Background

Hi Everyone

First off, thanks for all your support, well wishes and offers of help. Rest assured we will call on it if needed

I will try and update this as often as I can to give everyone as much information as possible - especially for our friends and family overseas. For us up to now we want to know as much information as possible, and this is probably true for everyone else as well so here goes.

The Diagnosis

Shanean has been diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma

This is a blood cancer that attacks the white blood cells (lymphocytes) and is in the same group as luekemia and myeloma.

For her, the cancer has developed in the lymph nodes on her aorta, near her stomach and also in the lower abdomen. This has been classified as aggressive as it is growing quite fast. Her scans have shown some small traces in the neck as well (though the doctor, or her, cant feel this so is very minor). But because of this she is officially diagnosed as a "Stage 3" (out of 4 stages). Apparently staging of lymphoma is not as relevant as it used to be though as the treatments are pretty much the same regardless (so the doctor has said)

There is a myriad of info on the web. I found the following web site pretty good for info in laymans terms if you want to research some more

www.lymphoma.org

How this came about

For about 3-4 weeks Shanean was experiencing abdominal pain, mainly at the front but radiating around the back. She says it felt like strong indigestion. The pain was progressively getting worse and was beginning to affect her sleeping

She was at the doctors getting Joel and Celeste checked up and thought to casually ask about this abdominal pain on the way out. Her doctor was quite responsive and quickly sent her for an X-Ray which came back negative. She was then sent for a CT scan and this pretty much showed up the growths straight away.

It was actually the sonographer at the CT scan place that first told her it was probably lymphoma and she should go back to her doctor that afternoon. When she went back her doctor confirmed this and organised for her to see the Heamotology Specialist at the RPA Hospital in Newtown (Dr Joshua). This appointment was scheduled exactly one week away on the following Friday (16 October 2009)