F Cancer Chris! Strive to keep your PMA. You're blessed to have your family around you as well as your extended SB family here. Stay strong!
Sorry you're going through this @Lixx. The anticipation is rough, but here's hoping it's the best of a bad situation. And even though this may be the cherry on the top of a horrible year, like @Vinyl Skin said - count yourself lucky to now be around family that you are close with. A recurring statement from people having battled serious illness is that the support from friends and family was how they got thru it. It's one of the times you want to feel least alone. You definitely don't want to start analyzing every little tick as if it could be brought on by the disease. That'll drive ya mad and ruin you. The best way not to focus on it is to stay busy with things you like and that're safe for you to do regarding whatever the docs told you; key point - distraction. I'm kind of in love with distraction. Lady D treats me pretty good. Just do everything you were doing in life prior to finding this out (again, within limitations set by the medical pros). Sounds hard, but I guarantee you it'll work, whether you're focused on cataloging your toys or watching a movie. The worst time for me mentally n emotionally is at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. My mind is free at length to focus on the terrible things that are beyond my control , and if I don't try to shut it down, it gets bad. So I turn on music that's not associated to memories, Ha, which is usually easy listening. It puts me right out if I'm not in too much pain to sleep. But during the day, as long as I keep my mind focused elsewhere, there's much less of that... It does suck not to know exactly what's going on with you right now, but you know you'll find out soon enough. Continuing to worry isn't gonna change what your diagnosis is, it's just going to add to you feeling like shit. Most of what you're thinking that may be associated with Hodgkins, could really only be related to stressing out about it. You know what I mean? There's no way to know yet, and if there's anything to stress out about, this would be it. I'm not downplaying the situation and I feel for you, I'm just saying to try not to dwell on it, man, cause it can only make things worse and sounds like it already is . And the best way to not mull over it, is to put that brain to work focusing on something else. I hope you're able to find some peace this weekend. Good luck, man.
Yeah thanks @boon velvet I tended to dwell even when I'm not diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, so you can imagine how I am with this lol! It's going to be one step at a time, kind of like how I did semesters at college to stop myself from being overwhelmed. Know the goal, know there will be rough patches, but once I'm entrenched in something I go full tilt getting it done.
Fuck I think I've gone from Stage 1 to 2. I now have a enlarged swollen lymph node in my neck (same left side) which wasn't there yesterday. Fucking wonderful.
@Lixx - Thoughts are with you and your family. Stay positive together and keep communicating through difficult times. Wishing you a full recovery.
You got this man. I know it was really bothering you waiting for results. At least you do now know for sure and can start kicking it's ass ASAP. I think it's safe to say you have a lot of good vibes and juju headed your way from all of us. You can do it. I don't know you personally but I believe in you and you got this. Best of luck and everything with starting treatment. God bless you man. Stay strong.
my 70 year old dad just got his stage 2 infested prostate removed a few weeks ago and is still on the long road to full recovery. thankfully he's been cleared as cancer-free, for now (he's had a couple of cancerous skin cells removed in the past). having family around him and all kinds of positive thoughts and prayers has really helped him get through this tough time, so it's perfect that you ended up around your family again. having strong pma is seriously one of the most important factors to a strong recovery.
Man this is some rough things to read, but what's not rough to read is all the support you're getting here Chris. Definitely praying for you, and please let us all know if there's anything specific that we can help with. <3
My thoughts and prayers are with you Chris. You can beat this, man! Glad to hear that you are close distance to family now. Its good to have that support in place. Wishing you all the best for getting over this quickly and fully.
Get well soonest and try to stay up and positive about this admittedly down shit. Attitude promotes healing, but listen to your docs!! Stay with us a while!
chris, we don't know each other well, but i've appreciated your presence on this board over the years. sending all well wishes your way to crush this thing...all of skullbrain is with you!
