So sorry to hear about your dad. I and others are defintely here for you. Can you tell us, what his actual diagnosis is and where it is, along with his age. I am a 59 yr. old, and was diagnosed with stage 3a Follicular Non Hodgkins Lymphoma on 10/21/11 folllowing having a lump in my upper left leg removed. Since I am asymptomatic, the right treatment for me is Watch and Wait. This is not for everyone, but definitely right for my situation. Following my PET scan and a CT scan, and more blood than Dracula ever thought about, I've since had a and bone marrow biopsy, and a 2nd opinion at Johns Hopkins. The bone marrow biopsy found some Mantle cells in my bone marrow, so I may actually now be stage 4. However, the toughest thing for me, was dealing with thinking about it (but hey, I'm only the patient - I think that this has been tougher on my family, since they have to deal with it). But, as the days have gone by, I have had some glimmers of sunlight.

You will find that there are some very helpful people here.

I do wish your father, and you, too, the best.

The oncologist wasn't in the room so we couldn't ask about it, So I'm most likely going to find out the exact stage later on in the week.. Most likely very early.. He got ultrasounds and copious amounts of blood taken from him, They did a surgery for a stint and a chest tube to make sure the fluid was draining properly.. They want to make sure his kidneys are okay and they will start the chemotherapy.. We don't even know if he's going to be outpatient or inpatient yet.... My father is a 38 year old diabetic, slightly overweight.

Thank you so much, It means a lot to me that you responded to this message... I'm sorry to hear about your NHL as well :(

Hopefully, your dad has been told what kind of NHL he has, and what stage. But, and I'm not a doc nor dispensing medical advice, it's hard to believe that they aren't at least doing a PET scan, unless this is jeopardizing some organs, prior to comencing treatment. This is tough "stuff", but for most there is "better" days down the road. If this is not imminently life threatening, perhaps a 2nd opinion is worth getting. Keep your head up (sounds like a Hallmark card), and just be there for him. We'll be there for you.

I'm sorry to hear about your Dad. Going through the diagnosis process is nerve racking for sure. I was diagnosed in Sept 2003. I have B Cell follicular NHL, stage 4. I was told the staging for NHL is different than other cancers. Because it is a blood cancer, and stage 4 means it is outside of the lymphnode, it makes sense many of us are stage 4. In NHL, the biggest marker is which quadrants it is in and how many it is in. So imagine cutting your body in 4 (across and up and down). If it is in one quadrant, that is great. 2, well that is okay too as long as it is the same side of the body. Of course, more than that is okay too but it means it is further along. At least that is how it was explained to me. It also depends what kind (small or large cell). Large cell is an aggressive NHL and must be treated aggressively but can be cured. Small cell is slow growing and doesn't always require as much aggressive treatment but is chronic and will most likely always require treatment. So staging is important but understanding exactly what it is, and where it is, is key.

I can tell you with my small cell (also called follicular), I was treated with 8 rounds of Rituxan and went into remission for 18 months. When it came back, I did another 8 rounds of Rituxan and have been in remission ever since. That has been over 6 years. There are more new drugs being used for NHL that show promise of long remissions without the full side effects of traditional chemo. And there are some people like Dave that don't have symptoms so they can do "watch and wait" which is a very valid option for some kinds of NHL.

So there is lots to learn and lots to absorb. Know that there are so many of us survivors that are living very full and happy lives. I think your Dad is going to be fine. This forum is kind of quite but I think it is because people don't necessarily post but we are out here to help and support each other.

Hang in there and please keep us posted on your Dad...and what we can do to help you and your family.

I will keep you all updated on his condition when we find out more about it! Keep on keeping on as well.

I'm also sorry that your family have had this news. This is a difficult time for you now because you feel so helpless. Fortunately there is much that the doctors can do for him once he has the final diagnosis. There are so many different types of NHL hence the importance of staging etc.

I was diagnosed in January 2011 with NHL Follicular Grade 1 Diffuse large B-Cell stage 4. Diffuse meaning that the cancer had transformed into an agressive type affecting my bone marrow. I had large lymph nodes in all 4 quadrants. 8 cycles of R-Chop (R being the Rituximab and Chop being the chemotherapy) later my lymph nodes have shrunk and my bone marrow is clear! The Follicular side of NHL is not curable but it is slow growing and now I only need to see my doctor every 3 months to see if everything is behaving well.

Perhaps you should go with your dad on his next visit so that the doctor can explain things to you in detail. It helps to understand more about the condition.

Wishing you lots of strength to support your dad through this.
Hang in there!