My name is Bonnie and I’m from the United States of America. I am 62 years of age and work as a registered nurse on a general pediatric floor. I once was a pediatric oncology nurse and found this position to be very rewarding.
I was first diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in October 2023 while in hospital with a kidney infection. This was unfortunately normal for me as I have chronic kidney stones. Usually when this happens it means a stone has blocked one of my ureters. So, I had a CT scan to look for the stone. The next thing I knew the hospitalist walked into my room and said, ” I’m having an oncologist coming to see you because we believe you have lymphoma.” Then she walked out of the room.
I was in shock the rest of the night. Thinking how could she know this? The next day the oncologist came into my room, sat down and explained everything. She told me she would not know for sure or know what kind until biopsies came back, I had biopsies done that day and remember crying through the whole thing, but the doctor and nurses were great. I was given the official diagnosis a week later with treatment plans. My oncologist and second opinion state I may not need treatment for 5-10 years. They said if it had not been for the CT scan I probably would not have known about it since I have no symptoms.
The day I told my family I found out one of my sisters was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We both got our official diagnoses on the same day. She died a month later. Now I just play the waiting game. Scared every time I go in for labs. People I tell have a hard time with the fact I am not being treated yet.
If I could offer support or guidance to others in the FL community, the one thing I would want to share with them is; Find someone to talk to.
