large b cell lymphoma | What Lymphoma do you have?

For this interview n ° 8, Clea, who is 24 years old and who lives near Dunkirk in the North, tells us about her career.


What Lymphoma do you have?
I have Lymphoma large cell B of the mediastinum.

Tell us how you found out the disease?
It's been a few years since I had health problems without knowing how hurt I was suffering.

End of February 2017, I did a bronchitis, 1 week of treatment and my condition deteriorated again. And there, appearance of a lymph node in the neck with superior vena cava syndrome *.

I went into emergency in hematology service. Rest is history: biopsy, spinal puncture *, pet Scan and chemotherapy within 15 days.

Anecdote: impossible to ask my cap at the time, he found himself in femoral on my hip.

What treatment did you get?
I had chemotherapy. In Protocol I got an R-ACVBP *.

How is that what happened to you?
The induction phase was very difficult to bear, I got a lot of secondary effects: Alopecia, mucositis, dryness of the body, vomiting, Aplasia, bone pain.

I had the minimum of information. The rest I found myself watching the blogs of fighteuses.

How did you experience this time?
It's been a very hard time, but I tried to keep my spirits up. The hardest thing is the stupid people who are hurtful remarks. However, I was very surrounded by my family and my friends.

My spouse has covered as a leader for the papers, my treatment, home...

My family and I, we became even more fusional one was before the illness.

I had the opportunity to go on a weekend for young people facing cancer with associations: "We're here", "Cheer up", "Aida". This allowed us to meet former patients or people in remissions.

And now where are you?
I'm still in treatment. HomeStretch.

The remission should be for September if all goes well.

Finally, what is Lymphoma changed your life?
Lymphoma has changed my life completely. I discovered a rage to live that I never thought I'd have in me.

I want to enjoy life, people that I love.

I realized that we are only a grain of sand, and everything can change from one day to the next: to enjoy it until it was too late.

I did a huge sorting in the people who surrounded me.

My priorities have changed.

Thanks to the photographer Nicolas Claeyssen for this very beautiful picture.

Lexicon:

R - ACVBP: Protocol reference in the aggressive lymphomas chemo.

It consists of:

Adriblastine (doxorubicin)
Cyclophosphamide
Vindesine
Bleomycin
Prednisone
Rituximab
This Protocol is a day hospital, cyclically repeated every 14 days.

Rituximab: used for the NHL, he is attacking the cells responsible for the disease.

It is an antibody (CD20).

Compression of the superior vena cava syndrome: the superior vena cava is circulating blood of the head, neck, arms and chest to the heart.

The SCVCS manifests as a pressure on the superior vena cava. She is partially blocked and the blood cannot return to the heart normally, causing more pressure on the veins and the face. This causes an accumulation of fluid or swelling.

The Non Hodgkin lymphoma can cause (more rare with a Hodgkin's disease). Usually it is caused by cancer in the chest (near the vena cava superior or lymph nodes).

Spinal puncture: Myelogram, directed by puncture-aspiration that allows an analysis of the cellular composition of the bone marrow.

The sample is taken from the ilium (pelvis) or the sternum (chest).