Need Information about "non-hodgkin-lymphoma"

Hi @Erica @BloodCancerUK_Nurses @LauranBloodCancerUK @Heidi_BloodCancerUK @Nichola75 thanks for the response on the thread.

With the experimental advice and consult from Doctor as well medical team , he is doing good wrt health and conditions.

Need to gear up for further treatment and course of action. Next appointment is given by doctor post 3 days from now. and currently, my job is to increase the tolerance limit of the body so that he can successfully able to handle next stages of chemotherapy.

Apart from Diet and Mental Health ( trying and letting him to stay positive ) ; Is there any other thing which I can think n act upon which can aid him for further stages of treatment ?

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Hi All,

Need some information about a situation ; that my father’s blood sugar is increasingly high around greater than 400. Is this because of chemotherapy treatment doses ?

He has problem of dibetes prevoiusly also ( means before getting founding out that he is suffering from Lymphoma )

Past two months he is not having any sweet diet or so. Don’t know the reason of exponential increase in the sugar.

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Hi @papa . I’ll wait for @BloodCancerUK_Nurses to respond as it’s a medical question. Hope they can help. Have the medical team offered any explanation?

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Hi @papa again perhaps it is a question for your father’s medical team because of his medical history.
Look after yourselves

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HI @BloodCancerUK_Nurses awaiting responses. on the above query.

Query was :
"
Need some information about a situation ; that my father’s blood sugar is increasingly high around greater than 400. Is this because of chemotherapy treatment doses ?

He has problem of dibetes prevoiusly also ( means before getting founding out that he is suffering from Lymphoma )
"

Today my father has undergone “KUB(US)” test and report says “Cystitis” with left kidney ; becuase of rigorous urination this test was suggested by Doctor.

Is this something which need to be taken care proactively ; because my father is in phase of having chemotherapy?

Regards,
Nitish

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Hi @papa, thank you for your question and I do hope you and your father are doing okay. It must, understandably, be worrying to notice your father’s rising blood sugar results. May I ask whether this is something that has been discussed with his medical team? We’d strongly encourage you to do so, if you haven’t already. Changes in blood results can indeed be anxiety-provoking, and can have a number of causes- this is so important to explore with his team, as they’ll know his history and individual circumstances, and be able to advise on whether any further tests are necessary, and help him to understand the cause of his changes in blood sugar levels.

Please know that if you’d like to talk this through with someone, you’d be welcome to call our Support Team on 0808 2080 888. Do take care of yourself.

Best wishes,
Tanya.

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Hello @papa
As my colleague @TanyaBloodCancerUK advised, your Father’s treatment team to need to address both the high sugars and the cystitis which I am sure are very worrying for you.
Is your Father on steroids as part of his current treatment? This can increase the blood sugars and needs to be managed carefully by the treatment team.
The cystitis is inflammation of the bladder that can be caused by infection or it can be due to irritation from medications. Again the treatment team can manage this side effect, it is not something that can usually be prevented but investigating the symptoms is key to effective management.
I do hope this helps and that your Father continues to improve.
Kind regards
Gemma

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Hi @GemmaBloodCancerUK
yes your concern is correct. Currently, he is going through Chemo and has seen sudden
weight loss and high blood sugar.

Also I am very surprised with the glucose reading which I am getting. Its highly alarming that
I am using “Dr Morepen BG 03” ( which is high well reputed glucose testing machine in India )
and Just as a part of the Experiment I have checked with another machine “NoCoding One Plus Glucometer” and found
a huge difference between the sugar reading. Don’t know which to consider as bench mark for actual sugar reading.

Can anyone suggest any reference of which glucometer to choose as reliable one ?
(it is sure that none of the device can be best, but some should be)

Here the medical team has no answer for such discrepancy ; hence we have moved ahead with the one suggested by nurse sister.

Please do share your thought (apologies If the query is very layman’s).

Regards,
@papa

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Hello @papa
So sorry for the delay in replying, may I ask how your father is doing now?
I am sorry that I cannot personally recommend a glucometer, but I would take advice from his Diabetes Nurse or Team that were managing his sugars before this chemotherapy started. Are you able to contact them?
Wishing you Father continues improvement.
Kind regards
Gemma

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Hi All,

Through your highly valuable inputs in form of bits and bytes . Currently, my father is undergoing 4th cycle of chemotherapy ( just 2 days back ).

Based on PET-CT Scan after 3rd Chemo Cycle; things seem good.
There are many points that are written on PET-CT Report which I am not able to understand completely; but one point which says is “Improvement via treatment” that gives satisfaction to some extent and encourages me alot to complete the things in timely manner.

Hoping more external helps and assistance from the forum.

Regards,
@papa

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If any One can help me in reading “PET-CT” report it will be of great help.

