You folks are amazing! I am still here…well, alive and online, anyway. The Lord has sent me to encourage cancer patients, and so I have been promoted to the lofty position of unpaid moderator at
www.cancerforums.net Your prayers have sustained me through all of this:
07/08 DX Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma-Not Otherwise Specified. 50+ tumors with BMI
08/08-12/08 Four cycles CHOEP14 + four cycles GND (Cyclofosfamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, Etoposide, Prednisone & Gemcitabine, Navelbine, Doxil)
02/09 Relapse.
03/09-06/13 Clinical trial of Romidepsin > long-term study. NED for 64 twenty-eight day cycles
07/13 Relapse/Suspected Mutation.
08/13-02/14 Romidepsin increased, but stopped due to ineffectiveness. Watch & Wait.
09/14 Relapse/Progression. Visible cervical nodes appear within 4 days of being checked clear.
10/06/14 One cycle Belinostat. Discontinued to enter second clinical trial.
10/25/14 Clinical trial of Alisertib/Failed.
01/12/15 Belinostat resumed/Failed 02/23/15
02/24/15 Pralatrexate/Failed 04/17/15
04/15 Genomic profiling reveals mutation into PTCL-NOS + AngioImmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma. Two dozen tumors + small intestine involvement.
04/22/15 TREC (Bendamustine, Etoposide, Carboplatin). Full response in two cycles. PET/CT both clear. Third cycle followed.
06/15-07/15 Transplant preparation (X-rays, spinal taps, BMB, blood test, MUGA scan, lung function, CMV screening, C-Diff testing etc. etc. etc.) Intrathecal Methotrexate during spinal tap.
BMB reveals Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), technically a third cancer.
07/11-12/15 Cyclofosfamide + Fludarabine conditioning regimen.
07/16/15 Total Body Irradiation.
07/17/15 Haploidentical Allogeneic Transplant receiving my son’s peripheral blood stem cells.
07/21-22/15 Triple dose Cytoxan + Mesna, followed by immunosuppressants Tacrolimus and Mycophenolate Mofetil.
07/23-08/03/15 Blood nose dive. Fever. Hospitalized two weeks.
08/04/15 Engraftment official - released from hospital.
08/13/15 Marrow is 100% donor cells. Platelets climbing steadily, red cells follow.
09/21/15 Acute skin GvHD arrives. DEXA scan reveals osteoporosis.
09/26/-11/03/15 Prednisone to control GvHD.
To date: 14 chemotherapeutic drugs in 8 regimens. 4 of those drugs at least twice. 3 non-chemo biological drugs, Total body irradiation, 4 lymph node biopsies, 4 skin punch biopsies, 10 or so bone marrow biopsies, 35+ CT scans head-to-pelvis, about 12 PET scans for cancer activity, 2 clinical trials, one long-term study, various immunosuppressant drugs, UV light therapy, and soon, extra-corporeal photopheresis (ECP) of the T-Lymphocytes in my blood (similar to dialysis). So…
Knowing the redemptive value of suffering makes all the difference.
…as well as that which is to come. I am fighting Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD), in which my new immune system is attacking my own body. We are hoping ECP will take care of it, as GvHD is the second cause of mortality from transplants. Oh, well…
May the blessings of almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you all!
Jim