First Entry
I found this support group and have anticipation that it will be as good as the Bladder Cancer support group that used before. I feel I'm still in limbo because I don't know my stage or how dangerous my lymphoma really is. I'm also apprehensive about having the bone marrow biopsy done tomorrow Then on Friday I have the two scans and have to drink that horrible drink.. I keep hoping and praying that when the test are done it will be determined that I have grade 1. {7/24/2013}
Replies
All my fears of the bone marrow biopsy was unfounded. It wasn\'t fun, but not overly painful. I had the scans today and they were nothing more than being patient for the time it took to complete.
I really feel that God is taking most of my fears and apprehension from me even before I ask. As before during the many life crisis I have experienced, God had always been carrying me and giving me strength. I\'m not fearing the unknown but rather taking one day at a time. {7/26/13}
I\'m so glad to hear it went better than expected. A bone marrow biopsy isn\'t something any of us run out to do with a smile but with a little medication, it goes by fast and relatively easy. It is a necessary evil.
I hope your staging comes back good. Don\'t be too surprised if you come back stage 4. That just means it is in your marrow...which since we have a blood cancer, it often is. Stage 4 NHL is totally different than stage 4 with other cancers. What the kicker I found is the grade. The grade tells you how aggressive it is. I\'ve always been grade 1 but after 10 years, I got a tumor that was grade 3 which is quite aggressive. Grade 1, I could wait and watch or treat slower but grade 3, it was growing so fast and spreading, I was treated within a week....and I was anxious to get started because it felt like it was growing every day.
Hang in there. A positive attitude is the most effective medicine in your fight.