Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma? UPDATE - Page 2

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

We got some news today. Not good news. They found a mass on Michael's spleen. That along with the enlarged lymph node in his neck (which they previously claimed was fine after ultrasound) point towards lymphoma. They will be doing a biopsy of both the lymph node and the spleen on Monday or Tuesday and also a bone marrow biopsy. Wednesday he is going to see the hematologist. It will take about a week to get the results. The longest week of our lives. He cried in my arms for an hour when they told us and now is being his usual positive self. He says we'll beat this and he'll be just fine. So at this point the odds of it not being lymphoma are not too high. Did anyone here that had it or knows someone who had it have spleen involvement? After doing research it seems I should be hoping it is Hodgkin's because it is more treatable. Being that he is male and 32 he does fit into the categories that usually get Hodgkin's. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Any more input or help is appreciated.

Yes I had spleen involvement. My lymph node involvement was on both sides of my diaphragm but mostly in my chest with lesions on my spleen and I had the B symptoms of fevers, night sweats, itchy skin. I ended up being stage 3B and had ABVD chemo once every 2 weeks for 6 months. My Dr gave me a 30% chance, but I was determined to beat it. When I had my first cat scan after starting treatment ( IIRC I'd had 2-3 treatments at that point) I only had 1 lymph node left that was enlarged, the rest had already cleared. So even though it was a poor prognosis, I responded really well.

I know a few other people that have had hodgkins, they are all men and all survived. I'll be praying for you guys. I know it's fightening, but like everyone told me, if you are going to get cancer, this is the one to get because it is very curable.

[MerriMom]

Information is so important, so even though the wait will be excruciating, hang in there. It's a means to an end. My neighbor is a cured Hodgkin's patient after two recurrences, she did it all. She speaks reverently about her oncologist at Sloan. If you have any thoughts of going there, PM me and I will send you her contact info and my friend's name to use as a referral. Good luck!

[ameliabedelia]

I don't have any experience, but I just wanted to offer some support. I know this must be such a scary time for you guys.

[greenmansions]

Best wishes for your family. I hope you get the best possible outcome.

Just to add to the positive stories, I had a friend in college who had Hodgkin's and he is still cancer-free, 25 years later.

[JessicaS]

I will keep y'all in my prayers.

I cannot imagine how worried you must be.

[Arduinna]

How are you guys doing?

[Heavenly]

Just waiting. He is home from the hospital and he is sore from the biopsy. They said 2-3 weeks until we get the results from the bone marrow biopsy. They are not going to biopsy anything else until they see what the bone marrow says. He is actually doing better, the fevers are much lower. We are really hoping the biopsy will show that this is not cancer.