Cancer Survivor Story: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Stage 4 (Diffuse Large B-Cell and Burkitt Lymphoma)

Erin is a cancer survivor. This is her story. She had Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Non-Hodgkin's) and is in remission after undergoing chemotherapy (R-CHOP, Hyper-CVAD, and Methotrexate, rituximab (Rituxan), Cytarabine) for her NHL subtype - seemingly a mix between diffuse large b-cell and burkitt lymphoma.

This is the full video of her story: how she was diagnosed, what chemo was like, how she dealt with side effects, the importance of being your own advocate, and more.

See her full story at www.ThePatientStory.com.
Direct link: https://www.thepatientstory.comcancer...

1. GETTING A DIAGNOSIS ( 0:10)
First symptoms of cancer
Primary care visit
Gastroenterologist visit
Getting a colonoscopy
Processing a cancer diagnosis
Breaking the news of cancer to loved ones

2. . TREATMENT DECISIONS & SCANS ( 13:20)
Next steps
Getting a bone marrow biopsy
Undergoing a CT scan
How long does it take to get CT scan results
Did you experience “scanxiety” waiting for test results
Cancer stage
Diffuse large b-cell and Burkitt lymphoma diagnosis

3. FERTILITY & IVF ( 20:05)
Preserving fertility before chemotherapy
Who brought up the issue of IVF
What’s the IVF process like
How’s the egg retrieval process
Small dose of chemo during IVF

4. CHEMOTHERAPY ( 25:06)
Describe the port surgery
Did you like the port
Mentally preparing for chemo
Describe the chemotherapy regimen
Combo chemo regimen to address your “combo diagnosis”
Checking into the hospital
How long were the chemo infusions and hospital stay
Your chemo was “dose-adjusted”

5. CHEMOTHERAPY SIDE EFFECTS (30:21)
Describe the side effects
What helped prevent or lessen the side effects
How to pass the time in between chemo cycles
Side effects got better
Losing hair from chemotherapy
Deciding to shave your head
Blood transfusions
Neutropenia & Neulasta (Pegfilgrastim) shots
Neulasta side effects

6. END OF TREATMENT (50:43)
Mid-treatment scan
“In remission”
You still had to finish the chemo regimen
Follow-up Protocol
COVID-19 and cancer

7. GETTING SUPPORT (59:02)
What do you wish you had known before treatment
What helped get through the toughest times
How to ask people for help and support
How people can support cancer patients
Be your own advocate
_________

Background:

The Patient Story turns in-depth interviews from recent cancer survivors into a FAQ format story along with timelines to give newly diagnosed patients and caregivers a sense of what their lives may look like in the upcoming months. Hear straight from the people who've already been through it.

TPS (formerly OneDavid) was started by Stephanie Chuang, a non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor, who wants cancer patients and caregivers to get the information they need in a human way, not with medical jargon. Visit www.ThePatientStory.com for more.

If you would like to share a story, give feedback, or just say hello, we'd also love to hear from you! Please write us at [email protected].