I am a new member. I had a large mass on my inner thigh and Dr. did a biopsy on Wed. Came back with abnormal cell growth and had to be removed the following Monday for further testing the Dr. believes it is NHL. I don't even really know what that means. I do know that I am very scared. Dr. said the mass was the size of a golf ball and will take 5 days for results from pathologist. Please keep me in your prayers.
Tandaric68:
Welcome to supportgroups.com, I'm sorry to hear about your mass, and I'm sorry to hear your doctor loosely speculating on what your dx might be when results from your second biopsy haven't come back.
Was a lymph node excised during this second biopsy?
As for what NHL means, forget about the NH part for now-- lymphoma simply means a cancer of the lymphocytes, the cells that circulate in your body, kill foreign bacteria etc and get filtered through the lymph nodes. For now, you should know that there are many ways that a lymphocyte can become cancerous, and that for many of those ways, there are currently very effective treatments in place.
Furthermore, there is a community of people here who are ready to support you however they can.
Ross
Hi, Tandaric68. Welcome to the group. I'm sorry to hear about your thigh.
Lots of comfort and info from other posters here. I'm glad you found supportgroups.com. You are not alone.
My hubby was diagnosed just a couple months ago, so I'm new here, too. He has NHL - marginal zone. Lots of different kind.
I feel knowledge is power, so i read a lot of posts and learn from others.
I think it's hard to wait. His pathology seemed to take a week, then the dr. knew more about what type he had.
We're here 24/7, so please feel free to vent, ask quesions, whatever you feel, others have felt that way, too.
Please take care. It helped us to keep busy to try to pass the time we had to wait for the full pathology and for the dr. to read it. I always take pen and paper and bring my questions to every dr. visit.
Prayers for you.
Hi Tandaric, we all def understand about the fear you're feeling and the stress of waiting for results. It feels like forever when you are waiting for test results, but as my Onocologist told me once, if they could speed things up they would, but it takes a while for the cells to be analyzed especially to rule out certain things. I hope that your results turn out negative, but if it is positive, please know that we are here to help you through the ups and downs of treatment. But first things first, wait on reading too much info about NHL or any cancers. If you have to have treatment there will be plenty of time to learn about the type. So do what you can to keep yourself busy, watch movies, read non medical stuff, do lots of physical stuff and be honest with someone close about your fear. Just talking about our fears removes the power it holds. God Bless and please keep us posted on what you find out, KathyB
Tandaric68:
Yes. With Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, information is just about everything. You need more information to learn about your specific condition as there are many differents kinds.
Most NHLs are slow growing...and there is effective treatment. Treatment has come a long way, so don't be scared of it.
The key here, is not to panic...most of us here have lived a long time with this "chronic disease" because being diagnosed is not a death sentence. It's just a heads up that we must live our lives to the best we can.
peace to you , and keep up updated.
Hi... I am so sorry about this hurdle in your life.... This is a great place to come and talk to people that truely understand.... We don't judge which is so wonderful... Once you know for certain what the DX is be knowlegable and pro active.... Be in control of your care and be apart of your care plan... It is very impowering to be an active part of the decissions.... my prayers are with you... keep us posted..... JO
Tandaric 68- I see you have met our family. This site rocks. Everyone here really works hard to be in charge of their destiny. IF you have a lymphoma you have a very well known cancer and the treatment is rather standard and remission/cure rate is very good.
Most people don't find it until it has progressed so don't let the stage scare you to death. Pay close attention to which one you have because there are tons of them all different in treatment but you are talking to a bunch of people that have all different kinds and are here for you.DON'T GO ON THE INTERNET and LOOK ANYTHING UP UNTIL YOU KNOW FOR SURE WHAT YOU HAVE. This is very important because you will find sooo much and also there is old and misinformation out there so we don't want you to panic when there is no need to .
Remember all of us have been here some for years with our Lymphomas.Some on treatment an some watching and waiting depending on the type you have.
Welcome...check out our joke site we like to have fun and be serious too it keeps us balanced. ((HUGS)) this too shall pass!!
tandaric, hung in there. sometimes it sounds worst than it really is. i had a skin biopsy on a pimple like lesion that developed from a persistent rash. the path report was alk- anapalastic large cell lymphoma. but after a blood test and a ct scan, my lymphoma was not the systemic kind and i was just prescribed corticosteroids . my lesions all cleared up and i feel ok. just take it easy. you are not alone. madeline