the nasty bits

 
here’s what i have to report after yesterday’s appointment.

well, it’s either stage 2 or stage 2a.  the a or b is determined by the presence of systemic symptoms like fever, nightsweats, etc.  the majority of the nodes involved are in the left side of my neck and in my chest, nothing beow the diapragm.  the marrow biopsy was negative but the pet scan shows that the spinal section near the affected area of my chest might also be involved.

i’m tentatively scheduled to start treatment on thursday.  i don’t have to.  my doctor said if i wanted more time with nugget i could have it because this type of cancer isn’t going to change in just a few days.

i have an appointment today with the oncology nurse practitioner to go over a bunch of things, kind of like the way they do it at the reproductive endocrinologist (ivf clinic).  my mom is going with me this time because she hasn’t met the oncologist yet.  i’ll decide when i’m going to start treatment after discussing our schedules with the nurse.

the first treatment will take the longest because they have to go slowly to check for any allergic reactions.  after that each session will take around three hours.

i’ve ordered two books, anthony bourdain’s the nasty bits and lewis black’s me of little faith, but i’ll definitely be needing to download a bounty of new podcasts to help pass the time.  i’ve been in the treatment room once before, but it was mostly filled with older people who all seemed very into their various magazines and healthy snacks from home.  somehow i don’t see them providing me with hours of entertainment.