It all started back in early January 2013. I went to the local clinic in town because I was having pain in my upper left chest. Being young, I wasn't too concerned about it being a heart problem and left the clinic with the diagnosis of torn cartridge. The doctor said it would heal and I should take ibuprofen to ease the pain.
Fast forward to early February 2013. I went through a whole bottle of ibuprofen and the pain was still there, even a little worse. Whenever I moved my left arm, it would trigger the pain in my chest. I also couldn't get from a 180-degree position to a 90-degree position so I had to roll out of bed. The clinic then took a blood sample and an X-ray, which showed a mass in my chest. The results of a CT scan showed it could be one of three of things. The only one I remember is cancer.
I was informed that it was a very good chance it was Hodgkin' lymphoma even without a biopsy. Just to be 100% sure, they took a biopsy.
On the weekend of February 22, 2013, I was officially diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma. I had a port-a-cath put in and was on my way to six months of chemotherapy, with two rounds per month. I had my last chemotherapy appointment on August 7, 2013 and have been in the clear ever since. I do have a slight form of cardiomyopathy but otherwise I seem to be doing well.
As you can see by my picture, my hair came back, and didn't change much going through that whole process. That was a good thing!
Nicole
Lymphoma Survivor
