Carolyn Huard Lynn's Special Support

Sorry to all about my delay in reporting my progress since my first round of chemo on Thursday July 27. I am faring well with a few glitches post treatment which I am addressing.  More about that in the update. To bring you all up to original speed. I noticed a nefarious lump on my left shoulder in late March. Through April. May, and June, I have undergone extensive testing, largely through Johns Hopkins University Medical (JHU) Center.  Kimmel Center (primary location in Baltimore, Maryland) now has  extensive  assessment  resources  in Bethesda, Maryland, 10 minutes from my home.  Working diagnosis was of an indolent follicular lymphoma which needed watchful waiting, but might never require treatment.   I was asymptomatic on all clinical parameters; there were  two ambiguous biopsy  pathology reports;  but there were  positive CAT and PET scans. I sought the further consultation of Dr. Mitchell Dunn on June 14 and he immediately set me up with an excisional biopsy with Dr. Martin Paul on June 30 at Sibley Memorial Hospital in NW WDC. Pathology study of the excisional biopsy was reported on July 7. A large B cell lymphoma was demonstrated. I followed up with Dr. Richard Ambinder, director of the Hematology Oncology Department, and Director of the Lymphoma Division  of Kimmel Center in Baltimore on July 13. H e recommended treatment within 1 to 2 weeks and gave a strong vote of confidence to Dr. Bruce Kressel, with whom he has worked for years.  Dr. Kressel is a senior physician with long term practice in hematology/ oncology in DC who has become an Instructor of Oncology and   treating physician at the JHU Kimmel Oncology Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital in NW WDC.  Dr. Ambinder and Dr. Kressel will consult in my case.  Large B cell lymphoma has a 60% cure rate. Recommended treatment is  6 cycles of R-CHOP chemo-therapy occurring every three weeks starting July 27 and ending in early November. If the cure they seek is not fully effective, Dr. Ambinder has many more arrows in his quiver to deal with other effective approaches to deal with this this lymphoma. I am in the best of hands!Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.