Update: The Zanubrutinib is still working and my blood test numbers are either within normal range or low as expected. No transfusions. No drama. Yay! I have made the first tentative steps towards re-starting my yoga practice. I was working on my 200-hr yoga teacher training certification at the time of diagnosis. It’s amazing how […]

The great news is that I have no news. No blood tests. No transfusions. No doctor’s appointments. No health changes. For now, life is stable and I’m feeling pretty good. I’m grateful for this inactivity. After 5 months, I’m finally getting some recuperative rest. My next blood test is on May 19th. My next doctor’s […]

The numbers are still trending in the right direction. White blood cell (immunity) and hemoglobin (“your blood works”) are both in normal range. Red blood cell (“your blood works”) and platelet counts (bleeding risk) are low, but that is to be expected with both the disease and the medication that I am on. They are […]

I am happy to report that we are still trending in the right direction. The spleen is still down. My stomach is almost as flat as my fitness self. More importantly, I can eat normal sized meals again. My appetite has returned and I am craving some of my favorite cuisines again – Ethiopean, Korean, […]

I started taking the Zanubrutinib (Brand Name: Brukinsa) last Monday evening. 2 80mg capsules in the morning, 2 at night. One week in – I have no negative side effects, the spleen is down to the point where I can lie on my stomach in bed for the first time since November, I’m off the […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]