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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 14 September 2017

At 41, Hitesh Bhutta was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma of the stomach. According to him, understanding lymphoma can be daunting and complicated, especially the testing and prognosis of the disease, but look for positives.

It is strange how sometimes a casual infection like flu could actually harbour an ominous illness. That's what I learnt in my journey with cancer.

It started in 2006. I was 41-years-old. One morning, my father and I woke with viral fever. We both had sore throat, cough, body ache and mild fever. We took a routine course of antibiotics. After a few days, my father recovered totally, whereas my cough continued. I began a stronger dose of cough syrup for another 20 days. I also got a chest X-ray done, but my chest was clear. I tried to rationalize with myself by saying that this could be a spillover of the flu.

But despite strong medicines, my cough continued. What got me worried was that now, shortly after my meals I would start coughing and vomiting. The low-grade fever lingered. There was considerable weakness and fatigue too, especially by the end of the day, which was never the case earlier. My weight had also dropped noticeably.

A few days later, it was Rakhshabandhan. We had a family gathering and a festive lunch organized. Both my sisters were at home. Soon after we finished lunch, I began coughing, spluttering and vomited. Seeing my condition, my wife and sisters got worried. They immediately booked an appointment with the family doctor.

The doctor advised a battery of tests for me like chest X-ray, salivary diagnostic test, CBC. I did all that was prescribed, but the tests were negative. I was wondering what was wrong with me, more so because all my reports were clear.

Over the next several weeks, I went to see multiple physicians and was subjected to numerous rounds of examinations, including X-rays, blood tests, CT scan. Again they were all clear. My chest scan too was clean. The doctor then casually said that he would like to do a quick stomach scan, to ensure everything was alright. The stomach scan picked up the root of my problem. I had a 12 inch nodule mass in my abdomen.

The next crucial step was to find out whether the tumor in my abdomen was cancerous or not. Around that time, my sister was getting married, and I didn’t want any negative news to cloud the celebration. I requested the doctor if we could postpone further investigations for a while. But the doctor said that I had already lost a lot of time, and advised I complete the tests, as the results would take a week to 10 days to come.

So once again I was steered through various tests. There was blood test, including SGPT, a bone marrow biopsy. I had to take Vitamin K injections for a week to help initiate clotting.

It was almost after 2 harrowing months of cough, weakness, vomiting, X-rays, blood tests and scans that I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the stomach. I had tested positive for CD30 and p80, a type of classification for lymphoma cancer cells. Later I learnt that my type of lymphoma usually starts as a quickly growing mass in a lymph node deep inside the body such as the chest or abdomen, and responds well to treatment. I was advised 6 cycles of chemotherapy, but no surgery.

Of course, the news that I had cancer shook me badly. I had 2 small kids, an unmarried sister and ageing parents – all of whom were dependent on me. I couldn’t let cancer cut me short. It was amidst these troubling thoughts that I resolved to battle it out.

When my chemotherapy started, I quarantined myself in one room at home and didn’t come out from there for 6 months, till my treatment was over. I did this essentially to protect myself from all infections. That room became my home for 6 months. I would eat, sleep, work and do all my tasks from there. I stayed away even from my children for 6 months. I would just wave out to them from the door. At some moments I really had to steel myself. I was fortunate to have a good family support. My wife and sister stood by me strongly and worked tirelessly for my health. I was given healthy, nutritious warm food every two hours that kept my energy levels and mood upbeat. I would not have come out of this healthy as I am today had it not been for my family.

I remember, when the doctor told me that I had cancer, my initial reaction was ‘Why me?’, but later on, sometimes when I would be alone with my thoughts, I would say, ‘Thank God it was me and not my children’.

Understanding lymphoma can be bit daunting for patients, especially the testing, diagnosis, and prognosis of the disease can get complicated and long-drawn.

On World Lymphoma Awareness Day, the one big positive message I would like to convey to those affected is "Look for the positives; lymphoma is not as bad as a heart condition – it is curable, there are no restrictions or medicines for life. I feel blessed to be able to speak to others and share my story."

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