Day 2 & 3 After Chemo

These last few days after my first chemo treatment haven’t been as bad as I imagined. I am mostly tired and my body feels sore. But lately I have been feeling a little nauseous so I have been taking these anti-nausea pills. I did manage to go to work, which I think helped. I am eating regularly but trying to stay away from foods that might upset my stomach. It is a strange feeling like something is taking over your body. Today I went to get my haircut at the local barbershop. I have been going there for about 6 years. Being that I will most likely lose my hair this was probably my last haircut for a while, we’ll see. I also went to tell my barber Tony about my diagnosis. He was very sad. He just gave me a hug and says to come by when I want to shave it off. Seeing him cry made me sad. Tony is one cool dude.

This haircut did make my day! Nothing like a good old fashioned cut. I plan on having a fun weekend with my Lorraine and my family!

I hope everyone does something fun this weekend!

So It Begins - Chemo #1

Today was my first Chemotherapy treatment. The night before Lorraine and I could not get any sleep. We were all very anxious. Being very itchy and having bad night sweats also didn’t help me either. Those are both symptoms of Hodgkin’s Disease. I was curious to see how I would feel when they started injecting the Chemo in my veins. In the morning I was very nervous before I started but they gave me some drugs to keep me calm. I didn’t know what to expect because every patient is different. I sat in a room with ten other chairs with people getting their treatments. I was by far the youngest person there. Everyone else was at least over sixty years old, but at least they were all in good spirits. As soon as they were all getting the Chemo everyone fell asleep. It almost felt like I was at the Barbershop ready to get my haircut or a fresh shave because the nurse gave me hot towels to cover my arms to bring out my veins. The room was very cold.

My Chemotherapy that I am getting is made up of four different types of drugs called A.B.V.D.

The first drug is called Andriamycin, which is red in color, and they push it through the vein like a shot. This will also make my urine turn red. And it did!

The second drug is Bleomycin, which I didn’t get because I am waiting to do a pulmonary function test next week and this drug can cause problems with my lungs. The Doc wants to make sure that my lungs are strong enough to receive this drug.

The third drug is called Vincristine, which is clear in color, and they push it through the vein like the Andriamycin.

The last drug is called Dacarbazine, which is clear in color but it is sensitive to light. This drug is in a dark drip bag that lasts about two hours long.

After each treatment I have to go in the next day and receive a shot to boost my white blood cells to keep up my immune system.

It is kind of boring sitting and waiting for the drugs to finish. That’s why I guess people just fall asleep while they are there. The whole process didn’t hurt at all but it felt like I was watching myself in a movie. It was like an out of body experience like I couldn’t believe I am actually doing this. My mom and Lorraine sat with me through the whole process, which was about five hours long. They are the best! Lorraine brought my ipod for me and I may bring in my DVD player next time. You see different people coming and going. The nurses are really nice. The nurses were all surprised by my tattoos because they thought I had looked like a really innocent nice guy. I told them, “I am!”

After we came home I feel surprisingly fine. I have a light headache, a little light headed and my skin is pale and a bit yellowish. Other than that I feel great! By the way James Brown says..... Stay in School!

Well, Here It Goes.....

My name is Gil. Some people call me by my middle name, Jason. I am 30 years old and I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease on May 27, 2009. I had an enlarged Lymph Node on the right side of my neck. The doctor did a biopsy on it and this was the result. The thought of it being cancer never even crossed my mind. When he had said that I have Hodgkins Disease. My first words were, “really”. After that I was speechless. Everything else he said sounded like the adults from the Charlie Brown Cartoons. It really didn’t register with me on what just happened.

It’s kind of hard to tell people that I have cancer. I mean it’s not like it comes up in conversation. So, I have been straight to the point when telling people and tell them what it is. The type of cancer that I have is called Hodgkins Disease or Hodgkins Lymphoma. This type of cancer attacks your lymph nodes. From my understating this is a completely curable type of cancer and that I should have no problem beating this. I have been trying to figure out logically how I have this disease. I am healthier now than I have been in my whole life. I run six miles a day and started working my way up to do a marathon. As the doctor said, “it just happens”. No reason why.

Lately I have been feeling very old like Benjamin Button. I never met anyone my age that had cancer. So, it is all very weird to me that I’m the one with cancer. I thought this only happens to people in movies or on Lifetime. I know this is going to be difficult but I know I will get rid of this. I believe everything happens for a reason. Not sure what this reason is yet but I do know I will be a better person when all of this is done. I am very grateful to have such a wonderful family and great friends to support me along the way. If you want to know more please don’t hesitate to call me, approach me, and joke with me.

With the help of my lovely wife we will keep this Blog updated as much as possible.