Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. This is my story...
On the 10th of August, 2020 I was officially diagnosed with Stage IIIa Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Cancer; specifically Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (abbreviated as DLBCL). This is an aggressive disease where your body produces abnormal amount of lymphocyte cells. The lymphocytes are produced in the lymph nodes. They are part of the lymphatic system and can be found in many parts of your body including your neck, groin, spleen, chest and underarms. That is why the lymph nodes grow and swell up if abnormal amounts of lymphocytes are produced. The day I was told that I have this life threatening disease completely flipped my world upside down. I couldn't believe this was happening. This was a nightmare. It was by far the scariest and darkest period of my life.
Prior to my cancer, I had zero medical history. And when I mean zero medical history, like I literally never had an forms of operations, diseases, accidents or injuries in my life. No hospital visits. Nada. I was rarely sick. I slept 8 hours a day, had a healthy diet, went to the gym three times a week. In fact, I also did Crossfit. The only time I needed to go to the doctor's was for a regular check-up or a prescription that I needed. You would think that living a healthy lifestyle was enough to prevent you from catching diseases. Boy was I wrong.
Now this is not meant to scare you. The point of this post is to live your life while listening and caring for your body. While you may not always be able to prevent it. you can always spot signs early enough as early detection saves lives. Survival rates for cancer have improved over the last twenty years, due to medical advancements, treatments and research. This is why I decided to share my story and bring awareness about this disease.
How did it all start?
I was staying at my parents' at that time due to corona restrictions and spent the past three months working remotely at their place. One day, after I finished my workout routine, I felt a small lump under my left armpit and was alarmed that I might have breast cancer. I thought that perhaps this was all in my head and I might have sprained or twisted arm during the workout. I thought it would go away after a couple of days so I decided to give it time. Few days turned into a week and it didn't go away. Another lump appeared on the left side of my neck and my collarbone and neck area started to swell. It wasn't painful or anything but when you touch it, it feels like it is filled up with some form of fluid.
I decided to make a doctor's appointment to see what this was as this has never happened to me before. I went in and he did a couple of check-ups including blood tests and an ultrasound. Long story short, there was a slight infection but nothing too serious. I was suspected of lymphadenopathy. Lymphadenopathy causes your lymph nodes to swell as a response to fighting against any infections/ viruses in your body. Once the viruses are gone, the lymph nodes should shrink back to their normal sizes. The doctor said that these symptoms should go away after two to three weeks. I was clinging on to that hope. The doctor then transferred me to see an ENT (ear, nose, throat) specialist for a second opinion...and again he said the same thing that unless it doesn't go away, an operation may be required to determine the underlying cause. I was praying that it wouldn't come to that. I have NEVER done any form operation in my life and this was one of my greatest fears.
Weeks went by and nothing has changed. By then, I was back in Munich and decided to seek two other doctors but sadly received the same response. I was desperate by then because I was feeling worse. My neck and chest started to itch and I had rashes. I started to cough continuously. I explained to the doctor about my previous visits but they pretty much dismissed by symptoms. When the doctors and more people around you start telling you the same thing over and over again, you eventually start believing in them. Perhaps it was all in my head and I needed to accept and live with this. When I was speaking to these two doctors, I actually already booked another appointment with a different GP but I had to wait for another three weeks to see this doctor (the one who actually saved my life).
It continued getting worse to the point that I struggled to breathe and had dry coughs. I was consciously telling myself to breathe and was literally wheezing for air. That's how bad it got. I couldn't eat and swallow properly; I couldn't laugh; I couldn't even lie down flat on my bed to sleep. It was ruining my everyday life. I felt like Darth Vader, after he threw Palpatine down the shaft, wheezing and gasping for air. I really thought that I was going to die and almost had to go into the emergency hospital. I felt extremely fatigue and tired all the time. I could barely walk for two minutes without taking a break and sitting down. I felt like I was an 80 something year old woman on the inside. Within a few weeks, my spirit and energy aged over 50 years.
I felt like my life was very hopeless, until I went to see the fifth doctor. Thank goodness that I didn't end up cancelling this appointment because I was tempted to do that after being told over and over again that there's nothing I should worry about. Had I done that, I wouldn't even be alive today. He took the time to listen to my concerns and symptoms then proceeded to run multiple tests including blood tests, ultrasound, CT & MRI scans. After the CT/ MRI results came back, he told me that he suspected that I might have cancer as there were multiple swollen lymph nodes detected from the scans and ultrasound. This included a 11x9cm tumor pressing between my lungs, which explains why I struggled to breathe. He then transferred me to another doctor, my oncologist who pretty much took over my treatment regimen.
He carefully examined me and requested that I undergo a lymph node biopsy operation as well as a bone marrow biopsy. The extracted lymph nodes and cell samples were sent to the lab and the WAITING TIME was the WORST! I was extremely anxious and spent the majority of my time googling the different possibilities/ diagnosis I might have but that gave me more of a scare than doing any good. After the results came back, we had a consultation session with him. He outlined the diagnosis and stated that lymphoma is highly curable. The treatment I got was R-CHOP (a combined immunochemotherapy. My oncologist was super determined to get my treatment started; in fact I was asked to come to the clinic the next day. And that was how my chemo journey began...
What are the typical symptoms of Lymphoma?
Before my diagnosis, I have never heard of lymphoma as it is a very rare yet curable disease. The earlier you can identify the symptoms, the higher the prognosis. The point is early detection usually saves lives. Please go see a doctor if something persists and feels off. Below are the most common symptoms of lymphoma. #knowledgeispower. For those who are interested in learning more about lymphoma, feel free to click here
Swollen lymph nodes (these are lumps felt under the skin)
Weight loss
Fatigue or general tiredness
Sweating at night
Shortness or breathe/ difficulty breathing
Dry cough or wheezing
Fever
Infection
Be your own advocate, go see a doctor and do not feel shy about speaking up about anything that is bothering you. The most common diagnostic tests to detect lymphoma are blood tests, CT/ PET/ MRI scan and a lymph node biopsy. Remember HEALTH COMES FIRST!
Read the second sequel of my story here: My Story (Part II): Revenge of the Lymphoma
“Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."- Jim Rohn
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