My only son has Hodgkins disease

hi guys, i'm 20 considered a hodgkins survivor, finishing radiation therapy did 6 cycls  of abvd, my radiologist scheduled me for 30.6gr radiation and based on my own research and clinical studies i've looked at they recomment 20gr nowadays

i had stage 2B hodgkins

i kept asking to lower the dosage to minimize later side effects but she insist that its wrong,

my ques: based on experiences from all the survivors here, how much radiation have you guys recieved? the mediastinal mass i had was 10cm, but it all went away after 3 cycles of abvd based on the pet scan results

please if anyone can help, this coming week is my last 8 sessions of radiation, last 10 gr left, i am confused and scared !!!!!!

On 3/30/2008 Angelayoyo wrote:

My son, age 24,  was found out that he has Hodgkins State 2B in Jan. 3, 2008.  He had 4 cycles of ABVD treatments, not responding well.  ESHAP started the 2nd week of March and he will have the 2nd cycle by tomorrow.  I was told by the doctor that he will have Autologus BMT as soon as his tumors getting very small from the ESHAP treatment.  Then, Radiotherapy will be followed.  During this week, my son needs to have 4"Neupogen" injections to boost his white blood cells and another 10 injections after this 5-days treatments. 

This Hodgkin, all these treatments, injections and side effects drove me crazy and I almost went mad. I don't know how many times I cried for my son.  He is a smart, lovely and gently boy in the University.  He feels so bad whenever he sees my sad faces as I really don't know how to hide my sadness.

Please give me some suggestions, ideas and supports about the ESHAP treatments, Autologus BMT and the "Neupogen" injection.  Should I trust all these and that's the right way to save my son.

 The road is really rough and tough for my poor boy!

Hi I know you will  hear this a lot but he will be OK there is a 90% success rate of survibily and there are patient who are members of this web site who have said they had treatment 20 years a go to minimize the damage from the treatment you can take antioxidants vitamins tea etc hope this helps Ray