Good News!


There's a ridiculous amount of stuff to tell you all. Far too much to fit into one blog entry. Each time I seem to start by apologising for not having updated Livin' With Lymphoma for too long, but this time I'm not apologetic. It's been a very tough few weeks for me. The last cycle of chemotherapy hit me very hard indeed. Of the past three weeks, two were spent sleeping and the other in hospital. I've even lost 3kg (7lb) from being physically unable to eat. And needed four stitches in my finger. Not much fun at all. So yeah, I think that's a good enough excuse for disappearing. 
Strike a pose.
During those three weeks, however, this blog has hit 55,000 unique readers since diagnosis. This is equivalent to a very well-known town (at least to us Brits) which is probably one of the classiest places on Earth -  I present to you...

I'll pass on asking for a free holiday on this occasion...

Well, to hell with the horrible chemo cycle that has just passed. I'm just so overwhelmed to say that the moment has finally arrived. I mean, I feel like I'm overdue some good news by now, even if it does have a massive question mark hovering over it. I'm getting better.

At least we think so. Every sign of cancer has vanished from my body. That's the wonderful assumption I want to believe. That's the optimist's view.

The realist's view says that there remains one last 'shadow' in my right lung. This shadow hasn't changed in shape, activity or size since the previous scan. We are talking about something that is only a few millimetres in size, which is far too small to biopsy. Is it cancerous?

Yes, that is the question. Is it cancerous? The answer is inconclusive, but the solution is brilliant, at least in my eyes. Stop all chemotherapy. Stop all medication. Let me be a normal person again for 2-3 months. A cancerous shadow would jump at this opportunity and grow. A benign shadow would
 show no change. By repeating the PET/CT scan (see Being Scanned) in a few month's time we will know whether the lymphoma persists.

OPTIMISM.

Now off I trot to enjoy being that normal person I have wanted to be since my diagnosis. And regrow my eyebrows.

Maybe not that much brow.
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Joshua Lerner

Hi! I’m the 'star' of Livin' With Lymphoma. The blog was founded on the 31st October 2013, on the day I was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin's lymphoma. I hope you find it funny and informative.

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6 comments:

  1. Josh this is fantastic news and gives me hope. My last few weeks haven't been great either with an awful oncologists appointment but at least I have felt pretty healthy even if they tell me different. I am hoping that the shadow is not cancerous and that you are able to be just Josh. I know that the shadow will always hang over you but I hope all remains well xx

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  2. Hurrah Josh! Pleased to hear you can have a break....enjoy xxx

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  3. Hi Josh. I had Hodgekins when I was 24 - 26 years ago!
    Keep up the good work!

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  4. Just so happy that this day has arrived. Brilliant!! Good on yer, Josh. xxxx

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  5. Fantastic news! I together with everyone else, wish you will only have good news from now on.

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  6. Hi Josh. I'm one of mum and dad's old friends. I've had treatment for non hodgkin lymphoma and had an operation and radiotherapy none of which was pleasant but I didn't have chemo. Was bad enough to end up needing morphine for a while just after the treatment finished. All behind me now. Last session was on the 12th June 2013 and now have qtly check ups with loads of blood tests etc. So far so good and I'm now just getting on with life. Currently on a 3 week holiday in Brazil, going scuba diving in September and planning new years eve in Turkey. Looking forward to the future compared to not being prepared to make any plans whatsoever around the time of my treatment. Not even dinner dates etc. You have your life ahead of you which I'm sure will be until you're an old man in decades to come. Keep smiling, enjoy friends and music and celebrate the future :o)

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