Hi everyone =8: )

I just have a question (ok, maybe a few) that someone may be able to answer...you see, I recently found out that my fiance has had Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, somthing up until now I didn't really know much about. I've been reading alot about it and the treatments, but I still haven't been able to work up the nerve to ask him about it again - you see, he's only ever told 3 people, me being the third (they don't include his parents either) so its all pretty secretive about the cancer.
He's into his 18th month of remission, and I was wondering if anyone with NHL could tell me about the treatments, survival rates, e.t.c from a personal point of view - I want to be able to understand what he went through a lot more before I talk to him about it again so I'm prepared.
I'm actually scared about talking about it, but I know that denying it won't make it go away - that's why I need someone's help in helping me understand everything...
My email is krysmolloy@hotmail.com, if anyone wants to write to me personally.

Thank you for your time,
Krys =8: )

Krys,

I have had NHL twice now. Once back in November of 1995 when I found a lump in my neck. I then had radiation treatments. Two and a half years later in July of 1998 a tumor was found in my colon. It again was NHL. This time I had chemo treatments for the next 3 months. I have been cancer free now for almost four years. After giving you this background information let me see if I can be of any help to you.

My doctors told me that NHL has an 80% cure rate. It is one of the more curable cancers. My cancer was at stage 1 so it was caught early. I suppose with NHL, as with any cancer, the stage it is caught at will dictate how easily it is put into remission. My doctor said that I would have to go five years before they would consider me cured, so one more year and I am celebrating! Most often NHL occurs in the neck, groin or under the arms. This is where I am checked when I see my oncologist every six months. I was told that it is rare to get it in the colon but it does happen. I hope your fiance is getting the checkups. There is a blood test, I think it is called CBC differential, but I am not 100% sure that is it, but the oncologist can tell from it whether he has the cancer again. I was told the cancer is not inherited. They don't know why some of us get it. There was no cancer in my family before me, so I never worried about it before 1995. I hope this helps you. Good luck and give him all the support you can give him!