I'm beginning chemo in a few days, but the choking sensation in my neck is getting worse. How long has it taken others to see a reduction in the swelling of lymphomas?
Hi Shoma and a warm welcome to the Community and sorry to hear you are on the Lymphoma rollercoaster.
I am Mike and I help out around our various Lymphoma groups.
I don’t have Hodgkin's Lymphoma but I have been on my Lymphoma journey for over 25+ years first diagnosed way back in 1999 at 44…… when my first rare (8 in a million) ‘incurable’ but treatable type of slow growing Low-Grade Cutaneous T-Cell NHL was presenting.
I eventually reached Stage 4a in late 2013 when a second, also rare (4 in a million) type of very aggressive High-Grade Peripheral T-Cell NHL was then presenting so although my Lymphoma ‘type’ is different I most definitely appreciate the challenges of this journey rather well.
I can hear your concerns…… it took until my second NHL appeared in 2013 before I had full on treatment.
My main mass was in my neck and it was basically the size of a brick (21cm x 10cm x 6cm)
By the time I went for my first blast of chemo it looked like I had swallowed a brick!! It was something out of a Tom and Jerry film. My jaw had seized, my gums had swollen and was covering my teeth.
I was having great difficulty eating and was living on a liquid diet and my breathing was being restricted and the pain was off the scale.
I had an initial 15min blast of chemo and It was amazing the difference that first blast made. Over that first night the staff kept coming into my room to look in my mouth as my teeth were slowly re-appearing to the point I actually had breakfast including toast that morning.
A few days later I sat with the family and had some Christmas dinner. A few days later I started my 6 cycles of R-EPOCH that had me in hospital 6 nights/5 days on my 2 IV pumps 24/7 for over 120hrs each treatment........ and I had no significant side-effects all the way through the treatment.
On the whole, Lymphoma treatments do tend to work rather quickly.
As harrowing as it sounds many others with different cancer types have a much more challenging times.
The most important thing to remember is that this is a temporary blip in life’s journey….. and life will go on.
In way of encouragement our daughters were 14 and 18 when I was first diagnosed….. I had some intensive treatment between late 2013 to late 2015 (750 hrs chemo, 45 radiotherapy zaps and 2 Allograft (donor) Stem Cell Transplants)……. but we went on to see our daughters graduate, get married, set up very successful businesses and provide us with 4 beautiful granddaughters….. I turned 70 back in Nov last year and I am coming up to 10 years since my last treatment.
You may find this link helpful…….
