they are taking me off the bleomycin which is one of the chemo drugs I was on that is known to cause pulmonary toxicity (in English, it's bad for the lungs, which I need to live).

My 4th round of chemo was my hardest physically. I had horrible body aches and swollen lymph nodes all over my body for 48 hours. I could barely move or sleep, and pain meds weren't helping. While this is a normal side affect, it was extreme and I'm praying it's not a side affect I have to experience again. However, once that abated, my energy soared! I was able to rejoin my exercise group, attend yoga, visit with friends, and get back on the mat for my first jiujitsu class in months. It was a GREAT week.

I hope to never take my energy and health for granted again. I'm so grateful on the days that I have the stamina to do these normal things. I played with my kids, cleaned my house, walked my dog, went on a date with my husband, went to church with my family. A normal day in the life, usually, but not for me lately. And getting to be normal is my favorite thing right now! Here's hoping that recovery from this treatment goes a little more smoothly than last time and that I can get back to those good days really quickly!