The beginning...

Well it all started sometime in mid-August 2008 when I awoke one morning with an enlarged neck right in that hollow under my Adam's Apple. I asked my wife Sarah, "Did I get fat overnight ?". So I gave it a few days and it didn't go away and I started noticing a little tenderness just above my collarbones. So I went to the General Practitioner just down the way here to get it checked out. He felt my neck and I discussed my symptoms, which included:

1) Swollen Neck
2) Tenderness above collarbones that got progressively more noticeable
3) Pretty bad neck and shoulder pain for the previous month (which went away and to which I blame on ergonomics at my new office)
4) A feeling of blocked blood flow to my head when I raised or moved my arms a certain way (which I attributed to swelling in my neck, thus inhibiting blood flow to the head ?)
5) A little short of breath when making similar arm movements


So the doctor said, "Hmmmm.........Hmmmm..........that's interesting". The nurse takes some blood and the doctor decides to order a CAT scan for me to see what was going on. So I went to get the scan a few days or maybe a week later and by that time my supraclavicular lymph nodes had gotten considerably larger especially the left, or Virchow's Node.

So the results come back and the doctor says, "Well the results show enlarged lymph nodes". No sh*t sherlock. So he decides to order up a PET scan for me to further investigate.


I would like to say also that this doctor and his staff were very lazy about telling me about my test results. I had to contact them, and when my PET scan results came back the receptionist said, "We have your results but the doctor is on vacation". I was pissed to say the least. Luckily someone contacted me later that day with the results.


So the results of the PET Scan indicate, "a lymphomatous change". I think, ok whatever that means. So they refer me to a hematologist at the Ireland Cancer Center at Southwest General Hospital in Middleburg Heights Ohio. Ok so now I am a bit worried and thinking the worst, like oh great maybe I have cancer.

So my first appointment with the hematologist/oncologist goes well. She and her staff are very professional and nice. Based off the scan results she says it is probably lymphoma and that we need to do some additional tests. So here we go with the run down of tests leading up to my first treatment...........ready ? Here we go...........