In August 2011 my whole world came crashing down and i was given the news that i had cancer! I had Hodgkins Lymphoma stage 4b. It didnt seem real. I was 19 year old! Before being diagnosed i was really ill and had nearly all symptoms of Hodgkins lymphoma so to finally know what it was and that there was something that could be done about it was quite a relief. I found myself saying to my consultant 'right when do we start treatment? the sooner the better'. After discussing everything with my consultant i decided to go for the RATHL study which meant i was to start on ABVD. I had 2 cycles of that and then had to go for a stronger chemo called BEACOPP. I had this chemo until christmas eve when i was told it had worked and i didnt have to have any more chemo. It was the best news i could have hoped for i was in remission. My boyfriend took me away on a holiday to Egypt and when i came back i was given the devasting news that i had relapsed and would need more chemo. Because it came back so soon after my first lot of chemo i have to have ESHAP followed by a stem cell transplant. Now im going to keep a diary of what happens from now. First thing is to have a bone marrow biopsy on wednesday 13th june which iv had before so im looking forward to that gas and air! It done wonders the first time round. I just hope that other will find my posts as helpful as iv found others and if i can help anyone else il be more than happy :)
