On to the third round. Remember, there are six rounds total and two sessions per round. Yesterday was a left-handed day. Therefore, I was already preparing myself for some arm discomfort. My doctor added an anti-allergen before the final chemo drug so that it would minimize my chances of getting another reaction. My bag was … Continue reading Chemotherapy Treatment Number Five
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
The Results Are In…Chemo Works
Waiting for PET scan results is like waiting for the college board to post SAT scores. I don't think I refreshed a webpage this much since high school. The director of Cudim told my doctor that the results would be up by noon. At 12:32, the results posted. And then we discovered that we could … Continue reading The Results Are In…Chemo Works
PET Scan Number Two
Friday was the PET scan. I was going to write about it on that day, but to be completely honest, I was still in the freaked out stage and needed a little distraction from it all. So instead, I took a nap, watched a movie, and enjoyed time with my boy friend. As my friend … Continue reading PET Scan Number Two
The Days After Chemo Number Four
This time has been a strange ebb and flow of symptoms and feelings. It could be that my body is trying to release a dead egg at the same time it is being poisoned. Or it could be an after effect from the Neprogen and all of the other antibiotics that were pumped into me … Continue reading The Days After Chemo Number Four
Chemotherapy Treatment Number Four
I was so excited for this treatment. I had fought so hard to make it so that this treatment happened on a Friday instead of the following Monday. It was a day later than normal, but at least I am still on my schedule. I woke up ready. Not only was it a right hand … Continue reading Chemotherapy Treatment Number Four
White Cell Problems Part Free…at Last!
I have finally been sprung from hospital jail! After three and a half days and three nights, I get to finally go out into the world and breathe the humid Uruguayan air. I don't have to walk around with a plastic tube pinching my vein. I don't have to be woken up at 7 for … Continue reading White Cell Problems Part Free…at Last!
White Cell Problems Part 2
I was forced to return to the hospital on Sunday do to a sudden fever. Thanks to my math teacher friends, I now know what that is in Celcius. With a 37.7 fever and low white cells, it was necessary to stay overnight. This was the worst news to me. A hospital stay means having … Continue reading White Cell Problems Part 2
White Cell Problems
I woke up this morning unable to swallow. No really. Could not swallow on the right side of my throat without a 7 on the pain scale. So, like a good little patient, I took my temp. I don't understand Celcius to save my life. But considering that my body typically runs cold (96.5-97 F), … Continue reading White Cell Problems
The Hope in Others
I received this article from a fellow cancer fighter and fellow UAS teacher that gave me a lot to think about. Serendipitously, Amy and her husband John (both of whom worked at UAS a few years ago) were visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday at the exact time that I got my official diagnosis. I cannot … Continue reading The Hope in Others
A Year I Will Never Forget – 2018
January: Started off the year with dear new friends watching fireworks explode all around me from a rooftop. Started off the year with four months under my belt living in a brand new country. Finished up a two week intensive Spanish immersion course. Made my way to my dream destination, Rio de Janeiro where I … Continue reading A Year I Will Never Forget – 2018
Teach Abroad Coyle-Gamero 