He warned us that the lymph node may not actually have any information about what specific kind of lymphoma we’re looking at, or it may even contradict the indications of my bone marrow.

We also learned that he’s not entirely sure it’s lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. I’m unusually young for it, and a lot of the diagnostic traits that point toward it could also apply to diffuse large b-cell lymphoma or (DLBCL). DLBCL is a much more common, and is also much more aggressive than lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL). On the positive side, a result of the increased aggression is an increased possibility of permanent remission.

Also, we’re getting the process started for a 2nd opinion from a lymphoma specialist at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. We’d really like to know for certain what this is before we start killing it.

We asked about the treatment plan Dr Norman is currently imagining. He’d treat LBL and DLBL very similarly: with a chemotherapy regimen known as R-CHOP. The “CHOP” part contains four different chemicals that have been used in chemotherapy for a long time. The “R” part stands for Rituximab, a monoclonal antibody that shows some good cooperative effects when paired with CHOP.

We’d likely do 6 cycles of R-CHOP, which is usually done with one day of infusions and then three or four weeks of recovery before the next one. Looks like about 6 months worth of chemo.

One side effect: the H part of CHOP, also known as “Adriamycin” is toxic to the heart. Dr Norman wants me to get a MUGA scan to make sure my heart is strong enough to take it. Scary!

Next steps:

• Group Health sends my medical records to SCCA
• Group Health’s corporate masters approve the referral to an SCCA oncologist
• I will call to get second-opinion scheduling started at the SCCA
• GH Bellevue’s surgery scheduler will call to set a time for my chest port/lymph node operation
• I will call to schedule a MUGA scan