I was first diagnosed with Hodgkins 4B in the fall of 1979 at the age of 34 - that's right, 16 years ago. Night sweats, fatigue, weight loss + a general dislike of the medical profession in general combined to put me at my father's house in August 1979 weighing 120 of a normal 150 pounds. He took one look at me and delivered me to a community hospital in the small town where he lives. For a week a series of doctors (who didn't have the slightest idea what I had) questioned, tested and prodded me. Had my first (breastbone) bone marrow - without anything to deaden either the area or my brain - that was lots of fun.

After a week transferred to a teaching hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. The docs there had a better idea what was going on and did a biopsy of a swollen lymph gland in my groin plus CT scans, Gallium scans and a liver biopsy. They put me on MOPP which perked me right up! Finally got out of the Birmingham hospital 3 weeks later at a fighting weight of 95 pounds. My father took me back to his house to recover and my sister took over the fattening part of it. With her cooking me 5 meals a day I was able - while undergoing chemo - to gain 50 pounds in five weeks!

After the five weeks I returned again to my home in Jacksonville, Florida and connected up with a wonderful oncologist - Neil Abramson. He finished me on the MOPP treatments into remission about March of 1980.

In 1984 I went back in to see the good doctor because I had a feeling I was coming out of remission. He could find nothing on the CT scans or on the blood tests - everything was marginal. There was some slight swelling in a lymph gland in my left neck, so I talked him into a biopsy, which found a relapse, so we were off into chemo again. Short course, seemed to clean things up in 6 months so once again I walked away from it.

Then things went swimmingly for awhile - got married in 1985 and started raising a female child for a change. Doing fairly well in my career and so on. Things were too good. In 1988 went back to the doctor with weight loss, swollen lymph glands on the right side of my neck, fatigue, etc. Along with the confirming biopsy I had a Port-a-cath implanted on the upper right chest and went into chemo the day after the biopsy. I'm not real sure what drugs were used but they really affected me this time - severe nausea for 6-8 hours after each treatment. And after the third treatment my boss called me at home to let me know my company had sold out to an out of state company and we were now a branch (banking).

Plus, about 9 weeks into the treatments, I developed a tumor beside a vein in my upper right arm which blocked blood flow so much they fired me into the intensive care unit of the hospital - the nurses were amused that I walked in - said most of their patients don't. Got put on some high-grade blood thinners/blood clot reducers for a week and then on an oral blood thinner for another 6 months. Plus started radiation of the tumor while in IC. The radiation worked - the tumor disappeared - but 6 months of weekly blood tests were no picnic - couldn't use the port-a-cath, you see. And the heritage of MOPP is no blood vessels in my arms. They got real creative.

My, I do run on. In any case, about two weeks ago I went to see the good doctor for my 6th year checkup from the last relapse - CT scan + Xrays + the usual blood tests - and he pronounced me "apparently free of the disease". And told me I was still fat and ugly - we have a strange relationship. I gave him a plaque to hang on his office wall last year thanking him for the last 15 years. He was quite tickled.

So that's my story. Except for two items of interest. First, my mother died of Hodgkins in 1955 at age 30. Second, I was in Vietnam and was briefly exposed to Agent Orange. So who knows the cause. Have gotten the Veterans Administration to declare me as having a service-connected disibility, which means mainly they'll bury me in a National cemetery. Anyone out there just starting treatment remember, the chemo and radiation can be horrible, but it is considerably better than the alternative. The treatments work. Have faith.