klk63
09-05-2008, 05:43 PM
My husband was recently diagnoses with large b cell lymphoma and started chemo on Wednesday. I am just looking to find any information I can.
Sponsor
SallyD
09-05-2008, 08:29 PM
Hi! my name is sally, and my dad had his last chemo for large b cell lymphoma in Feb. he is doing fantastic! He is 75, and is well on his way to full recovery..(he just joined a senior aerobics class at the gym!
I was right there beside him the whole way through.
Is your husband having r-chop? Chemo can be very scary...your husband will get very ill before he starts feeling better again..my advice would be to keep him as healthy as possible, good food, minimum exposure to any germs..(shaking hands, being around large groups of people, even the shopping cart handles at the store.) be a germ-a phobic!)
be positive, even when he feels like crap. the danger time is about halfway between chemos, that is when his white blood cells will be thier lowest..a fever is a sign he may be getting an infection..my father had 3 hospital stays for that. (and every time he went against his will) so you may have to make some descisions there.
I'm sure you can do a search on this board for my previous posts.
and there are ALOT of people here who have been there-done that..and alot of good advice...you can even come here to whine...we all have been.
I stop in from time to time, but I'm not on here alot anymore..(thank God.)
Dad had tumors in his sinus passages, on his head, (it had even gone through his skull, but not into his brain) he had a large tumor on his right arm, which ate bone, he had a titanium rod inserted), and another near his knee.
My father is a walking miracle, the doctors at the cleveland clinic didn't give us much hope...and he has been given the all clear from his oncologist to head to florida for the winter! he is an amazing man.
So, in conclusion, this is not a death sentence...many many people are walking, breathing proof.
Learn as much as you can, not only so you know what the doctors are talking about, but you will know everything you can about this ugly disease.
take care..sally
I was right there beside him the whole way through.
Is your husband having r-chop? Chemo can be very scary...your husband will get very ill before he starts feeling better again..my advice would be to keep him as healthy as possible, good food, minimum exposure to any germs..(shaking hands, being around large groups of people, even the shopping cart handles at the store.) be a germ-a phobic!)
be positive, even when he feels like crap. the danger time is about halfway between chemos, that is when his white blood cells will be thier lowest..a fever is a sign he may be getting an infection..my father had 3 hospital stays for that. (and every time he went against his will) so you may have to make some descisions there.
I'm sure you can do a search on this board for my previous posts.
and there are ALOT of people here who have been there-done that..and alot of good advice...you can even come here to whine...we all have been.
I stop in from time to time, but I'm not on here alot anymore..(thank God.)
Dad had tumors in his sinus passages, on his head, (it had even gone through his skull, but not into his brain) he had a large tumor on his right arm, which ate bone, he had a titanium rod inserted), and another near his knee.
My father is a walking miracle, the doctors at the cleveland clinic didn't give us much hope...and he has been given the all clear from his oncologist to head to florida for the winter! he is an amazing man.
So, in conclusion, this is not a death sentence...many many people are walking, breathing proof.
Learn as much as you can, not only so you know what the doctors are talking about, but you will know everything you can about this ugly disease.
take care..sally
klk63
09-07-2008, 10:12 AM
He had first of six r-chop on Wednesday. It went quite well. Will he get worse the more treatments he has? Can you tell me what I need to look for as far as side effects he might have to go to the hospital for
pinkmada
09-07-2008, 01:53 PM
hi,
im sorry about your husbands diagnosis, sally is right however, this is not a death sentance.
unfortunatly everyone seems to have different side effects to the chemo. the most common are nausea and vomitting which they will hopefully have prescribed anti-emetics to help with that. my advice is for the first few days after each treatment to just take them every 4 hours even if he is not feeling nausous. and feeling very tired. again i think most people would say it is the first few days after each treatment that this is worst. although i have spoken to people where the felt most tired a few days before the next treatment. is it 2 weekly cycles he is having? i had ABVD chemo for hodgkins and it was every 2 weeks so usually the second week i felt fine maybe just a little more tired. i had scary cravings for milk, vanilla milkshakes and meat. i gained 3 stone because i was continuously hungry and i was advised just to eat by my onc! again some people dont feel like eating anything and lose a lot of weight. when i first started treatment i had very bad constipation though the doctors said that this was due to my sudden change in eating. (i hadnt eaten for about 6 months). a lot of people find that they have some sort of pattern of side effects between each treatment. i wasnt so lucky but a lot of people knew that they would be nauseous on days 1-3 and tired days 1-6 after every cycle so they could plan around it.
anyway, good luck and take care. i wish your husband all the best.
