All Systems Go
All the tests are finally complete! Some highlights include: the thickly-accented doctor who administered my pulmonary function test, the echocardiogram which made me feel like I was getting a ultrasound for a baby, the bone marrow biopsy which felt like constantly hip-checking a brick wall, and the CT/PET scan in which made me radioactive! Points for anyone who can link the title of this blog post and the last word of the previous sentence. Let’s just say I was humming some very amusing lyrics to myself as a very kind technician injected radioactive fluorine-18 deoxyglucose into my body.
The results of all of these tests at this point are all quite positive. We are still waiting for the complete analysis of the bone marrow biopsy, but at this point they’re still leaving me at Stage IIa. The PET scan confirmed this staging, showing that the cancer has extensively penetrated around my neck and one side of my chest, but for the moment not any further! (Translation: Good news!)
In terms of the treatment it looks I will probably be needing to do 6 cycles of chemotherapy. Each cycle is about 28 days and consists of drug treatments on the 1st and 15th days of the cycle as well as regular blood tests and scans. The drug regiment I’m on is ABVD which consists of the drugs Adriamycin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine, and Dacarbazine. Don’t worry, I promise to go into more detail about those at some point!
More good news! My oncologist is allowing me to travel April 1st-April 8th to Washington D.C. to compete in a scientific communication competition before I begin my chemotherapy treatment. Other than stealing Bo Obama as a play friend for Hoku, I am taking part in an event with NASA and National Geographic called FameLab. It really will be a wonderful opportunity and I look forward to meeting fellow young scientists who are passionate about science communication or probably more accurately fellow young scientists who are tired of simply being associated with lab coats, excelling at math, and being nerdy. Cause let’s be honest, I’m none of those except for maybe the last one…
Finally, this week heralds the return and thus complete reunion of the Bump family as Rosalind has come back from Berkeley. This has caused the family chemistry to return to normal and I no longer have to be the mature child in the family. (I beat out Hoku because I don’t chew on peoples’ hands.)
Family, passion, a path forward, and as always hope.
There has been much to be thankful for this week.