Watching and Waiting

wendy4
wendy4 Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
Hi I am new to this board. I am a 46 year old female who was diagnosed with low grade lymphomia in January 2002. I was scheduled for 6 months of Chemo but only completed 5 as my small intenstine ruptured from the site of a tumor and I had emergency surgery to correct this. My main problem is that during the last CT scan my oncologist stated there had been changes in my stomach (this is where the majority of the tumors were) but they don't know if this was due to the surgery or not. Has anyone else gone through this?

Comments

  • sdevilbiss
    sdevilbiss Member Posts: 41 Member
    #2
    Hi Wendy, Not a whole lot goes on this board. I was 50 when diagnosed with low grade lymphoma. I haven't had any treatment as yet. It is all confined to the lower abdomen. I haven't gone through anything like you are describing. I had laproscopy surgery on the abd. to diagnose the CA. My oncologist says we are going to wait and watch. No growth for the last few years. Keep me informed on how you're doing. I would like to keep in touch with someone else close to my age with low grade lymp. Thanks, Sandee
  • pastrychef
    pastrychef Member Posts: 3
    #3
    My wife had a similar situation. She was anemic for a long time, then developed internal bleeding. The doctors found two areas of bleeding in her stomach, which they attempted to resolve by cauterizing the blood vessels. Her bleeding persisted, and another site was found in her small intestine. The doctors attempted to resolve that problem with an angiogram, but the procedure sealed the artery preventing blood flow to a portion of her small intestine, and surgery was required to remove that part of her small intestine. While she had no visible tumor, there was an unusual mass of blood vessels that tangled and burst, which the cancer had created. The cancer was discovered by the biopsy of the tissue removed during surgery. Chemo started shortly thereafter.

    Good luck with your treatment. Stay positive.
  • i_dont_understand
    i_dont_understand Member Posts: 1
    #4
    Hi wendy..im only 14 and my aunt who I am very close to has cancer they said it started in the lympnodes(sp) but she has it all over now. I dont know much about it but if u want to U can she knows alot more then I. I hope you get thorught it all. my prayers are with you thanks Brandy FLA P.S my moms e-mail is CCallihan@att.net XOXO
  • Kas
    Kas Member Posts: 1
    #5
    sdevilbiss said:

    Hi Wendy, Not a whole lot goes on this board. I was 50 when diagnosed with low grade lymphoma. I haven't had any treatment as yet. It is all confined to the lower abdomen. I haven't gone through anything like you are describing. I had laproscopy surgery on the abd. to diagnose the CA. My oncologist says we are going to wait and watch. No growth for the last few years. Keep me informed on how you're doing. I would like to keep in touch with someone else close to my age with low grade lymp. Thanks, Sandee

    Hi,

    I was 49 when I had my first lympnode removed. Then another 4 years later, another 1 year later. All were diagnosised as follicular hyperplasia. Then within a month of the last, on 11/24/2002 I was diagnosised non hodgkins lymphoma and am looking forward to my last treatment of chemo and Rituxin. I think they used the wait and see method on me for 5 years. It actually was a relief to finally be diagnosised and treated. I do think it's interesting to note that there are so many young people with lymphona. When I go to Roswell, it is mostly our age group.
    Good luck to you with prayers your way,

    Kathy
  • cj1515
    cj1515 Member Posts: 1
    #6
    Kas said:

    Hi,

    I was 49 when I had my first lympnode removed. Then another 4 years later, another 1 year later. All were diagnosised as follicular hyperplasia. Then within a month of the last, on 11/24/2002 I was diagnosised non hodgkins lymphoma and am looking forward to my last treatment of chemo and Rituxin. I think they used the wait and see method on me for 5 years. It actually was a relief to finally be diagnosised and treated. I do think it's interesting to note that there are so many young people with lymphona. When I go to Roswell, it is mostly our age group.
    Good luck to you with prayers your way,

    Kathy

    Hi,
    I just signed on today. I'm 52 year old male and was diagnosed with with follicular b cell lymphoma stage IV in September '02. Since then I have been through 2 cources of rituxin with a little shrinkage. I have tumors in my neck adomen groin and arm pits. I started on CVP which is chemo, vincristine, and predisone. So far I have had no ill effects from the chemo. Have not lost my hair and have not had any nausea. The secret there is to take anti nausea medicine. My blood counts have been normal through out my tratments. After two treatments I have about a 40% shrinkage in my tumors. They took me off the vicristine after two treatments as I lost all feelings in my finger tips.
    The worst part of the treatment has been the five days of pred that they have me on. It gives me steriod rage. I could probably win the war by myself when I'm pred. I do not like it. I will be rescanned after one more treatment and then the course is to have two more treatments and be rescanned again.
    I survived a couple of heart attacks when I was 46. I look at this disease as just another thing to putr on my to do list. My treatment days are my cancer days and I devote that day to feeling puny and sorry for myself if I choose. From there I go about my life as usual. I'm trying to control the disease nto the other way around.
    My inspiration has been my neighbor. I live in a high rise in Chicago. Four years ago he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. They give him 6 months to live. I still run into him today on the elevator.
    I'm interested in learning more about the long term effects of this disease. I have not found an awful lot on it out there.
  • robbiebird
    robbiebird Member Posts: 2
    #7
    sdevilbiss said:

    Hi Wendy, Not a whole lot goes on this board. I was 50 when diagnosed with low grade lymphoma. I haven't had any treatment as yet. It is all confined to the lower abdomen. I haven't gone through anything like you are describing. I had laproscopy surgery on the abd. to diagnose the CA. My oncologist says we are going to wait and watch. No growth for the last few years. Keep me informed on how you're doing. I would like to keep in touch with someone else close to my age with low grade lymp. Thanks, Sandee

    Dear Sandee,
    Hi. I was diagnosed May 2002 with NHL SLL/CLL, an indolent small B cell lymphoma/leukemia. When I was diagnosed, I was 58, now 59. To date, I'm still on watch and wait, and if all is well, will be until August for blood check, and next Feb. for complete scans/blood check. If you would like, you can email me at Robbiebird@aol.com. Robbie
  • rccary
    rccary Member Posts: 1
    #8
    i_dont_understand said:

    Hi wendy..im only 14 and my aunt who I am very close to has cancer they said it started in the lympnodes(sp) but she has it all over now. I dont know much about it but if u want to U can she knows alot more then I. I hope you get thorught it all. my prayers are with you thanks Brandy FLA P.S my moms e-mail is CCallihan@att.net XOXO

    Watch and weight

    I am new to this group. Almost 10 years ago I was diagnosed with SLL which was only found by chance. Unfortunately, it was beyond early stage 2 so no cure was possible. I have been asymptomatic for the entire time.Like all of you survivors I have spent countless hours on the web, The number of drugs has been astounding. The RIT drugs Zevalin and Bexxar  seem to be the most effective and have the least toxicity.I am being treated at Northwetern University Hospital. I will be at the LRF research Foundation's seminars in May. Its free and aimed at survivors. Good luck to all of you.

Discussion Boards