Four months of journaling

I started this webjournal exactly four months ago, on September 8th.

After about a month I migrated the journal from it’s original home on blogspot over to typepad. Or rather my brother Phil did. I complained to him about something on blogspot, and he just moved everything over to here (and paid the first year cost – blogspot is free; tyupepad costs about $8 a month.)

This is the 119th posting by me. There were 108 comments left and I have received many emails – probably more than comments. A bit less than half the postings were about lymphoma or related medical issues, but they were generally the long postings, so I think most of the journal is about lymphoma and my chemotherapy, and not my other thoughts, references, etc, on life.

I have been surprised at the number of people I don’t know, who are reading the journal. I’ve received comments and especially emails from all over the country (OK, not from California – yet). These have come from people who found the journal after googling either "mantle cell" or "lymphoma" or through the Lymphoma Information Network website. The Network had a link to this journal within about six weeks of my starting it.

For anyone new to this journal, who is interested in my lymphoma and related medical issues, but who doesn”t want to wade through the almost sixty postings in the category on the left "My lymphoma and related medical issues", here are links to some of the more important posts.

My second post was on September 19th Tom Faranda’s Folly: Chemotherapy Tomorrow and gives the background to my diagnosis on 2003 and the rationale for starting my chemo two years later.

Here’s a short one on September 23rd, dealing with my then eight year old Tom Faranda’s Folly: Pending hair loss and bathroom repartee with #2 son

Here’s some info on RCHOP, a routine chemotherapy for lymphoma  Tom Faranda’s Folly: More on chemotherapy

On October 12th I wrote this Tom Faranda’s Folly: Exercise, Cancer and Chemo , which I got no comments on, but quite a number of emails.

Here’s a little conversation with a Maryknoll priest with my identical lymphoma Tom Faranda’s Folly: Dinner with a mantle cell survivor

Here is a really valuable post – October 21 – very important! Tom Faranda’s Folly: On being your own advocate Again I got a number of emails, but no comments left on the journal.

The assessment after the first stage of chemotherapy (the outpatient RCHOP)Tom Faranda’s Folly: Good News from Lymphoma Guru

And a little about my first (of two) in-patient chemo’s Tom Faranda’s Folly: Midday of RICE, day 2.  Mildly amusing.

Another meeting with Dr. Zelenetz on November 23 Tom Faranda’s Folly: Latest Meeting with the Lymphoma Guru laying out the pending plan.

Here’s the story on how my stem cells were collected Tom Faranda’s Folly: Good news on stem cell collection

My physical state – as expected – not great after 4 RCOP’s and 2 RICE’s Tom Faranda’s Folly: Of eyelashes and eyebrows; backs and pain

We waited until about ten days before the long hospitalization to tell my two sonsTom Faranda’s Folly: Telling the boys about my upcoming hospitalization

And here’s a bit on my hospitalization, starting tomorrow Tom Faranda’s Folly: A little more on my January ninth hospitalization for three weeks

So there are thirteen posts – take less than twenty minutes to read them all – for anyone new to the journal, who is interested in the story, but not in reading all the posts!