Just found out

jarek50
jarek50 Member Posts: 2
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1

as of 1 month ago. Was hospitalized for an unrelated condition when it was discovered. It has answered many questions for me as to why I felt tired all the time and just never felt 100%. I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. I now have an ileostomy to deal with so I can't say I'm feeling all that upbeat at this time. The oncologist I met with on Monday informed me that this specific type DLBL [diffuse large B-cell lymphoma] comes with a 55-60% [cure] rate. 

I'm resigned to never being the person I was before all this but am still scared. I want my old self back and the thought of undergoing chemo and radiation therapy is scary and not something I wish to do. I am tired of being in pain, of being hurt and fragile. I don't know what is to come but only wish I had more hope than I do right now. Thank you for letting me vent.

Comments

  • jimwins
    jimwins Member Posts: 2,107
    #2
    Welcome

    Welcome Jarek50!  Being scared and your feeling right now are very normal.  DLBL [diffuse large B-cell lymphoma] is considered to be curable so focus on that.  I had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and am going on 4 years remission.  There is plenty of hope!

    This is difficult now but it will get easier.  Please feel free to come here and vent, ask questions, and when you're ready, offer support also.

    If you aren't already on anti-anxiey medication, ask for it.  It helps keep the worry monster at bay.

    Hang in there and know you are not alone!

    Big hugs,

    Jim

  • coachmike
    coachmike Member Posts: 155
    #3
    Jarek
    There are so many of us

    Jarek

    There are so many of us here who can relate to exactly what your feeling and going through right now. It is petrifying to come to terms with. I am a three year survivor of DLBCL and living proof that it is a beatable disease. When times are tough there are many great people here to vent and talk to. Stay strong

    Mike

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #4
    Jarek

    i won't insult you by feeling sorry for you. However I would encourage you to take a step back and try to look at your situation in as detatched a manner as possible. Sure you have cancer. On the other hand you have a very treatable form. Adapt to the fact that life is different but it can still be a wonderful life. And a long one. All my best to you and know that you will be a different and I believe better person. Life is not over, it has just changed.

  • jarek50
    jarek50 Member Posts: 2
    #5
    unknown said:

    Jarek

    i won't insult you by feeling sorry for you. However I would encourage you to take a step back and try to look at your situation in as detatched a manner as possible. Sure you have cancer. On the other hand you have a very treatable form. Adapt to the fact that life is different but it can still be a wonderful life. And a long one. All my best to you and know that you will be a different and I believe better person. Life is not over, it has just changed.

    Thank you all for the kind

    Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement. I do realize I'm not the only one and cetainly not the first to have to deal with this. What makes it hard for me personally is that there is no one to lean on when things get really tough.I'm not bitter nor angry for I do know that [life happens] and isn't fair to all of us. My faith is what has kept me going for this long. I do have good days here and there just wish they were more often. Thank you again.

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,812 Member
    #6
    jarek50 said:

    Thank you all for the kind

    Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement. I do realize I'm not the only one and cetainly not the first to have to deal with this. What makes it hard for me personally is that there is no one to lean on when things get really tough.I'm not bitter nor angry for I do know that [life happens] and isn't fair to all of us. My faith is what has kept me going for this long. I do have good days here and there just wish they were more often. Thank you again.

    Perspective

    Jarek50,

    I think you are more "down" than you might be admitting. GKH is correct:  Life gives us raw deals, and we just have to rise to the occasion.  I was crushed and may have been clinically dead following a car accident decades ago (revived at the scene). Two years later, I could walk.

    Six years ago, Stage III lymphoma. Last year, Stage 2 prostate cancer.  Like the Energizer Bunny, I am still going.  In June, I am re-tested for a suspicious node in my right lung.

    Be thankful that lymphoma is the most treatable and the most curable of all cancers.  Statistically, you should recover and have a long, healthy life.  A friend at Church just learned she has late Stage 4, aggressive breast cancer. Her chances are very poor. At LEAST two years of treatment, IF she is lucky. Chemo, then removal of both breasts, then radiation, then chemo again. IF all goes well.  Some folks are worse off than us.

    I linked this music video to someone a year or so ago, but am sending it to you.  Feed off of its energy, if you can. We are all pulling for you !

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn676-fLq7I

    max

     

    .

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