Hodgkin's Lymphoma diagnosis (im new here!)

Hiya Back!

Hi Amanda and welcome to the group.  You'll find caring and supportive folks here and we do get a little crazy sometimes .  Attitude and humor are  free weapons in this battle and it sounds like you have no lack of those .  I read your CSN space and thanks for sharing that.  Please know you are not alone and this is a place where you can come to vent, ask questions, offer support/encouragement and just share. 

I'm sure you will hear from others soon.  You're not weird for not "falling to pieces" and if you do, we're still here.

Hugs - Jim

amanda_christy said:

Imma scrappy fighter

Thank s for the vote of confidence Jeff. I hav a really mad laugh and it hasnt deserted me yet. Strange how everything has changed though nothing has changed.

I wanna go got walks on the days im too weak to do much else - thing is - im not self motivated. I joined a ladies bootcamp last december and its the only reason i exercise! Its so exhilarating. Lost 1.5stone in that time. I love it but the days that i dont go im a total vegetable. *giggle* My onc says its ok for me to keep going to bootcamp as long as my white blood count is up so yaaay me!

PS: i totally cried b4 diagnosis when i was worrying that i wouldnt b allowed to bootcamp if i did hav cancer.

Chemo has its downsides but i cant wait till the lymph nodes in my neck start to wane; someones been choking me for months! :-p

I felt the same way. I went through abvd as well. If u want to read about my journey you can find it at www.olympiajeff148.blogspot.com I have written down what has helped me Through the journey. It's not easy, but it's not terrible if you have support and take one day at a time. 

amanda_christy said:

nice blog dude

Big congrats on completing chemo #8.

Have u posted about ur scan results yet?

Will be praying for u :-)

Scan this coming Friday then Dr. apptoiment the following week. I'll post soon after.

Welcome to the "club"

Hi Amanda,

Just like you, I'm kind of new to this forum but already on my second ABVD cycle, round 4 and can tell you a little bit about my experience so far.

I finally filled out "About me" page and you can find out about my diagnosis there ( one of the steroids they give me has the insomnia side effect, so I'm up at 3 am) but here I'll tell you about the chemo side effects. I had my first chemo on July 15th and it went better than what I expected. I was able to do things right after, even went to one of my favourite italian lunch places with my husband after but I couldn't really enjoy the food. Everything tasted weird that day with exception of fruit. I got the severe weakness, shaking and fatigue on days 4 and 5 but no nausea, constipation or mouth sores. I felt much better the fallowing week and was even able to go to the GYM but came home crying the first day. I couldn't do much so I tried not to push myself as I used to (I just had a baby and was still recovering from the C-section). So now I do alllot of walking and if I feel up to it, I go to the GYM.

Chemo #2 was a little harder. But I only had the same side effects with the exception of feeling tired for longer and got numbness in my fingertips

Chemo #3 harder on me than the first 2, I guess the more poison enters your body, the worse you feel.

Chemo #4 today, worse so far. First time some nausea and feeling tired and weak already. So far I didn't loose my hair yet  but I'm starting to loose some every day. I had long hair and wanted to shave but one of the nurses suggested I just cut it shorter in case I'm lucky and don't loose it all. I only shave once a week now and there is hardly any hair growing which I'm happy about.

I like the fact that you are staying positive, continue that way because it helps. Good luck and let us know about your journey and let's hope you have an easy ride!

All the best,

Natasha

P.S. It is also OK to feel sad, cry and feel sorry for yourself as long as you feel better after.

amanda_christy said:

:-D

Awesome! Thanks Jim!

Was so nervous! Convinced myself that nobody wld reply hahahahah! Yeah  imma hott mess, but im proud of that fact! :-p

Was reading another member's comment and i 2 hav been trolling this site and u hav no idea how much it has helped me to come to terms with my diagnosis. Also, when i was awaiting results of my PET and CT scans for staging purposes, this forum was a lifesaver.

I hav to edit myself when im with 'friends' so as not to bore them, but here its ok to 'obsess' about cancer, i guess :-D

I called my mum when i got my chemo date (Aug 28th) and i was so excited.... she was baffled and called me crazy. hahaha

Ive never had chemo so i guess its a bit of an adventure.

Welcome....You will find quickly that on this website and with people you meet that are getting chemo as well will be your most comfortable spots now. The stuff you are describing is exactly how i felt a year and a half ago when I was diagnosed. Normal will never be the same for you as before your journey, just accept that you now have a new normal and will propbably find stuff out about yourself that you never knew before. Cancer is definitely not for the weak, you have a fighter spirit. I have a friend whom had breast cancer twice and when I got diagnosed I told her it was the "in" thing to do and all the cool people had cancer so I wanted it too...I myself have almost waist length hair and did not lose it from my treatment regimen, which is different than yours however, mine thinned but I never had a bald or bald looking spot <===Blessed. Some people think the thought of losing your hair is selfish, stupid, vain, etc. but it is part of who you are and i totally get the uneasiness of it. Probably everything you are thinking we have all thought atleast once or twice, just some of us won't admit it publically, so do not be afraid to be open and share. The people are very supportive, compassionate and intelligent about Cancer and treatments on here, it is kind of like a family and they check in on you if you stay away too long** that was my disclaimer, make sure you check in regularly or Jim and Max will be hunting you down.

Stay Strong in Mind, Body and Spirit

XXXOOO

Carie

amanda_christy said:

First ABVD yesterday yaaay me!

Saw ur post before Becky and Natasha but was a bit mental that day and couldnt finds the words..... Thank u all so much. lovely to see u all. Feels like i know u guys and we are the best of friends! :-D

Hi Vinoth. Hi Carie! Pinkies crossed for u Jeff!

So here goes.......

PICC line was wednesday and was waaay better than i thought it wld be. Julie was amazing and reassured me. Cant even feel it and no infections.

Almost blubbered when i sat in my chemo chair lolz. Then was told the pharmacy had received my chemo and i got all excited and forgot to cry. My husband Jason was with me for the beginning and end. He has to work and keep us going. I love him. :-) Chemo was fun! hahahahahah i know thats weird but.. It was exciting!!! I read a book of short crime stores from like a 100 years ago - so cool - drank lots of water, had my lunch then got bored. Absolulty no side effects so far. No nausia. Came home in a really good mood and did lots of tidying around the house. Was bouncing off the walls. Prob the steroids!!

On steroids (Dexamethasone 4mg) for 3 days. Think my onc is worried about blemycin's effects on my lungs.

today im a total nightmare though! been picking fights with my friends and family. :-D so naughty of me! Nothing major, mind u. Yup. So if neurosis is a side effect of ABVD then ive totally got it!

Hopefully i'll behave after this. Coming on here usually has a positive effect on me.

Glad chemo is not such a scary, unknown thing anymore.

Amanda

Amanda, I am late to your conversation, but have been reading your story since your first post. You are a winner !

I did 12 infusions (6 "Cycles") of ABVD five years ago.  The side-effects vary dramatically from person to person, and usually are a bit easier on younger patients like yourself. I hope it is smooth sailing for you, but if not, I have been reading pretty extensively about ABVD for many years now, and would love to answer any questions if they arrive. ABVD is a very common therapy for Hodgkin's, so a lot of folks here have experienced it.

max

How are you doing Amanda?

Have bee think about ya. 

Hope to hear from you.

 Hugs 

GG