Please Help

amitava_ghosh

My father is 61years old, weight 79Kg.Recently (10/10/2009) high-Grade B-Cell NHL has been identified in his left neck.There are multiple nodes found at the same region. Biopsy report is saying that it is in Stage-IA but unable to get the origin.
These are the following tests they have already done.

1.Chest X-Ray OK
2.ECG OK
3.Blood Test Hemoglobin 13.7
4.PET Scan(whole body) No Node found in the other part of his body except left neck
and its region.
5.Bone marrow is already done
6.Biopsy(FNAC & node biopsy) Stage-IA High-grade NHL
7.Urine test OK
But still Dr's are unable to get the origin.
So finally they have decided to go give him R-CHOP.
So my earnest request to all of you please make a comment for this type of cancer.
Because I am very much worried about that already, 1 month has already left for these tests , still now my father is not getting any trouble, no weaknesses nothing only those malignant tumors.So I would like to now to all of you and I am waiting for your suggestion whether R-CHOP is the best way of treatment or not.If anything else please advice me as early as possible.
One more thing whether we are so late in his treatment or not please suggest, because his cancer has been identified on 10/10/2009 but they are going to give him the first -RCHOP 23rd of this month.
If R-CHOP is best then what will be diet chart for him during the 6 R-CHOP cycle and after the completion of 6 R-CHOP.
Please Please you all suggest the best way.
And help my father.

DenJ

RCHOP
amitava, I'm sorry to hear about your father's condition. BUT the good news is that IN MY OPINION, if you caught it early so much the better. Now I had stage 1 follicular NHL. I had 6 rounds of RCHOP. My last CT scan, in Sept,. came back negative. I have done alot of research on RCHOP and it is one of the BEST ways to treat the type I have....and I assume what your father has. I'm not sure what you mean about the diet chart, but there are trained dieticians that can help.In my case I ate what and when I could. It can be a problem as some things didn't taste right, but toward the end of a round of treatment, I could eat quite a bit. So in my eyes, eat what ya what when ya want....grazing is a good way to put it. Now if his white blood cell count gets low.....you better talk to his doctor or nurse, as it can be a problem if he gets an infection. Mine never went low, so I didn't have to watch out for that.

I hope I shed some light for ya,
DenJ

alleycat42

R CHOP
high grade follicular nhl here, been thru 6 cycles of r chop.

i also have done alot of research on my type of cancer and i would say YES r chop is the best course of action. your father is young and will be able to handle it fine. the only other ways of dealing with it would be - an operation, which is obviously not possible or they would have opted for that. radiation, this is not as effective but may be used at the end of the 6 cycles to finish off the cancer. the 'r' in r chop is retuximab, it is a reltively new drug and it works wonders in the fight against lymphoma.

as to your dads diet, i would agree with den, snack snack snack is the way to go. make sure he has lots of protien and drinks lots of water. the steroids he will be taking will give him a good apatite and his body will tell him what to eat. well, it did mine anyway, i ate like a horse.

i would suggest you google r chop side effects and be prepared for what your dad will be going thru.

this really isn't as hard as you think it is now. you will find plenty of testiment to that here. ask as many questions as you like and keep you spirits up, a possitive attitude is essential for your dads sake.

good luck.

jerzpilot

alleycat42 said:

R CHOP
high grade follicular nhl here, been thru 6 cycles of r chop.

i also have done alot of research on my type of cancer and i would say YES r chop is the best course of action. your father is young and will be able to handle it fine. the only other ways of dealing with it would be - an operation, which is obviously not possible or they would have opted for that. radiation, this is not as effective but may be used at the end of the 6 cycles to finish off the cancer. the 'r' in r chop is retuximab, it is a reltively new drug and it works wonders in the fight against lymphoma.

as to your dads diet, i would agree with den, snack snack snack is the way to go. make sure he has lots of protien and drinks lots of water. the steroids he will be taking will give him a good apatite and his body will tell him what to eat. well, it did mine anyway, i ate like a horse.

i would suggest you google r chop side effects and be prepared for what your dad will be going thru.

this really isn't as hard as you think it is now. you will find plenty of testiment to that here. ask as many questions as you like and keep you spirits up, a possitive attitude is essential for your dads sake.

good luck.

Stage I
Hello, your father's dx was caught very early he is lucky. Most people with stage IV has been cured on gone on remission. Do you know if is aggresive or indolent what he has? I was dx with indolent NH follicular lymphoma B cell type on 10/15/09 and I am still waiting on the treatment which it should be coming in the next couple of weeks? From what the oncologist told me and what I read Rituxan and chemo is the best option. Take care and God bless, keep us posted.

Edwin

Gaz

jerzpilot said:

Stage I
Hello, your father's dx was caught very early he is lucky. Most people with stage IV has been cured on gone on remission. Do you know if is aggresive or indolent what he has? I was dx with indolent NH follicular lymphoma B cell type on 10/15/09 and I am still waiting on the treatment which it should be coming in the next couple of weeks? From what the oncologist told me and what I read Rituxan and chemo is the best option. Take care and God bless, keep us posted.

