Anybody going through or that has had Hodgkin's Disease...

I am 18 years old and I was just recently diagnosed. What was it like. Any advice? I'm looking for other people who have dealt with or are dealing with the disease so I can establish a support system. I have stage 3 type b. Just finished my second round of chemo. I had night sweats and weight loss. Also had breathing problems and shoulder pain, which was because my tumor was 8-10 inches and was in my chest pushing against my airway and other organs. My idiot doctor thought these symptoms were part of my depression and refused to give me a blood test until I saw a therapist. Well I ended up going to an immediate care for my breathing problems. They have me a chest xray be ause they thought I had asthma, turned out to be a tumor. So he is no longer my doctor. I still have the shoulder pain so they put me on oxycontin 10mg twice a day which I'm about to get increased because it has stopped working as well. So you could say a lot has changed for me in the past month. But I still consider myself pretty lucky and this experience has been positive overall. I feel like it's really helped me grow up.

Hi im a 20 year old girl that just recently finished her treatment for hodgkins stage 2a. You may have a different treatment plan than me but maybe this could help you. It wasnt horrible. The worst part was making sure i didnt get sick when my white blood count was low. I was tired, bad body aches, and well that was it. Do expect to gain weight from the steroids but thats ok cause it doesnt make you look sick to others. and if you do lose weight youll have a model figure: ). I hated this section of the whole thing but im gunna bring it up cause it must be addressed. losing ur hair isnt as horrible and scary as you think. its an empowering moment that im must proud of. i shaved it and it wasnt scary. only in ur fear is something scary, when it happens its totally a different story.  I even have a wig that with a hat doesnt look any different from anyone elses hair.It sounds like u already have a positive attitude towards the whole thing and thast what matters at the end of the day. if u tell urself ull be ok well then u will be. I hoped i helped and im not going to say god bless u or ur in my prayers because im positive ull be alright.

hi my name is will and im 18 and i have stage 4 hodkins lymphoma. i have a 9cm tumor in my chest and a small one in my back and in my neck. my spleen and liver are swollen so the doctor doesnt think its spread there yet. i just found this out a couple days ago and learned all the specifics today. i dont know the sub type of hodgkins yet ill fond out on monday. i had really terrible shoulder and right side chest pain so i got an xray and then a ct scan and they found the mass in my chest. i have even losing wieght and couldnt figure out why and had night sweats. ive become very irritable as well. i think ill start chemo on tues and now ill have to stop going to college. my parents are really scared but i just now that  ill beat this and be a cancer survivor.good luck to us all.

oh and im on percocete and it helps with the pain, but you need to take it very regularly to manage the pain, and eat with it and it makes you itchy its wierd

 

On 9/14/2009 Icsjoshj wrote:

I am 18 years old and I was just recently diagnosed. What was it like. Any advice? I'm looking for other people who have dealt with or are dealing with the disease so I can establish a support system. I have stage 3 type b. Just finished my second round of chemo. I had night sweats and weight loss. Also had breathing problems and shoulder pain, which was because my tumor was 8-10 inches and was in my chest pushing against my airway and other organs. My idiot doctor thought these symptoms were part of my depression and refused to give me a blood test until I saw a therapist. Well I ended up going to an immediate care for my breathing problems. They have me a chest xray be ause they thought I had asthma, turned out to be a tumor. So he is no longer my doctor. I still have the shoulder pain so they put me on oxycontin 10mg twice a day which I'm about to get increased because it has stopped working as well. So you could say a lot has changed for me in the past month. But I still consider myself pretty lucky and this experience has been positive overall. I feel like it's really helped me grow up.

Hi LCS, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins 3A at age 17.  I went through COPP/ABV chemo treatment, 6 cycles.  I participated in a clinical trial and did not end up receiving radiation at the end of the trial.  I am now in remission and have been for the past 11 years.  I saw your post when I was researching secondary effects of chemo since I think I'm experiencing some of those now.  But, anyway, I - like you - had an idiot doctor who did not even order an x-ray until the 5th visit to her office.  I had a large lump on my neck and immediately thought I had cancer and told my doctor that.  My parents and doctor assured me it was a slim possibility.  But, after becoming fatigued everyday afterschool and then getting extreme abdominal pain, another doc decided to do a chest x-ray.  The rest is history. Anyway, in terms of life with cancer, it was pretty much the same as life without cancer except that I always felt nauseated and had no hair.  :)  I kept a pretty positive attitude, which really helped me get through the treatments.  I also went to school almost everyday.  I missed more days towards the end of the treatment and had to be hospitalized once for low blood counts due to the cumulative effect of the treatments.  Overall, I tried to just be "normal".  I didn't want people to pity me.  In retrospect, I guess I was naive to the severity of the situation.  But, ultimately, the worst part was seeing my parents and siblings so upset and worried.  There were certainly good days and bad days.... just take one day at a time. :)  I hope this helps a bit.  You can do it!!  Take care and e-mail me at any time if you'd like.  Lauren