new....& in shock

jcbeenthere said:

It's a dreadful situation you are in and I wish you the best. I had stage 4 NHL in 2001. Following tumor removal, I went through 6 cycles of CHOP and4 Rituxin treatments between chemo.

I can offer you great hope for a happy outcome because of how far science has progressed and thank God! My brother had same ca and went through a bone marrow transplant in 1994. When I was diagnosised in 2001, my first response was, "no way will I go through what my brother did." My onc assured me that I would not require same treatment as in 5yrs things had changed alot.

You didn't say what chemo you're going to have. Everyone has different reactions and responses. I was told CHOP was the roughest type of chemo at that time. Ican verify it was no picnic! But, it is temporary and again, improvements to make it more tolerable have been made. you will probably put the worst of it behind you with time.
I have not had a recurrence of NHL to this date I just passed the point at which it most commonly rears it ugly head again. My brother is positive and has been for 5yrs or so. He is checked frequently but not treated until it becomes absolutely necessary. He leads an extremely active and full life at53yrs old.

I have had two more totally unrelated primary cancers since then. Melanoma and most recently breast ca. I had surgery, chemo and radiation for br ca. A different chemo (FU5) It is my 53 birthday today and I feel well. I strongly urge you find a support group if you even think you might want to share. Iwas stubborn and in hind sight I should have found one. I wanted to be strong for all the people around me, couldn't fool them.I found the chemo sessions were therapeutic as I sat there along with 5-7 others also rec. chemo.

If someone wants to care for you, let them! Write things down, md visits, appts., notes from discussions You will probably need all this inform. down the line, be it insurance co. or you simply wish to refresh your memory. Take someone with you if possible to appts.

I know you are most likely in a fog, it will clear. I feel the anxiety which I didn't realize was present, and the preoccupation of cancer treatment was a huge factor. Emotionally you will find struggling times, some days just better than others in general. Be strong, as you know the mind is a powerful thing. It can make you or break you.

sorry, I get on a roll and blah, blah, blah.. If you need, you can write me. This web site offers alot of encouragement, helpful hints, etc.

I truly wish you a quick trip down this bumpy road!

nikkismom said:

hi there, my name is Charlene. In 2003, I was dignosed with Non hodgkins lymphoma, stage 4. b- cell follicular. The chemo I took was chops and rituxan. Just as long as they gave me the right nausea medicine (Zofran) I did fine. So what I lost my hair, small price to pay for life.My husband even shaved his head when I lost mine. I know you are going to think I am nuts saying this, but the main thing that helps you thru all of this is your attitude. Attitude is alot. Faith in God also. You never new your friends cared so much about you. I had tumors in liver, ovaries , up and down aorta, in kidney and the bones. They drained 4 1/2 liters out of my abdomen. As you know different people react different way to medicines. always always ask questions. I kept a journal, through it all, I love to look at it. Have faith and just your doctor, if you have a good one. Mine is so awesome. I did only really get sick once from chemo: I got a side affect from chemo, I got what they call pcp pnuemonia. Kind of nasty but got thru it. In Oct I will be two yrs in remission, I am also taking some preventive maintenance chemo but it only makes you a little tired that day, but that is all. You can also meet some new friends with the same as you. anyway, I will stop rambling on, God Bless and you are in my prayers, please keep in touch. sorry for the rambling again.

califdeb said:

Hello,
I was diagnosed with stage 3 b cell follicular in 2/24/05. I was treated with 6 cycles of chop w/rituxin and am now in remission. I worked through my first 3 chemo cycles and stayed home for the last 3. I am not sure if your treatment will be the same based on stage, however,I was told that mine was an aggressive lymphoma and needed treatment right away. Today is just about six months from the day I was told I had NHL. It has been rough, both physically and emotionally. You will receive support from everyone, just be sure you accept what you need and also let people know when you need rest. The biggest issue for me was the fatigue and general feeling of doom. The nausea and other side effects were pretty controlled by meds. Write everything down, because it does get crazy with meds and doctor appointments. I have two boys and a great husband that helped me through this, yet sometimes that wasn't enough. I found reading on the internet and websites where people were going through this almost more helpful. I had a problem sleeping so I was on the internet a lot. You will have the courage to get through this, just know that you can. Let me know if you need any more specifics or support through this.
Deb