A Care Page for Paul Eyes

Good News

The biopsy came back as being scar tissue. No evidence of cancer. There is some evidence that there has been some bleeding around the spleen. Dr.K says the bleeding could just be from repair or death of tissue in the spleen, which was heavily diseased. The plan now is to see the oncologist in two weeks, then have another PET scan in about five weeks. Dr. K stated that he will be watching me very closely, but overall the news about the biopsy is very very good indeed. There is no further chemotherapy planned at this stage.

The last week has been a very anxious time as the outlook/statistics for patients still having disease after 6 chemotherapy treatments is not good. So there is a huge sense of relief at the news. Life has been on hold, but now I have a sense that I can cautiously look ahead again. I am told though that a regular feature of the coming months will be anxiety as scan dates approach. For the next year I will have PET scans every 3 moths, then it is usually every 6 months for another year, before graduating to one scan every year for another 3 years. My type of lymphoma has a high relapse rate so I face years of monitoring. 

I went to the UK for a quick 4 day visit over MLK weekend. Everyone remarked that I looked a lot better than on my last visit in October. My hair is coming in now (a lot of grey and white!) and I am also getting some improved sensation in my fingers and toes, which have been numb and tingling as a result of one of the chemotherapy drugs. I am also back to my normal weight. On the trip to England I went to see my beloved Manchester City play over the weekend with Tommy, my 8 year old. A 1-1 tie, not a great game, but it just felt good to share the experience with my son. Life is good.

Paul. January 22. 2008.

Spleen Biopsy

My last post mentioned that my PET scan had been somewhat inconclusive. My spleen is still an area of concern. As a result I had a CT scan last wednesday. The results showed a mass of 4cm present in the spleen. This is greatly reduced from the 10+ cm mass that was present in August. However, it is not known whether the remaining mass is made up of cancerous cells, or whether it is just scar tissue. Therefore I will be having a biopsy of the spleen this week. I will then face an anxious wait of 7-10 days for the results. Obviously decisions on any future treatment will hinge on the outcome of the biopsy. I hope to hear about the scheduled date of the biopsy today.

Other than some natural anxiety about my status, I am feeling very well. My weight is now back to normal. I have no pain, and I am following a normal, active schedule. Thanks to all for keeping me in your thoughts.

Paul. January 14th. 2008.

p.s. Spleen biopsy scheduled for Tuesday morning. I will be at the hospital for most of the day and should know the results Tuesday of next week.

Quick Update...

I know a number of people have been checking in to see if any news of my scan this week. Just to let you know that a lot is up in the air right now. My midweek scan showed improvement but was not "squeeky clean" so to speak. As a result, Dr. K is seeking the opinions of a number of his colleagues as to what the next step will be. No point speculating at this time. I will be getting together with Dr. K on Monday to go over the plan.

On the bright side I am feeling very good. I asked today what my chances of surviving are. I was told around 70%. Dr. K told me at diagnosis that I was probably around the 40% mark. So I have come a long way in a few short months. Will post more at he beginning of next week...