I first experienced a dull kind of pain on my left underarm and, soon after that, persistent flu-like symptoms (low grade fever, fatigue, coughing). I waited for a couple of weeks and as the fever wasn't going away, I visited my doctor. He gave me a series of blood tests in which everything looked fine except for the level of white bloods, which was higher than normal. The doctor suspected some sort of infection and repeated the tests over the course of three months. As the tests came back with virtually the same results, he referred me to the local hospital. By the time I went to the hospital for examination, I had a swollen lymph node just above my collarbone on the left side. The relatively frequent symptom of itchiness was also present at the time. A needle biopsy confirmed that I had lymphoma (although it was mistakenly identified as follicular Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). A surgical biopsy about two weeks later established that I had Hodgkin's lymphoma, stage IIB.

When I was 16 years old, I started getting night sweats every day, and they gradually grew more powerful. I also started getting bad fevers, and I was losing a lot of weight, so I went to the doctor. He did blood tests on me, and he never found anything. So, he wanted to do a CT test. After that, he called me saying I had to come back immediately because they found something. So, I went back, and he told me I had cancer, but that he didn't know which one. He referred me to a cancer specialist, and they did many testes and biopsies. They told me I had Hodgkin's lymphoma. I had three weeks of chemo and one month of radiation. Now, I'm cancer-free.

I woke up one day with a strange lump about the size of a golf ball on the left side of my neck. I went to my family doctor who sent me straight to a throat and neck specialist who did not think the lump was anything to worry about. He put me on antibiotics thinking it was an infection, causing a lymph node to swell. The lump got bigger and he finally ordered a CT scan that showed about nine masses in my neck area. The large lump was then taken out and proved to be stage II Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Taking Part in Cancer Research

Doctors all over the country are conducting many types of clinical trials (research studies in which people volunteer to take part). Clinical trials are designed to answer important questions and to find out whether new approaches are safe and effective.

Research already has led to advances, and doctors continue to search for more effective methods for treating Hodgkin lymphoma. Doctors are studying methods of new and better ways to treat it, and ways to improve quality of life.

People who join clinical trials may be among the first to benefit if a new approach is effective. And even if people in a trial do not benefit directly, they still make an important contribution by helping doctors learn more about Hodgkin lymphoma and how to control it. Although clinical trials may pose some risks, doctors do all they can to protect their patients.

If you are interested in being part of a clinical trial, talk with your doctor.
Hodgkin Disease At A Glance
Hodgkin's disease is a type of lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system).
The most common symptom of Hodgkin's disease is a painless swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin.
Hodgkin's disease is diagnosed when abnormal tissue is detected by a pathologist after a biopsy of an enlarged lymph node.
Treatment of Hodgkin's disease depends on the symptoms, stage and location of disease, as well as the age and health of the patient.
Treatment of Hodgkin's disease usually includes radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
Regular follow-up examinations are important after treatment for Hodgkin's disease. Patients treated for Hodgkin's disease have an increased risk of developing other types of cancer later in life, especially leukemia.

What are listeriosis symptoms and signs?


Fever, muscle aches, and occasionally, nausea or diarrhea (or both) are the usual symptoms associated with listeriosis. These symptoms usually last up to one week and spontaneously resolve. However, in some people, the organisms can spread to the brain. The symptoms of meningitis (stiff neck, headache, and fever), altered mental status (confusion, reduced mental activity), balance problems, and seizures develop in brain infections. Brain abscesses may also occur and cause similar symptoms.

Dysuria is painful or uncomfortable urination, typically a sharp, burning sensation. Some disorders cause a painful ache over the bladder or perineum. Dysuria is an extremely common symptom in women, but it can affect men and can occur at any age.

Pathophysiology

A healthy person lives in harmony with the microbial flora that helps protect its host from invasion by pathogens, usually defined as microorganisms that have the capacity to cause disease. The microbial flora is mostly bacteria and fungi and includes normal resident flora, which is present consistently and promptly reestablishes itself if disturbed, and transient flora, which may colonize the host for hours to weeks but does not permanently establish itself. Organisms that are normal flora can occasionally cause disease, especially when defenses are disrupted.

Loss of vision is usually considered acute if it develops within a few minutes to a couple of days. It may affect one or both eyes and all or part of a visual field. Patients with small visual field defects (eg, caused by a small retinal detachment) may describe their symptoms as blurred vision.

Pathophysiology

Acute loss of vision has 3 general causes:
Opacification of normally transparent structures through which light rays pass to reach the retina (eg, cornea, vitreous)
Retinal abnormalities
Abnormalities affecting the optic nerve or visual pathways

Non-infectious diseases (also called Non-communicable diseases [NCDs]) are those diseases that are not caused by a pathogen and cannot be shared from one person to another. In contrast, transmissible diseases caused by pathogenic organisms are infectious diseases. There are many kinds of non-infectious diseases. Some examples are cancer, asthma, and heart diseases. Non-infectious diseases may be caused by either the environment, nutritional deficiencies, lifestyle choices, or genetic inheritances. Unlike infectious diseases, non-infectious diseases are not communicable or contagious, although some kinds can be passed down genetically to the children of a carrier.

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