Just diagnosed

RandiRanae
RandiRanae Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
Hello everyone, my name is Randi and I was just diagnosed with Hodgkins. I have more testing to go through before they can determine what stage I am but I really wanted to get started talking to people right away because I am really scared. I aam single mom, my son is 3 years old. So far everyone has been great, there have been several people in contact with me already from the American Cancer Society. It is just so much information at once, I don't even know where to begin.

Comments

  • runandhide
    runandhide Member Posts: 3
    #2
    Hey Randi.
    Getting diagnosed is a complete blow. When I was diagnosed, I was so scared. I had stage 2 Hodgkin's, and my protocol called for 4 chemo treatments. After just 2, my scans showed 80% shrinkage. With the last 2, I am now in complete remission.
    So don't worry, it's so scary at the beginning but once you get into the hang of the treatments it seems to all fly by. Hodgkin's has the highest survival rate, and all the stories I heard about other people who had Hodgkin's have all survived.
    Hang in there :)
    -Jen
  • darkhorse58
    darkhorse58 Member Posts: 4
    #3
    I made it so can you. I was Stage I, but a very strange one, with "B" symptoms and a dozen effected nodes (more than 3 changes the prognosis). So, I had a bad prognosis of about 50-60% survival. I didn't know it, though, I thought my chances were 98% survival and I'm glad I didn't know the reality. I was treated with an aggressive chemo regimen by a very competent doctor trained at USC. She got some heat I learned later for treating me like a Stage III, but she was right and now the guidelines at the National Cancer Institute confirm what she thought. Well, it's now 6 1/2 years after diagnosis and I'm considered cured. You'll make it, too. Mine was like a Stage III and you're better off than that.

    Chemobrain is very real. Oncologists resist admitting it to themselves, which is stupid because they'll get sued soon, just watch. You can live with chemobrain. I do.

    Chemo is a wrenching time. For support, a great source is the Gospel of John. Whether or not one is a Christian, Jesus was a spiritual leader who made a big impact, and also suffered tremendous physical pain. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says some things that seemed very personal and on point to me when I was going through chemo.
  • runandhide
    runandhide Member Posts: 3
    #4
    darkhorse58 said:

    I made it so can you. I was Stage I, but a very strange one, with "B" symptoms and a dozen effected nodes (more than 3 changes the prognosis). So, I had a bad prognosis of about 50-60% survival. I didn't know it, though, I thought my chances were 98% survival and I'm glad I didn't know the reality. I was treated with an aggressive chemo regimen by a very competent doctor trained at USC. She got some heat I learned later for treating me like a Stage III, but she was right and now the guidelines at the National Cancer Institute confirm what she thought. Well, it's now 6 1/2 years after diagnosis and I'm considered cured. You'll make it, too. Mine was like a Stage III and you're better off than that.

    Chemobrain is very real. Oncologists resist admitting it to themselves, which is stupid because they'll get sued soon, just watch. You can live with chemobrain. I do.

    Chemo is a wrenching time. For support, a great source is the Gospel of John. Whether or not one is a Christian, Jesus was a spiritual leader who made a big impact, and also suffered tremendous physical pain. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says some things that seemed very personal and on point to me when I was going through chemo.

    darkhorse58, how long did it take for your hair to start growing back after you were done chemo?

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