Edwin

Your father is fortunate
I was diagnosed with stage 4 NHL and given very little chance of surviving in February 2007. I am now 53 and statistically still only have a 30 percent chance of living 2 more years. Four months to the last day of my last treatment (which happened to coincide with my birthday), I ran the Denver Half-Marathon (slowly I might add). Cancer today is all about early detection. I was very, very stupid in that I ignored warning signs for almost a year. The fact that your father is in stage 1, while very scary, is encouraging; catch it early. The treatments that they have today are so much better. Cancers that used to take 18 months of treatment can now be done in less than 6. Stay positive, believe and God bless you for being so supportive of him. Regarding diet, I had issues with constipation. I resolved them by taking a can of prune juice the day before, during, and after my RCHOP treatments. There is an argument in the community, although anecdotal, that believes NHL is due to the environment. In other words, farmers are getting it a lot and the scientific communtity is wondering if it has to do with the pesticides. Personally, I never wore gloves when putting weed killer on my lawn and have often wondered if this was the cause; honestly, I don't know. As far as diet, I lost about 40 pounds and mostly enjoyed milky-type foods the best - yogurt, McDonald's milkshakes, ice cream, etc. I wish you the best.

amitava_ghosh

DenJ said:

RCHOP
amitava, I'm sorry to hear about your father's condition. BUT the good news is that IN MY OPINION, if you caught it early so much the better. Now I had stage 1 follicular NHL. I had 6 rounds of RCHOP. My last CT scan, in Sept,. came back negative. I have done alot of research on RCHOP and it is one of the BEST ways to treat the type I have....and I assume what your father has. I'm not sure what you mean about the diet chart, but there are trained dieticians that can help.In my case I ate what and when I could. It can be a problem as some things didn't taste right, but toward the end of a round of treatment, I could eat quite a bit. So in my eyes, eat what ya what when ya want....grazing is a good way to put it. Now if his white blood cell count gets low.....you better talk to his doctor or nurse, as it can be a problem if he gets an infection. Mine never went low, so I didn't have to watch out for that.

I hope I shed some light for ya,
DenJ

Thanks
DenJ thanks a lot for your valuable comment.

amitava_ghosh

alleycat42 said:

R CHOP
high grade follicular nhl here, been thru 6 cycles of r chop.

i also have done alot of research on my type of cancer and i would say YES r chop is the best course of action. your father is young and will be able to handle it fine. the only other ways of dealing with it would be - an operation, which is obviously not possible or they would have opted for that. radiation, this is not as effective but may be used at the end of the 6 cycles to finish off the cancer. the 'r' in r chop is retuximab, it is a reltively new drug and it works wonders in the fight against lymphoma.

as to your dads diet, i would agree with den, snack snack snack is the way to go. make sure he has lots of protien and drinks lots of water. the steroids he will be taking will give him a good apatite and his body will tell him what to eat. well, it did mine anyway, i ate like a horse.

i would suggest you google r chop side effects and be prepared for what your dad will be going thru.

this really isn't as hard as you think it is now. you will find plenty of testiment to that here. ask as many questions as you like and keep you spirits up, a possitive attitude is essential for your dads sake.

good luck.

Thanks a lot.

Thanks a lot.

slickwilly

amitava_ghosh said:

Thanks a lot.

Thanks a lot.

Hi Gaz
I am glad your getting the most out of everyday. I was given the 5-16 year deal when I finished treatments and I am on year 6 and ready to go into year 7. On the chemical relationship to cancer, I spent part of my life covered in weed killer and bug killer. Malathion and 245-D to be exact. So when I developed cancer in my face and a meningioma brain tumor those were the things I looked at. I always liked the warning labels that said to wash these chemicals from your body if you had contact. Tell that to a farmer in the middle of a field or me in the middle of a christmas tree plantation. Where the heck are we going to find a shower there. I guess its all part of doing what we have to do for a living at the time. Slickwilly

secretsquirrel_215

amitava
Hello. I was dx in august with large cell nhl. It was found in my left tonsil. There was no surgery. I just had my second "r-chop" treatment. I am 51 and have never been sick. Of all my research the r-chop seems to be the best and only game in town. I guess it's not that bad but it still sucks! The shots to boost my immune system (neupogen or filgrastim) really do make my back hurt. I am stage 1 and the prognosis seems great. My best advice is support for your dad. Don't just "assume" he knos you care, TELL HIM AND SHOW HIM!!! Give him a hug now and then just because! Stay close to him. This has been a living torment for me mentally and emotionally. I'll keep you in my prayers. God bless.

amitava_ghosh

secretsquirrel_215 said:

amitava
Hello. I was dx in august with large cell nhl. It was found in my left tonsil. There was no surgery. I just had my second "r-chop" treatment. I am 51 and have never been sick. Of all my research the r-chop seems to be the best and only game in town. I guess it's not that bad but it still sucks! The shots to boost my immune system (neupogen or filgrastim) really do make my back hurt. I am stage 1 and the prognosis seems great. My best advice is support for your dad. Don't just "assume" he knos you care, TELL HIM AND SHOW HIM!!! Give him a hug now and then just because! Stay close to him. This has been a living torment for me mentally and emotionally. I'll keep you in my prayers. God bless.