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Hi @GemmaBloodCancerUK ,
Found the way to handle blood sugar during Chemotherapy.
Got “Accu-Check Active” glucometer seems good and closest to the lab report for blood Sugar .

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Hello @papa
Really happy to hear that your Father is tolerating his treatment and is now on cycle 4. May I ask how he is doing?
We cannot interpret PET-CT imaging as this is an expert skill undertaken by a radiologist. If you would like the report explaining I would suggest speaking to your Father’s Consultant next time you you see or speak to them, you could also call the Clinical Nurse Specialist who can guide you too. Here is some information from our colleagues at Lymphoma Action | PET/CT scan (lymphoma-action.org.uk) around PET-CT scans that I hope will be helpful.
Kind regards
Gemma

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HI @GemmaBloodCancerUK ,

He is doing Good .
Trying to compile some info may be good for all Attendants ( to be alert ; may help any infected person treatment ) These were the points observed which altered and as a part of side effect troubled alot to my father . :

Cycle 1 : Increased Blood Sugar
Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 : Decreased TLC ( Total Leukocytes Count )
Cycle 4 : Just went ( Waiting for the symptoms to observe )

UTI ( Urinary Tract Infection ) side effect of chemotherapy he faced a lot during Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 ; due to which excess vomitting and fever happened during Chemo cycles.

My Father has gone continuous 10 days of hospitalisation for detetcting and removing fever occurered because of Urinary Tract Infection.

Many thanks to Urologist and Hameotoglogy Department Doctors.

Fingers Crossed everything should go well in further way of treatment.

Regards,
@papa

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HI Team,

Is there any way we have help in non - reduction of TLC post every cycle of chemotherapy.

As TLC gets decreased ; Father is suspected that he will be definitely down with fever.

If we can do something as an attendant or home made remedies can anyone share.

From some Sources , got to know Coconut Water with Lemon in it can help maintaining TLC counts. Trying the same , but looking for more alternates.

Hi @papa, thank you for your post, and I do hope you and indeed your father are doing okay. It’s very understandable to be feeling concerned about your father’s blood counts and infection risk. We’d strongly encourage you to speak with your father’s medical team about this. As our website states, “You may hear that particular foods or supplements will help you, but there’s rarely any proper scientific evidence to support these claims. Discuss it with your healthcare team before trying something new, to make sure it’s safe and won’t interfere with any treatment you’re having. You can also get advice from a dietitian or pharmacist.” (Complementary and alternative therapies | Blood Cancer UK).

We also have information on our website around the topic of side effects of treatment, and managing these (including managing risk of infection)- Blood cancer side effects | Blood Cancer UK.

I hope this helps, and do take good care of yourself.

Best wishes,
Tanya.

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Hi Team, One common side effect which I am seeing after 8th day of Chemo ; is continuous hickups he is getting.
How can we avoid this common side effect of Chemo; any inputs will be grateful.

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Hi @papa,

Thank you for posting and I’m sorry to see your father has been experiencing side effects of his treatment. I can imagine this must be a worrying time for you. May I ask how you yourself are coping? Do you have any support around you at all?

Side effects of chemotherapy can certainly be troublesome for so many. In case it’s helpful to you at all, Cancer Research UK have information on hiccups, including suggestions of things to try to help- Hiccups and cancer | Coping with cancer | Cancer Research UK. This includes suggested treatments for persistent hiccups. It would be worth talking this through with your father’s medical team, too, if you haven’t already, as they may have suggestions as well.

I do hope this is somewhat helpful for you and your father.

Best wishes,
Tanya.

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Hi Team,

Thanks for providing the inputs.

Hiccups went away by medicine named “Baclofen”. Intensity was around 20 per minute. But now things are good.

Recently as per Bactic Culture report he got infected with Pseudomonas ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection | HAI | CDC. ) due to which hospitailasation exteneded for around 10 days for giving antibiotics.

Currently major problem he is facing is : Weight is oscillating between 46 to 47 kg . Initially he was 64 kg ; when DL BCL ( Non -Hodgkin Lymphoma ) was identified. Can any one please suggest some tips for the same.

Vomiting is something he is still facing.

You’re inputs are very valuable over the time.

Regards,
@papa

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Dear @papa
Really glad to hear that the hiccups improved with Baclofen.
Regarding the weight loss, I would suggest the input of a dietician based at the hospital as they can provide a clear and safe plan for your Father as it is a challenge to put on weight. Stability is the key, so I would not expect too much too soon as having lost such a lot of weight and remaining unwell can slow down weight gain. The dietary advice would also need to consider his diabetes so a professional approach would be recommended. You can request this via his Clinical Nurse Specialist or when next speaking to the Medical team.
Kind regards
Gemma

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