VI. Pre-Chemo Craziness!

I received all of my cancer treatment at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. My care team consisted of my amazing oncologist (Dr. O), physician assistant (PA. K), and two wonderful nurses who administered all of my infusions.

But before I get into what my infusions looked like, I should briefly touch upon the crazy week of appointments I had leading up to my very first chemo treatment!

Basically, before I was given the A-OK to begin treatment, I had to complete a series of tests and scans. The most important one (to me) was the PET scan. If you haven't had a PET scan before or aren't sure exactly what one is.. let me explain. To begin, PET stands for positron emission tomography. It is basically a scan that helps medical professionals check for diseases in the body. In most cases (and in my case), it is used to see where cancerous masses lie. The scan uses radioactive dye that is injected into the body and absorbed by tissues and organs. The tracers then collect in certain areas that exhibit higher chemical activity. This is helpful because certain tissues and diseases (like cancer) have a higher level of activity. In my case, we knew that I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma. However, a PET scan was necessary in order to determine what stage of lymphoma I had. My PET scan revealed that I had stage 2A; meaning I had more than one enlarged lymph node above the diaphragm.

HL Stage 1: the cancer has only affected one lymph node.

HL Stage 2: two or more lymph nodes are affected (limited to either above or below the diaphragm)

HL Stage 3: the cancer has affected lymph nodes above or below the diaphragm

HL Stage 4: the cancer has moved beyond the lymphatic system and into other tissues or organs

Now you might be wondering what the A stands for in HL 2A. Well, in addition to staging, medical professionals also categorize the diagnosis depending on specific symptoms that patients may experience. It's easier to begin by explaining "B" symptoms. "B" is used to signify that the patient has developed specific symptoms which include, unexplained weight loss, fever, and night sweats. "A" indicates that the patient does not have those symptoms. So in my case, I didn't experience any of the "B" symptoms. I will leave two links down below for additional information about PET scans and staging!

In addition to completing a PET scan, I also underwent two tests. The first was a pulmonary function test, which showed how well my lungs were working (no problems there!) The second, was an echocardiogram to see how well my heart was working (still pumpin')! Oh, I almost forgot! Before starting chemo it was important for me to go to the dentist and get my chompers checked out and cleaned. Chemotherapy pretty much destroys your white blood cells (little infection fighters), so I didn't want to risk going when my immune system was weak.

Now, the next two things I did before starting treatment were absolutely in no way, shape, or form recommended by my oncologist. These were just a couple of things I treated myself to to help pump me up and have me feelin' good!

1. I got a manicure/pedicure. I knew that once I started chemo, my nails were going to see better days, so I made sure they at least started off looking cute.

2. I got a facial. I'm not gonna lie- my skin was GLOWING during treatment (chemo glow?). Maybe that hydrafacial had something to do with it!

https://www.healthline.com/health/pet-scan

https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/hodgkin-lymphoma/stages