IamA 23 year old male who has just been given the all clear from cancer AMA!

What symptoms led you to seek medical treatment that ultimately resulted in your cancer diagnosis?

Good question, I found a lump under my left armpit which gradually got bigger and didn't go away. I went to see my local doctor who advised me that it was a swollen lymph node and to leave it for a few weeks to see if went away. It didn't, so I was sent for scans and a needle aspiration test. The results showed that the tissue was 'suspicious' of Hodgkins Lymphoma. I then had a biopsy at the hospital and after that it was officially confirmed.

What was your first though when 1. you found out you had cancer and 2. when you found out you were clear from cancer?

First thought was what was going to happen next, would this be something that changed my life forever? Am I going to be sick for a long time? Doctors had mentioned I may need radiotherapy if anything showed up on the last scan but it was all clear. When I got that news I just breathed a sigh of relief.

How does it feel to finally be cancer-free?

Amazing! Such a relief, the last 6 months have sucked but now I can focus on the future and make plans for the summer.

How has going through cancer affected your view on life?

If I have learnt one thing from my experience, it is to never take your health for granted. It came as such a shock when I was diagnosed. It surprised how much it affected the people I have closest to me and how much support they gave me. I am making more of an effort now to maintain a healthy lifestyle, eat well and exercise more.

So amazing and awesome that you are cancer free.

My question is: how old were you when you were diagnosed?

Thanks, it sure is :) I was 22 when I was diagnosed.

That's awesome to hear. Was there ever a time it felt hopeless on treatment? Like in the back of your mind, everything wasn't gonna be alright. How did you overcome that, if yes?

Thanks :) Not really, their is a positive vibe in the hospital from the nurses and staff and I was counting down the treatments each time. My first PET scan after 2 cycles showed that the cancer had almost gone and I my body had responded very quickly which was great. Towards the end through I just wanted it all to be over. My biggest worry is that it could come back, even though the chances are very small that is what sticks in my mind the most.

Congratulations OP. Fuck cancer. Make the most of every day from now on dude.

What would you rather fight. A duck the size of a gorilla, or ten gorillas the size of ducks?

hahaha thanks, hmm ten gorillas the size of ducks I think

This is awesome man. My girlfriend is going through Leukemia and just had a bone marrow transplant. She's 24, so it's great to hear someone who's around her age having success.

How did you cope with having a cancer that kills roughly 10% of it's victims in the first year? I can't imagine being so strong to fight through that, so kudos to you.

Sorry to hear about your girlfriend man. I hope she gets better soon. Just make sure you stay positive and she will stay positive then too. I tried not to focus too much on the statistics, it affects different people in different ways. Nobody is the same. All about focusing on getting better, counting down the treatments etc. That's what helped me get through it.

What were your symptoms going in, that made you get the diagnosis in the first place?

I found a lump under my left armpit which gradually got bigger and didn't go away. I didn't really have any other symptoms other than that.

Hi! Congrats on becoming cancer-free! What stage was your HL? I am a stage 2 HL survivor, diagnosed at 22! Do you ever worry that it will come back?

Thank you. That's great news. I do worry a little, although doctors have assured me that the possibility is very slim. I will try to live the healthiest lifestyle possible which is all I can do really.

Good news, everyone. I'm happy for you, man. And bet your family is relieved and overjoyed. Don't take this the wrong way, but why aren't you celebrating your arse off?

I'm made up! I will be celebrating over the weekend with friends and have plans to go to festivals over the summer

Glad you're healthy again, amigo. Here's a little something to celebrate. $2 /u/changetip?

Thanks so much!

I've heard that the chemotherapy makes you feel constantly sick, does it actually do that?

It's not great, it affects different people in different ways. I felt pretty sick for 1 or 2 days after treatment, I got tired really quick after the first few cycles but towards the end of the treatment I found that I felt better sooner. The anti-sickness drugs I was given worked very well, I was only sick once at the hospital immediately after having chemo and was then given more anti-sickness drugs to prevent it from happening again. I tried to stay positive and remember that the chemo is making me better even though it made me feel worse.

Have you made any lifestyle changes because of the cancer? Eating differently, maybe avoiding anything?

