I have B cell Lymphoma which has spread to my Lung. But my prognosis is Very Good! I share this news with you, mostly so you can see the importance of getting deeply in touch with your own body and the importance of being your own health advocate. Having had Crohn’s disease for 49 years, I have learned to be very in tune with my body, especially when something is wrong. In mid-May, I went to my primary care physician, and my Crohn’s doctor of 40 years, and told them something was wrong with my body. I could feel it, I could tell, and it felt serious, and I needed to figure it out. Both doctors told me they would do some basic testing, but that it was probably that I was imagining things and there was likely nothing wrong. Long story short, after 3 months of every test you can imagine, last Monday, August 5, the pulmonologist called me to tell me the lung Biopsy, was B Cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which has spread to my lungs. That next 48 hours, until I could see the oncologist, was the scariest time. However, on Wednesday of last week, I was able to meet with a great oncologist at Cedars, and I told him upfront that I did not want him to hold anything back, that I could handle almost anything, so tell me the truth and the complete truth. And then the first thing he said was, “You are lucky that this is B Cell type because, B cell type is the most treatable and curable”, and he believes that I can effectively treat this cancer, if not get fully cured! This, of course, was a HUGE relief. I start chemo this week. It is for four months, and it will not be fun. But I have been through much worse and I plan on kicking chemo’s ass by staying positive, healthy as I can, active, and, as the Oncologist said, “eat a ton of calories, anything you desire because you should ideally try to not lose too much weight from the Chemo. So, in the words of Bill Murray, from CaddyShack, “So I got that going for me, which is nice”. The main thing I want you to take away from this is for all of you to get in touch with your own body, it is constantly giving you signals, whether they are good or bad, and you’ll do yourself a big favor on many levels if you learn to be in touch with your body. Learn to receive and pay attention to the signals, and then be YOUR best advocate. For those of you who want to reach out to me, for right now I need some space, which I trust you can understand. I will not be shy and will reach out to those close to me, as the treatments begin, should I need anything. So, as I said, after Grayson passed,… live every day, to its fullest. Be like a dog, meaning, don’t borrow worry from the future, and don’t dwell over the past, The only moment that matters is now. Hug and kiss your loved ones as often as you see them, not so much that it’s creepy 😊, but make the effort to do it regularly. I’m taking the rest of the year off to focus just on my health, and to have some fun on a boat at the same time, because, why the fuck not.
Laura L. Dawson
1mo
Richard Wolpert (He/Him), as a health care professional with specialties in both Western and Eastern biomedicine, my only comment may be to suggest that you see a qualified acupuncturists as we can have exceptional tools and skills to diseases and sometimes treat the side-effects of the necessary pharmaceuticals being used by our patients. You may wish to use the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine's Find A Practitioner to locate a well trained provider. here is that link. You can narrow it down by location etc. : https://www.nccaom.org/find-a-practitioner-directory/ May you be well. L Dawson
les Isralow
4w
So True.....be strong as I spent April 4, 2023 thru December 14 th 2023 dealing with prostate cancer. Getting radiation for 7 weeks Mon thru Friday. Caught it early and then had my hip replaced in March.... the 14th of f 2024... with weeks of physical therapy that I'm still doing here in August.... exhausting Keep Positive
Rick Ungar
3w
Hang in there, Rich. I've been there- non-Hodgkins lymphoma twice. You are going to be surprised to find that the chemo is not nearly as bad as you are imagining. The advances just between my first bout and my more recent bout are astounding. As I always say, its not how you want to spend your summer vacation, but it isn't going to be that terrible. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. At the end of the day, it is going to be fine.
Carl Nerup
1mo
Love and Prayers to you my dear friend. May you always have loved ones around you and the comfort of the knowledge that you have a broad community that supports you. I am a cancer survivor - 10 years in October (Prostate) - so I am always optimistic for a man that looks to the promise of a greater future for all of us.
Bruce Kaplan
1w
Just read this. As usual, you give valuable advice. If anyone can beat it, it’s you. A votre sante!
Thank you for sharing and sending you all the best energy and support. There are many people in your corner and they have your back
Guy Kawasaki
1mo
Thanks for the great example of positivity. You rock! All the best to you!
Thank you for sharing the words of wisdom and wishing you a full and speedy recovery.
Michael Su
1mo
Richard!! Glad to hear it’s beatable and if anyone is made of the stuff that can beat it, it’s you. Even under such duress you look to ways you can impact others and thats probably as good as any summary of who you are and how you’ve spent your life. Go kick Lymphoma’s ass!!! 💪💪💪
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1moThank you for sharing this. My dad also got diagnosed with B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and started chemo last week. Its in his pancreas so we thought it might be pancreatic cancer for quite a few weeks. Wishing you a smooth and fast recovery ❤️🩹