amanda
x
im sorry about your husbands diagnosis, sally is right however, this is not a death sentance.
unfortunatly everyone seems to have different side effects to the chemo. the most common are nausea and vomitting which they will hopefully have prescribed anti-emetics to help with that. my advice is for the first few days after each treatment to just take them every 4 hours even if he is not feeling nausous. and feeling very tired. again i think most people would say it is the first few days after each treatment that this is worst. although i have spoken to people where the felt most tired a few days before the next treatment. is it 2 weekly cycles he is having? i had ABVD chemo for hodgkins and it was every 2 weeks so usually the second week i felt fine maybe just a little more tired. i had scary cravings for milk, vanilla milkshakes and meat. i gained 3 stone because i was continuously hungry and i was advised just to eat by my onc! again some people dont feel like eating anything and lose a lot of weight. when i first started treatment i had very bad constipation though the doctors said that this was due to my sudden change in eating. (i hadnt eaten for about 6 months). a lot of people find that they have some sort of pattern of side effects between each treatment. i wasnt so lucky but a lot of people knew that they would be nauseous on days 1-3 and tired days 1-6 after every cycle so they could plan around it.
anyway, good luck and take care. i wish your husband all the best.
amanda
x
SallyD
09-07-2008, 10:07 PM
I think my dads biggest complaint was that all his mucus membranes dried up..his mouth, nose, and bum all had major sores..
Dad had trouble chewng hard things and things like meat because of the soreness. He had alot of soft foods..and not alot of appitite... The oncologist watches the weight closely.
The effects of chemo are accumulating..my dad felt worse as they progressed..
towards the end he was getting bad migranes.
My dad always felt the worst after he came off of the steroids..about day 10 after chemo. he had chemo every three weeks..and R-chop is VERY aggressive. After dad's second chemo, the visible tumors were almost gone..they shrink quickly.
Just watch for sudden fevers, that could be a sign of infection. Keep him as healthy as possible.
dad scraped his hand on the fireplace and developed a blood infection from it..(one hospital stay)
If he developes a fever, call the oncologist..(there is always one on call day or night) they will give you further direction.
Take care and keep us updated. Sal
Dad had trouble chewng hard things and things like meat because of the soreness. He had alot of soft foods..and not alot of appitite... The oncologist watches the weight closely.
The effects of chemo are accumulating..my dad felt worse as they progressed..
towards the end he was getting bad migranes.
My dad always felt the worst after he came off of the steroids..about day 10 after chemo. he had chemo every three weeks..and R-chop is VERY aggressive. After dad's second chemo, the visible tumors were almost gone..they shrink quickly.
Just watch for sudden fevers, that could be a sign of infection. Keep him as healthy as possible.
dad scraped his hand on the fireplace and developed a blood infection from it..(one hospital stay)
If he developes a fever, call the oncologist..(there is always one on call day or night) they will give you further direction.
Take care and keep us updated. Sal
pinkmada
09-08-2008, 07:11 AM
Hey Sally,
yes i agree, i forgot about that. i had terrible mouth ulcers and just a generally sore mouth. they say sucking on icechips or an icelolly during treatment helps by restricting the blood vessels during treatment so they dont become inflammed or something so easily. they gave me a mouthwash but it made me sick. i found brushing my teeth 4-5 times a day helped (and with the yucky metal taste i had in my mouth)
xxx
yes i agree, i forgot about that. i had terrible mouth ulcers and just a generally sore mouth. they say sucking on icechips or an icelolly during treatment helps by restricting the blood vessels during treatment so they dont become inflammed or something so easily. they gave me a mouthwash but it made me sick. i found brushing my teeth 4-5 times a day helped (and with the yucky metal taste i had in my mouth)
xxx
klk63
09-08-2008, 12:47 PM
He is having a lot of trouble sleeping at night. Is there anything that can be done for this.
pinkmada
09-08-2008, 03:17 PM
Hey,
I would see a doctor about it, i guess it depends on the reason. if he is in pain then perhaps a slow releasing painkiller would be better at night time or having a booster dose before bedtime. if it is anxiety then perhaps a low dose sedative could help for a few days until he gets back into his sleep pattern?
things you can do without seeing a doctor could be making sure he has a proper bedtime routine, such as brushing teeth, washing face, getting jammies on and going to bed. this can help your body know that it is night time, even low lighting for an hour before you go to bed may help. drinking a glass of milk also helps. milk has enzymes in it that promotes sleep. lavender oil is also good, maybe a relaxing bath or some scented candles. maybe refraining from any caffeine throughtout the day would be a good idea, or at least after say 7pm.
