Lymphoma Info

I have never thought of starting a blog solely for the purpose of writing about my life. My belief is that I do not need more people judging me on how I live my life and judging me on my need to write out my own memoirs. This is going to be a long boring technical introduction. The real reasons for this blogging epiphany is for people to :

1. Get a brief overview on what is Hodgkin's Lymphoma and who it affects
2. Actually know what to do when you're diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma (i guess this would apply to Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma as well)

3. Have a sneak peek on how I actually live my life with lymphoma (guess I have looked past the judging part, haha)

4. Read some of my ramblings

5. Know how important your family, friends and your partner's support is in fighting this disease

Now let's start with the easy part. What actually is lymphoma?? It is a cancer of the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are part of a separate system in your body which is called the lymphatic system. This system is responsible for draining lymph which is kind of a proteinaceous substance that is leaked from your capillaries. Lymph nodes are part of this system as immune centers to clear infections and it is concentrated with lymphocytes (which are like your fighters against infection). Lymphoma is divided into two families, Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is the more common type and also has a higher danger potential (means it has a wide range from a mild disease to an extremely aggressive cancer). Hodgkin's Lymphoma on the other hand is generally a milder disease than Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Generally, Hodgkin's is quite rare but it is quite prevalent in the young. Teens to 30s would be one of the peak age for Hodgkin's. What you would be looking out for is a painless lump in your chest, groin, armpit or neck area(if it grows its even more urgent to get it checked) and any signs of weight loss, getting tired easily, night sweats, intermittent fevers or getting sick more often than usual.

What to do when you're diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma? Firstly, try to maintain a positive mindset and don't panic. Everyone needs to be level-headed to get your tests all done quicker. NEVER go for a Fine Needle Aspiration biopsy and CT scan first. Go for an excisional biopsy (which is a surgical procedure to remove the lymph node involved so that they can look under a microscope and can tell what you actually have). The reason for this is the fine biopsy has a less than 40% chance of finding the definitive type of lymphoma you are having. A CT scan will only tell you the size of the nodes that are enlarged and not the nodes that are affected. What you should be doing is a CT/PET scan which will show your lymph nodes or organs affected. Besides that, a bone marrow biopsy and a complete blood test should be done (including VDRL, HIV, Hep B and Hep C test done for the eventuality that you would need to go for sperm banking).