Pdazzler

non_Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Enters My Life

From Out of The Blue

In the fall of 1989 I went to my dermatologist to have a bump surgically removed from my forehead.  (Slide of growth read as basal cell carcinoma.)  Approximately 30 days later the bump re-appeared in the scar area.

I knew something was wrong and so did my doctor.  An appointment was made at the University of Illinois Medical Center and a larger portion of skin and underlying tissue were removed for biopsy.   A week or so later the diagnosis was rendered.  “Malignant lymphoma, follicular and diffuse, small cleave-cell type (Working formulation).  Malignant lymphoma poorly differentiated lymphocytic type, nodular and diffuse (Rappaport).”

We went for a second confirming opinion and then located an experienced oncologist with which to confer.  We settled on F.B. Barhamand M.D. in Naperville, IL.  Dr Barhamand was easy to talk with and had the softest touch I can ever recall.

The diagnostic testing was intensive with blood work, gamma bone scan, x-rays, and medical imaging.  They found cancer present throughout the lymphatic system, both above and below the abdomen but not yet in the bone marrow.

The prognosis was both good and bad.  Statistically the type of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma I had would respond well to chemotherapy.  We had an 80% chance of putting it into remission.  That was the good news.  The bad news was the odds were better than 90% it would return within the next 2 to 5 years.

Preparing Chemotherapy Drugs

C.H.O.P. is pretty nasty stuff.  The 4 drug combination of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone every 3 weeks for 8 sessions takes its toll.  (My treatment was in 1989.  Currently treatment is usually different with the addition of Rituximab and known as C.H.O.P.R.)  I remember at the start thinking this isn’t so bad and by the time the final session was over wondering if it would ever end.

I did make extra efforts to try and stay in decent shape during chemotherapy.  My doctor cautioned against jogging or strenuous exercise but encouraged lots of walking and other outdoor activities.  I actually took up roller skating again (I had not been on skates since my teenage years) and became quite proficient at skating, making several skating sessions a week.

At some point during my therapy I started reading everything I could about cancer, alternative cancer treatments, nutrition, and exercise.  I was determined not only to beat this cancer but to keep it from returning.

By the time my sixth chemotherapy session was completed there was no evidence of cancer anywhere in my body.  I’m told we did the final two sessions to be sure that any cancer cells yet lurking were destroyed as well.

In my studies of cancer survivors I found several that made major lifestyle changes, many of which involved significant changes to the amount of physical activity they participated in and the use of vitamins and minerals.  Exercise and diet had been used to both overcome existing cancers and to strengthen their immune systems to stave off a reoccurrence of cancer following traditional therapy.

I wrote the foregoing article in 2005. Numerous events have taken place subsequent and are described elsewhere in my cancer blog.   - Pdazzler