Thanks again for all the well wishes, really means a lot to me. I'll find out a bit more about the diagnosis tomorrow. I know I'm going to be at the very least stage 2A (because I now feel a lump in my neck region as well as armpit). I'm assuming they will schedule me for a PET Scan and come up with a treatment plan which to be honest I hope starts really fucking soon. It's all this waiting that's really starting to get to me. People keep telling me not to freak out and I'm going to be fine (which I get- what else are they going to say?) but that's easier said than done when you know you have something that can kill you inside your body and now has spread. I just want a concrete plan of how and when this is going to start. Anyone who's been through this (or know someone that has) can shed some light on what the first appointment with the hematologist/onocologist is like? Besides saying ok you have cancer, do they set up appointments asap with a pet scan, chemo etc? Or is it like weeks later this starts?
Ask questions. Write them down now while you are thinking of it because you will forget or get distracted in the doctors office. Doctors are happy to answer questions, they just do not know when you have them if you don't ask. Also be kind to the nurses, they are the ones taking care of you.
As someone who has had a very similar health background prior to the events that are currently happening to you I can't even imagine how jarring this whole experience has been for you. I have a sister that battled cancer at the age of 4 and I remember how incredibly distant she became once the process began. She battled she won. The thing is during that time it was just as much on us, her family, to make sure she faces forward and stayed positive. You will beat this. You will overcome it. We are all here to listen at anytime along the way and we are more then happy to help keep you facing forward.
Totally agree with everything above, and as I've mentioned before, the squeaky wheel gets the grease in the medical world. Don't be shy about advocating for yourself. Sending you positive thoughts throughout!
Oh crap, man. So sorry to hear. I wish you all the best. My best friend's wife had this, went through treatment, and is now in full remission. Been free and clear for two decades now. So fear not. As to lumps, I know that it is hard not to assume every little bump is now related, but it could be anything. I've had several enlarged lymph nodes and cysts recently, and they go away with time, stress reduction, and/or minor treatment. Stress could lead to all sorts of problems. Try to stay positive - the mind can have amazing impacts on the body. And this is from a real skeptic!!!!
Keeping you in my thoughts Chris. I know you'll beat this. In the meantime, your big ol' dysfunctional digital Skullbrain family is here for you buddy.
Chris, be brave!!! I know you can beat it, and get through all this like a champion! Sending you good energies!
So sorry to read this, Chris. Sorry for the moment-to-moment hell-ride of fear and uncertainty you have already gone through. Outside of all the scheduling and assiduous self-advocacy you'll need to do... do what you can to take care of yourself right now, in all the little, step-by-step daily ways. Find techniques you can use to help yourself feel calm. I'm glad you have your sister and other family support nearby- get ever closer in those relationships... rely on them as much as needed/possible, let them help you. I wish you the best for getting through this and coming out the other side.
Well got the results of my petscan and treatment plan today. So apparently it was much more advanced than originally thought- intial staging was 2A. The petscan revealed multiple small osseous lesions in my spinal column as well as my spleen so I'm as high as you can go on the scale with advanced Hodgkins stage 4B. B (unfavorable) because I've developed horrible night sweats, a persistant dry cough (I think due to swollen lymph nodes pressing against my lungs) and I'm male, above 45 etc yadda yadda yadda. Still highly treatable. Doctor said my echo cardiogram showed my heart was in great shape and said I'm physically in good shape which will go a long way in treatment. So I get a catheter port next week and a quick pulmonary function test and start chemo 10/6 and this will go for 6-8 months. I'm getting R-ABVD which I'm happy about because R is the Rituxan- a monoclonal antibody which will kill the CD20 phosphoprotein found in cancers and help my own immune system fight off cancer. My particular Hodgkins is Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant (NLPHL). I'm a little nervous about the chemo (and its effects) but eager to start because I want this shit out of my body. So there you have it. Seems bleak because the diagnosis for this just kept getting worse but I'm just like lets get this over with now and treating it as a inconvenience. Besides this stupid cough and slight fatigue I otherwise feel fine.