Yes, I have quit smoking and trying to avoid eating fast food as much as possible. My diet wasn't the best but I'm trying my best to eat healthy and exercise more. I am feeling pretty good again now.

Did your friends generally stick around/support you after you were diagnosed?

Congratulations by the way, I don't even know you and this makes me very happy :)

My girlfriend was truly amazing, we had only been together a short time when I was diagnosed and she stuck by me the whole time. Marriage material right there

I couldn't of asked for better support from my friends and family. They really helped me get through this. I emigrated to Australia from the UK so a lot of my closest friends and family are back there but I still got messages of support and Skype calls regularly which was awesome. Thank you so much!

Hey man, congrats on the clean bill of health! Did you ever find that a dark sense of humor was helpful to yourself and family? I always imagined if I were diagnosed, I'd use humor to my (mental) advantage, and try to keep my loved ones smiling in spite of the bad news.

Thank you. Yes, I tried to make light of the situation as often as possible. I joked around with my mate a lot and when I started losing my hair I posted some stupid selfies wearing a curly afro wig

Haha that's good stuff! Best of luck getting back into the swing of working. Spending so much time at home or in the bed is sure to mess with your head, so I can understand your eagerness to get back to work.

Thanks man

Congrats man. When you found out that you had cancer, do you remember what feeling hit you the hardest? Congrats again man.

Thank you :) I think the thing that hit me hardest was not knowing how it was going to affect me, if treatment would work well or not and if this was going to change the rest of my life. It was a scary experience at first.

What has been the thing that has kept you going strong through all this? Also, congrats!

Thank you. Support from my family and friends and my girlfriend has kept me going, she is only 20 and it has been a hard experience for her too but she kept smiling and helped me to stay positive.

What were your thoughts right after your diagnosis, before you educated yourself on the ins and outs of your cancer?

When I first found the lump I started looking into what it could be and self diagnosed myself. After seeing the doctor he mentioned that it could be cancer so I had already prepared myself for the worst. I knew that it was treatable and that the success rate was high and it helped a lot knowing that. The worst thought was thinking that this could be something that changed my life forever and not knowing what had caused it.

Do you play any sports that you want to get back into? And, Congratulations on your cancer free report. I have a family friend who was diagnosed with the same thing about two months ago. I'm trying to keep her on a positive outlook, but, she, like you is very upset after she heard the word cancer. Her brother also had Hodgkin's lymphoma and like you is cancer free.

Thanks. I used to play football back in high school but don't play any more. Ah that's horrible news. The most important thing is staying positive, focus on finishing and getting better. Her brother will be able to offer her advice which is good. I wish her the best of luck.

Fucking congrats brother. How does it feel to pummel cancer like the 4-eyed nerd it is?

hahaha feels pretty damn good!

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The day I was officially diagnosed was the worst. Telling my parents and girlfriend. It was hard to stay positive and I just remember feeling very down.

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It wasn't removed. The lymph node was swollen and enlarged due to the cancerous cells present. After treatment it just returned to its normal size. Now that the cancer is no longer present and my white blood cells return to normal my immune system should improve and eventually return to normal. Yeah, 4 weeks free now! Alcohol has never played a huge role in my life but I suppose I will drink less than I used to, or at least not as often for the time being anyway

Kudos for being cancer free, is there one thing that you are looking forward to doing, that you couldn't before? (Sorry for being so damned morbid)

As sad as it sounds... I am looking forward to getting back to working a full 5 days a week instead of having some much time off with hospital visits. Also, getting back to the gym and starting to feel good again.

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It was large enough to be visible under the skin when looking in the mirror, probably around the same size as a ping pong ball. I just knew that something wasn't right. That was the only symptom I had really. Good luck man, I really hope it's nothing serious. Good on you for getting it checked out though, it is a scary situation but you are doing the right thing. Stay positive!

one of best friends recently told me he has cancer. he found out less than 2 weeks ago. weve known each other since we were 12. this was a big shock, to him, and to me. you had mentioned how it affected people that were close to you. ive noticed that i interact with him differently. do you have any advice as far as supporting him?

Sorry to hear about that, I hope they get better soon. Just try to be as supportive as you can. Be there as someone to talk to and just assure them that things will get better and focus on the end goal. Try to do things together that will take their mind of it all, that really helps too.