Let's talk about progress.

We are into April and the middle of the month will mark the two year anniversary of my last R-CHOP infusion.  Sometime in the second half of April 2010 (or perhaps earlier) I became cancer clear.

Now that it's a couple of years and I haven't had a relapse, my odds of having one are lower than they were.

Well, I don't feel any different.  But it's a pleasant thought.

I'm over the cancer.  But I'm not over chemotherapy and I include my three months of Revlimid in that.  I don't know which was worse, but the R-CHOP was of longer duration.

I think the Revlimid did something to my neck muscles.

I'm not as terribly exhausted as I was when I was on either R-CHOP or Revlimid but I get tired a lot.   On Tuesday I visit the office and allow myself two hours, and it really tires me out.

I find a comfortable spot when I get home afterwards and take a nap. 

My neck still has problems that cause headaches, but I have learned new ways to ameliorate them.

I noticed that the area where the neck indents just below the skull on the right side hurt a little.

Actually kind of sore to the touch deep below the skin and I had the idea that I had inflamed muscle (if that's possible).   So I went looking for anti-inflammatory creams to apply and started using Aspercreme and then Penetrex with it to relax my neck.

It sort of works and just about the whole day the headaches are reduced to the point where they're not badly irritating.  I still feel something in my neck that doesn't feel right, both the quiet grinding and snapping sounds my neck makes when I move it certain ways, and the deeper muscles that still are stiff and waiting to tense up.

The surface twitches and twangs with bits of pain shooting up my neck are greatly reduced.

It has occurred to me that putting Aspercreme on my neck and having it absorbed through my skin is perhaps not something I should do for too long.

I've asked my doctor to prescribe a topical NSAID for me to use and he gave me a prescription for Voltaren Gel which has it's own problems, I'm sure.

There is no drug without unpopular side-effects.  I wonder how that drug will screw me up?

It's a highly prescribed drug, so they don't have it at the drug store.   Maybe I could get some from AMAZON?