Waiting for diagnosis, questions...thyroid, liver, spleen

joan123 · New User Joined: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 1

Newbie here. I am 44 years old and I have a 4.4x4.3x4.4 thyroid tumor, had a needle biopsy yesterday and am scheduled for surgery in a couple of weeks. However, I went to a hematologist 2 days prior to the needle biopsy to assess my Liden Factor 5 (blood clotting disorder) for presurgery blood thinners. When I was there, he asked me about my symptoms and examined me. He said my liver is greatly enlarged and my spleen is somewhat enlarged. Also my other symptoms, daily fevers (around 100-101 degrees) that ebb and flow with activity, night sweats, slight weight loss (about 10 lbs. last couple of months) were suggestive of Lymphoma. Here are my questions:

1. What are lymphoma night sweats like? Mine are not drenching and just dampen the hair around my neck, under my arms etc...

2. What are lymphoma fevers like? Do they get higher with just light activity?

3. Blood work is pretty normal...very slight anemia bloodwork, WBC and RBC normal, etc... AST and ALT are a little off, and LDH is at the highest end of average (mine was 190 and the normal range at our lab is 100-190). Can you tell if you have lymphoma from bloodwork?

4. Anyone with enlarged liver and spleen and what are the implications of such?

That is enough questions for now...don't know if I have lymphoma yet. Have an ultrasound on liver and spleen on Monday. Told biopsy results may be ready as soon as Monday. Thank you for any information you can provide.

umbleweed · Regular Joined: 22 Nov 2007 Posts: 25

Hi jodie123, I'm sorry to hear about you're problems, But remember nothing
is defenitive as of yet. Please keep us updated about you're results.

Weight loss, night sweats, and fevers are generally a sign of progression,
So these symptoms are likely to be worse in patients with a later stage of
the disease. Saying that, Some people varie and may never get the symptoms.
It can also depend on the "type" of lymphoma. Hodgkins lymphoma is usually
quite aggressive and grows rapidly, But Non-Hodgkins lymphoma is usually a
dolent and grows slowly. These are the kind of questions you must ask you're
doctor about for a clear answer.

As you're liver and spleen are apart of the lymphatic system, They can some
times swell up too. But on that note; these can swell for hundereds of other reasons as
apposed to cancer.

Unfortuently this particular disease can only be diagnosed with a Biopsy of
the tumour/lymph node etc. Of course blood work, scans and everything else
can give doctors a good idea of what to expect. But like i said nothing is
defenitive without a biopsy.

Please visit the link below, This might help answer you're question on how
the fevers "feel".

http://lymphoma.about.com/od/symptoms/f/pelebstein.htm

Take care,
Umbleweed.

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