Diagnosis

My diagnosis was a journey in itself since I was also pregnant. I have a mediastinal mass that was pressing upon my airway and veins causing my chest, neck, and face to swell. I was having difficulty breathing, eating, itchy, and night sweats. Because I was pregnant I naturally went to my OB concerned it was pregnancy related. He sent me to my doctor suggesting it was an allergic reaction assuring me everything was normal with the pregnancy. My primary doctor sent me to an allergist – no allergies. She ran bloodwork thinking I had an auto immune disease – none. I continued to bounce around between doctors until I ended up in the ER not being able to breathe. Although I despise being in the hospital I must admit it really does get the ball rolling for a diagnosis. The doctor’s started me on steroids which brought my swelling down and I could finally eat and breathe normally again. Little did I know that a good response to steroids is a sign on Hodgkin’s Disease. I had 2 fine needle biopsy and the labs were conclusive that I had HD. Thinking back that stay in the hospital was a blur. I had a feeling I had cancer before I was actually delivered the news. I had told my husband (Dave) a week prior that I thought it was so. He is the eternal optimist and just couldn’t believe that would be the case. I was sitting in the hospital with my family and was suddenly faced with terminating my pregnancy or undergo chemo while pregnant. This was the hardest decision Dave and I had to make. We took a leap of faith and kept the pregnancy. Keeping the pregnancy meant I couldn’t have a PET scan, they limited my CT’s overall, and I had to do a lot of procedures (biopsy’s & port) without the full amount of drugs a normal person would get. That first biopsy was the worst and still haunts me. I am pretty much a tough cookie when it comes to all this crap but that one had me in tears afterwards. I remember feeling overall that I was lucky that I had the “good cancer” and a very high survival rate. My oncologist signed me up for ABVD and suggested follow up radiation. Before I was discharged I had my first cycle of ABVD. I wasn’t sick; just tired. Who wouldn’t be pregnant on chemo! Little did I know what a long journey I was in for.