Alesia, Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma
Alesia, Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma
I experienced my first panic attack while at work in November 2021. My body was feeling “off” – I was having chest pains, extreme fatigue, and had developed night sweats, but work was hectic and stressful, so I just thought it was anxiety.
It wasn’t until July of 2022 when I started to have facial and throat swelling, and waking up with puffy eyes and face became a daily occurrence. Believing it was just allergies, I continued taking my usual medicine.
When I started a new job that August, the swelling stayed with me even more noticeably, so I went to an urgent care. They believed it was an allergic reaction and prescribed me steroids and allergy medicine that only ended up working for a week!
It got so bad to the point where I couldn’t swallow. I sadly still went into work as a kindergarten teacher despite my condition (workaholic much?), but my coworker and principal told me to go to the doctor.
Immediately my doctor ordered an urgent CT scan of my throat. Within two hours, she called me and said, “Alesia, a mass was found in your chest. I need you to go to the ER.”
I was 31 years old. I’d just been attending family events, had gotten a new job, went on beach trips with friends, and moved into a new house. I’m a strong, young adult female navigating and enjoying life, doing my own thing, and minding my business.
Yet this boulder came crashing down as Dr. Behrens started to help my family navigate through this unknown. I was diagnosed on August 25, 2022, with a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma known as primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma.
Stunned, everything began to unfold quickly as the oncology team hustled to create my treatment plan. Yet, all I could feel was a sigh of relief knowing that I wasn’t going crazy, and something was actually wrong with my body, that a 10-centimeter mass that was the size of a grapefruit in my chest was the cause of why my body was reacting the way it was. It officially became real when my nurse hung my first chemotherapy bag.
Treatment was hard. I endured six rounds of chemotherapy which consisted of 21-hour a day treatment for five days straight every three weeks.
I was emotional but in good spirits by standing on my faith and trusting in God that no matter the outcome, I was in good hands. I received an overwhelming amount of support from my family, friends, including the community that I found on Instagram, like the Lymphoma Ladies.
My medical team was with me every step of the way, answering questions, handling concerns, and jumping hoops with insurance. I’m thankful for my medical team for making the roller coaster ride bearable. Knowing that I had a strong support circle brought me to a place of strength and gratefulness, making treatment a little bit better.
Knowing that I had a strong support circle brought me to a place of strength and gratefulness, making treatment a little bit better.
I’m currently going on two years in remission, but it’s still a struggle post-treatment. While my strength is slowly coming back, I still have some brain fog and am experiencing tiredness, but it’s nothing compared to when I was first diagnosed.
Although I’d desire to go back to “what was”, I’m on the path of learning to love my new normal. I constantly remind myself to have grace and do what I’m able to do, making sure to take in and enjoy the present moments, refusing to stress and to just stride.
