My Health

 For those of you who do not follow me on a regular basis, when I was 60, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and had a triple bypass type of heart attack.  Five years later, I was diagnosed with Melanoma as well and in 2022, I had 5 lower back disks fused as a result of old age, I was told.

In 2007, my weight was 205 lbs and in 2017 it was 250 lbs because of the steroids.  Due to meticulously counting my calories, I reduced my weight down to 220 lbs by 2022.  In the last year, my weight has reduced from 220lbs to 208 lbs as a result of my cancer (but not the melanoma) growing.  However, we are not sure how the Lymphoma has transformed and have sent off a biopsy to be genetically sequenced for treatment.

I will not be in a position to find out the results  and start a new treatment regimen for another two weeks.  Partly because the lab is overworked, partly because my Oncologist is on vacation, and partly because my medical center only has ONE PET SCANNER.

All of this should have been started last week, so I am about 2-3 weeks behind.

I am hoping that this delay does not make it more difficult to treat the cancer than if we started 3 weeks ago.  But, that's water over the dam right now.

In the meantime, I am simply trying to maintain my weight, not loose anymore and not gain anymore.

However, because the cancer inside my body is growing, I am experiencing nausea almost every day as well as extreme fatigue.  Before all of this started, I was walking a mile three times a week and was planning to increase it to 5 times a week.  It is difficult to walk when you wake up from sleeping the night before and feel like you need to go back to bed and continue sleeping.  This is after sleeping for 8 hours.

Stents were put into 3 arteries instead of doing a bypass and those stents are still pristine.  Therefore, I am not worried about my heart.  I take meds for blood pressure, blood thinners, and for cholesterol.  I continue to take pills for Lymphoma even though they are not working and continue to have monthly infusions with Opdivo for my Melanoma.

My lower back is all fused together, and my mobility is somewhat limited as is my bending over, but walking is supposed to help make that a little better.  It bothers me that I have been unable to walk but again, there is nothing I can do about it except try not to spend so much time sitting.

It is an uncomfortable position in which to be, but it is one that is not as bad as what others may be going through with their health.  I am thankful to still be alive after having cancer(s) for 15/10 years.  My new treatment protocol is probably going to incorporate some wicked chemo which I am not looking forward to because I have already gone through that for 6 months and it is no fun.