So, You Thought It Was Over

It would seem a logical conclusion that all is well since there haven't been any new posts in over a month. Unfortunately, that isn't exactly the case. Clyde is doing well to be sure but complications are still lurking about.

A short while ago Clyde had a full-body CAT scan that showed no traces of cancer. As you'll recall, that left us all dizzy with excitement. In the weeks that followed, however, Clyde began to feel lymph nodes that were growing as lymphoma cells collected in them. While typical for someone in Clyde's stage of a t-cell transplant, we were all taken by surprise. This was the first negative news of the entire procedure.

Clyde's doctor was not at all alarmed by the emergence of the lymph nodes. He had mentioned to Clyde and Tom that some cancer cells likely remained. His response was to, as he put it, "unleash the beast." "The beast", in this case, are the new immune cells that Clyde's body is making since having grown bone marrow genetically identical to mine.

To this point she had been taking a drug call Tacrolimus. This medication prevented her new immune system from "rejecting" her body in a condition called Graft versus Host Disease. By preventing GvHD, the Tacrolimus also slowed her new immunity from attacking remaining cancer cells. In the presence of lymphoma symptoms, the newly acquired immune system has to be put into action, GvHD be damned.

The Tacrolimus was put on the shelf with the thought that Clyde would then kill the cancer cells on her own. Follow-up doctor visits showed some progress against the swollen lymph nodes but it was decided that another full-body CAT scan was in order. In the meantime, Clyde was given several transfusions of red blood cells as those counts fluctuated wildly, a by-product of the new immune system working.

The CAT scan was today. Some of her lymph nodes appear to be slightly enlarged but there weren't any that were alarming. The one symptom of note is that Clyde's spleen is considerably larger than it should be. Her doctor, while not panicked, is treating this as something that requires attention soon.

Tomorrow, Clyde is having another transfusion of red blood cells as well as a dose of Rituxin, a monoclonal antibody that attacks cancer cells without harming normal cells. Additionally, I will be flying to Madison sometime in the next ten days or so to provide some supplemental blood cells. Those will be transfused into Clyde to "jump start" her own anti-cancer immune response. Dr. Longo assures Clyde that 50% of t-cell transplant patients receive additional cells at some point. This step could be considered routine.

Clyde describes this new turn of events as a "kick in the gut" but remains positive about the outcome. "This is how it is" she reminds me. With that, we're both able to resolve ourselves to the task of kicking some cancer butt. With help from all of you in the form of positive vibes, thoughts and prayers, Clyde will be back on the trail of good news and improving health soon.

I promise to keep everyone posted on how this new chapter plays out. In the meantime, keep a positive thought.

Be well.