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Photo: (Left- Right) Patient Nikita Sachdeva and Dr. Rahul Bhargava.jpg
India
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Gurugram, September 19, 2021:
28 year old Nikita started experiencing lymphoma symptoms 4 years back and biggest shock came when her symptoms were misdiagnosed as Tuberculosis(TB) and she was given treatment for TB for 2 years.
As Tb line of treatment did not help and further deteriorated her condition and further to add to her problems another misdiagnosis that delayed correct treatment by another 6 months was sarcoidosis, an auto-immune disorder. In Nikita’s case misdiagnosis happened for almost 2.5 years before finally being correctly diagnosed – a problem that many other lymphoma patients have to face.
Finally after consulting Dr. Rahul Bhargava, a lymphoma Specialist in year October 2019 she was diagnosed correctly for lymphoma and her proper treatment started. She was given modern medicines along with Bone Marrow Transplant which helped her treat her condition successfully and lead a normal life. After her successful treatment which finished recently in April 2021 its been almost 5 months and she is leading a disease free and healthy life.
Lymphoma is a condition that develops in white blood cells called lymphocytes, is basically of two types, Hodgkins (develops in the upper body, like neck, chest or armpits) & Non-Hodgkins (may develop in lymph nodes anywhere in the body). According to experts, if diagnosed on time, Lymphoma can be successfully treated with medication, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or stem-cell transplant and Bone Marrow Transplant.
Dr Rahul Bhargava, Lymphoma Expert andDirector, Department of Clinical Hematology & Bone Marrow Transplant. Fortis Hospital Gurgaon said “For Lymphoma, with newer treatment methods cure rate has become higher but what is required is early diagnostic, and first thing when we see an enlarged lymphnode or a prolonged fever or weight loss we should do lymph’s node biopsy to characterise and differentiate between hodgkins or nonHodgkins lymhopma for which we need special test called immunhistochemistry.
Lymphoma is misdiagnosed as Tuberculosis(Tb) , so it becomes important to diagnose it correctly, the only way these two can be separated is by biopsy and blood works.
Fewer, swollen lymph nodes, night sweats, chest pain, loss in appetite and weight loss, and stomach ache are the most common symptoms of Lymphoma. Any of these symptoms should be reported to the doctor without delay.
Dr. Rahul Bhargava further said “In case of Nikita during the treatment we used BMT, which was followed by medicines and chemotherapy . It’s been more than 5 months now, she is not only cancer-free but is living a normal and productive life, Early diagnosis plays a key role in Lymphoma treatment. For this, we need to raise awareness about its signs and symptoms and educate people about the significance of timely reporting and diagnosis”.
The case of 28-years-old Nikita Sachdeva is one such example where modern treatment method and BMT saved the life of a dying patient.
Nikita Sachdeva who was successfully treated for Lymphoma said “As a survivor, the hardest part was not knowing – I wish there were proper screenings available to prevent misdiagnoses and catch lymphoma early. I certainly couldn’t have done this without the big support system that I had in my friends and family. A huge support also came from Dr Rahul and his Team – who stay up to date with the latest treatments and possess a great mix of expertise and intuition in dealing with patients.”
Ms. Nikita Sachdeva , a fashion professional is back in her job and is living a very happy and healthy life. She has fully recovered and is declared cancer-free. People like Ms Sachdeva are not merely cancer survivors but a source of inspiration for all those Lymphoma patients who are either struggling with it or losing hope. After her successful recovery she has helped more than 15 patients of Lymphoma to get the latest treatment and recover. Through a lymphoma support group on facebook she is sharing her story and motivating other lymphoma patients to keep the hope alive.
With the country taking a lead in cancer treatment, it’s high time when more people should know about the advanced treatment options and avail its benefits.
Cancer experts accentuate upon the importance of spreading awareness around treatment options like Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT), which are helping even those patients who have diagnosed with terminal Lymphoma and are often given a few months to live.
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