Day 234 – Sunday (04/14/19)
Next blog update will TRY to be posted by Saturday, April 20th, at midnight.
Hello everyone! ONE DAY LEFT!!!! Tomorrow (Monday, 4/15) will be my last proton treatment! To commemorate the event, there is a bell that patients get to ring 3 times. My family, parents, and in-laws are driving to the proton center with us tomorrow to celebrate with me. I have watched several “graduations” of other patients, and they usually give a short speech before they ring the bell. Here is what I think I’m going to say:
Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma by the numbers:
Numbers of days since diagnosis: 235
Size of mass: 6 inches x 3 inches
Number of weeks of chemo: 18
Miles Driven for Proton Treatment: 7000
Hours on the road: 140 Hours
Number of proton treatments: 25
Number of friends I have made and number of people praying for me through this process: Countless
The blood that Jesus shed for my sins, and the mercy and grace that God has shown me: Priceless
The first bell ring is for God, and all that He has done for me at the cross, and through this process. The second bell ring is for my friends and family that have supported me every step of the way. The third bell ring is for all the staff here at the proton center that take care of all of us patients with love and kindness.
So, what is next? I have a follow-up visit with my oncologist here in town on May 9th. I believe I will get a schedule for my next PET scan at that visit. My understanding is that I cannot have a scan until 90 days after radiation, to prevent false positives. That would put it sometime around July 15th, but I’m hoping I will get a firm date. This PET scan will confirm if I am fully in remission. I also have a follow-up visit with my doctor at the proton center on May 22nd. This visit is simply to make sure that I have not developed any odd side effects following the radiation. The doctor would like a CT scan just before the visit to review and see how things look. This scan will NOT confirm remission. Only the PET can do that.
My plan is to update again next Saturday, and I will have a plan for the future of the blog at that time.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You SOOOO much for everything you have done to help me through this cancer battle. Time flew by so quickly with the radiation. It is hard to believe that I only have ONE MORE DAY LEFT! You have shown me so much mercy and grace through this process. Thank You for all the prayer warriors and friends You have sent my way to help me in this battle. Please provide traveling mercies one more day as my family drives down to the Proton Center with me. You are an awesome God, and worthy of our praise! Amen.