Finished my R-CHOP 21, now what?

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  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,817 Member
    #22
    dtat67 said:

    Hi Lindary

    Thanks for your support. I went for a PET scan yesterday and was scheduled to meet my radiation oncologist Fri. (tomorrow) to discuss the results and get my "planning and simulation". However I went to discuss with my opthalmologist before going home. I have used this eye doctor for over 30 years and trust her. She sent me an email at 1:30AM (now that is a GOOD doctor) last night advising me to go to MD Anderson in Houston and investigate Intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) versus Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) which I would be getting in Austin. She said that although I might have any toxicity immedately after the treatment 2-3 years down the road I could develop retinopathy and then nothing could be done for my vision. I'm not sure how things will go but I am going to a second opinion. So I will go to discuss my PET results and put the simulation on HOLD. It's not that I don't trust my Rad/Onc but I simply do not want to lose my vision. I'm just hoping that my insurance will cover it. I have an Advantage plan through my former employer and although I can go to any Doc/Facility that accepts Medicare that doesn't mean they will pay for all procedures. 

    IMPT

    Dave,

    Like IMRT, proton therapy is sometimes used against prostate cancer.  Proton is not routine, but guys report choosing it periodically.  The issues they share are usually (1) most cancer centers do not offer it, and (2) many insurance plans will not pay for it.  Other than these factors, they seem like a mostly pleased group.

    I am not well-read regarding it, but I believe that it is mostly effective when used.  

    max

  • Scubamom for two
    Scubamom for two Member Posts: 27 Member
    #23
    MD Anderson

    I too, have been to MDA many times and the Lymphoma team is amazing there!  They saved my life!  I chose to receive all my treatements from them at their main facility in Houston even though I live in far Northern California!  I went through 6-rounds of in-patient DA-R-EPOCH, 11 IT chemo treatments, and two consolidation rounds of High Dose Methotrexate over 5-1/2 months.  I have now been declared officially in Remission for one yr-all thanks to their state of the art, aggressive, and comprehensive approach to treating the DLBCL that was ravaging my bones and bone-marrow when I arrived there.  Anyway, best of luck to you dtat67 on your journey to better health!

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