by Scott Ebisch

Created on: August 10, 2007

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease (aka: Hodgkin's Lymphoma) on December 19, 2006 along with Renal Cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer) but I will just focus on the Hodgkin's here.

My symptoms started with a lump on my neck on my left side. My doctor ordered an ultrasound immediately and with those results ordered my first CT scan. It was between those two tests that I first heard the words "Cancerous Activity" used in the same sentence about my health.

In the weeks that followed I realized the symptoms I never really noticed prior to the lump were there all along. Primarily fatigue which could be debilitating at times, night sweats which would usually wake me up in the middle of the night. My experience with night sweats weren't the type you will read about which describe a soaking sweat, I would end up removing a t-shirt wet around the collar enough to be annoying. This was rather frequent and a key indicator of both Hodgkin's and Non Hodgkin's Lymphomas. I learned the lump in my neck had a partner in my chest. The lymph nodes had traveled as Hodgkin's typically does in a straight line. The mass in my chest settled near or on my sternum and may have begun to put pressure on blood vessels as I also complained about periods of dizziness that would last for hours at a time.

A couple of biopsy procedures later and I was told the cancer in my neck and chest was a classic case of Hodgkin's and my doctor's were very optimistic that they would get it with chemotherapy.

My regimen consisted of four drugs administered by vein twice a month for six months. Every two weeks I received an infusion of chemo followed by a shot of Neulasta (a white cell booster) the very next day, then a week later I would have blood drawn to check my numbers.

Unfortunately my kids became as accustomed to this schedule as I did.

My Kidney was removed Laparoscopically a few weeks before my first chemo treatment. I am considered cured of the Renal Cell since that Cancer did not spread. I have been in remission of the Hodgkin's since May 18th 2007.

I start CT scans again in October.

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