the short story.....

i decided to start this blog so that i can be open and honest about my husbands journey with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  to begain with i will copy and past a post i made yesterday on my personal blog.

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010


Marcel relapsed

if youve read my blog for a while..you know all of the struggles my husband has been through.

i'm at work...and just got back from Marcels follow up Dr. appt to give the results of his recent scan. he relapsed and has Hodgkins Lymphoma again.

what does this mean for him...i have no idea.

Marcel was first diagnosed in Lebanon on his birthday in April 2006. we think he may have had it since the summer of 2005, because thats when we noticed swollen lymph nodes under his armpit. he casually asked a pharmacist and they told him it was an infection so they gave him antibiotics. (anyone who lives in Lebanon knows that many people use the pharmacys as a advice nurse, and usually treat themselves because many drugs dont need an actual prescription).

he started chemo in Lebanon, and in July 2006 when the war happened, we came back to States durring the evacuation. he only missed his next chemo by a few days...and then he was set up here with a new doctor and resumed treatment. so from August 2006-October 2006 he was getting his basic chemo...then they told us the cancer was growing. they started giving him a series of high dose chemo..and in december 2006 they reffered us Stanford and told us he needed a bone marrow transplant. so the long journey begain. he had his first bone marrow transplant in march 2007. they used his own cells for this. he received a clean scan in august 2007. in spring of 2008 he had a follow up scan. it came up very bad....so they told him he needed another bone marrow transplant using his brothers cells. first they let him return to lebanon for 2 weeks before starting treatment (just in case). they gave him a lot of high dose chemo...and then in august 2008 prepared him for his 2nd BMT. he received his brothers cells in september 2008.

since then he has had scans every 6 months..and we are always so grateful to get good news.

today they told us the scan showed new growth in random places.

the plan right now is...he will see the hodgkins Dr. within 3 weeks...and return to his BMT doctor within 6 weeks. she (his BMT Dr.Laport) said she's like him to get more chemo and then go from their..maybe even start out with an oral chemo??? we've never heard of chemo in a pill. but we'll see what it does.

honestly i dont even know what i feel. i dont think he knows what he feels eaither so i will wait to ask him. give it some time to digest.

please no matter your relgion....please keep my husband in your prayers.

i know that so many people out there have things worse..and were lucky to have some options left. i know that we are blessed...but i dont want my husband to go through this anymore...i want him healthy!