Today is WORLD CANCER DAY

[Twilight Chinchillas]

Last year I was dx'd with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma. The most common symptoms of lymphoma are often painless lumps (often in the neck, armpit or groin), itching, tiredness and excessive sweating, especially at night. If you experience some or all of these symptoms, please visit your GP.
Luckily for me,treatment worked well. According to my oncologist, approx 70 % will never have it come back. Of those that do relapse, half will benefit from treatment (stem cell transplant)
My doctor had never encountered someone with Lymphoma, and thought I actually had eczema. Lymphoma makes up only 1% of the cancers, but is one of the most common in younger people. Approx 69,000 will have Non Hodgkin's, and just over 8,000 with Hodgkin's.

 

[Pikaia]

Good to know! My grandpa died from lung cancer in 2006. It was very hard to watch.
I am so glad your treatment worked for you! How old are you, Twilight?

 

[emily]

Great Post!

My boyfriends mom currently is battling Non Hogkins Lymphoma and has recently begun Chemotherapy...she is sticking through but it will be a very hard road.

It effects so many people around the world.

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

I'm 39 years old. I found out a day before my birthday that I had cancer,and on my birthday had a bone marrow test! Instead of spankings I got poked in the you know what twice! I asked for a birthday cake with WTF, and do over on it, but still waiting! LOL

Emily,there is a support group on Facebook. I made some friends who have battling with Non hodgkin's and other types of cancer. Always nice to have someone to talk to that is walking in the same shoes!

 

[Kalandra]

I heard this on the radio this morning as we drove one of my hedgehogs to the veterinarian to have a tumor removed.

I was going to post a message like yours, but was going to do it in the hedgehog forum, to remind folks to have even the smallest of lumps examined, do not ignore them, it could save a life.

 

[emily]

could you PM me the site by any chance?

I'm 39 years old. I found out a day before my birthday that I had cancer,and on my birthday had a bone marrow test! Instead of spankings I got poked in the you know what twice! I asked for a birthday cake with WTF, and do over on it, but still waiting! LOL

Emily,there is a support group on Facebook. I made some friends who have battling with Non hodgkin's and other types of cancer. Always nice to have someone to talk to that is walking in the same shoes!

 

[GorillaJTA]

I am currently 1.5 years in remission from lymphoma. I was diagnosed when I was 23 years old and the oncologist was in disbelief as only people in their 70's and 80's get the form I had. I spent the summer of my first year of grad school having daily treatments. I was diagnosed just 2 months after my grandmother died from lymphoma...
It can be beat. It is critical that people know the signs and symptoms. It was not until after I was done with treatment that I noticed a whole host of issues I had been having (night sweats, random itching, sleep distubances) disappear. I am still on the 6 month PET scan schedule, but I am confident that it is gone and not coming back (even though there is a 75% chance that my type will).

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

That is wonderful news, and congrats on your continued remission status! I think attitude has something to do with it also. It wasn't a matter of if I was going to beat this, but that I would. I have 4 kids, and the oldest boy, and youngest girl, are disabled and will need my care well into adulthood. I like a quote by John Wayne.....Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway.. ...

 

[caiti]

I'm really glad you guys are in remission. But those symptoms are so common they scare the crap out of me. I have allergies and both my parents have eczema so I itch and get hives, sometimes have night sweats guessing from some of my meds and I sleep in a cocoon of blanket, am always tired from my very unhealthy diet and lifestyle and have trouble sleeping/insomnia.

With the symptoms for lymphoma, how did you guys actually find out that you had cancer? It seems like, as in possibly my case, they could be just a bunch of normal maladies that I wouldn't necessarily make a connection between or attribute most of them to something else like inadequate nutrition and exercise, meds or genetics. I wonder how many people go undiagnosed.

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

Some people, like myself can also develop a cough. Mine was worst at night whenever I would lay down. This was because the tumor (enlarged lymph node) was pressing on my lungs. As for the lump I had, it didn't hurt at all. That wasn't such a good thing after all! I had some weight loss, but then again I had roofed my own house, put down new flooring. So you can imagine my shock!
The itching was one that just would not let up. Non of the creams including those for eczema worked at all. Towards the end, I itched so hard I would wake up with open wounds. It certainly is a cancer that can sneak up on you. I didn't find out until after my dx that there were 2 other confirmed cases of Hodgkin's on my Dads side. One has been in remission for 25 years, and the other 5 years now. IF there is one good thing about this cancer (my type of lymphoma) is that it responds very well to chemo in all stages. I would have been a stage 2, but was graduated to a 4 since it started to grow on the bone. My marrow thankfully was clear. One does take on a new appreciation of life once they have had cancer. Sometimes the stress is worse than the cancer itself, but it really teaches you to live for today, and not spend your day thinking as much about tomorrow! Each day one has breath is a true gift!