Dad's cancer is Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and that incorporates a whole slew of sub-types. His is diffuse large b-cell (fairly common) and it is a Primary Central Nervous System lymphoma (very uncommon). I sound like I know what I'm talking about don't I? Being that I am not medically inclined, and I figure most of you aren't either, I'll try to explain according to my limited understanding.
Lymphoma is a blood cancer which usually forms tumors in the lymph nodes. But sometimes it can occur in other locations and that's what happened with Dad. The tumor formed in the brain and it is the only one they found (hence the Primary part).
Since Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive type, chemotherapy is an important part of the treatment. The goal is for all cancer cells in the body to be wiped out. This will either happen, or it won't. Dad's doctor is optimistic and we like that.
The chemotherapy has a variety of side effects. The hemoglobin levels in the body can drop significantly and this necessitates blood transfusions. Dad had two last weekend but hasn't needed any more yet. His platelets dropped but came back up again quickly, but he could need a transfusion of those too. In addition, all the cells which can fight off infection are extremely low, so he is susceptible to infections. He seems to have one at the moment so they've put him on antibiotics and hopefully that will take care of everything.
They are keeping him in the hospital for the first cycle to monitor the side effects as they could be potentially life-threatening. But he's been doing fairly well and the doctor has given him a few day passes to come home. My sister hosted the family Christmas dinner on Monday, and Dad was able to join us for that. He spent more time at home on Tuesday, Wednesday, and today, but because of the infection he will likely need to stay in hospital for a few more days.
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| Dad and Mom at Christmas dinner. Every Christmas he seems to end up with a bow on his head. When Mom took him back to the hospital, a little boy passing saw it and asked, "Is he a present?" The answer, of course, is yes! |
Once all his blood counts come back up to a good level, he can probably come home for a few days before beginning the next treatment cycle.
That's it for now. If you'd like to receive the updates by email, you can subscribe under Dad's picture on the right. Just enter your email and whenever there is a new post, you'll receive notification. Thanks!
