Relatively Good News

This afternoon's telephone update from my father was chock full of relatively good news.

First and foremost, the pathology results came back and the thing in Mom's head is in fact lymphoma. While that in and of itself is really terrible news, it is also good news in that we've been told since day one that lymphoma is the most treatable of all of the possible diagnosis. So while it is really bad, it's also pretty good.

Confusing, eh?

She had her PET scan. No word on what it told them. We're hoping the cancer has not spread to any other organ. Fingers eternally crossed on that one.

Now, for the really good news. The steroids are successfully shrinking the tumor. Thank you steroids! I will never bad mouth Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens again! (just kidding, I'll rip them at every possible chance)

While the steroids are just a part of the treatment, they are used to reduce the size of the tumor and thus reduce the symptoms. I consider this small success to be the first really solid good news we've had since she woke up dizzy on Presidents Day, Monday February 21, 2011. As some Canadian guy once said, one little victory. Right?

She is going to have an operation tomorrow to put a port somewhere into her stomach. They told my father that this was for IV treatments. After that, the chemotherapy can start on Saturday. There will be three drugs administered over a 28 day cycle. She will have to be in the hospital for the Methatrexate. We're wondering weather or not she'll be able to receive the other drugs on an outpatient basis.

Fingers crossed.