It’s official – we are moving from first line (the Rituximab + chemotherapy drugs) to second line therapy. I have a much better shot at getting relief with the new drug, Zanubrutinib. Zanubrutinib is a BTK (Bruton Tyrosine Kinase) Inhibitor. Mantle Cell Lymphoma is a B-Cell Lymphoma. The rough idea behind the BTK Inhibitors is […]
MCL – Setbacks and Second Opinions
The spleen has gotten worse since the last update. It’s almost as swollen and sore as it was when I went into the hospital in January. I had hoped that it would go down over the week – no dice. The oncologist was not happy. He was also prepared. This is the same pattern we […]
MCL – As Seen on TV
As part of my last treatment – I received a Neulasta (Pegfilgrastim) injector. The Neulasta mitigates issues with my white blood cells and infections during chemotherapy. This device is a tool in my mission to stay out of the hospital during this treatment cycle. For this to work, there is a narrow window when the […]
MCL – Salvaging the First Line Treatment
I went through another round of treatment this week. The bone marrow biopsy results indicated we needed to make some adjustments to the plan and move quickly. The treatment plan now looks like this: 6 rounds of a chemoimmunotherapy protocol called RBAC – Rituximab/Bendamustine/Cytarabine The difference between this and our initial plan is that we […]
MCL – Sent to the ER
There are certain advantages to being a morning insomniac – such as being alert and awake when the oncologist calls you at 5:30am on a Tuesday morning telling you to go to the ER because your pre-treatment blood labs tell him that things are going sideways. Wake up the partner, go back to the Inova […]
MCL – Medi-Ports
Warning: You may find the images in this post uncomfortable. Needles and blood are shown. If you wish to just read the weekly update, scroll to the bottom of the page. As part of my cancer treatment, the oncologist requested that I get a Medi-Port installed. After an excruciating week post-treatment 1, I looked forward […]
MCL – PET Scan after Treatment 1
In an ideal world, I would have had this initial PET Scan before going into the first treatment. Between being in the hospital, the cancer moving quickly, insurance approvals, and scheduling – we weren’t going to get this particular test done until after treatment 1. The day before, they asked me to go on a […]
MCL Treatment 1 – Update
Each of the three Rituximab/Bendamustine treatments will be spread out over 2 days. Treatment 1 happened February 10 and 11. Day 1 is the long day – 8+ hours in the oncologists’ office sitting in a comfy chair as the oncologist and his staff manipulate bags of IV drugs. Day 2 is the short day […]
I Have Been Diagnosed with Cancer
On January 22, 2022 – I was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma – Stage 4 Aggressive, TP53 expression. What this means – I get to go on the Cancer Patient journey.And that I probably don’t need to worry so much about retirement. I’m starting my first treatment on Thursday, February 10th. This initial phase looks […]
