Linda Stokes' Battle Session

Linda Stokes

My name is Linda Stokes and my story begins in November 2013.  Around the first of November I ended up at the ER with severe stomach cramps.  They did an abdominal and pelvic CT.  My white cell count was in the 20's.  They saw fluid outside of my stomach cavity.  The admitted me and I had to stay in the hospital for 3 days.  After I was released we continued to run numerous test to try and figure out what was going on.  As we were doing that, a week or so before Christmas I started having a cough.  It continued to get worse and worse.  It was getting to the point that I couldn't keep anything down.  The only way that I was able to keep anything down was to lay down and not move after I ate.  My primary doctor sent me to see a lung specialist December 31, 2013.  I went thru all his breathing tests and numerous other test.  My diagnosis was acid reflux he said.  He prescribed several medications for me to take.  He said no follow up because as far as my lungs were concerned they were good, they were clear.  
The new year came and went and I was only getting worse.  My primary doctor is still running test and trying to figure out why I was coughing so much.  As we were going thru all this I was losing weight because I wasn't able to keep anything down.  Then one day sitting in the doctors office, we were going thru all the test that we had done.  He said chest Xray and I said no.  He thought we had already did a chest Xray.  Well,  he set me up that day to have one.  When he saw it he saw that the lymph nodes were enlarged around my lungs.  At this time, he was thinking that I may have sarcodosis, and there is no known cause and no know treatment for this.  The only thing they use to treat this is steroids.  He set me up to have a chest CT done.  Well, as we all know how insurance is, we had to wait to get it approved before it could be done.  It finally got approved and I got an appointment set up.  The results from the CT showed enlarged lymph nodes in my lungs.  He scheduled me to see the lung specialist again with these test in hand.  When the doctor walked in the room, he started talking about our last visit.  Was I still taking the medicine?  Was I still coughing??  Then he said he was going to change my medicine.  This went on until I said that the chest xray and CT scan seemed to show sarcodosis.  He was puzzled.  He never once looked at my file that my primary doctor had sent over.  I had made my mind up then that this doctor wasn't going to touch me.  I finished the visit, walked out and called my primary.  I told him that this visit didn't work out and to send me somewhere else.  Later that week he call to tell me that he had me scheduled to see a thoracic surgeon.  I saw this doctor on February 10, 2014.  I immediately liked him, he just put me as ease.  He talked to me on my level and even asked had I saw my CT scans and I told him no.  He asked me would I like to see them and I said yes if you have time.  He said I have plenty of time come on back.  It was scary what he was telling me and what I was seeing and not understanding.

This doctor set me up for a biopsy on February 13, 2014.  He told me that the local hospital would have the results that day but the results from the other lab would take a couple of days.  February 14, 2014 is the day that my life changed.  I got the phone call with my test results, I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma.   I can say that it wasn't what I wanted to hear but I was kind of relieved.  I now had a name for what I was going thru.  I knew that it could be treated. So began my second leg of my journey.  

I was referred to an oncologist that practiced in Mobile but also came to my home town hospital, Monroe County Hospital in Monroeville, Alabama.  I saw him on February 18, 2014.  He talked to me about my diagnosis and set up my appointments for a pet scan and to have my port put in.  Once we got all that done, he told me that I had stage 3 Hodgkin's  Lymphoma.  They set me up for my treatments.  On March 3, 2014 I had to go and get blood work done before treatment.  To say that I was scared to death is putting it lightly.  I didn't know what we were going to do exactly or what to expect.  They put me at ease the best that they could.  I found out that a girl I graduated with worked in there so that was a little comforting.  They drew my blood and went over all that was going to be done.  She went over all the chemo that I was going to have.  March 6, 2014 was the day of my first treatment.  Again, I was nervous!!!

By Friday night I could tell a difference in my cough.  Keep in mind that during all the testing and all that I ended up losing 50 pounds.  I never realized how far down that I had gotten during this time.  I was set up to have 12 treatments every 2 weeks and every other week I had to have that booster shot.  I guess because I was so far down to begin with that my treatments actually perked my up.  It was nothing but the hand of God.  I gained a little weight back and am still fighting this.  I just finished my 8th treatment on Monday June 16, 2014.  We are now in the process of scheduling the pet scan, breathing test, echo, and other test.  By the grace of God I'm going to beat this cancer.  My motto through all of this has been "God's Got This!!"

My family and friends have supported me thru out all of this.  Without them I don't know where I would be.  I just want to take the opportunity to tell them THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU!!!  

For more information on the Bald Is Beautiful Campaign please contact Lyn Taylor of Lyn Taylor Photography of Mobile Alabama