If it helps any, your husband will be getting enough sleep each night even though he may not feel like he is. the body will will always get enough sleep for physical needs though may lack concnetration and coordination the next day. but the mind and body can actually survive on very little sleep.
I would see a doctor about it, i guess it depends on the reason. if he is in pain then perhaps a slow releasing painkiller would be better at night time or having a booster dose before bedtime. if it is anxiety then perhaps a low dose sedative could help for a few days until he gets back into his sleep pattern?
things you can do without seeing a doctor could be making sure he has a proper bedtime routine, such as brushing teeth, washing face, getting jammies on and going to bed. this can help your body know that it is night time, even low lighting for an hour before you go to bed may help. drinking a glass of milk also helps. milk has enzymes in it that promotes sleep. lavender oil is also good, maybe a relaxing bath or some scented candles. maybe refraining from any caffeine throughtout the day would be a good idea, or at least after say 7pm.
If it helps any, your husband will be getting enough sleep each night even though he may not feel like he is. the body will will always get enough sleep for physical needs though may lack concnetration and coordination the next day. but the mind and body can actually survive on very little sleep.
lymphpre
09-11-2008, 05:54 AM
The sleeplessness could well be due to the prednisolone in the CHOP regime. The Drs. may suggest a benzodiazepine, such as temazepam or lorazepam. I tried them both whilst on ClVPP, which also features prednisolone, with varying degrees of sucess.
Is the prednisolone taken orally in CHOP? If so, they recommend taking it first thing when you get up.
Best wishes
Simon
Is the prednisolone taken orally in CHOP? If so, they recommend taking it first thing when you get up.
Best wishes
Simon
klk63
09-11-2008, 11:03 AM
Yes the prendisone is oral for several days after CHOP. He went to the doctor yesterday and got something to help him sleep and something for the headaches he is having. Amazing how clear things look after a good night sleep. He told me he cannot feel the lump in his shoulder. I'm hoping that means its working.
DebM412
09-11-2008, 03:12 PM
Your husband had a lump in his shoulder? Is this how he found the cancer?
Deb
Deb
klk63
09-11-2008, 08:26 PM
Yes he found it six months ok and his Dr said it was probably a muscle or fat and not to worry about it. Then a second one came up and he insisted on further investigation. It is amazing how mant posts I have read that say the Dr said it was nothing.
DebM412
09-12-2008, 01:41 PM
It sounds like the lump must have been a pretty good size. I am surprised that the doctor did not biopsy it! Did you switch doctors?
Debbie
Debbie
klk63
09-12-2008, 03:11 PM
Did a needle biopsy but was inconclusive. Then did the surgery biobsy and told him was lymphoma. We are luckt we live in Houston and were able to get into MD Anderson with a new doctor.
lymphpre
09-15-2008, 08:21 AM
I think there are a couple of things to keep in mind regarding Drs not picking up on the malignant nature of lumps. The first is that lymph nodes enlarge for all sorts of reasons, and the majority of the time, it is not lymphoma. The second thing is that, unless the Dr is a heamatologist or oncologist, they are likely to encounter only a handful of lymphoma cases throughout their entire careers. The last GP I saw was very keen to quiz me on how I was diagnosed, as I was the first lymphoma patient he had encountered - and he was not at the start of his career.
I am glad to hear the lump is going down. That has got to be a good sign.
Best wishes
Simon
I am glad to hear the lump is going down. That has got to be a good sign.
Best wishes
Simon
Stephie2007
10-19-2008, 09:51 AM
Hi, I usually post on the osteopenia/osteoporosis board but I've had some new findings and am wondering if I should be concerned. I recently had an incidental finding on an MRI of what was noted as a possible cyst around the area of my appendix, but a CT was recommended. The CT said it was an enlarged lymph node, that had grown from 3 mm to 8 mm in a year, when comparing it to the MRI from last summer. I was also hospitalized about a month ago for having hyperthyroid symptoms and I had an abnormal brain MRI, with findings of what they called a cavernous malformation, but I'm wondering if it's actually lymph nodes. Also, when I saw the endocrinologist for my thyroid he did an ultrasound of my thyroid, which was very enlarged, but he also saw some "strange" things as he put it, and he wondered if it was enlarged lymph nodes, but he really didnt' think it was anything of concern. Separately, I feel these findings may seem incidental and nothing to worry about or push for further opinions, but when I put them all together, I wonder if they're all related and I should insist on a biopsy or a PET scan. I have a CT scan in 2 months to follow up. Any suggestions would be great!