Hello, we are military so we can't really help
you out a whole lot with the HMO questions. We can
tell you that if you have a good doctor, he will all
your questions, no matter how many ways he has to
answer it and he will direct you to others that can help
you. Go to the American cancer web site, they may have
some helpful hints. Our case was very unique, in fact,
no one in America seems to have presented the way my
husband did. My doctor contacted the head of the National
Cancer Institute to ask questions. We like that he is
not afraid to seek advice from other doctors. They
have a Tumor Board at this hospital, and we seem to be
the topic of discussion quite often.<br><br>The thing
you most need to remember is that Hodgkins is the
MOST treatable form of Cancer. My husband had
absolutely no symptoms, but they discovered a tumor in his
chest. The treatment has been hard on him, but he is
pretty strong. He had openheart surgery to remove the
tumor before they knew it was cancer, that has been the
worst part.<br><br>If you start chemo, take this
advice..never let yourself get hungry! That is when he gets
sick, when he allows himself to get hungry. He eats a
lot of baked potatoes and boiled eggs! <br><br>Don't
sit and fret about this and forget to live your life.
Somedays will be better than others, but there will be a
tomorrow. When you have an absorbing hobby, it seems to
help when you are feeling the worst. Rest and save up
your energy for the things you like to do. Forget
mowing the lawn and cleaning out the garage, hire a
neighbor kid! We find that the chemo starts affecting him
about three days after the treatment and then he is
sick for about 4 days, and then starts feeling better.
We get treatments every 2 weeks.<br><br>We will be
praying for you. That is about all anyone can do. Good
luck and don't stick with a doctor you don't feel
comfortable with. <br><br>Good Luck and God Bless You