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mrnr: well what's important
mrnr:
well what's important is that in conventional treatment for Hodgkin's, chemotherapy almost always a so-called "first-line" therapy, meaning it's the first--and for many--the only treatment they get or need. Sometimes it is combined with radiation.
I don't know what your experience is with chemotherapy but if you are only aware of it by what you've heard throughout your life, don't let that stand in the way of yourself or your sister exploring chemotherapy for Hodgkin's. I don't know what stage your sister's cancer is in-- and I would like you to talk to her and her doctors about this-- but listen to me when I say that chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma is EXTREMELY effective in bringing about-- not just remission, but a cure. A cancer cure. Yes, chemo has side effects, but the severity of many of those side effects can be mitigated by her doctors.
Chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of the great success stories in modern medicine over the last 100 years. It has saved the lives of many, many Hodgkin's patients. It is difficult, but it is the most effective treatment known to modern medicine right now, and it's a damn good one.
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Hello mrnr, I'm a Hodgkin
Hello mrnr,
I'm a Hodgkin Lymphoma survivor. I was diagnosed in 2008 with a stage III cancer in Belgium and was treated there. The treatment depends on the stage your sister's cancer is at, but globally the 2 only treatments are chemo and/or radiations.
I was supposed to get 8 months of chemo, every 2 weeks, but ended up doing only 6, that means 12 treatments.
There are side effects, of course, but it's the only thing that works... In my case, side effects have always been manageable and I'm now in great shape.
I hope your sister will be ok! Contact me if you need more info :)
Cha
Hi, Thank for reply...it is
Hi,
Thank for reply...it is very important for me and I know that you can understand me!My sister will do 6 months.I am so worrying about that.And to be honest I don;'t know how to react when I will be with my sister when the side effects will start.Thank you very much again
Regards
Mrnr
Mrnr, just be there for her.
Mrnr,
just be there for her. Everybody reacts differently. I needed to feel like I wasn't diminished, treated like a sick person or a child, but some people need the opposite, they need to feel like they are being taken care of. Talk a lot to her to know what she needs!
You should be informed about the possible side effects so that you can react properly and not panic. Keep in mind that most of those are temporary and that in a year, nobody will be able to guess what she went through!
I'm actually glad I still have a visible scar from a surgery (not the case for everyone) that is a testimony of what I went through and overcame. It made me stronger and is a great part of who I am today, so I display it proudly.
Finally you can tell her something that really helped me. Right before I started chemo I talked with someone who had had an advanced stage of non-hodgkin's lymphoma. He had gone through several treatments & relapses between ages 16 and 20 and was celebrating is 3 years of remission. He told me: "If I don't relapse again, this experience will have been overall a good thing for me."
I couldn't believe it! But now, I can understand it. I live more fully and am more aware of how lucky I am.
Hope it helps,
Cha
My husband has stage 3
My husband has stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma and just had his 7th round of chemotherapy. You should know that though your sister will experience side effects from the chemo, they now have drugs that help immensely with them. My husband has only thrown up once since he started treatment. The anti-nausea medicines they have now work extremely well, as long as you take them as directed. Probably the biggest side effect my husband suffers from is fatigue. He has his chemo on a Friday and then he feels unwell until about Tuesday. By Wednesday he feels about 75-80% again. His appetite is pretty healthy the week after chemo and he is able to work, though not a full day because of his fatigue. The treatment gets more difficult as you get closer to the end. Try to stay strong and know that this cancer is curable! It will be a difficult trial. I know I was terrified in the beginning but it's not as scary now that I know what to expect. Best of luck to you.