Introduction

   It's every teenager's dream to have an easy and fun filled high school experience. Not having to deal with big issues tougher than deciding what your prom dress will be or how long you're going to procrastinate that English assignment till two in the morning. Most issues kids face are; Billy broke up with them, how am I going to do all my classes but still have time for friends, what clothes should I wear tomorrow, who's the best artist in their opinion, and deciding which video game they'll be playing for that weekend with a Rockstar by their side.

   I was never a normal teenager. I listen to classical music, I fly airplanes, I don't go to proms, I hate Lady Gaga and most Hip hop/Rap/Pop singers with a fiery passion, I stay home playing my Ukulele and reading books, and tend to never really go crazy unless I'm at some Anime Convention for three days a year. I'm a relatively boring redheaded, glasses wearing girl with nothing really exciting happening in her life.

But, apparently my body decided to change all that.

   It all started last January. I contracted a simple fever. Nothing big right? Right. But by Mid-January my side was killing me. I ended up having Pancreatitis, this is usually what alcoholics get but being a homebody I don't drink. And so I was treated for that. Then scary things started to happen.

   For months, months, I noticed my vision was terrible. I mean, I'm already blind without my glasses. But wearing my glasses made my eyes hurt and I couldn't wear them. I would sit down for either a long or short period of time and when I would stand, my vision would fade away then fade back. I started seeing flashing lights, spots, and moving things in my eyes. I forced my mom to take me to the optometrist where he immediately sent me to a ophthalmologist. There he began to say I had damage in this eyes, hemorrhaging in that one, and leaking fluid. I ended up being sent to the Emergency room where a so called "Amazing Doctor who's done a spinal tap like five hundred times" began to poke and prod my back. I tried to be brave, but the frustration of not getting fluid from my spine had him sweating and he sent me to Radiology.

   Now here's a short lesson. A normal spine has a pressure of about 15. If there's extra pressure then they normally see up to 50 pressure, nothing higher. Then I came along with a eye bulging 60. They took 33 mm of fluid. Which is about three and half vials of fluid. They've never seen anyone with a pressure that high in years. YEARS.

   I was then diagnosed with Pseudo Tumor Cerebri. Meaning my brain thought I had a tumor, and I really didn't. It created extra spinal fluid to balance the pressure, but since there wasn't anything there my eyes were taking all that pressure. I was then told that if I had waited any longer, I would've lost my eyes.

   I've always said if I had to lose one of my vital actions that I would lose my voice in a heartbeat. I want my eyes and ears. I love people and music. Taking any of those away would've killed me. I was pretty shaken up.

   I was then met by a Dr. Jernigan. ((Forgive me if I butchered his name. I don't have his card with me.)) who gave me Ace-huirahijkaebsjl0eiaoohjnad. It's a long word. Or Diomox. In a kid friendly term it means, High Altitude Sickness medication. Needless to say the first dosage didn't work. I had a relapse and was hospitalized for two days. I hated it. I was then put on 750 mg for the morning and night. They don't normally give that high of a dosage to patients. I'm just a head scratcher.

   That went fine and dandy and I was finally coming off my medicine in July when, WHAM. I was hit again with that same throbbing pain in my side. Only it was my right and not my left. I was in so much pain I called the doctor myself ((I tend to call him now since my mother puts off sickness seeing it as no threat. I've learned not to go easy when my body is telling me I'm in pain.)) I had a scan and I was diagnosed with a bad Gaul bladder.  Thinking it was an easy procedure we went to a surgeon. We told him my fascinating medical history and He had his other doubts....

"You probably have Lymphoma Cancer." Dr. Verner said.
"But her needle biopsy said she didn't have cancer." My mother argued.
"Needle biopsies don't tell you different cancers, they just tell you if you have a certain kind of life threatening cancer." Dr. Verner told my wide eyed mother.
"..So she could have cancer?" My mother looked like a deer in a headlight.
"Lymphoma Cancer. This is the best cancer to have if you're going to have it. Very easy to cure." Dr. Verner said with confidence.

I was scheduled for a surgical biopsy the next thursday.
And that's when I met my Oncologist. Dr. Meeker.

We talked about cancer, but we were pretty confident I didn't have it. My blood work didn't show anything out of the norm and I felt fine....

But sadly, this is not a really happy story for me...

I was called Friday 14 2011 from Dr. Meeker. I picked up the phone and listened in to my Mother and Dr. Meeker speaking.

"She has Lymphoma Cancer."
"....She does?"

That's right. With my best friend and my brother upstairs with me. I learned, I had cancer. And I was going to lose my hair.

If I was to learn anything bad like that, I'm glad my friend was there for me.

My world was destroyed and opened up at the same time. Why me? But it answers all my medical questions from the past. It was good news, and bad news.

Lymphoma Cancer has a 90% chance of cure rate. I'll survive.

It's August 25, Wednesday 2011 at 12:20 AM. And tomorrow I start chemo and get my port placed into my chest.

I'm both confident and scared.

But I'll make through it.

Because you know why?

I'm going to look like the love child of Ironman and Uncle Fester.

and

I named my cancer Flannery.

It's an Irish name and it's real.

Look it up.

I dare you.

With all the hopes of a normal teenaged life thrown out the window, (though I doubt I would have had one anyways) I am documenting my experience of Lymphoma Cancer on a blog.

Oh dear.... I'm one of those people now. Haha.

Annika Severts.