Itchy Skin, Night Sweats, and a Neck Lump: How Alexia Discovered She Had Hodgkin Lymphoma While Pregnant

Hodgkin lymphoma during pregnancy is rare, and Alexia’s experience shows just how easily early hodgkin lymphoma symptoms can hide in plain sight. She was a young mom in North Texas who, after delivering her second son, began having night sweats and intense itching that were dismissed as “just postpartum” and eczema. Months later, while pregnant with her third child, Alexia noticed a visible lump in her neck and crushing fatigue that caused her to fall asleep mid-conversation. What she and her doctors first treated as benign skin issues and normal pregnancy exhaustion turned out to be Hodgkin lymphoma.

Interviewed by: Tory Midkiff
Edited by: Chris Sanchez

When an ER visit led to scans revealing a large mass in her chest, Alexia turned to her faith and her family. Even after an initial report incorrectly labeled her disease as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, an oncologist later clarified the diagnosis as Hodgkin lymphoma and recommended ABVD chemotherapy while she was still pregnant. Alexia and her husband were offered pregnancy termination as an option, but declined. They chose to continue the pregnancy while moving forward with treatment that was considered generally safe in that setting. She underwent 12 rounds of chemo with close, weekly monitoring by an OB specialist for her baby.

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This interview has been edited for clarity and length. This is not medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider to make informed treatment decisions.

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of The Patient Story.

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Postpartum night sweats and first symptoms

In June of 2023, I had my second son, and I was experiencing night sweats, but I just assumed it was part of postpartum. I kind of ignored it and pushed it under the rug. Then later, in March of 2024, I started experiencing itchy skin. I got rashes on my wrists, on my legs from itching, and on my feet. It was just a really uncomfortable sleep itchiness. So I went to urgent care in May, two months later, after experiencing that itchiness. At urgent care, I don’t know if it was a nurse or a doctor, but she said it was eczema. She gave me this paper with different types of eczema on it, and then she prescribed me this cream. The cream kind of helped it, but it didn’t take it away.

After the itchy skin started, it was just something that I lived with. I would put that cream on, I would try to take cool baths, do all the things to try to make it not itch, because I thought I was living with eczema. So I was like, “Okay, this is my new life. This is eczema.”

Pregnancy with my third baby, and discovering a neck lump

After that, May, June, July, and August came around, and in August, I found out that I was pregnant. In September, I found out I was pregnant with a girl. Then, in early October, there was a lump on my neck, and it was so noticeable that other people pointed it out to me. I called my mom and said, “Mom, I have this lump on my neck. What do you think it’s from? What should I do?” She said, “Just wait two weeks. If it’s still there, then go get it checked out.”

I had looked some things up, and I thought that my family in the house was fighting a sickness. So I thought my body was just trying to fight that sickness. Two weeks passed by, and it was still there. My husband was begging, “Please, can we go get it checked out now? You’re pregnant. It’s both of you now.” So I said, “Okay.” We went to the ER, and I was just thinking they were going to give me antibiotics, send me home, and it would be gone.

When we got back there, they started doing lots of tests. One test led to another, and they said, “We need to check something else.” I knew they were concerned because they moved me back to a different room. It wasn’t just like, “Oh, we’re just checking you out a little bit.” They moved me back to another room. They did a chest scan, an X-ray, and then they saw something. They told me I needed to do a CT scan. Then they came back and told me, “We see something. We see something on your lungs, a tumor, a mass.” My first thought was lung cancer, but later it ended up being in my chest cavity.

In that moment, I went to the restroom, and I remember saying, “Okay, God. I trust you to do whatever you’re going to do.” I had my full trust in God because of my experience with my relationship with Him. After I got out of the restroom, I went back into the room, and my husband and I were just worshiping and praying because we were thankful that it was found. Whatever it was, it was found, and we were trusting and believing in the Lord.

Biopsy, initial misdiagnosis, and meeting the oncologist

After that, they did not send me home because I needed a biopsy. I stayed overnight, and they did the biopsy. They took it out of the mass on my neck and tested it. They said they couldn’t do anything else because I was pregnant. Then they sent me home the day after the biopsy, and we just had to wait for the results.

When the results came back, they were uploaded into my portal, and it said that I had non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which was later corrected when I saw the oncologist — it was actually Hodgkin lymphoma. If you look into it, they are two very different things. I had Hodgkin, and I was referred to an oncologist.

