Hello Jane, 

I am sorry to hear that the follicular lymphoma has transformed into aggressive Hodgkin's Lymphoma and it's unlucky that this is a rare transformation. It's reassuring news though that it can potentially be cured by chemo. I hope that the ABVD chemotherapy works well for him and that you will meet others on the forum who have had this type of transformation and received the same treatment. I thought I would mention for example one of our members [@imean_itiswhatitis]‍ who had Hodgkin's Lymphoma and finished his ABVD chemotherapy treatment so he might be a good person for you to talk to.

If you have any questions at any point, feel free to ring our cancer nurses on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. 

I hope your husband's treatment works its magic and that he is feeling ok at the moment. 

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hi Jane !!

Thank you to Lucie for mentioning me in this post even if it is a little late haha, I'm a night owl so my apologies for just seeing this now ! 

I haven't been through a transformation but that is definitely good news as shocking as it had to have been to find out. I'm currently in remission for Hodgkins Lymphoma, I had a really bad case of stage 2, it was looking like it would take alot to get a clear, but not at all ! 

I had 12 sessions (6 rounds) of ABVD chemotherapy across six months, every two weeks from september 2020 to february of this year. My experience with it was really not as bad as I thought it would be, but it did have it's downs just like every other sort of chemotherapy mixture they use out there now I suppose. 

On my mid way scan back in October I was already completely clear, no signs of any tumors whatsoever which was super surprising given what my doctor told me about the severity of my stage (there was just alot of masses in two localised areas) and after getting pretty much the all clear, one of the drugs were dropped, Bleomycin, which was the one if memory serves me correct was the most damaging one to our lungs, so it really made a difference in the steps of a session going forward.

The first few sessions were really smooth sailing, but I would please tell you to prepare for some bad days after a session, I'm a young person so I shouldve handled this easy, but nobody can tell you the same things until you experience them !!

The way they told me how I would feel after a session, was one bad week, and one good week, until the next session, and I stuck by that, it was the easiest thing to cope with, getting through the bad week to enjoy the good week of not feeling (too) groggy :happy:

Be prepared for some nausea for the first few days, tiredness and just pretty weak in terms of strength but it doesn't get so bad that he can't move around, just heavy duty kind of things. Stay stocked up on some healthy snacks for when he wants to eat but aren't ready to have a full meal yet (dried fruit like raisins or fresh strawberries got me through my tough days). Take a blanket to the sessions as the coldness of the drips can bring on a slight chill, always worth it just in case of cold weather outside especially. Bringing a big bottle of water along is good too, especially for the journey home if you're not staying at the hospital, staying hydrated makes it alot easier for the nasty feeling to be flushed out a little quicker, and as you might already know, red urine is completely normal for a few days once it's being flushed out of his system as one of the drugs is red (that one made me feel the worst for some reason). 

Key points out of this long rambling: Staying hydrated is key in the week of a session, get plenty of rest and try to make sure he eats as much as he can handle without getting the feeling of spewing, baby steps until his body is ready. Go for slow walks around your neighbourhood just to stay active even if it's a stroll around your local ASDA, better than not moving at all :) 

This is probably the best regimen offered for Hodgkins Lymphoma, I have met many people who have had this chemotherapy and they're doing very well, and if this one doesn't do the trick, there are other steps. I was very fortunate for this to have worked out as well as it has, and I hope it works out the same for your husband. 

I wish your husband all the luck he deserves, and I hope you both get through this hard time with your heads held high, even through the lows < 3 

C x