On Monday (21/01/13) I had a CT scan of my neck, chest and pelvic area. Today I then went to meet my haematologist and get my results. He said that I had lumps in my neck and thymus and that, on that alone, I was stage 2A Hodgkin's lymphoma. He mentioned wanting to give me a bone marrow test but then decided not to (phew) as all my blood work was normal. This made me very happy!!
They were going to give me a PICC line but my preference was for a portacath and so I have asked to have one of these put in. The consultant agreed and now I am waiting for a date for the port to be inserted under local anaesthetic.
The consultant also mentioned something about another blood test he needs to do but is waiting for the right blood pot to be sent to him. That may affect my staging but he said he won't change when my treatment starts. Luckily it won't start before my birthday :D
Mostly I am worried about the chemotherapy as I don't know what to expect and it's quite scary. It's this big unknown World to me and I have absolutely no choice but to explore it. I'm sure everything will be fine but there's a lot of apprehension in me. I'm sure that's normal.
The Dr said I will be starting off with 8 treatment of chemotherapy. So that's 4 months worth. I'll then be assessed and see how I'm getting on.
As I'm 24, I have some really lovely youth nurses looking after me. They're so sweet and nice. And they've said I can have massages and things whenever I like at this special clinic :) Clic sergeant are also helping me too, which is fantastic and I'm really grateful.
So scary stuff ahead but I'm sure it's better than I think.... I'll keep you posted x
Stage 2A? Seems to be where most people end up so you're in good company. I guess I've had that three times although I'm very much hoping that my current stage is downgraded to a 1 in a few weeks time.
ReplyDeleteGood news on missing out on the bone marrow biopsy. You're not missing out on anything you would regret not having experienced, I can assure you. And lucky you for having a port. It'll make the chemo so much easier and I wish they were readily accessible when I was going through it first time round.
And chemo - ah, it'll be a breeze. You'll see... :-)
2A was decided from my CT scan. Hopefully it'll stay there after this other blood test :) I didn't even know anyone read my blog haha so thanks for the reply!! I think you write on the macmillan forum a lot too?
ReplyDeleteRE the port, I was supposed to be getting a PICC line but I talked my way out of it. I think they just want to make the process as catered for you as they can. I told them that a PICC line would affect my work as I'm an actress/model. And he seemed okay with that. And obviously I want to work when I can. Also, infection rate is lower with a port and my body really hates foreign objects.
My Dr was very matter of fact. He said to me that Chemo has side-effects, such as death. And I was like.... that's made me feel better :P I'm also terrified of thrombosis. I had a pulmonary embolism 2 years ago and I know how dangerous they are and, being vulnerable to them, I'm worried but. But they won't put me on any blood thinners because chemo also thins the blood. So I have to wait and see!!
Apart from that... I'm optimistic. Just a bit apprehensive I think. And you read these terrible things about chemo and how natural remedies will cure you instead. But not sure it's worth the risk of not having chemo. I'm young enough to recover from it. But I think I will definitely be excluding artificial sweeteners from my diet after this!! No more Robinsons!
Three times? That's bad luck. I hope you get better soon. I suppose it's harder when no one knows what causes Hodgkin's. But may we enjoy our lives far more than the average person once we're cured (and when we're being treated best we can).
Have you made use of FORCE at all? They have some good stuff to offer.
Take care of yourself :)