father just dx with diffuse large b cell, please help

jaime4297 · New User Joined: 24 Aug 2009 Posts: 1 Location: pa

Hello everyone... I would like to say thannk you ahead of time for your responses on this matter. My dad has been ill for the past 2-3 years. I have taken him to several doctors and specialist, he has had numerous scans, labs, tests done and the results were scleroderma, pulm hypertension and lupus. Well over the last month he was experiencing loose stools, and on and off pain in his stomach.. On Friday... he called me and told me the pain in his stomach was so bad he could barely move.. I took him into the ER.. (HE WALKED INTO THE ER) The docs there determined he had a bowel obstruction and needed sutgery, he went in for surgery on Sunday morning... after 4 hours in the waiting room, after the surgeon told us likely 2 hours... the doctor came out and informed us that this mass in him was too large to remove, it was embedded into his pelvis, back, small and large bowel.. and he stated the malignacy seems to have already begun to run all through him... He was shocked we did not know he had cancer!!
The final pathology has not come back yet, but the verbal stated Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma possible Burketts? Now I know this can be an aggresive growing cancer, but I was wondering if anyone knew how aggresive? Is lymphoma herititary? I am finding myself with so many questions and the doctors just are not giving straight answers.
Dad is still on the ventilator and they are saying it is very unlikley he will be coming off of it. I am feelnig like I am in some nightmare that I can't wake up from. I just want answers about this cancer. How hard is it to detect? They did so many CT Scans and labs, colonoscopy, endoscopy, even a damn camera study!!
Besides all of this now.. I myself have had 2 enlarged nodes one in my neck and one right along my collar bone for YEARS... they have not grown at all, but now I am wondering if the doctors were right when they told me not to worry about them!!!
If anyone has any answers please let me know

ChemoMan

Hi jaime4297

So sorry to hear of your story. Don't panic too much as lymphoma can be treated. A regular here Joepet has beaten abdominal lymphoma into remission, hopefully he will pick up on your post. You can read his story for more info, it should give you some hope. In the meantime try and find out wether it is DLBCL or Burkitts as these 2 Lymphomas are different.

Try not to panic at this stage even though things seem bleak to you. In regard to your own issues all I can say is if it is troubling you , go and see a doctor and tell him/her your personal history. This is the only way to put your mind at rest.

Good luck, we are always here to help.
_________________
Age 52
Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma
Stage 2a
Finished six cycles of R chop 21 26th May 2008
Officially in remission 9th July 2008
Remission confirmed 1st October 2008
Remission confirmed 17 June 2009
http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=9620
RULE NUMBER 1.....Don't Panic
RULE NUMBER 2..... Don't forget Rule number 1

joepet · Senior User Joined: 18 Dec 2008 Posts: 286 Location: Japan

Hi Jaime. Sorry for my late reply, just came back from a one week vacation (my first long vacation since remission Smile

)

First off, you might want to check out my original post to see if any of the symptoms or experiences are similar to those of your father: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=11396

I don't think that I am the right one to answer all of your questions, but from my own experience I know that gastrointestinal lymphoma is quite rare, and nowhere near the top of the list of things doctors will suspect as the cause of such trouble. As you are probably aware by now, the suspected cancers are quite aggressive, especially Burkitt's. The good news is that the aggressive types of lymphoma are the ones most likely to be completely cured, or put into a permanent complete remission, with chemotherapy alone. For lymphomas located in the stomach or small intestine, there are actually studies that show better results for chemotherapy alone over surgery or surgery/chemo option, so if they are pushing for a surgical option you need to push back and see if that is really necessary.

My cancer was located in my large intestine very near to my rectum. Just before treatment it was so bad that I was bleeding large amounts, to the point where I needed to wake up every two or three hours to go to the bathroom to expel the blood. Within three days of the start of standard R-CHOP treatment, the bleeding had completely stopped, and I was deemed in remission after finishing the standard six treatments. So this treatment should work, and you should see results very soon after beginning.

I don't know as much about Burkitt's, but if your father has B-Cell lymphoma, then you should be rejoicing, because he can be treated for this disease without invasive surgery, and will probably go on to a full recovery.

Anyway, please let us know more about the diagnosis and maybe I will be able to tell you more.

Good luck, remain calm, and you will get through this together!
_________________
Age 37 (36 at diagnosis)
Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma
Stage 1AE (localized in colon)
Began six cycles of R chop 21 3rd Dec 2008
Finished R chop 21 Apr 2009
Complete remission as of May 2009

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