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Follicular lymphoma patient. New doctor wants to do bone marrow test
Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: Oct 28, 2023 | Replies (8)Comment receiving replies
Hello @caracello22, Honestly, from my perspective as leukemia patient and survivor, I’m relieved that you’ve changed hospitals and that your new doctor wants a bone marrow biopsy. She’s being very proactive and thorough in an effort to confirm your diagnosis to make sure you’re getting the best care and treatment for your disease.
The bone marrow biopsy supplies vital information to your doctor. In your case, you’ve been previously diagnosed with follicular lymphoma. Often lymphomas are confirmed with PET scans but for some types of lymphoma (for example, low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphomas such as follicular lymphoma), lymphoma in the bone marrow can be difficult to see on a PET/CT scan. So this is an important tool for your doctor to get a clear picture of the health of your bone marrow or the extent of your disease. She wants to make sure it’s not in your bone marrow.
I’ve had many of these done over the course of my treatment. I’m 4+years past my bout with an aggressive blood cancer. Your form of lymphoma is not aggressive. But it needs to be confirmed and staged so that you can get the treatment necessary for you to move on with your life and stop worrying. The biopsy is just part of a diagnosis process and sounds worse than it is. There is no need to be terrified of either the biopsy or your diagnosis.
If I remember correctly you have a wonderful young son and husband who love and need you. Your goal is to live a long, happy, healthy life and this is one step to get you the reassurance you need to help you achieve that goal.
I found a couple of informational articles for you. One is on follicular lymphoma. The other is on the value of bone marrow biopsies and aspiration in lymphoma testing.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22606-follicular-lymphoma
https://lymphoma-action.org.uk/about-lymphoma-tests-diagnosis-and-staging/bone-marrow-biopsy
It’s great that your blood work has remained stable. How have you been feeling lately?
Replies to "Hello @caracello22, Honestly, from my perspective as leukemia patient and survivor, I’m relieved that you’ve changed..."
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Thank you for this detailed response. I'm also relieved, but a bit upset that my previous doctor seems to have not been thorough (something I suspected), and nervous about the new test, what it will do to my body in the short term and what it may turn up that could impact my life long term (assuming I have long term to think about). It turns out nothing in my file says definitively what I have (yes, I did read it, but much can get lost in translation when all documentation is in a language you don't speak fluently). I am nervous, but I don't think the doctor would order a test like this without good reason. You remember correctly; I do have a young son who is the light of my life and who has absolutely kept my spirits up through all of this. I don't know how I'm going to explain to him that while I'm not feeling ill, I'm probably not going to feel up to roughhousing with him for a couple of days. But, I'm sure I'll figure it out.