Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Burkitt's Lymphoma Recovery Tip #3


Burkitt’s Lymphoma Tip #3 Personal Audit

Okay so you’ve been through what seems like a gagillion rounds of chemo, had every side effect there is and now it’s over. Well, in the words of Yogi Bera. “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.” It’s more likely than not your pretty beat up. You might have some neuropathy that makes your feet scream, a scar somewhere from a tumor removal, and any number of other issues from Burkitt’s – the gift that keeps on giving. The point is, it’s time for a personal audit. You need to take as dispassionate a look at yourself as you can and figure out how beat up you are physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is a wicked important step as it will help you establish your goals for the next few years. That’s right I said years – as miserable as you’ve been, you’re gonna get better and last for years. I’ll develop a goofy checklist and post it tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Burkitt's Recovery Tip #2


Burkitt’s Lymphoma Recovery Tip #2

Get your heart checked out before you go too crazy. One of the nastier and insidious side effects of all the chemo you received is that you heart may go on the fritz for a while. Pay special attention to the Ejection Fraction ( a good definition is available at (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejection_fraction) . Surviving Burkitt’s chemo and then dying of a heart attack or stroke is just too sad. The good news is – at least for me – the further you get away from the chemo the more things return back to normal (relative term I guess). Get you ticker checked and ask you doc lots of questions.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Lymphoma Recovery Defined

Since I've been recovering for a while I thought I'd come up with some notes about the process. I figure the best place to start is with a definition. Many of you have seen this before from the 75 cancer tips.
http://billsburkittsrecovery.blogspot.com/2013/11/top-75-cancer-tips.html
Anyway here is the definition I've come up with, "Recovery is a continuous individual process that attempts to return a Burkitt’s Lymphoma patient to a quality of life that allows him/her to pursue happiness within the confines of their new physical and psychological condition. Recovery begins at diagnosis and lasts for the remainder of the patient’s life."