The first thing he did was give me the option to terminate, and we were like, “Absolutely not.” We were just going to figure this out. It was going to be figured out. He told me that if the mass got too close to my heart, my heart could stop, and then my baby and I would die. It was one of those things where I knew God had a plan. Later, he ended up calling me, and he was thrilled. My oncologist had spoken to a lymphoma specialist, and they found a regimen that didn’t have tons of research but was generally safe for pregnancy, and that was ABVD. They went over the effects and said I could lose my baby through every one. But that’s what we started.

Starting ABVD chemo while pregnant

That was in October-ish. In November, I got my PICC line put in. I couldn’t get a port because of how many weeks I was pregnant. You have to be a certain number of weeks, so I got my PICC line put in. I was in the hospital for a few days away from my kids, which was so hard because my first baby had just turned one.

After that, I started the chemo. We got it going. I think I was there every other week. Every other week, I was there all day, for about six hours. We did 12 rounds total, and then they had to stop it at some point so that her immune system wouldn’t be suppressed. I would also see an OB specialist, so they were always checking on her every week. I was probably at the doctor’s three times a week when I was pregnant. They were always checking on her, and I always got to see her.

Early delivery of my baby girl during treatment

Finally, at the end, the baby wasn’t really gaining any weight. They said, “All right, let’s just get her out early for her immune system, so she can get some real milk.” I delivered her on March 28, 2025. She was healthy, she was beautiful, and she didn’t have to spend any time in the ICU. We praise God for that. She was 5 pounds and so tiny, but she was still able to come home with us, and everything was great.

We brought her home, and I got to spend that time with her. It was so special because she had been through a lot with me already. She’s very special to me. All my kids are, but we went through something together that is not something you normally go through. I got to spend that time with her.

My first PET scan after delivery, and switching to BV chemo + immunotherapy

I got a PET scan in April. It was my first PET scan because I couldn’t get one while I was pregnant. They said the mass in my chest didn’t get bigger, but it was still not where they’d like it to be.

So they switched regimens. I went to BV and nivolumab immunotherapy. It was that combination. I got on that, and I think I did about three to four rounds. Then I did another scan in July. I was still able to function and work in the meantime. I was able to just be normal, live life, and I’m so grateful for that.

I was a little worried because I wasn’t sure how these chemo effects were going to be. I was very blessed with my last one, but I wasn’t sure. It was even better. It was very smooth. I got that next scan in July, and they said, “This is working great, phenomenal, it’s pretty much almost gone. You’re going to do, let’s say, two more rounds, and then we’re going to get you in to do a stem cell transplant.”

Why I qualified for a stem cell transplant

The reason I was able to get a stem cell transplant is that there are certain things — you can’t just get one. I qualified because the ABVD didn’t work as quickly as they thought it would. After that second scan, I rang the bell in September — I think it was September 11. I still had my hair at the time. It was in there strong; she was hanging in there. I got to ring the bell, and then I lost my hair in October.

That was okay because my identity is not in my hair, it is in Christ. So I was like, “You know what, this is okay.” He let me hold on to it for a really long time with all that chemo I was getting. I ended up losing my hair in October. I got my kids a book that was so cute. The mom was going through chemo, and it said things like “Chemo doesn’t like kisses,” just little things like that. They would kiss my head. It was really cute. I’m so thankful they make cute stuff like that. We read that book together as we went through that transition.

G-CSF shots, collecting my own stem cells, and Thanksgiving in the hospital

In November of 2025, I started the process. I got G-CSF shots to make my blood cell count go up. I started getting those, and then I got something called an autologous stem cell transplant, so I was my own donor. After I got those shots, they collected my stem cells. I actually have a picture of that, and it was so cool. The machine was just going, and I was able to collect — I think it was billions of cells; I can’t even remember the number — but I collected them all in one day.

I got a call at the end of the day that I went in, and they said, “You don’t need to come back. You collected them all in one day.” That was awesome because it feels really draining. It literally sucks out blood and cells and all that stuff, so it was pretty tiring after that experience. I went home and rested, and then I came back. I can’t remember the exact day, but I know I spent Thanksgiving there in the hospital.

Being away from my kids during transplant prep

It was really hard because I had to be away from my kids for a long time. At one point, right before I started chemo, I begged, “Please, can I see my kids?” I just wanted to see them one time before I really started the whole process. I was able to see them. They all came, and everybody sang “Happy Birthday” to me because my birthday was the next day.

