You cannot choose which way the wind is blowing,

but you can adjust the sails.

An Ill Wind

You are in shock.

Your physician has just informed you that you may have Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (a form of cancer of the lymphatic system). You feel numb, and your mind is racing with questions. What is Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma? What parts of your body are affected? What caused it? How bad is it? Is it curable? If so, what treatment is involved? How successful is it? What are the side effects?

Some people who hear the diagnosis of cancer feel depressed and powerless. It may feel like an unseen force has taken over your body, blowing your life in a direction you did not intend for it to go.

It’s important to remember that you still have choices. You may be blowing in a direction you did not anticipate, but you do not have to be adrift. You can still pilot the ship; you can still trim the sails. The more you realize this, the more in-control of the situation—and less depressed about the diagnosis—you will feel. You have important decisions to make. You need to be informed.

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Taking the Wheel

This Web quest will help you do that. It will help you to:

Gather information about, and gain a basic understanding of, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Become more familiar with the type you have and the stage it is in.

Explore and consider treatment options, and decide which would be best for you.

Decide on other factors that can help you best navigate the seas you are now on.

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Charting Your Course

1) Use the Pilot’s Checklist to keep track of the information you will find and the decisions you make as you go along.

2) Click on Getting Your Bearings to find answers to the following questions you will want to consider:

What is Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma?

What are the tests I can expect to take to confirm my diagnosis?

What stage is my cancer most likely in?

What are the two most common treatments for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma?

What are their pros and cons?

Are there other treatments I might want to consider?

What other factors might help me as I travel on this journey, such as seeking a support group?

3) Take Action

Decide on whether you want a second opinion, if you haven’t already gotten one. If you decide to get one, schedule it.

As you look through this information, write a list of questions to ask your physician at the next visit. Take a tape recorder with you, or ask a friend or family member to come along to take notes. It’s important that you hear and understand what your physician has to say, and in a situation such as this it is sometimes difficult to remember everything that is said.

Use the Treatment Decision Tool to help you decide which treatment option would be the best for you.

Reach out for support. It may be friends, family members, the support group hosted by a local hospital, or even an Internet support group.

Learn about other actions you can take which will help you in dealing with this disease.

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Getting Your Bearings

Unless marked (*) these links are gleaned from the top ranked health care websites by reach, as reported in December 2000 by PricewaterhouseCoopers, HealthCast 2010 E-Health Quarterly, February 2001. The Treatment Decision Tool is from the American Cancer Society website.

General Information on Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/wyntk_pubs/non-hodgkins.htm#2

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1680.51619

http://www.drkoop.com/conditions/ency/article.asp?id=581

http://www.mayohealth.org/home?id=DS00241

http://www.lymphoma.org/ *

http://www.cancerpage.com/articles/default.asp?id=8&subarea=Your_Illness#non *

Chemotherapy

http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/peb/chemo_you/

Radiation

http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/peb/radiation/index.html

Treatment Decision Tool

http://www.cancer.nexcura.com/Interface2.asp?CB=141&Code=NewSession

Getting Support

http://www.mayohealth.org/home?id=HO00034&bucket=staged

http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/taking_time/timeintro.html

http://www.acscsn.org/ *

http://www.kennedyhealth.org/default.cfm?id=45040&action=detail&ref=332 *

WebPages With Other Helpful Links

http://www.healthandage.com/patient/patientquery.htm?qt=non-hodgkins+lymphoma&col=patient&qc=physican&qc=health&qc=patient

http://www.cancerlinks.org/lymphoma.html#LYMPHOMA *

http://www.kennedyhealth.org/default.cfm?id=37060 *

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Pilot’s Checklist

Information











Questions To Ask My Physician









	Actions to Take:	Notes:

	Decide on getting a second opinion
	If yes, make appointment

	Bring tape recorder, friend or family member to next doctor’s visit

	Use the Treatment Decision Tool to help decide on treatment

	Decide on who or where to go to for support

	List other actions I will take to help myself on this journey

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Setting Sail

With your completed Pilot’s Checklist on board, and crew members to support you, you are ready to set sail on the challenging journey life has sent you. Always remember:

You cannot choose which way the wind is blowing,

but you can adjust the sails.

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