Patty Knebel

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated on my health in one place. As many of you know, I was diagnosed with lymphoma in October.  This was discovered when I visited my primary care physician for what I thought was an earache.  The physical exam revealed multiple enlarged lymph nodes, and a follow-up CT confirmed nodes throughout my upper body. 
The diagnosis took a number of weeks and included  lymph node biopsy, PET scan, bone marrow biopsy, and lab tests.  My prognosis is good (Yahoo!).  Although there is no cure, it's expected that six months of chemo will arrest it for a good number of years - possibly as many as 5,10 or 20!
The chemo schedule is two consecutive days once a month for six months.  I completed one cycle in November and will do the second this coming week.  The first went really well with no side effects, and we have our fingers crossed for the same each time.  If I'm truly honest with myself, I've been somewhat more tired than usual.  But it's not overwhelming by any means - just means I should slow some of the activity down a little - hard for me to do!!
We're working to set up the Jan, Feb, and Mar infusions in Arizona.  This is a fairly frustrating endeavor, but we're getting closer.  Thank goodness! - as we would like to leave on December 29th!  Ben and I have decided we might as well be in warmth and sunshine while we do this!!
We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. I'll post a message when we have any news - I  promise! (For those who have been waiting for the first update!!)
Thank you for visiting, Patty and Ben