They would also come visit me in the parking lot. They had these pictures and signs, and I could see them through the window. The signs said, “We miss you, Mom,” or “We love you, Mom.” It was so cute, and it made me even sadder, but it got me through it. Throughout that process, on the days I could, I would go for walks around the floor. You have to stay on that unit — no outside air. You just have to stay in that unit. We made the best of it. We would go for walks. I also had this little bike. We would watch movies. I decorated my room to be as comfortable as it could be.

BEAM chemo and the transplant day

The chemo regimen I got before the transplant was the BEAM regimen. The BEAM regimen is the chemo they give you during a stem cell transplant. I got that, and on the last day, you have to chew ice for hours. I was chewing and eating so many ice creams. Then my medicine was late, so my nurse said, “Sorry, you have to keep eating ice cream.” I was sitting there like, I never want to eat ice cream again. It was ice cream, ice, all the cold stuff.

After that was done, I got my actual transplant. I want to say it was on December 3. They gave me back my stem cells. That day, my body was just tired, so I slept all day through it. I slept through it. It only took a couple of hours to transfer the cells back into me, but I slept for hours, like eight hours. It only took about two hours to transfer the cells back into me.

The hardest days after transplant, and leaning on faith

After the transplant, I was feeling pretty good. I still had an appetite. Then there were those couple of days where I was at my lowest, and I thought, “Wow, this is tough.” To get me through those days, I would just remember what Jesus did for me, and I would say, “Okay, the Lord is my strength. I’m going to get through this.” It was a great refresh. It was rough in those moments, but when you’re reminded that He’s your strength, you’re able to push through it.

After that rough patch, it slowly started getting better. I got sick at one point, and I didn’t feel the symptoms. I didn’t know I was sick. They said I was probably asymptomatic, but it slowed my process of getting out. It kept pushing my discharge back. They said, “We’re going to keep you until, let’s say, Monday or Tuesday.” I had gotten sick on a Thursday or Friday before that. I started feeling better energy-wise. I felt recharged. I was done sitting there watching Christmas movies and riding my bike. I was done.

Pushing to go home and leaving the hospital

I think it was a Sunday, early Sunday morning. My nurse at the time said, “I’m going to give you a blood transfusion.” It was somebody’s donated blood. He prepared me to get that blood. Then later in the morning, they told me, “Oh no, it was a mistake. Since you were sick, you can’t go home.” I told them, “Okay, I’ll just wait for my doctor.”

My doctor came in, and he knows me. You grow a relationship after you see them all the time. I said, “Listen, you know me, and you know this is killing me being in here. I’m ready to get out. I’m ready to go.” He said, “Okay, I’m going to let you go, but if you have any fever or anything, you need to come back. Please tell me if you feel anything.” I was able to go home on a Sunday. I can’t remember the exact date, but I know it was like December 11 or something; I just know it was a Sunday.

I started decorating my room by myself, and my husband was coming back to pick me up. He was so shocked when he saw my room because I had undone everything. We had so many decorations up. It was beautiful. We had lights, little plants, leaves hanging down. But I was ready to go. I was showered and waiting, and then we left.

Coming home and appreciating everyday life

I got home, and it was the best feeling ever to be home. When you don’t have the option to enjoy the everyday things in life, you really cherish them even more than you already did. It’s the little things, like changing a diaper, cleaning up after them. I was so excited to be able to do it again after three weeks of not doing it. Even laundry. I was like, “I want to do laundry so bad. I want to do all the tasks that you do on the daily.” You miss it when you’re sitting there.

I was so excited to be home. My recovery from that was — I want to say the hardest part was not the nausea itself, but that I had to take my nausea medicine. Otherwise, the rest of the day would not be great. I had to take that for a little bit. The hardest thing for me was keeping my food down if I didn’t take my medicine. Other than that, I went on a nice trip to see my great-grandma. She’s 93 years old. I drove out there on a road trip. I wanted to see her so bad. I told myself, when I get out of the hospital, I want to go see my great-grandma.

Road trip, returning to work, and church community support

We did a little family trip and stayed there for like five days, then came back home. I got straight back to work. I think I returned to work on January 4. I love my job. I do administration for a church, but there’s so much more in that job than just the admin work. It’s wonderful. That was my community. I had so many people for anything. They were there to make dinners when we were in the hospital. They were there to pray for us. They were just always there. That was our community, and I’m so thankful for them. They’ve been with us since the beginning of this journey, and they’re still with us now.

As of today, we’re in the middle of March. I just got my PET scan results back. The only thing that’s there is tissue, which they said stays there for about four to five years. I’m so thankful. Praise God for that. We pretty much just have to go back occasionally. They want me to get PET scans every three to six months, up to two years. That’s pretty much where we’re at, and now we’re here, thankful for another day.

