Yesterday my youngest son Alex who is 18 was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Seven months ago (July) he became aware of two lumps on the right side of his neck above his clavicle which the Dr said were enlarged lymph nodes and Alex had some blood tests done. The blood tests showed that he had had the Edstein Barr virus sometime in the last two years but apart from that everything else was ok. He had had had bad tonsilitis in February.
The Dr wanted to see him again two weeks later, another enlarged lymph node had come up so he referred him to an ENT consultant at out local hospital and said that they would probably want to take a biopsy or remove one of the nodes.
Two weeks later we saw one of the consultants team and she checked his ears, nose and throat and noted that he had 4 enlarged lymph nodes in the posterior triangle of the neck. He also had more blood tests for CMV, toxiplasmosis & cat scratch. The blood tests came back negative.
Another two weeks and he had an ultrasound guided FNA (fine needle aspiration) in the ultrasound dept where they took samples from three of the nodes and measured them.
Another three weeks and back to the hospital where we saw another of the consultants team. He checked Alex's ears, nose and throat again. The ultrasound showed that the nodes were approx 9mm. The FNA results came back negative. I asked if that was conclusive and he said that it had been checked by two Drs. He was given a course of antibiotics in case it was an infection.
Another month and the nodes still there & getting bigger plus another one now going up the neck. Went and saw the same member of the team where he checked the nodes and re-examined his throat etc. He then referred Alex to an ENT surgeon at another hospital.
Another two months another two nodes saw one of the ENT surgeons team who asked the same questions we had been asked each time about other symptoms i.e. night sweats, weight loss, itching, fatigue all of which Alex hasn't had. He felt nodes and suggested as they were all on one side of the neck and there were more he would refer Alex to a haematologist and that he should have an MRI scan.
At the beginning of January we saw a lovely haematologist who asked lots of questions, felt the nodes and said that she felt the nodes had grown since the ultrasound and that there were now approx 7 enlarged nodes all on the right side of the neck and she was worried about the uneveness at the base of Alex's neck. He had some more blood tests (a repeat of the last ones) and there was little change. She said she wanted him to go to another hospital to have another FNA and a CT scan not an MRI and go back to see her in three weeks.
Well we went to the hospital yesterday (St Georges where I go with Dad for his lung cancer!). By the time we had got through the traffic and found somewhere to park we were half an hour late and had to wait two hours. We were the last ones in and saw a lovely ENT consultant who asked some questions and felt the nodes. He did an FNA in one of the nodes (Alex said he jiggled it about a lot more that the other guy) and actually looked at the cells on the slide under a microscope there and then. He told us that it was Hodgkins Disease and he couldn't believe that they had not picked it up before as the nodes were hard and Alex is the right age and sex.
I asked how long we would have to wait for a CT scan and he managed to fit us in for a CT scan that afternoon Alex managed to put his gown on back to front which caused some laughter in the waiting room!
We are now waiting for the team to have their meeting next Thursday, Alex will have to have a node removed and a bone marrow biopsy under a general anaesthetic (both at the same time) to make sure it hasn't gone anywhere else. They will then decide on what chemo regime etc.
So there we are, another journey is beginning is our house. I had had a gut feeling that this is what is was but Alex was quite shocked as he feels fine and has had no other symptoms (apart from picking up lots of colds etc which don't really come to a full cold). We are all coming to terms with it but we are trying to keep our sense of humour and stay positive. The consultant told me to let him carry on as normal and let him be himself. He also said that this is a cancer that is easily treated. I am now trying to build Alex up a bit and get him on a healthy diet before he starts his chemo.
Silly me I though it was going to be a good New Year xx
