Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

[BigJohn]

My 70 yr. old sister, who is like a second Mother to me was just diagnosed with Aggressive Lymphoma Leukemia. She lives 900 miles away, so it is hard to get any hard information from her and I can't talk to her Doctor. I know that they are starting an agressive chemotheropy, giving her treatments every 12 hours. This seems to tell me that her disease is very advanced, but I was wondering if anyone knows if this is normal? And what the prognosis is for this disease is? We are pretty scared right know, she just went into the hospital Thursday with Pnumonia and now this. Any help would be appriciated. thank you........john

[jmbatgirl]

John -

My mother has had agressive, large cell, diffuse non-Hodgkins lymphoma for two years. She is 85 now. Her treatments have been different from your sisters, but there are so many types of lymphoma and treatments that it is hard to say what is normal. My Mother's cancer is stage III, it was widespread when it was diagnosed. She went through one round of chemo in 2006, was in remission for a year, then it came back in her stomach. She went through another round in 2007-Jan. 2008 and is in remission again. One thing you might want to find out is whether it is B cell or T cell. The oncologist is very optomistic. There is a treatment called Retuxin, which is actually an antibody that I believe helps create new cells, but I might not have that right. Mother had numerous complications, even had to go in a nursing home for several months in 2006, but she got through it and is doing well now.

Jeanne

[BigJohn]

Thank you. she is now half way through her first chemo and says she is feeling well. They did a spinal tap and found more problems there, but they are being very upbeat about her being able to beat it. She will be receiving 3 more treatments and then a blood transfusion, after that it sounds like a waiting game for the next 3 weeks. Again Thank you for sharing your Mothers story.