NO CHEMO! Saturday 7AM

"Be the hero of your own story"

NO CHEMO! I am starting Brentuximab on Monday. Once every three weeks for six months. This drug is very new so I'm nervous but I am glad I am doing this because if it works for me, I am proof that this drug will work for others as well. The side effects of this drug he said are fever and chills. Because the drug is new, there may be more side effects that are not completely known yet.

I will have to come back to the hospital two to three times every week to get my bandage changed on my arm where the catheter is, the bandage changed on my lesion/tumor on my stomach, and to see the progress/shrinking (if any) of my lesion on my stomach.

If Brentuximab doesn't work then I will be doing radiation. And obviously, if radiation doesn't work then I will be doing Chemo. I'm very optimistic though! I really believe Brentuximab will work! I want to be able to help prove that Brentuximab is another way to cure my form of lymphoma so that this drug is used more in the future on other people. Chemo is such an intense form of treatment and I was ready for it but now I have to set my mind to be ready for something new. He said he is going to keep a close eye on me to hear if there are any other side effects because treatment effect everyone differently.

This is really a trial and error case but there isn't any downside to trying it and seeing if it works. If it works....I'll be healed and will be a successful case used to prove that it works for other people. If it doesn't work, I just move on to radiation in 6 weeks. No biggie!

Within the next 18 days, I have 8 doctors appointments. This will be my life for the next six months but I will smile through the whole thing. Plus, I love my doctor and all the nurses so it's fine. He has to check my blood counts and my lesion every week to see the effect this new drug has on my body. I'm so excited that I'm doing this new thing... I feel like a pioneer or something lol

Forgot to mention this...but this new drug is usually used after chemo doesnt work. In those cases, it has a 90% success rate. In my case, he doesn't know but he expects for it to work just as well before chemo. WE SHALL SEE...

I am not going to lie this catheter is killing my arm...and hurting my chest....I don't think its supposed to do that...I am going to City of Hope this morning to see if this is supposed to happen...Below is an example of what the catheter looks like without my bandage. There are two things that stick out of my arm to put the treatment in. and it is in a vein all the way to the middle of my chest.

I start Monday at 9AM... The journey officially begins....



Below--- more pictures from today...excuse my popcorn grease stains on my shirt =)