Question about after treatment effects for low-grade Lymphoma - Lymphomas Message Board

daughter87 · 07-10-2009, 12:21 PM

Hi,
I'm new here and my name is Karen. My dad was diagnosed with a low-grade lymphoma during January this year and he went through a 4 week treatment using Rituxan. Physically, his blood count has been improving and his IGM level (the level indicating cancerous cells) has gone down. However, he's feeling very tense sometimes and it seems to be getting worse. He's feeling tired even after a good night's sleep. When he wakes up in the morning, he'll feel very tense and it prevents him from sleeping more even though he feels tired. The same happens if he wants to take a nap in the afternoon. He says that sometimes the anxiety makes all his sensations feel weird and his mouth will feel very hot and dry. He also says that he can't seem to think clearly when he has no energy and the anxiety is persistent. He's at home resting now, but nothing seems to interest him because he has no energy to do anything.

Is this normal after his treatment? He's been done with the treatment for about 3-4 months now and he didn't seem to have these problems during treatment.

Can anyone who's been through treatment for Lymphoma or have had Rituxan treatment give me some insight? I really want to help my dad but I feel so helpless because I can't understand what he's going through.

Thank you for all your help!
Karen

ScarlettA · 07-22-2009, 05:20 PM

Hi Karen- My husband, age 74, was just diagnosed with low grade lymphoma.
He had all the tests like bone marrow, CT an PT scan, blood, etc. The doctor told him today that he doesn't want him to do chemo, but instead be on a "wait and see" plan. In other words, NO treatment at all. He will go back in three months for another blood draw.
The strange thing is that my husband feels full of energy and sleeps and eats well, and hasn't lost any weight. I can't figure out if this is a dangerous cancer or not? On the internet sites it says that a person can live for 10 to 20 years with lymphoma. So it doesn't sound serious? I wonder if it can suddenly turn bad?

pinkmada · 08-09-2009, 06:16 AM

Hi Karen,
The after affetcs of chemo can last for months after the last cycle. Everyone is different. I know for myself I was very tired and sleepy for a couple of months and one day just woke up full of energy. Possibly what is also causing this is how anxious you dad is at the moment. Again this is perfectly normal after what he has just been through. It may help some if he went to see his doctor and talked about this. He may be prescribed anti-anxiety pills to help him so he can have a decent nights sleep or else could be referred to a counsellor or given relaxation therapies.
Hope this helsp some
Amanda
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