Walking With a Lymph

I have always said that once I had kids, I became a better actor because my emotions lived so much closer to the surface. If that's true, then this shit should make me fucking Olivier. I've had numerous moments of emotional fragility over the past couple of months. It’s usually been when I’ve had more questions than answers, and when I’m home alone with nothing to occupy my mind. (Showers are particularly bad.) I do best with information, but I’m being very particular as to where I get it. I’ve been avoiding Dr. Google like, well, Cancer. I’ve also avoided legitimate sites like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society , or National Cancer Institute . Nor do I pour over the voluminous handouts the various healthcare professionals give me. I figure I’ll only understand about 10% of what I read, and the other 90% will send me in to a tailspin. They enumerate all possibilities from the best-case scenarios to the worst, and one’s mind never fixates on the best, “Clearly, based on what I re...

Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (20%) with Follicular Lymphoma (80%), WHO Grade 3A. That’s what I got, and for what I got they give you Chemo. The specific treatment protocol is called R-CHOP, which is simply an acronym for the Chemo Cocktail I’ll be receiving. From what I understand, there isn’t a lot of room for Physician deliberation and interpretation – with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), you get R-CHOP. Period. My cousin, who’s both a retired Oncologist and a Lymphoma survivor, called it “cookbook medicine.” DLBCL is aggressive, but potentially curable. Follicular is not curable, but is slow-growing and treatable. "Follicular" also makes me think of this: Starting on November 23, I'll be getting Chemo once every three weeks for a total of six cycles. So, my itinerary is set until April. I’ve gone from running the kids around town, forgetting to unmute on Zoom, and planning a vacation with friends to being Guy with Cancer . I know, ‘Don’t let it define you! You ...