Skip to main content

Another anniversary, come and gone

I just realized my 7th anniversary of being diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, has come and gone with barely a notice. And with the exception of the very recent passing of Dan Seals, of England Dan and John Ford Cooley fame, I might not even have thought of it at all.

Dan Seals was only 61 years old (a mere 4-1/2 months older than me), and he died of Mantle Cell Lymphoma, after receiving a [reportedly] experimental stem cell transplant, at the NIH in Bethesda, MD. He was diagnosed in August 2007.

It's just serves as a stark reminder of how cruel life can be sometimes, and how fortunate I have been these past 7 years.
Labels:

Comments

Alan P, MD said…
I'm sure you're glad I was right, but when you were first diagnosed and told me you thought you had about a year, I told you that was B.S. That you'd be around for a long time.

I'm telling you that again. You're not going anywhere.

I say that partially because I believe there are probably 10 undiagnosed cases for every diagnosed case of MCL walking around who don't know it and are diagnosed in the terminal stages, so the statistics look like the prognosis is grim.

Had you not been having routine checkups you would probably still not know that you had it. Wouldn't surprise me if the real average lifespan of an MCL patient is more than 20 years.

I suspect you won't agree, but those are my thoughts.
8:59 AM
Marc said…
I now believe there is a lot of truth to that statement. I'll even bet it goes for a lot of other cancers as well, not just lymphomas.

But I always knew you were smarter than me! :)
9:16 AM
Alan P, MD said…
Not smarter, but more experienced reading the medical literature (I was known during my GI fellowship for being the best at tearing apart articles and studies that were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (one of the best peer reviewed journals), and of course more experienced dealing with "lots of patients".

As to whose smarter, that will have to be judged by factors outside of medicine . (Hey, your comment section doesn't have smileys!)
9:29 AM
Marc said…
You just have to know what code to use.

Click here for a list of WordPress default emoticons.
10:01 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The results are in

And I am iron deficient, big time. [Which would account for my low hemoglobin] Test Result Ref Range IRON 30 59-158 mcg/dL TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY 231 250-420 mcg/dL IRON SAT 13 20-50 % My Ferritin levels were good, but that could be because Ferritin is also an "acute phase reactant", that is sometimes increased with acute or chronic disease. Folate and B12 levels were also within the normal range. The only problem now is determining what is causing the iron deficiency, which in the case of men, is [very] rare. My oncologist has given me a Globin Fecal test to perform, and has scheduled me for a consultation with a colorectal surgeon to discuss performing a colonoscopy, which could be problematic because of my large spleen. In the mean time, I've decided to start taking an iron supplement, it's only the quantity that is causing me some consternation. I've been told by a very knowledgeable person that to overcome an iron deficiency, I need to be taking 300 mg o...
5 comments
Read more

This is just one of those days

It's one of those days you just want to sit around the house and do absolutely nothing, or watch some movies you have recorded. It might even be a good day to read a book, if you were so inclined, which I am not. As you should be able to see from the view out my bedroom window, it is raining outside. The rain started last night, and hasn't let up since. I can't complain too much though, as this is the rainy season, and we do need the rain. Plus Monday's are typically my day off from exercise, so I will surprise everyone, and not complain. I just feel sorry for anyone who might be visiting from, say Argentina, like a friend of mine (fellow MCLer), who happens to be in Cambria today. He might be a little disappointed. Fortunately the rest of the week, when he will be in LA, will be nice, and the real intent of his trip was to visit his son in Tahoe, who works at one of the ski resorts, and ski, so I know he's not complaining too much either. This weather will actually...
6 comments
Read more

Stop the stupidity!

Rural medical center (in Georgia) suspended from vaccination program after inoculating school district staff. Give me a break! Trying to get kids back to school, while protecting teachers, bus drivers and other staff, is exactly what school districts should be doing. If they have vaccines, give them out. We should be giving out vaccines to all who want them, whenever available. Trying to adhere to rigid guidelines will only result in fewer people getting vaccines, resulting in the discarding of precious vaccines, and less protection for everyone. Of course we should be giving first priority to healthcare workers, and any other essential public service employees, such as policeman, fireman, etc. first, but when they're not around to receive shots, or refuse shots, then give them to anyone willing to take them. What I would have objected to is the medical center trying to capitalize on the pandemic to make a profit, from giving vaccines to people far down the list of recipients, but ...
Post a Comment
Read more