Trooper,
First of all, people do in fact live with marginal zone lymphoma. It can be a very manageable desease. I was first diagnosed in October, 1998 with Stage 4A non-hodgkins lymphoma. That has almost been 10 years now but I began to have some of the same symptoms that I had back then and went to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida for a followup. A PET scan showed a large white spot on my right proximal femur along with some other spots. An followup MRI showed that my bone marrow appeared to uniformly dark in both femurs of my legs. After a very painful biopsy of the right femur, the results came back as marginal zone lymphoma. In fact, according to the pathological results, the mass was 95% turmor.
This has been within the past week and don't have an appointment with the lymphoma specialist as of yet. I will know more then as to what stage it might be in and/or what the plan of treatment might be. My blood counts are all low but just outside the lower range of what is considered normal.
I expect another period of remission followed by another episode of cancer...it's just part of the human condition. Whatever you do, don't give up, don't worry because it will not change the outcome and by all means talk about this with others....your pastor, your spouse, children, and others who have gone thru it. It's not an easy process to go thru but it is very surviveable. Get plenty of rest, eat good quality food and keep a very positive attitude. And trust me, if God can create the universe out of nothing by speaking it into existence, he can most assuredly provide you a way out of or thru this desease.
Best wishes,
Michael
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