What do you think of these symptoms?

ribbett74 · New User Joined: 01 Mar 2007 Posts: 1

I am new here...and have no diagnosis yet and am hopeful all this will turn out to be nothing. In a nutshell, here's what going on. Since June my weight has dropped from 140 to 120lbs with no explaination. Since Nov. I feel like I've had a constant cold, just completely run down and seem very suseptible to anything germ wise. In Dec. I developed a cough with one of my colds that has not fully gone away, just an occasional dry hacking cough worse at night. My exhaustion is hitting new limits, I feel like it is a struggle to do my basic activities (and I have 2 kids). I have felt 'feverish' for over a month, and recently started taking my temps when I feel that way and discovered I was running low grade fevers of around 99.5 that decrease after I take tylenol for my headaches. I remembered that I felt a lump in my neck awhile back (last summer?), and sure enough it is there. Not sure what it is...it's more obvious if I turn my neck to feel it, and it is long, nodule, enlarged and non-tender. And it's not on the left side. I feel stupid going to the doctor...and I am afraid that I will not be taken seriously...on the other hand I just want to start feeling better. I go tomorrow and I am really nervous...any thoughts out there? Similar stories? Thanks in advance...

jfkbluecircle

Hi, Ribbet74:
I am glad you are going to the doctor. Sudden weight loss and fatigue can be a sign of many ailments, not just the c-word. Your body is apparently trying to fight off something signified by the low-grade temp.

I know how nervous you must feel. But you are doing the best thing you can do for yourself AND your family. You will feel better after speaking to a certified professional and having answers to these questions that have been seemingly hovering over you for months. Hang in there.

Let us know how you are doing.
Wishing you the best of health,
Jessica

kimlk · Regular Joined: 06 Feb 2007 Posts: 11

Hi Ribbet74

I can't tell you for sure whether or not your symptoms are related to Lymphoma, and only a doctor could tell you for sure, but your story sounds extremely similar to my own. I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma stage IIIB in Apr '05 at age 29. For about 6-8 months prior I had felt completely run down, lots of fatigue, if I over did it by going out with friends and staying up too late I always seemed to come down with some bug a few days later. I had been catching colds repeatedly, and was having infrequent night sweats. The previous summer I had felt a small lump in my neck before going to sleep one night, but had forgotten about it by the next morning. (I recalled this later in retrospect). In mid Feb of '05 I had gone overseas for my sister's wedding and noticed a rather large & painless lump just above my collar bone. I was sent for testing immediately upon my return, and was diagnosed with Hogkin's. After going through a battery of tests I did 8 months of chemo (ABVD) and have now been cancer free for the past year.

I hope that your fears turn out to be for nothing, but I do recommend going to a doctor and getting yourself checked just to be on the safe side.

Good-Luck!
Kim

sookan · Guest

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I had felt down for many months and had a cough. I went to the doctor and got an x ray because I was coughing up a little blood. I got an x ray because the rule of thumb is that when you are coughing up blood you should have a x ray. The xray came back showing fluid in the botom of my lungs. The doctor told me I had "Walking Mans Pnemonia" Which is a Pnemonia that stays with you until treated and instead of being really sick for 3Weeks and then getting better, you are just constatly down...
After 10 days it didn't go away as shown by another xray so the doctor tested me for TB and HIV. And those came back negative so he sent me for a CT scan of my lungs and that came back lymphoma. A couple weeks later I was getting a biopsee to determine whether it was hodgkins or non-hodgkins and a spine tap to see if it was in my bone marrow.
So it could be walking mans pnemonia, TB, HIV, or Hodgkins.
So get an xray of your lungs and start weeding out possibilities.

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