Jeet Association for Support to Cancer Patients
Lymphoma
Why did this happen to me and will I be cured are the two questions every lymphoma patient ask themselves, says Dr Mammen Chandy - Consultant haematologist and Director of Tata Medical Centre. Being a survivor, understanding the disease is the most crucial part according to him. “Knowing the disease can make you worried but not knowing will make you more anxious and stressed” Lymphoma is not the end and very much curable, " we just have to take each day at a time while undergoing the treatment " is what Dr Chandy suggests.
Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that develops when white blood cells called lymphocytes grow out of control. These Lymphocytes do not die and start dividing abnormally. It is not one disease but is many diseases put together is what Dr Renna Nair consultant medical oncologist says. Many people don't understand what a lymphoma is and what causes it or treatments there are of the disease Which is why it is essential to consult your doctor.
Lymphoma is not the end and very much curable
The usual sign of Lymphoma is swelling of the lymph nodes which are located most prominently in head, neck, armpit and groin region. However, not every swelling is a lymphoma but if it is growing in size you should better see a doctor. Lymphoma can happen to any part of the body from head to toe.
The diagnosis is done by looking inside your lymph nodes. The biopsy is done to understand the stage and type of the cancer. There are more than 50 sub types. Treatment and outcome of the cancer differs from stages.
Few main treatments of Lymphoma are chemotherapy and radiation. Chemotherapy is a combination of drugs given to kill cancer cells. It usually works by keeping the cancer cells from growing, dividing, and making more cells, as cancer cells grow much faster. You can face a loss of appetite and rawness in your mouth or ulcers which as the normal side effects of the chemotherapy. But it is essential to eat in order to have strength for further treatment. It is important that you don’t delay the chemotherapy as some cycles can get troublesome for patients later. Radiation is a different way to kill the cancer cells or to shrink tumours using radiation beams on precise points of your body.
Ms Krishna Ghosh a lymphoma survivor tells us her story of fighting this cancer. In which she says that there is no need to fear this disease as it is 100% curable. She being diagnosed never at once lost hope and kept fighting. By one treatment to another she started getting better. Breaking the myths of the treatments she says that under proper guidance everything flows swiftly. From her whole experience in battling this disease she gives us her 3 tips.
- Always have confidence on the doctor
- Tell everything to your doctor regarding your health and how you are feeling
- Keep yourself cheerful and busy
Check out the video series to understand more about lymphoma on https://www.jascap.org/videos
It is very important that you understand the disease and the treatment involved.
JASCAP has books to help you understand Lymphoma and fight it.
- E – 14 – Hodgkin Lymphoma
- E – 24 (HG) – High-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- E – 24 (LG) – Low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Books in 11 different languages can be found on
https://jascap.org/cancer-books-pdf/