I am new to this board and am sooo happy I found it. I want to share with you all my experience with Lymphoma. I started not feeling well in October of 2005. I felt tired, sweating perfusly, and just wanting to sleep all the time, also, I had started out with Tonsilitis. I went to the doctor and he gave me steroids and antibiotics for my tonsils and nothing worked, so I even had a pick put in my arm to received antibiotics at home. Well after 5 weeks more, I finally was told to go to a ENT doctor and I did and he looked in my throat and said to me, Barbara, the left tonsil looks awfully funky, So, I has surgery on my tonsils and after 2 days I got the results that I have non Hodgkins Lymphoma. I then went to a oncologist and he put me in the hospital that day and two hours later he was at my bedside doing a bone marrow test and thank God it came back negative, as did a test on my spinal fluid. I then proceeded to have 12 Radiation treatments, 8 months of chemo and 12 procedures called Introthecal ( administering chemo in my spine) for precaution purposes. During my 4th treatment, I had a perforated bowl (side affect of the Chemo) so I had emergency surgey on my bowls. I am now finiahed my treatments now and am waiting for my PET Scan appointment. I lost the sight in my left eye, so I went to an eye doctor and he thinks I may have had a stroke in my optic nerve, but just to be certain it is not the Lympn=homa, I had to have an MRI this past Monday and I got a call that all is clear and no sign of the diease. In the mean time, I want to go for a 2nd opinion for my eye.
I hope I did not bore you all, just wanted to share with you my experience. By the way, I did not have a bad time with the chemo, other than losing my hair.
If I can help anyone with experience, advise or just a good word of hope, please let me know.
I am sorry that you were so ill, and I'm pleased to hear your feeling better.
I don't mean to sound rude, but you've frightened the s*** out of me!!
I posted a note the other day, as I felt unwell for a year now, and I have been getting worse, I found out today that the consultants think it's NHD and that they are going to do a biopsy and take a sample of my bone marrow. I was worried before, now I am even more so!
I have had a lump on the left side of my neck for a couple of years, it never really hurt, I was told it was a gland and ignored it.
In August last year I became even more tired than normal, all the time regardless of how much sleep I'd had.
My abdomen became swollen and the left side under my breast and down became hard. My consultant swore I was pregnant but I new I wasn't he even tried to hear for a heart beat!!.
I became really ill I had viral meningitis, and my lumber punch showed all the fluid was cloudy, after that I had chicken pox a few times, my doctor couldn't believe it, blood test showed I wasn't immune to it! After feeling cold and flue all the time I started having chest pain on the left side as well as the other pain, MRI scan showed my spleen to be enlarged but no reason for the chest pain, queried my heart?
In the last few months I have felt worse I can hardly lift my head up some days, increased tiredness, loss of weight, night sweats soaking clothing and bed sheets, severe itching to no avail will anything help, my abdomen is more swollen on left side, so is my neck and face. I also have been getting blisters on my body mainly in my head, they come heal and come again!!
I don't really drink alcohol, I have noticed though that if I have a drink it hurts my lower back, and my abdomen and neck increase in pain?.
This may seem weird but my throat seems to be effected, not as much sore, I sound as if I have laryngitis a lot of the time, and I find it difficult to talk as it takes up a lot of energy, and I get breathless.
You really need to see another doctor. My suggestion would be an oncologist just to rule out the worst. I feel so bad for you, I know what you are going through. Please keep me updated.
Thanks for the reply, I am under a physician, and he wants to do a biopsy of the lump and a bone marrow test!.
Please tell me did you have any trouble getting your breath? Over the last few months I have had what sounds like laryngitis, however I find it difficult to speak, and friends say I sound breathless, if I talk I get more breathless and I find it a struggle.
