Wow!

Spent the weekend doing three things- 1. reading e-mails that came pouring in from friends and family, 2. sleeping, and 3. fasting and praying on Sunday.  Oh yeah, also went with Lisa to see the Utes smack down Louisville.  GO UTES!

E-mails
It never ceases to amaze me how folks rally around one another when things get tough.  I e-mailed a handful of friends to let them know the outcome of the biopsy and the pathology, and then sat back and watched as e-mail after e-mail came in expressing: love, concern, shock, support, hope, etc., etc.  More than a few also contained a bit of "cancer smack talk" that motivated me to beat this thing and get back out there on my bike as soon as I can.  With regard to Bountiful Mazda/Bountiful Cycle Cycling Club- there's never a shortage of "smack talk", so you can imagine the wonderful e-mails that came back from the club.  That said, there were also a lot of very kind, supportive, faith promoting e-mails all around.

Sleeping
At the end of the cycling season last year I was diagnosed with a herniated disc (L2-L3 vertebra).  So, I began this season with a lot of pain, especially in the morning.  Started to get ahead of that, and then in July I got tagged by a Jeep Wrangler.  Two days in the hospital, and four weeks later, I was back up on the bike and training.  Got ahead of the pain again, and then had a small mishap in Little Cottonwood Canyon that brough some road rash and some additional necessary healing.  Got through that, and then really started to get in a groove training for LOTOJA.  Finished LOTOJA, and a few days later went in for the biopsy (6" incision with 21 staples- it looked SO COOL!).  2 more days in the hospital and then a few days home from work, and then back up and at it.

So, with all that, I've had my share of fatigue this season, but I always thought it was from the most recent "incident", whatever that would be.  Now I find out that one of the symptoms of lymphoma is fatigue, and I say "NO WONDER!"  So, between the biopsy recovery and the onset of the lymphoma, I'm finding that I need a nap here and there.  Lisa and the girls have been very good to "allow" me to get a few extra hours here and there, and I have been "allowing" myself to do so.

Fasting
Between my family and Lisa's, and many wonderful friends, we spent Saturday-Sunday fasting and petitioning the Lord for his assitance in this matter.  Not that we don't feel we need to work hard and do out part- that's where Huntsman Cancer Institue and the upcoming treatment all come in, but at the end of the day The Lord has the power to help me overcome this trial, and I have to acknowledge that and ask that He help (knowing that His will must be done).  So, we've asked that He help, and now we'll go out and do everything we can to augment His help.

Research
Finally, I've done a lot of reading on lymphoma- both NHL (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) and Hodgkin lymphoma.  There are 6 types of Hodgkin lymphoma and 61 types of NHL (as per the Lymphoma Research Foundation).  So, as you can imagine, there are multiple treatments, options, combinations, etc., etc.  I'm really looking forward to spending some time with Dr. Glenn on Thursday and getting moving on my specific lymphoma and how we'll treat it on an individualized basis.  I need to know "what's the plan" and want to be an active part in it.  We will beat this!