Lymphoma sucks. But it's one of the most treatable, most survivable kinds of cancer. People will tell you it's the "good cancer," which will make you want to punch them, but on some level it's true. I mean, compared to pancreatic cancer, it's pretty darn sunny.

So...first what they will do is type and stage you. For me this involved a CT scan, PET scan, lymph node biopsy, and bone marrow biopsy. Basically they want to know where the cancer is/how far it has spread and what kind of cancer it is (i.e. Hodgkins or non-Hodgkins).

From there, they'll decide on treatment. In the US the standards of care are ABVD for Hodgkins or R-CHOP for non-Hodgkins. Both of these are really standardized regimens with established success rates. For me that was great news...it made me feel secure knowing that I was getting "proven" treatment.

For me, the worst part was the diagnostic/waiting phase. Once treatment started, and I could physically feel my swollen lymph nodes disappearing, some of the fear and anxiety disappeared, too. One of the most helpful things, again, for me, was to remember that right now things are how they are, and no degree of worry or obsession about it is going to help anything.

Also, I second what /u/silentcanary said about anti-nausea meds. They are your friend. Take them early and often, and if they aren't cutting it feel free to ask for something stronger. Zofran and Compazine with the occasional Dramamine for car rides kept me functional 95% of the time during chemo.

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk. If you're interested I also kept an online journal detailing my cancer experience with Hodgkins that I'd be happy to share.