Monna
Daphne, I suggest you contact an oncologist about this.The symptoms of lymphomas vary person to person, but include weight loss, night sweats, itchy skin, weakness and anemia from GI bleeding or low platelet levels, persistent recurrent fever, swelling of legs, and difficulty breathing. The weight loss may be the after effect of the radiation therapy/chemotherapy. These treatments keep the patient in remission (disease-free), but can trigger other problems in the areas radiated. One is fat malabsorption syndrome. A check by a stomach/small intestine specialist, a gastroenterologist, will rule this out. One significant symptom is if after eating a meal, your brother has multiple bowel movements with mild to moderate cramping, he needs to get it checked. While many things may trigger this response, it should be checked. This syndrome makes the body unable to digest fat, and the fat along with the food eaten is immediately excreted. It will cause diarrhea, cramping and severe weight loss. It is difficult for the food nutrients to be absorbed when they are going out faster than they can be put in. Check with a cancer specialist, an oncologist, about this matter too. It may ease your mind. Fat malabsorption problems can be treated with prescription medications, such as Pancrease capsules before each meal (digestive enzymes); also a drug called Sandostatin (injections) has shown significant results with this syndrome. I take both medications. Sandostatin keeps food in the body for 2-3 days so nutrients can be absorbed; this allows the body to regain weight, energy and stamina. Discuss this with your brother and go with him to the oncologist and gastroenterologist. The weight loss may be due to something other than the return of the lymphoma. Also, purchase a book entitled, "The Merck Manual" and use it to look up diseases, as well as a medical dictionary to explain the medical terminology. Knowledge and a confidential discussion with your brother may help eliminate your fears and put your mind at rest, and your brother's too. I have been Hodgkins-free for 26 years.