Reoccurance

truejoy8

I'm 22 female with Hodgkins and finished my ABVD last November. Now I'm starting to itch again in the same way I did before I was diagnosed. I know this can be a seriouse and underestimated sign. I just had a CT scan and will find out what it shows on Monday but I have a question. How often does Hodgkins come back? Has anyone here had a reoccurance? How did they deal with it. I'm jsut the tiniest bit scared and would like any info anyone has to offer. Thanks.

AlloMan

The chances of relapse go up with the more advanced the Hodgkin's was prior to treatment. You may be able to find some info on relapse rates on www.lymphoma.org . I was first diagnosed in 12/00 at stage 4B and have since relapsed twice. I just dealt with it. I had no control over it. You just try to make the best of it. I tried to educate myself on my options, made the best decisions I could and hoped for the best. I'm back in remission, and have been for almost a year. I'm sure it's going to be a long weekend for you. Spend time doing things you enjoy to try to take your mind off things. If the weather's nice where you live, try to get outside and get some fresh air.

jak0474

I know it is hard but don't freak out yet, especially if you don't have any other symptoms. While you of course were smart to get a scan, there are other reasons you could be itching. I had that happen to me a couple of times and I was convinced it was back and was really scared but it turned out to be nothing. (I am 2 1/2 years remission) It was winter and my skin was just probably dry from the heat in my apartment. That is the annoying thing about this disease; the symptoms are also associated with 100 other non-cancer things. Good luck.

stepet

I would have my thyroid levels checked. I finished radiation last year for hodgkins and I thought it may be back as well. I had itching and extreme fatigue. My doctor said the thyroid doesn't usually fail so soon after treatment, but mine did. I have been on medication for hypothyroidism for about a month and am starting to feel better. So get it checked out.

Heatherjb

My Oncologist told me that the recurrence rate is mostly based on the kind of cells that were found in the tumor. I did not have any B cells in my tumor, so that was a good sign and the chance for recurrence is low. I agree with checking the Thyroid levels. I was stage 2A Hodgkins and finished chemo and radiation in December of 2002. My Radiation Oncologist had mentioned that I had a good chance that my thyroid would stop working because they radiated it. At my one year check with my Oncologist, I mentioned it to her and asked why they had not done any tests for it. She said that it usually takes awhile to stop working, but ordered the test for my next appointment (3 months later). When my tests results came back, they were 11 times higher than they should have been. My thyroid had stopped working. I am now taking medication and starting to feel better. My skin is not so dry and I have a lot more energy.