Over the rainbow, over the moon!

Ok, I apologize in advance for the lapse in blogging and thus resulting in the length of this entry, but I want to get everyone caught up =)
So…I finished chemo!!  My last treatment was the week before thanksgiving.  I flew to Boston to be with my family for the holiday.  What a great time that was.  I celebrated with a few glasses of well deserved wine =)  It was so great to see my family and to thank them and hug them in person for all of their support throughout this ugly process.
December was a very nice, relaxing month.  Only a quick visit to the Dr. for my lupron shot-2 more, just to be on the safe side in preserving my little eggs to hopefully make a baybay in a few years =).
I had another PET/CT scan on January 10th and met with Dr. Raj about a week ago to discuss the results, which were still AWESOME!  There is a number (the Standard Uptake Value or SUV) that can indicate the activity of cells.  The normal range is under 5, with 5 and above indicating a probably malignancy.  My value from my previous reading was 2.5 and this latest one is 2.1, so that is all good =)  I talked with Dr. Raj a bit about the prognosis of radiation and he explained this to me: What I had was considered ‘bulky disease’, which is when a mass is greater than 10 cm in mass, so I did have 1 mass that was just under 10 cm, so they classified it as bulky.  Basically, the chemo can do a lot, but when masses are of a certain size, the chemo can’t chew it all up and so radiation is used to make sure the last bits are killed off. 
The decision to have radiation, is very difficult and one I have been thinking about for several months.  The problem is, there are side effects and risks associated with it.  I know, a giant laser beam seems perfectly harmless (ha!) but it can cause secondary cancers to the other tissues that are affected by the beam (it has to go through my lung tissue obviously, and possibly breast tissue, etc.  They have really improved the technology and the radiation is at a lower amount for Hodgkin’s than it is for other cancers.  But the other risk is, if I choose not to radiate, then what if the Hodgkin’s comes back?  If they do recommend it…hoping they don’t of course (appointment with the Radiation Oncologist this Friday the 27th), I think…I would do it.  For a long time, I was thinking I wouldn’t do it, even if they recommended it.  But the goal right now is to cure the Hodgkin’s so if that means radiation…then that is what I am going to do.  I feel like if I don’t do it, then I am going to be looking over my shoulder for the Hodge every day.  Life offers no guarantees on anything.  I could choose not to radiate and still wind up with another cancer later in life.  But the Hodge is the focus right now.  Anyway, I’ll keep you posted…no…really =) on the meeting outcome.
But otherwise right now I am feeling really good =)  I am deplorably out of shape from basically a year with very little exercise, but I am slowly but surely getting back in shape.  My lung function feels pretty good all things considered…as I keep up with the exercise my heart feels better too…I was getting pretty winded with basic stuff, but I’m sure that is just a product of laziness =)  I have had enough couch sitting to last a lifetime!  I am sooo anxious for spring to be here!  I basically lost my last summer and so I am super ready to go frolicking in the woods again!
Another side effect I noticed was that I was feeling VERY stiff and achy in my whole body.  The mornings were the worst, with my fingers feeling arthritic and my hips not wanting to move.  I would hobble stiff legged out to get a cup of coffee.  Sitting in one position for long periods of time also cause me to freeze up and the process of getting everything moving and grooving was a bit painful.  I did a bit of internet sleuthing and other people were experiencing this after chemo also.  The one thing they found that seemed to help was exercise!  Movement is life people!  So, I propelled my achy body to the elliptical machine and you know what?  After just one work out I noticed a difference in that I was starting to feel better!  Thank goodness!  I honestly imagine that is what an 80 year person must feel like.  YUCK!
In other news, I have become less sensitive to the smells that bothered me while I was having chemo.  For my most recent PET CT and a more recent blood draw from my port, I didn’t gag at all when they had to flush me with the saline!  Yay!  I still notice the greasy smell in the lobby, and I notice it when I go to some restaurants also (sorry Eat-n-park, but this means you), but it doesn’t make me want to blow chunks anymore.  Horray! Haha =)
It was a year ago that this whole crazy ordeal was starting, with a hospital stay following what should have been an out-patient broncoscopy procedure.  What a crazy year it has been.  But I emerge from this welcoming the year of the Dragon, and humbly embracing all that life throws my way.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Have a good year people!! =)  And thanks again for the love and support…and for listening to all of my ramblings on here.
Oh and PS…my eyebrows have grown back!!!  Woohoo!  And I have a full head of very short dark blonde fuzz that I will debut in a few more weeks…it needs to be long enough to comb I think, before I let it out =)  Oh happy days!
Xoxo
Emily