Updated status
Thanks all of you for your valuable comments,& suggestions for RCHOP.His First RCHOP chemo is over,next will be on 14th December 09.Now he is good enough.After RCHOP his platelet was dropped from 141 to 63,he was slight fever.But now Platelet,hemoglobin & WBC count are also normal.He is felling better.
I think your prayer will help my father for quickly recover from this disease.
Once again ahanks all of you a lot.

Gaz

slickwilly said:

Hi Gaz
I am glad your getting the most out of everyday. I was given the 5-16 year deal when I finished treatments and I am on year 6 and ready to go into year 7. On the chemical relationship to cancer, I spent part of my life covered in weed killer and bug killer. Malathion and 245-D to be exact. So when I developed cancer in my face and a meningioma brain tumor those were the things I looked at. I always liked the warning labels that said to wash these chemicals from your body if you had contact. Tell that to a farmer in the middle of a field or me in the middle of a christmas tree plantation. Where the heck are we going to find a shower there. I guess its all part of doing what we have to do for a living at the time. Slickwilly

Are you OK?
I have been told that I have less than a 30% chance of living 2 more years. I am pleased that you have made it thus far. I enjoy each day as if it were my last. I am 53 years old and have had 3 surgerys since my diagnosis in February 2007. I refuse to quit (I'm human and although some days aren't so good, most are great), and I recently ran the Denver half-marathon and climbed a 14,000 ft mountain (Long's Peak, Colorado). The doctors have told me that bone marrow transplant is highly likely in my future. If so, then so be it. My advice...live life to the fullest. You never know when it will end. Fight.

amitava_ghosh

Gaz said:

Are you OK?
I have been told that I have less than a 30% chance of living 2 more years. I am pleased that you have made it thus far. I enjoy each day as if it were my last. I am 53 years old and have had 3 surgerys since my diagnosis in February 2007. I refuse to quit (I'm human and although some days aren't so good, most are great), and I recently ran the Denver half-marathon and climbed a 14,000 ft mountain (Long's Peak, Colorado). The doctors have told me that bone marrow transplant is highly likely in my future. If so, then so be it. My advice...live life to the fullest. You never know when it will end. Fight.

WBC has dropped
My father's 2nd R CHOP was done successfully on 14'th of this month.After that Dr has given few many tablets & 5 injections,one for daily.But today he has checked CBC but his WBC count has dropped,it comes below the lower level.Now it becomes 0.6 and platelet becomes 104 we are very much worried about that.I don't know whether is there any problem in his diet or not!Dr has given another 3 injections.How to increase WBC count & platelet through the diet any idea,if so please share with me.
god bless you.enjoy each and every moment in your life.

winthefight

amitava_ghosh said:

WBC has dropped
My father's 2nd R CHOP was done successfully on 14'th of this month.After that Dr has given few many tablets & 5 injections,one for daily.But today he has checked CBC but his WBC count has dropped,it comes below the lower level.Now it becomes 0.6 and platelet becomes 104 we are very much worried about that.I don't know whether is there any problem in his diet or not!Dr has given another 3 injections.How to increase WBC count & platelet through the diet any idea,if so please share with me.
god bless you.enjoy each and every moment in your life.

Low WBC
Hello,

I am a large b-cell w/T-cell enriched NHL survivor. I had lumps in both my collarbone area and under arm. I had 6 rounds of R-chop, then further treatments. During my fight with this disease, my white blood counts continue to drop early on with this walk. The Oncol gave me neulasta shots to increase my blood counts. So, if your dad is getting these that is a very good thing. It is important that he does not go out as his immune system is extremely low.

There is a cookbook that should be in your Onco's office. It has recipes for just about every side effect that one could have from chemo. Low WBC is one of the areas covered in the book.

You can also talk with an Oncology dietitian about different foods to help during this time.

In addition to the practical, I can tell you how helpful the power of prayer is. Incorporating pray will be very beneficial during this time.

Take care, and please keep us posted.

ruger7mm1959

just diagnosed
I have just been diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, grade 1. Is there anybody out there who can give me any info about this? Such as your dx and treatments or anything else?

Thanks alot,
Danny

DenJ

ruger7mm1959 said:

just diagnosed
I have just been diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, grade 1. Is there anybody out there who can give me any info about this? Such as your dx and treatments or anything else?

Thanks alot,
Danny

Been there
Hi Danny. I was dxed with the same thing on St Patricks day of '09. I was stunned to say the least. I had 6 rounds of R CHOP. And trust me, I really checked it out and that seems to be the gunsliger for this. I found that it was rough but not as bad as some have it. I would go in for the R...Rituxin on one day and the chemo the next. There are a bunch of things that go on with you becuase of the chemo, but I only missed 3 days of work. Not that I always felt like going in, but I made up my mind that that chit wasn't gonna beat me nor the disease. So hang in there and you'll be fine.

denj