Another Day - another drama

So my dad's lymphoma is stubborn - of course I woudl expect nothing less of Loner-related cells, we tend to be a bit tenacious. Today he starts the beginning of a new process. They went to Mayo clinic about two weeks ago and were told that he was eligible for a stem-cell ( his own) transplant. If the transplant works, he could be in total remission - and have another 15 years. His other option was to choose to do nothing - and the tumors would overtake his body in about two months. So choosing between a bone marrow transplant and death - not much of a choice really. Let the chemo begin!

And the process starts again today. Dad is going in for a dose of Rituxin, a biological agent that kills specific cells. Then over the weekend he is going to receive the first of three treatments of ICE. Funny how with chemo the names of the poison/medicine are so freaking long that we use nice names like CHOP and ICE. He will probably lose his hair - it will beat up his kidneys, but it will give him a chance.

I am one of those drivers who will take the scenic route and drive an extra 10 miles if it means I avoid a traffic jam and am able to keep moving. It is a family trait - we are action people. So even though there are a lot of reasons why he might choose not to do this whole deal - at least he is able to do something.

As an aside, lymphoma is one of the fastest growing cancer forms in the US. There are a lot of theories, but most of them revolve around pesticide/herbicide exposure. So if you are thinking about going organic, I'd say it was a good idea. Other than spraying for fleas, we don't use any herbicides or pesticides at our house - on purpose.