About a year ago my primary care doc left her practice in my state and moved to another. In the 3 yrs I was her patient, she only did routine blood work for cholesterol. During my last year as her patient I told her that I had been losing weight consistently without dieting, and that I seemed to be very tired most of the time, and had terrible night sweats. She didn't seem concerned about the weight loss or the tiredness. A couple of months after she closed her office, I saw a new doctor (I call her my angel of Mercy). I told her about the weight loss, fatigue, and lack of blood tests, except for cholesterol checks. She immediately ordered a battery of blood tests and after getting the results, referred me to a Hematologist/Oncologist. My white count was high and so were my Lymphocytes. Within a week I was having a bone marrow biopsy which proved I have an indolent form of NHL. I don't know what the future will, bring but for now my wonderful oncologist and I think a "watch and wait" approach is the best course of action. He does blood work every 3 months and CT scans every 4-5 months. There has been little change in the CT scans, which is good news. I did get a second opinion, to satisfy some questions I had, and to pacify my family. I'm so glad I did. He was able to put my mind at ease about question I didn't know I had. My advice to anyone going thru this...don't hesitate to be checked, and don't hesitate to get a second opinion. Your doctor would rather you did, than to have questions you are afraid to ask.

My large b-cell lymphoma was different than most. It started in the hollow part of my humerus and grew in there. I believe I had it for more than a year before it was diagnosed. It started with mild pain when I did some heavy lifting and ended up to the point I could not move my arm at all because of the pain. It is being treated with a combination of chemo and radiation therapy. My prognosis is good.

I noticed swelling in my groin and discharge of white and pink fluid from my leg.

My mother's first bout with lymphoma was in the tear ducts of her eyes. She had one tear duct in eye removed and the, she had 17 rounds of radiation in each eye. Then, the cancer settled in her spleen. She looked as if she was 9 months pregnant. She then had several round of radiation and chemotherapy. She went into remission for five years until she developed swelling in her cheek. First, the doctor thought it was her teeth causing problems, so he put her on antibiotics. When there was no decrease in the swelling, I insisted that she see another doctor, who also put her on antibiotics. I insisted that they biopsy deep tissues in her cheek. Lymphoma. If you suspect something is not right, get a second or even third opinion. Insist. You know your body best. My mother just turn 72 and she's still in remission.

My diagnosed lymphoma started when I began to eat. I could only eat small bites. If I ate too much, I would get a pain in my stomach like no other. I ended up at the hospital, and I was thought to be having a gall stone attack. After a CT scan, I was shocked to find out that I had mass the size of a tennis ball at the top of my pancreas. I had an intense four months of chemotherapy, and now I go for check-ups every three months. Also, a few months before all my pain had begun I was told that I had an infection called Helicobacter pylori. I'm wondering if that might have had anything to do with my lymphoma. I am also the mother of four young children.

For my lymphoma, it all started with itchy skin on my arms, then it came all over. I tried all the time, but I didn't feel like doing even the most normal things. I just wanted to sleep all the time. I could not eat more than a few bits before I started to feel sick. I thought it wasn't a big deal until I got a dry cough, which turned into a cough with a bloody discharge. At that point, it was clear to my doctor that it was cancer. A chest X-ray and CT scan later confirmed it.

I had severe pain down my neck and left arm after a sip or two of wine or beer. I was unable to even taste anything with alcohol for at least 2 years. It baffled my doctor. In 2007 I got very sick and went to the doctor for persistent cough and found I had pneumonia. A week later I was told I had a mass in my chest (discovered on an ex-ray by a radiologist). I then had a CAT scan with a needle biopsy which was negative. My regular doctor wanted me to wait 3 months before another CAT scan. I asked for a referral to see an oncologist who requested a surgical biopsy and PET scan--he told me the alcohol-related pain was classic for Hodgkin's Disease. He was right. It was.