Have any of you ever dealt with Lymphoma?

[jread]

We found out last Thursday that a CT scan of my wife's chest showed a mass where the lymph nodes are located. She had been running high fever for a week, feeling very fatigued and short of breath. The doctor kept trying to figure out what was wrong with her and finally had the scan done. He said that given her symptoms and the mass on the lymph nodes in the chest, it is most-likely Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Needless to say, this came out of left-field and hit us like a fucking freight train. We just had a baby girl 3-months ago and life is really just starting, and now this.

She is getting a biopsy done on the mass this coming Wednesday and we will have the results on Thursday. If it is Lymphoma, we hope it's Hodgkins because it's the most treatable one. If it's non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (which is way more common), then the prognosis could be pretty grim.

I swear this is the longest, most miserable week of my life. Nothing like spending 7-days and nights wondering if your wife is going to be able to see your baby grow up.

If any of you have experience with Lymphoma (or are survivors yourselves), please chime in as I could use some encouragement right now.

 

[disappoint]

Sorry no experience with lymphoma but I hope it turns out to be the treatable Hodgkin's and that she pulls through. Hang in there and be strong for your wife and kids. Whatever you do, get it treated early hopefully that will increase her chances of pulling through.

 

[jread]

Thank you for your reply, I do appreciate it.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Mom died of non-Hodgkin's.

 

[skyking]

brother found a spot on his leg that did not heal. GP took one look and sent him to oncologist. He had non-hodgkin's and was treated with chemo and radiation. It has been 10 years now he's doing fine.

 

[meltdown75]

my ex-brother in-law was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma when he was 18. he got radiation treatment and as far as i know (we don't talk anymore) - it worked. i think he is healthy now and back to 100%.

 

[ichy]

I knew a guy in college who had Hodgkin's Disease. He had to leave school for a year and the treatment was rough, but he beat the disease and last time I heard he was in great health. I'm sorry to hear about your wife, but there are lots of people who beat lymphoma. Hopefully she'll be one of them.

 

[uclaLabrat]

My dad had mantle cell lymphoma, fairly advanced by the time they found it. I remember it hitting our family pretty hard. They harvested stem cells for a few months, beat the shit out of him with chemo (which was hard to go through) and all in all, it was a pretty rough year. I don't remember what his prognosis was at the time, but I don't recall it being very good (seeing as it was advanced and an aggressive form). That was 10 years ago. Haven't seen a sign of it since.

They can do amazing things, but make sure you get to a good, RESEARCH hospital. They'll be on the cutting edge and can make the difference between life and death. My dad's first oncologist was a blowhard with a napoleon complex or some shit, my mom almost killed him. He got transferred to a specialist at UCLA and that guy did wonders.

Good luck, it's a trying time but I'm sure you'll pull through.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Best of luck to you and your family. Hope it's the more treatable one. Stuff like this makes my little problems seem so insignificant. Sounds like y'all are in for a fight either way but I'm sure she will pull through just fine.

 

[Feneant2]

My buddy just beat Hodgkin's- they discovered it just either just before or after his daughter was born so it's a similar situation to yours. It was a large lump in the middle of his chest so they couldn't remove it but even so, it took maybe 1.5 years of different levels of treatment but they finally gave him the all clear in August that he is cured.

Your wife will hear it a million times but the best way to get through it is to keep positive. Don't let the disease stop her from living life or falling into a depression. Think of it as a setback or a bump in the road- it might mean a year or two off work and some chemo but if it's Hodgkins, once it's cured- the disease will not return. (or at least that's what my buddy told me)

 

[RbSX]

My mom has had both hodgkins and non hodgkin's lymphoma, it was a tough road to hoe.

 

[Azraele]

Sorry to hear that. Try to stay positive. It's a scary situation, but take it step by step. My thoughts are with you and your family.

 

[Mo0o]

Your profile says you are in Austin Texas, I would make a trip up to UT-SW medical center in Dallas to get a second opinion on your wife's lymphoma. The diagnosis may be correct but top tier research centers have docs that are totally up on the latest research and might help swing the odds just a smidge more in your wife's favor. Seems like that would be worth it for a day of your time. You can still get treated back in Austin, just have your oncologist at Austin coordinate with the doc in UTSW

 

[jread]

Thank all of you so much for your replies, I really do appreciate it. The success stories really do make me feel more positive.

Your profile says you are in Austin Texas, I would make a trip up to UT-SW medical center in Dallas to get a second opinion on your wife's lymphoma. The diagnosis may be correct but top tier research centers have docs that are totally up on the latest research and might help swing the odds just a smidge more in your wife's favor. Seems like that would be worth it for a day of your time. You can still get treated back in Austin, just have your oncologist at Austin coordinate with the doc in UTSW

This is good advice and something we will look into. We were actually thinking about talking to M.D. Anderson in Houston, as they are supposedly the top cancer hospital in the country (and one of the top ones in the world).

 

[Mo0o]

Thank all of you so much for your replies, I really do appreciate it. The success stories really do make me feel more positive.



This is good advice and something we will look into. We were actually thinking about talking to M.D. Anderson in Houston, as they are supposedly the top cancer hospital in the country (and one of the top ones in the world).

Oh crap, silly me. Def go to MD Anderson. Totally forgot about them.

 

[SlowSpyder]

My step-father-in-law (I guess that's what he'd be) was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's I believe. We didn't know how well he'd do, he's fairly frail. He had his treatment and has been fine for the last few years. Hopefully everything will turn out ok, best of luck to you both.

 

[dabuddha]

So sorry to hear

 

[Nik]

Lost my granddad to several cancers, lymphoma being one of them. He was diagnosed very late in life with late stages.

Hang in there.

 

[AreaCode707]

No personal experience but you have my best wishes and prayers. Also, congrats on your little one! Having her in your life is a great way to keep a positive focus through what may be a difficult time.

 

[Regs]

Let us know how everything goes. A guy at work had a mass in his lymph nodes in his neck. He survived the rad and chemo and is currently cancer free for the last 6 months. Radiation can do a lot of damage and takes the body a good deal to heal from.

Best wishes!

 

[jread]

Today we met with the thoracic surgeon who will be performing the biopsy tomorrow and learned a little more. He is going to make an incision in her chest and remove a good-sized sample of the tumor so that they have enough to make an accurate diagnosis. Unfortunately it will be a few days before we have the results instead of 24-hours as we were originally told.

The bad news: the surgeon told us that it is very likely lymphoma and he would be very surprised if it wasn't, yet the said we still don't know 100% until a pathologist makes that determination.

The good news: he thinks that if it is lymphoma, it is very likely Hodgkin's, which is the most treatable type. Also, the tumor is only about 3.9cm x 2.5cm (about the size of a kiwi fruit), so it's not *huge*, and it is localized to just one place (her lungs, liver, spleen, etc. are clear), meaning that we are probably not looking at anything that is in the advanced stages.

I will keep you updated as we find out more.

Thanks again for all your kind words.

 

[Pens1566]

<-- Hodgkin's survivor. Been 16 yrs since treatment ended. Location was roughly same as your wife's. The good news is that the treatments are now easier on the patient due to improvements in protocols and drugs to offset symptoms. Best of luck to you both

 

[dpodblood]

Sorry to hear. Keep positive, I wish you and your wife the best!

 

[jread]

<-- Hodgkin's survivor. Been 16 yrs since treatment ended. Location was roughly same as your wife's. The good news is that the treatments are now easier on the patient due to improvements in protocols and drugs to offset symptoms. Best of luck to you both

That is very encouraging to hear! How old were you when you were diagnosed, and what stage were you in?