Mayo Musings

Bet you thought this was another post about Duke's mayo. Wrong again. I just wanted to share with you some of the nuggets I picked up at the Lymphoma Workshop in Minneapolis. Most of the speakers and panelists were from the world-famous Mayo Clinic.

"Everybody with Mantle Cell Lymphoma relapses": Actually, the Mayo doctor who spoke these words quickly corrected himself, "The vast majority of Mantle Cell Lymphoma patients relapse." Another doctor from the University of Minnesota Cancer Center repeated the sentiment a little differently. ("These diseases will come back at some point.") I had read this and had come to the same conclusion after spending hours poring over an Excel spreadsheet of more than 350 mantle cell lymphoma patients and their treatments. But it was the first time that I heard them spoken out loud by a doctor.

When I was first diagnosed, I thought I would do all the research, make the right decisions, get the best treatment, maintain a positive attitude and then this adventure would have a well-defined beginning and ending. Now I understand and am beginning to accept that this is a lifetime challenge.

There's power in prayer: Did you know that the Mayo Clinic has a department of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)? I always thought of CAM as herbs and mushrooms and special diets, but it's far broader than that narrow perception. Prayer, by both the patient and from others, is considered the most prevalent and powerful CAM. Yoga, meditation, music and massage also pack a powerful wallop in boosting the immune system.

Forbidden Foods: The transplant specialist warned us about certain forbidden foods, such as mushrooms and blue cheese, which are fungi and mold. When I raised my hand to ask about raw fish, I received a blank stare until I elaborated "sushi." "Oh, I don't eat that, so I forget about warning my patients, but I don't think very many of them eat that either," she responded. It's definitely a no-no post transplant, so I've been porking (or is it "whaling") out on the stuff.

There is always hope: A licensed clinical social worker from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston shared this with us: "If you've lost hope, ask someone to hold it for you until you're strong enough to get it back." If I ever lose hope, please offer to "hold" it for me.

PS I'll get around to posting about the Stones party after I check in tomorrow evening.