Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a treatment that kills cancer cells. It can also kill hair and other fast-growing cells. It makes me nauseous, and my bones ache. Every day I have to take medicine in the morning and near bedtime so I don't get sick.

This is me getting my daily shot.

I took a blood test today, and because the results were so good, I don't have to take the shot anymore. If my blood counts go down, I'll have to start taking it again.

My tumor has been shrinking because of the Chemo, as you can see in these pictures.



Before Chemo
 

 

After the first round of  Chemo

This is Dr. Peterson.  He is one of my oncologists and the one that did my bone biopsy.  He shaved off his hair last week because his nephew found out he has cancer--the same kind my cousin April had called Wilm's tumor.    My hair is starting to fall out today.  I think I'm going to get my head shaved.  Stay tuned.
Do you like my new shirt?  It is from my former Scout master who drives a 2010 red Camaro.  Thanks Mr. DiMeglio!

Test Results

 Today we heard from Dr. Peterson that my bone marrow test results came back clear. That means my cancer is stage 3A. Stage 3 is because it is below the diaphram.The PET scan showed cancer cells in my spleen and in two nodes in my stomach area.

Last week I had three days of chemo. The first day they pumped 6 drugs into me, one turned my pee pink. This is the first of 4 rounds of chemo treatment that I have to do.

Ms. Erin giving me chemo. She had a 1978 punch buggy for 5 years and sold it on Craigslist. She is using the money for a mission trip and was upset that the the car sold in one day, she thinks she should have upped the price.

Lots of caution signs since they are putting poison in my body to treat the cancer.

Chemo going into the powerport

My friends at Youth Farm sent this sweatshirt. I had an internship this summer at Youth Farm for 8 weeks, 3 days a week for 6 hours each day. I planted and harvested and cooked.

Some friends sent these magazines since they know my love of cars.

Hospital visitors

My best friend, Malloy, helped  me with the blog and we played Monopoly in the hospital. He is now in Chicago at college.

Ms. Penny, the hospital teacher. She talked to my teachers at CHS and asked if I could do work on-line. They said yes. Ms. Penny visits students twice a day for an hour each. She helped me with Personal Finance.

Girls from Young Life and school. Maddie, Ellie, and Nan. They brought balloons and chocolate cupcakes. They have nice smiles.

Campaigners friends are Facetiming with me in the hospital since I couldn't go to the meeting.

Mr. Allen Goode, Asst scout leader and the man at UVA in charge of all the complicated machines that take pictures (the Siemens machine for PET scans is the Porche of machines and costs $2 million dollars) and Fr. Mario from St. Thomas.

Sasha came to visit. She is 10 years old and is a Bernese mountain dog. 

More Tests

On Tuesday, September 16th, I went into the Battle Building to see Dr Dunsmore. She told us about the chemo and about the drugs I will take. The CAT scan showed that I have cancer in my spleen. My parents had to sign a lot of papers. She's been one of the best doctors in the US for 5 years running. She owns a Mercedes 350, and she's a car nut. She visited Italy - she was going to go to the Ferrari factory, but she went to the opera instead.

Me with Dr Dunsmore

Then I had a little more blood work done. They had the PET scan first. It felt long, but it was only 20 minutes long. It's a big tube like the CT scan, but it takes more pictures of your body. I couldn't eat for the day before, and then I had a drink. The drink didn't taste good. It takes separate pictures of your whole body, then it forms a photo to see where the cancer is at.

Me in the PET scanner

They gave me radioactive fluorine-18 and barium before the PET scan.

The echocardiogram is like ultrasounds used with pregnant women. They put a gel and then this rub this thing on your chest. It's an ultrasound of your heart. We could see the aorta.

The EKG is where they tape electrodes to your chest. It was done in a minute.

The PFT is a test to measure breathing capacity and the oxygen in your lungs. You had to take a couple of deep breaths and then let it out slowly but consistently until you're out of breath, then take another big breath. You put your mouth on the machine and they clamp your nose.

PFT (Pulmonary Function Test)

On Wednesday morning, September 17th, I had another biopsy. They put me under again for half an hour.

Ms Herman is one of my favorite teachers from 6th grade. I was in her science class. She came to my house with her husband on Monday night for dessert.

At this point the cancer is in either stage 3 or 4. The PET scan and bone marrow test will show which one. The good news is that Hodgkin's is treatment-responsive at any stage.

I'll be in the hospital until late on Friday at the earliest. I have 3 days of chemo this week, then off until chemo on Wednesday, then off a week after that, then I start back. Someone will come in tomorrow and help me do work in personal finance and other classes that I'm way behind in.

The view from my window in the UVA hospital.

Finding Out About My Cancer

Hi My name is Marcos Davis. I live in Charlottesville Virginia and  I go to CHS for high school. On Labor Day my mom saw a lump on my neck so I went to the doctor the next day.

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Me at the doctor's before the C T scan.

 The doctor did blood work and a chest x -ray. The doctor said that I had to go to UVA to see  another doctor and I had more  blood work done and a CT scan that took  a photo of my upper chest and they said I had to have a biopsy surgery. I had a port put in my body the same surgery a port is where they put a  drug in my body to fight the cancer cells  so I get better. A  biopsy surgery is where they take a piece of my lump and do some tests on it and see what it is. They found out it is Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin's Lymphoma.. The good news is that doctors have a good way to treat it.

Me before the surgery. The surgery was 3 hours long and it felt very short for me. 

My cousin came Tuesday, September 9th for the surgery and to see me because he has had cancer for 3 and half years so he knows what I am going through and how he can help me. He said that the drug will be hard on me and I might lose my hair with this drug - it can kill hair cells.

They draw blood before the CT scan. A CT (computerized tomography) scan is a lot of x-rays that form one big picture of part of your body   

  

This is my dad's cousin on the left and her husband on the right  They live in northern Virginia.They came down on Saturday, September 14th  to see me and my family. 

I had to drink concentrate before the scan so when they do the scan they can see the picture better. It tasted like lemonade. 

Here is me and my sister and my cousin Joe from Minnesota.

I got  lots of phone calls and emails and lots of food and lots of people are praying for me to make a good recovery and lot of people going to visit me. I am starting this blog to tell you about what 

is happening with me and family. Stay tuned: on Tuesday, September 16th, I am having a lot more testing to find out what stage it is at. 

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