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Craig Hockenberry’s October 28, 2026, blog post describes his experience with lymphoma treatment, including chemotherapy side effects, a pneumonia episode and gradual improvement after his last infusion in May. He reports that nerve sensations later changed and interprets them as signs of recovery, but the supplied report does not establish his current medical status or a confirmed explanation for that change.
Craig Hockenberry said in an October 28, 2026, personal update that he completed his last lymphoma chemotherapy infusion in May and has since experienced a gradual return of strength, stamina and improved taste. His account also describes severe fatigue, substantial weight loss, spinal nerve problems and a bout of pneumonia during treatment; it is a first-person account, not a clinical report of his current condition.
Hockenberry wrote that his treatment included weekly lumbar punctures during a six-week course that ended in late January. Doctors removed and replaced a small amount of spinal fluid with methotrexate, he said. He described severe headaches after the procedures and said lying flat helped ease them. He then received infusions of bendamustine and rituximab on a 28-day cycle.
He reported that treatment altered his sense of taste, leaving food with a metallic flavor, and that he switched from coffee to tea and ate less salty, blander food. He said he avoided nausea and hair loss, though his hair lost its volume. The broader effects included fatigue and muscle loss. Hockenberry wrote that he lost 50 pounds over a couple of months and eventually ate five meals a day, attributing the weight change to his metabolism outpacing his food intake.
In March, after an infusion, he said he developed a type of pneumonia affecting people with weakened immune systems. He reported that his blood oxygen fell below 90% and that his Apple Watch alerted him to an episode of atrial fibrillation. He said antibiotics treated the pneumonia. His doctor offered to skip the next chemotherapy cycle, but Hockenberry chose to continue. He did not provide medical records or an independent account of the episode.
Treatment’s Cost to Daily Life
The post offers a detailed account of how lymphoma treatment affected mobility, eating and daily activity, beyond the immediate infusion schedule. Hockenberry described nerve-related balance problems, fatigue and difficulty maintaining weight, as well as an infection and a reported heart-rhythm episode during treatment. These experiences are personal and do not predict how other patients will respond to the same medicines.
His account also shows why individual treatment decisions can be complex. Hockenberry said his doctor offered to pause a cycle after pneumonia, and he chose to proceed. The post does not set out the clinical reasoning behind that discussion, and readers should not treat his decision or walking routine as medical guidance. People undergoing chemotherapy should discuss symptoms and activity with their own care teams.
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From Spinal Treatment to Infusions
Hockenberry’s account describes two phases of treatment. The first involved weekly spinal procedures to deliver methotrexate, which he said ended in late January after six weeks. He then began 28-day infusion cycles of bendamustine and rituximab. He described feeling worst in the days after each infusion and beginning to feel more like himself around the middle of the second week.
He also wrote that pre-existing nerve damage affected his gait and balance throughout the infusions. Daily walks became a way to remain active, though he described them as shuffling and sometimes physically taxing. His wife found walking sticks that helped him maintain balance. He said his final infusion was in May, after which his food began tasting better and his strength and walking distance gradually improved.
“Everyone experiences chemotherapy differently.”
— Craig Hockenberry, in his October 28, 2026, blog post
The Cause of Nerve Changes
Hockenberry said the nerve damage affecting his gait and balance did not improve during chemotherapy. After his final infusion, he later felt a new sensation in the backs of his legs when bending his head forward. He wrote that, over the following weeks, he came to see it as a sign that the nerves were recovering. The supplied account ends while he is describing a possible explanation: it does not include the full explanation or confirm the cause through medical testing.
The post also does not state whether follow-up scans or examinations found the lymphoma in remission, whether all nerve symptoms have resolved, or what his current treatment and monitoring plan is. His reported oxygen level and atrial fibrillation alert are not accompanied by clinical records or further details about diagnosis and follow-up.
Follow-Up and Recovery Details
The supplied report does not announce a new treatment milestone or give a date for a medical follow-up. Hockenberry says his last infusion was in May and describes gradual recovery afterward, including longer walks and improved taste. Further information about his lymphoma status, nerve function and the explanation for the new leg sensation would be needed to clarify the outcome.
For now, the update is best read as a personal account of treatment and recovery to the point described, rather than a complete medical status report. Any later account from Hockenberry or information from his clinicians could add detail about ongoing monitoring and whether the reported improvements continued.
Key Questions
Who published the health update?
Craig Hockenberry published the personal account on Furbo.org on October 28, 2026.
What treatment did Hockenberry describe?
He described a six-week course of weekly lumbar procedures involving methotrexate, followed by 28-day infusion cycles of bendamustine and rituximab for lymphoma.
What complications did he report?
He described severe headaches after spinal procedures, fatigue, muscle loss, a 50-pound weight loss over a couple of months, nerve-related balance problems and pneumonia during treatment. He also said his Apple Watch alerted him to an episode of atrial fibrillation. These details are reported in his personal account.
Did Hockenberry say the lymphoma was in remission?
No remission status is given in the supplied account. He said his last infusion was in May and described signs he interpreted as nerve recovery, but the report does not provide scan results or a confirmed current disease status.
What is known about his recovery?
Hockenberry reported that his taste, strength and stamina gradually improved after treatment, and that he began taking longer walks. The account does not establish whether all symptoms resolved or give a later clinical assessment.
Source: furbo.org
