07:00: Up I am. Shower I get.
07:30: Done the cleaning process aka shower. I apply my numbing cream for my port access.
08:00: All packed up. I head downstairs to the first floor, take the detour outside and back inside and to the business center and print out the boarding passes for the plane ride home.
08:30: Back outside and back inside to get to the elevator to the second floor then detour to another elevator to head back down to the 1st floor in the same building to check out then back up the elevator to then walk past the same elevators thug we were just at to walk through the restaurant to get to the skywalk to walk through the main building then up elevator C to floor 8.
08:55: I check in at infusion therapy to get my port accessed.
09:30: I get called to the back.
09:40: All done getting accessed. Down to the 6th floor for Dr. Rodriguez’s appointment.
09:47: My wife checks me in on the iPad at the Lymphoma and My3loma clinic.
09:48: I get texted to go to the front desk to check my arm band and get my paperwork.
10:00: I get texted to go to the Hibiscus hallway for my vitals.
10:10: Micheal comes and gets me and brings me to the back.
10:15: Abbey comes in and starts going over the PET/CT scan. Everything looks good but a spot in my right upper gum/cheek area. Not sure if it is an infection or an abyss, or what it is. I am thinking I remember something happened to my mouth but can’t remember exactly what. Then it comes back to me, a week ago on Tuesday night I was at Buffalo Wild Wings and had ordered Potato Wedges. I had put a potato wedge in my mouth and it was still super hot and got wedged in the top right of my mouth between my gum and cheek and burned. I was out of drink and was unable to simply stop the burn. Now that area is showing some irritation and showing increased uptake on the PET/CT scan. So that spot on the scan is a result of a burn a week ago. Other than that, my scan is again completely clean with no issues! Another clean scan 🙂 No better news than that.
We discuss other possibilities such as if the transplant is still the next step, or if we should prolong the nivolumab while new advancements are being made. There is a process where they are taking T cells from B Cell Lymphoma patients and boosting these T cells to recognize the cancer cells and attack them and then inject these empowered T cells back into the the patients body and have the T cells take care of the patient. So that may be a possibility as well. There is not a study for that and not for the Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that I have, but it is possible that there could be something like this coming soon, and this would possibly be a better option than another stem cell transplant, but only time will tell!
Dr. Rodriguez comes in next and she is happy with the results as well. She feels my mouth and my cheek and nothing hurts, but she does see the irritation inside. Nothing definitive and to do so, I would need to go see my dentist again and get some more xrays to confirm an absyss or infection or burn, etc.
Emily catches us in the hall as we are leaving and gives me my next 2 weeks of study side effects paperwork to complete, and collects my current 2 weeks paperwork.
10:50: I check in on the second floor at the CRTC.
11:05: I am called to the back. I get my vitals taken.
11:10: I am assigned room 9.
11:50: My medicine arrives. It is verified by another nurse. The drug is then hooked up.
12:00: Infusion begins.
12:30: Lunch is served. My usual, soup, turkey and American cheese sandwich, some fruit, chips, cookies, tea, and a diet Dr. Pepper.
12:50: My wife leaves to go grab a bite to eat from the MD Anderson Cafe.
13:00: Infusion of my nivolumab is complete. Flushing the line begins.
13:10: I am deaccessed.
18:00: Sitting in the plane.
18:10: The door is closed.
18:14: Pushing back. See you in New Orleans.
18:29: Takeoff.
17:19: Touchdown.
