Just out of hospital for febrile neutropenia, again

So, I was admitted once again to HUP on Tuesday with a fever to 102.6 and zero (as in none, nil, nada) neutrophils. This was despite getting Neulasta after my #3 dose of CHOP-R. I was surprised since this did not happen after #2 but in the pivotal trial 18% on placebo and 1% on Neulasta had febrile neutropenia (there' s some classic van Saun luck for ya!)
But all went well counts started rising with ANC of 880 on discharge, afebrile and taking today off work to hang out with cousin visiting from Kansas, Pics are from my IV-untethered visit to a delightful patio off the first floor of the Rhoads Pavilion, along Hamilton Walk, and right across the med school library where I last studied in...1974! also my hospital room and me being cheerful! For once ...

This broken great tree and me..

This picture of our tulip poplar, ravaged by winds and rot over the years, but still alive and sprouting new leaves this spring. I definitely identify, we are both hanging on to LIFE!

R-CHOP #3, so far so good

Updating my condition, I got R-CHOP #3 several days ago as Dr Porter was pleased that the lymph node in my neck on the left decreased in size and that my blood counts continue to improve. With a hemoglobin of 11.2 I finally am getting back to normal; it was last at that level in October 2011!  Same with my platelet count up to 190K, it has not been that high probably in 5 years!

Yesterday I got my Neulasta shot, and in corticosteroid induced euphoria I decided to wear my John Lester Red Sox since he was scheduled to pitch last night (he won by the way to go 3-0 and the Sox are leading the AL East as we go into the last week and a half of April)
On the elevator a man my wife thought was a doctor (perhaps by his arrogance) questioned why I was wearing Red Sox jersey, after all this is Philly the home of true sports fanatics.  I explained that Lester was an inspiration to me as a survivor of T cell leukemia, about which said doctor was surprised. See me in my jersey below

Some signs of hope...

So I got my second R-CHOP a week and a half ago, avoided febrile neutropenia so far thanks to Neulasta, and minimal side effects - maybe a little numbing in the feet from vincristine peripheral neuropathy, lower red cells and platelets but not enough to need a transfusion, so far. The only place I could lose hair is with goatee and that is going nowhere (see my mug shot below).

But the really good news is that my quite enlarged lymph nodes are decreased in size, so with a potential 4 more cycles of CHOP-R maybe this presumed transformation can be beaten back.

To sum up the good news, and stealing from Mark Twain, the rumors of my imminent demise (started by knowing too damn much) have been greatly exaggerated....I just freaked out when I saw the Richter's survival curves, but maybe I have the better prognosis large cell lymphoma, the de novo type that is not derived from CLL cells, only time will tell but I feel that I am on a good path!