About a week before I had a CT scan, a few golf ball sized lumps started to rapidly grow in my neck.

"Things became extremely busy."                                                                                                                                                                                           

In the first couple of weeks immediately after being diagnosed it was basically the same as starting a new full time job that you didn't want or didn't apply for.

Once the initial test showed that these were suspect growths, I had to have a biopsy under general anaesthetic to remove one of the lumps in my neck.  After this experience it gave a new meaning to waiting for the results to come back. It took a bit over a week to get the results which confirmed what type of Hodgkins Lymphoma I had.

"I experienced a crazy mix of emotions."

Thinking about how I was going to continue doing my job which I really enjoyed, what the future would hold, if I was going to survive, all of the things that I would now not be able to do due to cancer entering my life.

After the verdict was out I was told that I was going to go onto a chemotherapy called ABVD (Adriamycin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine, Dacarbazine). The nurse at the chemo day unit went through all of the possible side effects that could happen once I started the chemotherapy. They stressed that even though these were all the possible side effects they might not all happen to me.

"It was extremely difficult to cope with the side effects."

After I started the chemo – it did get easier as time when on – but having all these chemicals pumped into your blood stream was clearly not healthy for my body.

The good news was that after 2 cycles of ABVD I had a PET Scan (Positron Emission Tomography) at Peter Mac in Melbourne which confirmed that my body was having a positive reaction to the chemo drugs and the cancer cells were shrinking to the point of not being able to show up on the scan. 

To Be Continued...