Putting Back on My Armor.....cause as my sister says, they are pulling out the BIG GUNS!

Walked this road today...
felt like what lies ahead

The waiting is over. Petscan results are in. Cancer has spread. Not exactly the outcome we wanted, I know. But..now we fight harder. The #livelifedetour just took a nasty turn up a steep hill but I can make it. 

What we know. Radiation is off the table. Cancer spread to my chest as well as my neck.
What I have learned over the last five days.

1. Follicular Lymphoma (FL) never really goes away. It hides in areas that are undetected by a CT/PET scan. 
2. It is something I will not likely die from, but I will die with. It will wax and wane for the rest of my life.
3. Every "body" acts differently with FL. 
4. Generally, if it stays away for the first two years, there is a better chance for it to not come back for 5-10 years. and they call that indolent (slow growing).
5. To determine the 2 year mark, they calculate from the chemotherapy treatment (January 30, 2019) as the start date and the date of the scan that detected the cancer was back (November 27, 2020) - I was so close!!!! But am now classified as having the more aggressive type of lymphoma. (Yay for me).
6. Radiation is effective to fight "one spot/area" - so once it moved past my neck, it was not an option. (guess I will have to put that back on the bucket list).
7. Since this is going to continue to grow and spread, the best course of action is a Stem Cell Transplant. (I always like to be informed and in case you do too - but don't go too far down the rabbit hole)

I cannot even believe I am writing this right now. I found this all out on Wednesday, and have had a few days to process and research, but it is still very surreal. The reason this is the best treatment plan is that it allows them to give me a high dose of chemotherapy that will knock the fuck out of the lymphoma, as well as the rest of my cells in my body - and then they will replace them with my own stem cells (that they harvested before they started) - which is called autologous stem cell transplant (your own cells).  In the end, I will have a brand new immune system and will have a break from the lymphoma returning as quickly. 

The bonus to this treatment plan, is that we have to knock down the current cancer that is hanging around so I have to go through another round of chemotherapy to prepare my body for the stem cell transplant/high dose chemo - and I get to lose all of my hair again because once in a lifetime wasn't enough - and get that port-a-catheter placed back in my chest!  I see good times ahead. 

There is so much more to all of this, but I am still processing. I will keep you informed as writing this also helps me to process... I literally just talked to the doctors today so they are going to meet and discuss a treatment plan and get back to me this week.  

I am grateful for all the prayers, positive vibes/thoughts, check ins, mojo and magic....keep it coming my way. We have a rough road ahead...but as you know...I am a fucking warrior and the only way out is through.... love to you all! 💚💚💚