Cooling off

Just a quick update. It’s been a good week. The doctor was upbeat in his assessment of my progress. Then he talked about how the remainder of the treatment will go, assuming we see good results of my next PET scan in a little over a month.

We also got the body temp issue under control. We did this by moving the kidney medication to earlier in the day.

I worked from home several days last week. This is a real blessing for me. I can do my job quite effectively from home. My team has members around the world, and we are well practiced at collaborating online.

I’m about done with my preventative antibiotics for this round of therapy. So far, I’ve managed to avoid catching anything and I’m feeling pretty good physically. I had a blood draw on Friday, and we’re hoping to see those results early in the week to see how my immune system is holding up. I’ve lost sixteen pounds in the past 30 days, but that doesn’t seem to be a concern right now.

For me, depression can be a problem even when things are going well. This is true for me now just as it was before my lymphoma diagnosis. Like so many other people, I’ve controlled depression  for years with medication, and it doesn’t often bother me. My episodes of depression don’t last more than a few hours. But when it happens, it makes me feel worried and trapped in my medical condition. Intellectually I know things are going to be fine.  And, I am held up emotionally by my faith, my family and my friends.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers, gifts, calls and messages. You are all helping me through this more than you may know.