I'm going to link to an article today -- "Deciding When to Retreat" by Terrilyn McCormick.
I've linked to Terrilyn before. I think she's a really good writer, and she is able to describe the Follicular Lymphoma patient experience really well.
In this piece for Blood-Cancer.com, Terrilyn talk about her decision to start treatment again. She had Rituxan three years ago, and her FL progressed. The doctor said she could hold off for a while, but she chose to try Rituxan again. She explains why. Partly physical and partly emotional.
It's a decision we have all made or will have to make. Even after a successful first round of treatment, there's s chance that the lymphomas will come back, and we'll need to make that decision -- when to treat, how to treat, what to treat with.
As you can see from Terrilyn's article, I'm not sure there's a right or wrong decision here. We discuss it with our doctor and do what's best for us.
I commented on the article that I misread the title at first. I thought "Retreat" meant "turn back" or "run away," like an army retreating. But, of course, she meant it as "treat again."
What's amusing to me is that those two meanings are complete opposites. Terrilyn isn't running away -- it's just the opposite. She's facing the trouble head on. As she says making that decision can be empowering. For a disease that keeps many of us in a kind of in-between state, making the decision to get treatment can make us feel in charge again.
Good luck, Terrilyn. I'm sure the article has inspired some folks.
I had also read her article and can understand her desire to start treatment again now. But, she doesn't say the treatment will be Rituxan again. I actually messaged her asking what the second line treatment would be, but she hasn't said yet. I guess you can assume it will be Rituxan and possibly a chemo added (Bendamustine?) since that seems to be the protocol oncologist's use.
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