Welcome to Joe's Cancer Adventure

If you are reading this, there is a good chance that you know who I am, and have a good understanding of what I am currently going through.  If you don't know a guy named Joe who gets to have awesome cancer adventures, you are probably reading the wrong blog.

I thought it might be a good idea to find a place where I can communicate some of the ongoing awesomeness that is cancer treatment, and to maybe help myself keep a record of what happens during the course of this treatment.

If the last time I was diagnosed with Non-Hodkins Lymphoma 9 years ago is any indication, the mind does a good job in blocking out the more horrible portions of the treatment.

I suppose the goals for this site are three fold

1. Provide a mechanism by which I can communicate the comings and goings of my treatment to a wide range of people
2. Give me an outlet to record some of my thoughts and actions during this difficult time
3. Keep my brain occupied so it's not dwelling on the negative.  

We'll see how well I do any of those things.

In any event here is some background.  I presume most of you already know many of the details.  9 years ago I was finishing up treatment of what the oncologists were calling "burkitts like" non-hodkins lymphoma.  The treatment wasn't really a walk in the park, but it did give me the opportunity to become intimately familiar with our nation's healthcare system. I had successfully beaten cancer this time, and was able to live some of the best years of my life.  Against the odds, I was blessed with two amazing children, I already had an amazing wife, but the subsequent years were some of the best we've had.  The time has been amazing.

On Thursday December 6th 2012  I had gone in for a CT Scan.  Since the last cancer run in I have learned it's probably better to be proactive then reactive.  I was just about to get on an airplane to New York for a fun weekend with the Family, when I heard from my doctor that trip just wasn't in the cards.  The CT Scan had some concerning and abnormal results that led the doctors to believe I was in no shape to fly.  I ultimately proved them wrong, but still ended up undergoing the excitement of preparing for a colonoscopy in lieu of hanging out in the big apple.

Today I officially met the oncologist.  Like most crazy smart people I know, he had some interesting quirks, but all in all I think that he's going to be a good fit.  He told me that if he didn't know something, then he would tell me.  This is a pretty significant departure from my past experiences that suggested Dr's thought themselves infallible, and took offense if you indicated otherwise.

We are still waiting on final pathology reports on the samples taken from my tumors yesterday, but the doctor is 99% positive that I do, in fact, have lymphoma.  The exact treatment will largely depend on the pathology reports, but he felt sufficiently motivated to get me started on the other barrage of tests that will be needed to type, and stage my cancer.  Once we have a good understanding what kind of cancer I have, and how far it's spread, we will have a much better understanding of what the treatment will look like.

2012 is quickly becoming a very expensive healthcare year.
Colonoscopy+Pet Scan+Echocardiogram+ChemoTherapy= no new toys for Joe this year.

I still remain confident that I'm going to kick this thing.  I haven't quite decided if having experience in this regard is a good thing or a bad thing.  On one hand, I have a good idea of what to expect.  On the other hand, I have a good idea of what to expect.

I don't think I'm very good at being pessimistic, and I don't see how now would be a good time to start trying to be.

My great thanks go out again to all those who have expressed their support.  It really does help tremendously to know that there are so many who love and care for me and my family.