New member! :)

Hi all,
I am new to this, and to be honest I'm not quite sure what I am hoping to gain from posting...maybe a little understanding and support from people going through something similar!

My wonderful hubby was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in November 2011 after being very ill since June 2011 with breathlessness, coughing, night sweats, weight loss. He underwent an unsuccessful biopsy in June 2011 (he was coughing too much to remove a biopsy) and at this time he was misdiagnosed & told he had Sarcoidosis. He began steroid treatment for Sarcoid, but steadily went down hill. When he collapsed and was hospitalised in October, it was discovered that there was a lot more going on! After A LOT of testing, biopsies and scopes, it turned out my hubby had stage 3 Non Hodgkin’s mediastinal lymphoma with a tracheoesophageal fistula thrown into the mix for fun!

He was sent home from hosp to await chemo but was re-admitted as a critical patient after his lungs flooded at home due to the fistula. He underwent 6 rounds of R-CHOP and was hospitalised for 2 months. Due to the fistula he needed a PEG and JEG tube fitted to decompress his stomach and was on liquid feed almost 2 months. It wasn't believed he would make it through 3 nights during his hospital stay as he developed severe infections and went into resp. failure. I slept on the floor beside him in the hosp for 2 weeks! But, Thank God, he pulled through and we began to see improvements slowly. He was discharged from hospital on the 18th of December, was told his fistula had sealed on the 21st of December (and he was allowed to eat again) and he finished his last chemo on the 29th of Feb. We just received his PET scan results...and they are clear! It has been a rollercoaster of a journey! We will be married two years in July...this has definitely been a test of our vows! He is doing wonderfully, his energy is almost back to pre-sickness, and his hair is growing back.. I have my husband and best friend back.

I guess I'm just finding it hard to get my head around all that has happened. It has been very fast moving and we have had a lot to deal with! We have been told that his PET scan was clear and 100% normal...can I ask..does this put him into the remission category? I was in such shock when we received the results via the phone that I forgot to ask! We are seeing the oncologist on Monday, but just wanted to test the waters here first!

Has anyone experienced anything similar to this? I believe the type of lymphoma my hub has in a rarer type? I'd love some feed back! God Bless. xx