Newly Diagnosed with B-Cell Lymphoma: What Happens Next?

I just was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma. non Hodgkins type

I was diagnosed with FL in '23 the treatments weren't that bad was still able to work no nausea or hair loss now I'm fixing to go through treatments for diffuse large b cell lymphoma it'll be chemo first then radiation. You've got this just keep your head up also try to have a sense of humor about things it won't help feeling down.

Get a good support system! Family, friends, team of drs and nurses. My family lives far away, but my hubby was my rock, and family came to visit also.I was blessed with all of the above. And God… 🙏✝️ our pastor visited me multiple times.

Andrea lerma have you stated treatment yet? Still waiting for my consultation. I was diagnosed with follicular b- cell lymphoma .

I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Large B cell Lymphoma, stage 4, in Jan 2025. Pretty scary since I'd never been seriously ill. When we got the diagnosis from my oncologist, he said since it was so advanced, there was no cure. So instantly I thought oh my God, I'm going to die. Then he said, although it's not curable, it is very treatable. To say the least, I felt very relieved. He explained how we would move forward with chemotherapy & other medications & what to expect. The cancer cells were mainly in and around my stomach. Since I had lost about 40 pounds, he wanted to put me in the hospital 1st for observation. I had never been in the hospital before and I was in there for a week. I had my 1st chemo while in the hospital. Amazingly, it must have killed so many cancer cells, I felt somewhat hungry the next morning. I was still very weak but optimistic for the future. I received chemotherapy every 21 days at the infusion center for a total of 6 rounds. I felt fortunate in that I never felt sick or threw up after chemo. After the second chemo, I noticed my hair was coming out when I combed it. So, we got a trimmer from Amazon & trimmed it & my beard very short. My biggest concern was that I was very tired & had no energy. That lasted for about 2 weeks after chemo then you would start to feel better. Then the next chemo and the same cycle again. I had a CAT scan after the 4th chemo & it looked promising. About 3 weeks after the last chemo, I had a PET Scan. When we met with my oncologist, he said good news. The PET scan didn't find any cancer cells - you are in remission. God is good. I can't thank the doctors, nurses & staff enough at St. Jude Heritage Crosson Cancer Center enough. They went above and beyond. However, my biggest hero is my wife. She kept track of all my appointments, & made sure I took the proper meds at the right time. She made me protein drinks, meals and snacks trying to fatten me back up. She is truly a blessing. I have gained most of my weight back & my stamina is improving a little each day. This was the story of my journey. Sorry it was so long. Be positive. BTW, my hair is growing back in snow white 😊.

Praise the Lord Jim , very encouraging words to hear thank you for sharing your story.

I'm finally meeting with my cancer doctor this Friday to find out what's next.

Jim, your journey sounds alike like mine. Weight loss, unable to eat because the tumour took up my whole stomach. It wasn’t until the chemo started working to shrink the tumour that allowed me to be able to finally get nutrition. They wanted to do a feeding tube but I said no thanks … I have lingering aches and pains and neuropathy from either nerve nerve damage or the chemo, they think. My numbers are all in the normal range. But they are just doing a CAT scan on 8/20–just to make sure.🙏🥰🙏

Good luck 🍀🙏🏻🙏🏻

I finally got to see my oncologist Thursday . They set up my treatments. My first one is September 2nd every 3 weeks. Now just waiting fro appointment to get the bone marrow test done and port put in.

Hopefully the chemo will do its job. I had a bone marrow biopsy also that was negative. The nurses told me it could be painful but I never felt a thing. I never got sick after the chemo. Occasionally just a little nauseous. But they give you pills for that. It did make me very fatigued though. Still trying to get my stamina back. But after the initial shock of stage 4, I'm glad to be here . 😎

My husband goes to the dr in Sept not sure of his treatment yet. But this his second time please keep him in your prayers

I had my first treatment Tuesday. Today is Saturday . Still doing good . Taking nausea pills to stay ahead of it. And on my last day of 100mg preisone. Go Monday for blood work and see doctor. Next treatment is 21st 2nd round . Still working , and praising the Lord for the strength and courage. Praying for you all .🙏🙏🙏

Judy - that's good news. Stay strong. If you get tired, don't over do it. 🙏🏻

Erroll - good luck. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Just a update: bone barrow was negative. Praise the Lord. First treatment went great, no sickness or nausea. Did blood work and my immune system drop really low. Wednesday a week ago. Starting running a fever it got to 99.7 . So I went ahead drove myself to the ER . The time I got into a room. It was 100.9 . They went ahead and admitted me. Ran every test to try to find out why . Friday they finally found it in my strudum. They had already been giving me antibiotics the whole time. Saturday I got to go home with 5 more day of antibiotics. Followed up with my primary doctor cause they wanted to take me off of meds. But my doctor said to ask my chemo. But he gave me 5 more of antibiotics cause I sounded all stopped up.. I do blood work Tuesday and see doctor and start my 2 round of chemo if my blood work is good.. 🙏🙏🙏

The waiting period after diagnosis can feel overwhelming, but it's completely normal to have many questions at this stage. Most healthcare teams will walk through next steps during that first consultation, which typically includes additional tests to determine the specific type and stage, followed by discussing treatment options tailored to the individual situation. This community is a wonderful place to connect with others who understand this journey and can share their experiences as things move forward.