Recognizing early Hodgkin lymphoma symptoms beyond “normal” pregnancy

When I found out I was pregnant in August, I also had fatigue. I was really tired. I would be talking to my husband and would just fall asleep. I was just really tired, always falling asleep. I would even have friends over and would fall asleep while they were there. I swept that under the rug, given that I was pregnant. But now that I look back at it, I know pregnant women are tired, I know moms are tired, but this level of fatigue — no, that was not normal.

If you get anything that you question, I wouldn’t just sweep it under the rug as “you’re pregnant” or “postpartum.” I would immediately go get checked for anything like that. These cancer symptoms are so hidden. They’re hidden in things like night sweats and fatigue. I also had shortness of breath, but you blame all that stuff on pregnancy. “I’m pregnant.” No, I had a mass in my chest. There’s a certain time when you need to listen to your body and take action so it can get figured out. Those were my first symptoms: the fatigue and the shortness of breath. If you’re falling asleep while you’re talking to somebody or while you’re with your friends, that’s not normal tiredness. Something’s wrong, and your body is trying to tell you something’s wrong.

At one point, I think it happened twice, I experienced dizziness and blurred vision. I just took that as, I’m super tired. No, I was not just super tired. That was definitely another symptom I swept under the rug.

Severe itching, misdiagnosed eczema, and advice on urgent care

As far as the itching, I would be doing a normal task like laundry, and I would have to stop and dig my nails into my skin. I would have to dig my nails in so much that my skin would peel off. It wasn’t a normal itchiness either. My husband would see me sometimes and say, “This is not normal. What you’re doing, the way you’re itching, that’s not normal. Something is wrong.” That’s when he encouraged me to get checked, and eventually I went to urgent care.

The itchiness left scars on my legs. I have scars going across my legs that are going to be there for life. It was on the bottom of my feet and my legs. My skin turned darker in the areas where I itched so much. It’s your palms, your wrists, anything — this is not a normal itch. I was itching so hard it didn’t look normal. I looked like a dog who had really bad itching. You know how dogs itch; it’s not like normal. That’s how I felt. It was just not normal itching. It was very uncomfortable.

Looking back, I don’t know why I just accepted that answer, but I did. I went, and they said it was eczema, so I said, “Okay.” I would say, don’t just go to urgent care. I would see your doctor and seek more. That’s what I recommend.

How Hodgkin lymphoma and motherhood changed my perspective

I think the biggest shift I’ve seen is just the importance of life here on earth. Every day we live life, and we truly take it for granted while we’re here, and what we’re meant to do here. We take it for granted in all things. I really didn’t struggle mentally, and I’m so thankful for that because of God and my relationship with Him. I would cry out to Him sometimes when I felt like, “This is a lot, this is a lot.” Then I would remember that He takes that from us. He doesn’t want us to carry that.

I always tell my husband that we haven’t always had this relationship with God. We say, “Could you imagine if this happened when we didn’t?” We couldn’t, and we don’t want to imagine it. It’s there. It’s there for everyone to access. It’s there.

Motherhood has become something more, where I don’t take those things for granted — the blessings that come with motherhood. I have a very supportive husband. Whenever I’m feeling like I’m carrying all this weight, he’s there to help me, support me, and take on things — cook dinner if I just want to hang out with the kids and not cook, little tasks like that.

It’s definitely given me a different view on motherhood and on the gift of carrying your child. I’ve carried three of them, and I didn’t appreciate it the way I did the third time around because of what we were going through. It gives you a better perspective to enjoy all the things that we have, because when it’s your health, all those things flash before your eyes. So just enjoy it.

How The Patient Story helped me

I think I covered pretty much everything. I do want to mention something. When I first got the diagnosis, I came across The Patient Story. Watching everybody’s story — because it was new for me, and I didn’t know what I was going to experience — helped me so much. To hear all these stories of people going through some of the same things that you are going through, I loved to hear them. Not because it seemed good, but because I could pray for those people. I could sympathize with what they were going through and pray for them.

I loved being alongside The Patient Story while I was going through this. That was something really special.

Gratitude for sharing a rare pregnancy and Hodgkin lymphoma story

I’m so honored that I got to share. I enjoyed this so much while I was going through my journey. I thought I would love to share, because it’s not every day that you’re pregnant and going through this. That was one thing I didn’t see. I saw these videos and thought, “Darn, I don’t see pregnancy with this,” but everything else I was able to relate to. It was great to be alongside.

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