Diffused large B-cell lymphoma

AuntieMu
AuntieMu Member Posts: 1
Hi everyone,

My brother-in-law was diagnosed with Non-hodgkins Stage 2 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (T-cells present) in June of this year. (I apologize in advance if I do not use the right terminology -- I'm learning as I go along). My sister and him are very concerned as to the progress that he is making. He has had 4 chemo treatments (R-chop) and his latest Pet scan indicates that the mass that was in his abdomen has reduced from 10.5 cm to 5.5 cm. His WBC remains really low, so low that he was not able to have his 5th chemo treatment. They are contemplating getting a 2nd opinion and are also thinking of seeking treatment outside of the area they live in (Knoxville, TN). Can anyone provide any guidance and/or suggestions? or even share if you have a similar story. They feel that his recovery should be progressing at a faster pace.

Thanks in advance for any help that you can provide.

Comments

  • karry
    karry Member Posts: 6
    sorry to hear about your brother in law.It is common for the wbc count to drop and delay chemo however this is no reason to be negative about it. It is often a positive sign that the chemo is working (as if he had no side effects it would mean that the chemo was not impacting the cancer cells)my mum has nhl for the last 8 years and it was often a case that her round of chemo had to be delayed because of wbc but once they came back she could go ahead with it. Keep the head up by the sound of things he is responding well the the chop. all the best
  • Budski1279
    Budski1279 Member Posts: 19
    Hi AuntieMu, sorry about your brother in law. It is not unusual for wbc's to drop after chemo. After every treatment that I had it was followed two days later with a shot of Neulasta. It would give me flu like symptoms about five days after the shot but my wbc count always stayed up. It is very expensive and maybe not covered by insurance.
  • Grace10290
    Grace10290 Member Posts: 9
    If you are looking for answers, please read this. This is the best I can do.

    I have recently learned a lot about Macrobiotics, a diet based on eating whole grains and vegetables and that calls for the elimination of meat and dairy from your diet. Researchers have found a connection between animal-based proteins and cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and many other diseases. Basically, the more meat, dairy, eggs, and processed foods you consume, the more likely you are to get one of the diseases mentioned above. The first stage of cancer (initiation) is caused by carcinogens entering your body. These carcinogens can come from a number of different sources and they cause the initiation stage of cancer. The second stage of cancer is progression. Studies have shown that as a person increases the amount of animal-based proteins in their diet, the faster the rate of progression will be. If a person eliminates animal-based proteins from their diets however, their cancer stops progressing (a remission of sorts). By eating a plant-based whole foods diet, you can actually turn off cancer cell growth! To heal oneself from this diet, a person has to eat specific foods that target the specific cancer that they have. For example, foods like daikon (a type of radish) help break up tumors in the body. Shiitake mushrooms lower blood cholesterol by a huge percentage.

    I know this probably sounds crazy, I thought so too at first. You're probably wondering why you've never heard of this before as I was when I heard about this. The reason most people don't know about macrobiotics is because our economy depends largely on the meat and diary industries and many scientists and doctors don't want to admit that cancer, a disease that affects so many people, might be that easy to cure.

    Many people are not willing to give this a try. They don't want to believe that many of the foods they love could be killing them. Adopting a macrobiotic lifestyle is certainly less expensive and less painful than paying medical bills and getting massive doses of chemotherapy and radiation. This is definitely something to consider, even if you do consider it an unlikely last resort for your brother-in-law. I just wanted to let you know about this.

    If you are skeptical of what I have just claimed to be true, here is some more information if you are interested in at least learning about Macrobiotics.

    The scientific research that shows that this diet works can be found in The China Study, an amazing book by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II. This book provides proof that this diet works and explains why/how it works.

    The Cancer Prevention Diet- Michio Kushi- "outlines the causes and cures for cancer, [is] filled with testimonies from cancer survivors, [outlines] the different types of cancers, and [has detailed] information on menus, cooking, [and] healing tactics".

    Recovery Stories:
    1. Becoming Whole -by Meg Wolff-cured of invasive breast cancer

    2. My Beautiful Life- Mina Dobic-cured of ovarian cancer

    3. When Hope Never Dies-Marlene McKenna-cured of malignant melanoma

    4. Recovery from Cancer- Elaine Nussbaum-cured of ovarian cancer

    5. Kamikaze Cowboy-Dirk Benedict- cured of prostate cancer

    6. Healing Miracles from Macrobiotics- Dr. Jean Kohler and Mary Alice Kolher (cured of pancreatic cancer)

    7. Macrobiotic Miracles: How a Vermont Family Overcame Cancer- Virginia Brown and Susan Stayman (malignant melanoma)

    8. Cancer-Free- Kit Kitatani- cured of stomach cancer

    9. Controlling Crohn's Disease The Natural Way- Virginia Harper

    There is much more literature out there, but these are just a few titles.

    If reading is not for you, check out youtube. Look up "Diet Saves Their Lives vol.1". There are at least 10 volumes with people telling their stories about how the Macrobiotic diet saved their lives. They include people who have recovered from the following diseases: Lymphoma (Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s), leukemia, Crohn’s disease, breast cancer, bone cancer, and more.

    If this information interests you, there are macrobiotics counselors that are better equipped to explain how the diet works than I am.


    If he adopts a Macrobiotic diet and he makes sure he is eating foods that give him the right amount of nutrition, what harm could it do for him to at least give it a try?
  • toughcookie
    toughcookie Member Posts: 1
    I am so sorry to hear about your brother in law. I was dx in 8/2004 with large B cell lymphoma and I went through the R-chop treatment with rd-the tumor I had was squeezing my heart and cutting off the circulation to the rest of my body. I finished my treatment I got my follow scan done and my doctor sent me to get a consultantion from another doctor. I thought I was doing fine, but the other doctor that I went wanted to set me up to get a stem cell transplant to give me a new immune system. My suggest is make sure your brother in law or his supporters understand what is going on. Everything that he is going through sounds normal to me. White blood count is very important and maybe you should consult with a nutrientists to make sure that the foods are helping his body cope with the meds. I believe that if I was eating the correct foods I would have not had to go through the stem cell transplant, it was an awful experience but I am so thankful that I was able to get it. God bless you and your family and keep smiling and laughing through the difficult times. My thoughts and prayers are with you.