Preparing for surgery, lots of questions

bikie girl 09 · New User Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 2 Location: Washington

Hi everyone,
I've never used on online forum like this one, but I read a few posts and everyone seemed so nice and helpful that I thought I'd give it a shot!

In the summer of 2007, I started having heartburn for the first time ever and, when feeling my throat, noticed a big, hard, fixed, painless lymph node on the upper right side of my neck. This was two years ago. Ever since that day, the symtpoms have spread - the node next to that one became hard, enlarged and fixed, then the next and then the next. Then it started on the other side. Now both sides of my neck are flanked with these big, hard nodes and I have pain that comes and goes from the biggest ones.

I've seen doctors on and off for these symptoms over the last few years and no one has taken me seriously. I've been told the swelling is due to acid reflux, due to allergies, due to a possible low grade infection... None of these things have turned out to be true. And the nodes continue to grow and are now larger than 2cm each, according to a recent ultrasound. My doctor did a biopsy of one of the nodes in February, but it came back normal. But because the nodes continue to grow, he will be removing some of them in early November to screen for lymphoma.

I'm fairly healthy, but have had a number of health problems crop up starting two years ago. I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease and sudden hearing loss in my right ear. I was diagnosed with fairly severe GERD, of which no one can pinpoint the cause. I've had a strange flip-flop feeling in my chest when I exercise and have pain in my throat (by the nodes) and in the upper center of my chest when I breathe deeply. At this point, I feel that we have exhausted all other possiblities - I can't imagine what it could be, other than cancer.

I'm 28 years old and very healthy. I race bikes and work out for hours every week. I don't each red meat or smoke and my diet is mostly vegetables and whole grains and things like that. However, cancer does run in my family: my uncle died from cancer, as did a cousin.

I guess I have several questions. How did you feel before you knew you were sick? How do my symptoms sound to all of you? I feel physically very strong - I placed in the top five in my last two bike races! But I know that cancers can often be silent until it's too late. Any advice or encouragement would be wonderful.

On a final note, I also feel that I have met the man that I hope to marry one day. He is absolutely wonderful. However, just a few years ago, his best friend died from esophageal cancer and he was with him every minute, until the very end. I just don't think I could put my boyfriend through another cancer experience, though I know he would support me unconditionally. It just doesn't seem fair to him. And I'm trying to figure out how to deal with that, too.

So I'd love to hear from any of you about your experiences. Thanks for being so active on a forum like this - it means a lot to people who are confused and scared and don't know what to do next!

-C

ChemoMan

Hi bikie girl 09

So sorry that you found yourself here, not the place anyone really wants to be. I don't know what you have but if it is lymphoma it could possibly be an indolent type as if it was an aggressive type you probably would not be alive, but Hodgkins can't be ruled out either as your symptoms are suggestive of this. However the vast majority of raised nodes are not caused by cancer, in fact there are well over 300 causes of enlarged nodes, the most common being infections.

The way to proceed from here is to get an excisional biopsy on one of those nodes, that will determine if you do indeed have lymphoma and what type it is and I am glad that this will be done soon. You should have your answers after that.

I have 2 rules that I frequently quote in this forum. Rule 1 is don't panic and rule 2 is don't forget rule 1. You can employ this to your relationship as well. In other words don't do anything drastic as you don't even know you have cancer, and really if your boyfriend wants to stick around he is obviously wanting to do that and I would imagine that if you dump him that would hurt more than anything else. Let him make up his mind and just go with the flow.

Good luck with the biopsy I hope you get resolution to this quick. We are always here to help.
_________________
Age 52
Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma
Stage 2a
Finished six cycles of R chop 21 26th May 2008
Officially in remission 9th July 2008
Remission confirmed 1st October 2008
Remission confirmed 17 June 2009
http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=9620
RULE NUMBER 1.....Don't Panic
RULE NUMBER 2..... Don't forget Rule number 1

aisha1

Hello! Welcome to the forum.

Not a nice situation to meet people in, but it is a nice situation to remain in if you know what I mean? Confused

I have seen so many people posting with similar symptoms, and I don't think that anyone here will tell you "Yeah, I think it's cancer" - because no one knows. All you will get right now is a lot of support and advice on what to ask about at your meetings with doctors, or general answers to questions. I'm not saying this to put you off - just to give you an idea. Very Happy

I am also your age (few months younger Wink

) and I had a few breathing problems in my chest as well. I don't know if you have told your doctor that you have breathing problems as well, because I would have thought that they could have given you a chest x-ray to see what was going on inside your chest.

You are due to have a biopsy in November, so at least the doctors are onto it. If you had an x-ray and it showed something there (please don't worry about that part yet - too early!) then they may bring forward the biopsy. Just an idea. It's always good to know that at least things are moving along.

About your boyfriend, I think you should relax. You may not even have cancer, so don't jump the gun (you like my little bit of bike racing momentom there? Wink

). You don't have to feel guilty for being ill. It happens and that is life. As I have said, you may not even have cancer, and the probability is, you don't. So I will leave the famous rules for ChemoMan to tell you!

Aisha
_________________
Diagnosed Hodgkins lymphoma, nodular sclerosis, grade 2.
Stage II/IIIa.
Chemotherapy ABVD started August 2009.
Still looking young Wink

aisha1

ChemoMan and I were writing at the same time..........what did I tell you about the famous rules???!!!! Laughing

_________________
Diagnosed Hodgkins lymphoma, nodular sclerosis, grade 2.
Stage II/IIIa.
Chemotherapy ABVD started August 2009.
Still looking young Wink

havefaith

hi,
2 years since your first symptom is along time, ask me i know something about it, i wait since 7 months.

i have to tell you something why the doctors did'nt do anything in the first place is because of the protocol in medecine 1 cm or less of a enlarge lymph node, they don't do anything they wait to see if the lymph node will grow more or shrink, so it was normal in that point.

for the flip flop you feel in your chest i was feeling the same thing when i was lying in my back or in my sides, it was strange like if something was there moving when i move, disturbing me. it was my lymph node that was very big biger than your 2 cm..
did you have an x ray a ct scan, tell us about it.
and another thing even if you have big lymph nodes.
there is is only 2% if they are in the chest and 5% if they are thyroid lymph node to be mailgnant,if they enlarge, so don t worry.
try to go with the flow, what will happen, will happen. you can't stop, don'T fight it, but you can relax to know what to do next.
wish you a healthy life for you and everyone in this forum.
god bless u.
_________________
28 y f
thyroid cancer (28-09-09)

thyrodoctomy total+ sternotomy median 2009

what is worth the price always worth the fight.
stay strong and live strong.

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