Catch-Up Time

Hey Guys,

I'm pretty sure if you're reading this, you basically know what's been going on. BUT just in case, I'll do a little catch up.

Two(ish) weeks ago I went in to have a lump on my neck biopsied... a few days later I got the news that I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma (very treatable but still scary...)

Last week, I met with my oncologist for the first time (Dr. Denise Adams @ Children's here in Cincinnati) and found out that I am at stage IIA, which means low-risk with relatively small tumors/enlarged lymph nodes and no secondary symptoms. Originally the plan was to do nine weeks of several low-dose chemotherapy drugs, but today I got the news that Dr. Adams has changed her mind and I'm going to be having about four months of therapy with a couple more drugs than originally anticipated. Unfortunately, this means that I'm going to be missing a significant portion of the fall semester (sorry, BW people!) - but hopefully I'll be able to do some correspondance work and keep up on classes even if I'm not there...

As unhappy as this makes me, it's a little more comforting to know that I'm going to have more treatments because I was slightly nervous at having so little chemo... The new course of treatment Dr. Adams is perscribing is better for cutting down the risk of relapse in people who have enlarged lymph nodes in the chest (like I do)

On a higher note, today I got to order a wig! My mom's friend Sue set me up with a couple of wonderful ladies at Allusion's in Kenwood - a hair loss treatment facility that works especially with women who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. In two weeks, I get to pick it up (pictures will be posted) - it'll be made out of human hair, dyed and permed to look like my own hair... Will you guys even be able to tell the difference??

I'm also going to get a little help from the hair and makeup dept here at the Opera - James Geier, the wigmaster, has offered to help me with false eyelashes and drawing on eyebrows so I can look as good as possible through the entire process...

SO all in all, I'm hoping to get a lot of valuable lessons out of this experience (good, bad, and funny) and I plan on posting most (if not all) of them on here to share with you. I'll keep trying to be pretty vigilant about updating (especially when I'm bored) and providing pictures to accompany posts (as soon as I figure out how to do that...)

I'm going to post the link to this blog on Facebook so I can keep as many people updated as possible... Also, don't be afraid to pass the link along to people who I may not be connected to on Facebook!

Lots of Love,
Lauren