I had a scan done earlier this month and the day after Christmas I went to see my oncologist. The scan showed the cancer is growing. This was not a huge surprise to me since I have been feeling lymph nodes popping up in my neck and clavical.
I will be starting treatment Jan. 12th, right after we come home from a vacation that we have had planned for nearly a year now. I will be doing 4 more rounds of weekly Rituxan immunotherapy infusions. Since I am in a clinical trial this is the route we will go. I could pull out of the trial and go a different route but I feel pretty confident that this is a good way to go and I am a firm believer that clinical trials are important. However, if I felt there was definitely a better way to go then I would pull out and do that.
Unfortunately, there is no sure fire way to go with this cancer. No matter what you do, it will grow again. The treatments will knock it back only to grow again, as of now, there is no cure. So, this is the road I will continue down until Rituxan stops working at knocking it back for me, then it will be on to much harsher methods of chemo. Radiation and surgery are not an option for me since the cancer is through my whole lymph system.
I am hoping I will get more then 18 months with this round of treatments. So, please think of me and pray for me on the 12th of January. The first infusion is the roughest as I had some scary side effects last time. Hopefully it will go smoother this time.