Glen's Cancer Update

In October I saw my dermatologist for a routine check up.  Shelly threatens to circle skin disorders with a magic marker for those visits, and Dr. Turner says, yes, he gets most of his business from men whose wives have sent them in with a list.  In this case it turned out that her concerns were valid.  I had some small patches of red rash that Dr. Turner decided to biopsy. 

I think he was as surprised as I was when the biopsy came back positive for Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL).  That is what he suspected, but his surprise was that the biopsy was positive.  He says the typical progression of this disease is so slow that it takes years before he gets a positive biopsy result. We started treatment with a strong steroid cream and I didn't tolerate that very well.  (Don't ask.)  Then I decided to take a month off from treatments (with the consent of dermatologist and GP) to see if perhaps a medication I take for high blood pressure was causing the lymphoma.  (It wasn't.)  And now I've been doing UV-B light therapy three times per week for the last two months.  It's like a tanning booth for skin cancer! Go figure.

Conor (3), Grampa (56), June 2012 

It doesn't feel like I have any disease, much less cancer.  The worst symptom I have had is a little red rash. The most uncomfortable I've been was from a mild sunburn the first week of the light treatment.  Still, the "C" word makes you examine your life.  I find myself less likely to over work, more likely to play with children, more willing to spend money on family and home, less willing to keep quiet when my opinion runs sideways to the crowd.  It's not a bad way to live, with or without cancer.

We'll post updates from time to time as my treatment progresses.  Thanks for praying.