First Meeting with Oncology

Today Jay met his oncology doctor, Dr. Karimi, and reviewed the upcoming treatment plan. The treatment plan will begin with 4 cycles of Chemo (16 weeks- each "cycle" is 4 weeks). During one cycle, Jay will receive two treatments of Chemo (so, every other Thursday for four months). This is an aggressive plan in which they expect to see his tumor dissipate, and then decide at the end if they will pursue a round of radiation, or additional cycles of Chemo.
This plan may also change after a few other questions have been answered for Dr. Karimi- Jay must be tested for heart disease to give an "all clear" to the type of Chemo they will administer, another CT scan to help determine staging as well as a bone marrow biopsy next week to make sure that the cancer is still confined to the lymphatic system.

Jay's chemo begins next Thursday.

The Oncology practice is simply that. The entire facility is dedicated to cancer treatment, it operates separately from any other hospital or medical practice. The Oncology Center is Pacific Oncology and is close to our home, the offices of the other doctors Jay has been appointed, and the best hospitals in the Northwest.

Today Jay toured the entire facility, and did a walk through of what his treatment visits would be like. Entering the facility, he checks in and is examined before his treatment begins to make sure his vitals are good, and his weight and height are noted for accurate dosing of the Chemo.

This is where he will spend the next 3 hours.
The Chemo is dosed intravenously, and as long as he is up to it, he can be mobile in the facility, or sit amongst other patients and socialize, bring books, games, iPods, etc. and relax in the lazy boy chairs that face a semi circular wall of windows. There are also several private rooms for other patients that may require them, with depleted immune systems, or simply advanced stages of cancer that wish to receive treatment privately.

Once the Chemo has been administered completely, Jay is set to go home. The next few days after a treatment will be tough, he'll be tired, possibly nauseous, maybe loosing hair (oh wait- that's already covered- as Dr. Karimi pointed out today)...but on his way to recovery.

The news

So in a matter of days it seems that the news has spread across time zones and oceans.
Over the last few days Jay's been on the horn it seems every few minutes relaying news to family members and friends, so he thought with all the flurry of information, we should keep a blog of everything happening. This way despite miles, bodies of water and time zones you'll all get accurate information on Jay's status.

To recap what's already happened, Jay has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. We've learned of all cancers, this is the one that's most ideal to have, as it has the highest survival and cure rate. Some facts about HL can be found on the Mayo Clinic web page.

Jay noticed a small lump developing on his neck- which he attributed to a rotator cuff injury from earlier this year. Thinking the small lump was just muscle mass or scar tissue, he wasn't concerned about it, until he finally felt some pain in it over the holidays. Other symptoms that he had that seemed circumstantial at the time were weight loss (we know what a gym nut he is) lack of appetite, night sweats, and itchy skin.

Jay went in on Tuesday (Jan. 8) for an appointment, and was immediately rushed through the varying tests and came back with a CT scan showing a quite large tumor in his neck.

Monday, January 14 Jay underwent a biopsy for final confirmation, and today we received those results. Thursday, January 17, Jay and I will meet with his oncology team to begin discussing treatment options ranging from Chemo, to combination treatment of Chemo and Radiation. Treatment can last from one to five years, and the doctors are all very optimistic that while treatment will take a significant toll on his energy and health, he will come out top notch.
As Chemo weakens the immune system while fighting the cancer, please keep that in mind if you're planning a trip to visit, and we'll try and coordinate visits between treatments and when his immune system is at its prime.
As of now, we ask that you simply pray and send us your good wishes; no tears. Positive mind set is crucial, and with Jay being the stud he is, there is no reason he shouldn't beat the sh** out of this with flying colors.
- Jay and Becky 1.16.08

Biopsy

Jay went in Monday at 8:15 for his biopsy.

The biopsy was more painful that expected. The tumor size is estimated slightly greater than 5 cm however is amorphus; not completely circular. It is located between two major arteries.

The picture was taken after the appointment outilining how large the tumor is, and the second set of lines showing that it should not exceed that size after the biopsy (this would indicate internal bleeding/swelling) The second picture shows the puncture location.