Stage Iib Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Hi everyone my name is Scott, I was diagnosed with Stage IIB Hodgkin's Lymphoma Nodular Sclerosis in 11/04 after complaining about a chronic cough, daily fevers, and head n neck swells(caused by superior vena cava syndrome). I received 12 cycles(2 doses for every cycle, 1 doses every 2 weeks) of ABVD, and 20 sessions 5 days a week of radiation therapy. On Oct. 28, 2005, i received my results from my PET scan taken a few weeks ago. New lesions in my upper chest and i am scheduled to start a new more agressive chemotherapy consisting of Cisplatin(sp?) and Ara-C. Just wondering if anyone has taken these following drugs? Has anyone taken both regimens? How harsh are they compared to each other? thanks everyone for taking your time to read this and I welcome any and every response i get thanks!

-Scott

My son, Ben, was diagnosed in Aug. 2003. He also had 6 months of ABVD and 30 radiation treatments. In about six months he had relapsed. We went to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Wonderful place. We recommend it especially for relapses. He was then given 4 drugs and cisplatin was one of them. He had two rounds - 1 round is 5 days in the hospital and it ran around the clock. He did this two times (2 rounds) with three weeks in between. This put him in remission. This got him ready for a stem cell transplant. We were told when a patient relapses this gives the patient the best chance of long term survival. We were in Texas for 4 and 1/2 months. It is a long process. He donated his own cells. He tolerated the drugs well and we thank God for that. We did a lot of praying. It has been 4 months now. Full recovery is about a year. He is back at work and doing well. Blood counts are not normal yet but this is expected. He is 29. Please consider M.D. Anderson.