Most of us know what it is like to have bad news come our way. And in the course of life, all of us will feel the sting of news that we so desperately do not want to hear.
The word cancer is no exception.
For one blogger, who lives with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), there were a wide range of emotions when she heard her diagnosis of skin cancer.
Dee, the blogger of Coming Home to Myself and a resident of the Kansas City Metro Area, lives with the most common type of cutaneous lymphoma.
It typically presents with red, scaly patches or thickened plaques of skin that often mimic eczema or chronic dermatitis.
Progression from limited skin involvement is variable and may be accompanied by tumor formation, ulceration, and exfoliation, complicated by itching and infections.
Advanced stages are defined by involvement of lymph nodes, peripheral blood, and internal organs.
Most CTCLs typically fall into the category of indolent (i.e. chronic) lymphomas— treatable, but not curable and usually not life-threatening.
For Dee, she had felt shock, distress, sadness, fear, and anger.
At first, she couldn’t believe it. She had been surprised—she thought her lifestyle had been healthy enough to avoid cancer.
It took time for the news to sink in, and for a while, she felt it wasn’t really happening to her—like an ‘out of body experience’.
After the initial shock, she was determined to think positively and hope that treatment plan would work.
And then, the good news comes her way; it is life changing:
“This past Tuesday I saw the dermatologist, for our six-week assessment, and… Good News!.. all the cancer—on chest, inner arms, inner legs—is now inactive. I don’t even need to use the steroidal cream!”
Now, Dee has time to pursue her passion in writing.
This is very good news indeed.
Although I know very little about cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), it is wonderful to learn it can be managed with strict attention.
