I am not sure if I am in denial and want this to be true so much. But I ahve been diagnosed with sarcoma which I did get radiation on, and then diagnosed with diffuse large b-cell lymphoma. I am not one to get sick much at all, which is a good thing. But last week I had a obgyn appointment due to a lump that needed to be checked out. She mentioned how normally with the kind of lymphoma I have you have lymph glands that are swollen. She said she looked at my blood wokr and there is a number on there not sure what it is but somehting like lml or ldl that is elevated which does have to do with this kind of cancer, but she told me to get a second opinion before I started or put myself thru any chemo treatments. But I think well the oncologist knows what they are talking about, but if there is some kind of mistake or maybe they are wrong I want to know, but then think do I want to get my hopes up just to be told I do have it, but then if there is a possibility like she said something does not add up maybe then I dont have it or maybe not the stage he said. Any of you go thru this kind of stuff, and did you feel sick with the lymphoma due to I have not. So I keep saying maybe the oncologist is wrong and got something wrong, or am I jsut in denial and want it to be this way. Should I get a second opnion in your minds can doctors make this kind of mistake.
Rule # One for a Lymphoma DX
Always get a second opinion.
Rule # Two
educate yourself with your particular type
Rule # Three
Allow yourself to feel sorry for yourself, then get over it. This group won't allow you to sing the blues, save for the Cat Scan Blues when going for a SCAN.
I didn't have any symptoms except a lumpy neck, and hanging on to colds for months.
take care, and get that second opinion.
Absolutely get a second opinion. Lymphoma and it's multiple subtypes is sneaky.
You need to find out exactly what you have, so you can educate yourself.
best to you and peace
Heck yes, get a second. My first DX was Diffuse large B and turned out after more testing to be SLL which is a slow growing lymphoma that doesn't respond well to Chemo. Even though I am stage IV, I am doing Watch & Waiting meaning no chemo for now until I absolutely need it. My kind can't be cured at this time, and chemo can only put me in remission for a while, and the ol body can only handle so much of that stuff, so saving that big gun for later, hoping never need it.
You got enough on your plate, so remove the doubt and get a second, you need to be confident in your treatment. Take Care, KBeale
K9, they're leading you in the right direction. And Geri, I'm going to suggest a slight amendment to your rules, which I think are awesome (and you'll see I haven't changed much):
Rule 1. Get a second opinion (from a qualified hematopathologist) Rule 2. Get that f**king second opinion (from a qualified hematopathologist)
Rule 3. Educate yourself with your subtype
Rule 4. Allow yourself to feel sorry for yourself, then get over it.
As for getting that second opinion, I know it's problematic for lots of people. I wrote THIS TIP over a year ago and see now that the message is still solid but it's lacking some resources. For instance, the #1 cancer hospital in the United States, MD Anderson, offers second opinions on pathology. You can find more info on their program HERE. There are other facilities that do it as well, such as Pathology Services Inc but I can't speak for or against the quality they provide.
Some health insurance companies will pay (there may be laws on the books in a few states requiring HMOs to pay for it), some won't.
I think a step-by-step on getting second opinions on pathology results is due-- I'll get to work on that and get it up here soon.