Almost two weeks now with lump.....

gogetter · Regular Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 20

I've definitely been poking at the lump quite some, but its not the lump that hurts, its the neck above it. Having slept on it now, the pain has dissipated almost completely, so I won't poke at it anymore and see what happens. Although could this be a sign that I really do have Hodgkins?

Don

gogetter,

Again, we are not doctors, only patients. I would advise you to take your question up with your doctor. Good luck...it is probably nothing.
_________________
Don B
Dec 07 Dx Follicular NHL, Grade I (Indolent)
Stage IIIA - No Symptoms
Watch and Wait - 6 Month Checks
Jan 09 Scan shows Progression - no symptoms
May 18, 09 - Started R-CVP
After Third Round, CT scan showed some tumor shrinkage
July 31,09 - Completed 6 Rounds R-CVP

joepet · Senior User Joined: 18 Dec 2008 Posts: 273 Location: Japan

Hi gogetter,

As I said before, "The only way lymphoma can be diagnosed is through a biopsy." No little ache or pain or quirk is going to be conclusive proof of lymphoma. Only a doctor can diagnose that.
_________________
Age 37 (36 at diagnosis)
Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma
Stage 1AE (localized in colon)
Began six cycles of R chop 21 3rd Dec 2008
Finished R chop 21 Apr 2009
Complete remission as of May 2009

gogetter · Regular Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 20

Hi guys,
I received my blood test results and chest x-ray report yesterday from my doc. He says all the different blood tests show I'm in 'perfect' health, there were about six of them, I forget. The chest x-ray showed nothing also. The abdominal pain has pretty much gone now too.

However, the neck lump is still there (it may have shrunk slightly, but still noticeable to the touch) so its hard for me to rule out cancer in the long run. After another few weeks I will go back to the doc if it has not gone down. I know you're not doctors, but how concerned should I be if it simply stays swollen for months to come?

joepet · Senior User Joined: 18 Dec 2008 Posts: 273 Location: Japan

You should be as concerned as the doctor tells you to be.

It's like the old Groucho Marx joke, "Doc, it hurts when I do this" "Then don't do that."
_________________
Age 37 (36 at diagnosis)
Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma
Stage 1AE (localized in colon)
Began six cycles of R chop 21 3rd Dec 2008
Finished R chop 21 Apr 2009
Complete remission as of May 2009

gogetter · Regular Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 20

Just to follow up....

For the last twelve days I've been suffering with constipation, very few bowel movements and even Ex-lax doesn't seem to do much good. This is very unusual for me, as I'm generally a fixture on the throne once a day, lol. At the beginning of this period, I had abdominal pain on the right side (mentioned previously) for a day or two, now all I have is this frustrating 'backed-up' feeling. I'm quite thin naturally despite being a prolific eater and having become lazy over the last few years (I know, I know, its not gonna last like this, lol).

My neck lump is still there, and it seems to me to have slightly changed shape at one end and overall is more like a tiny lightbulb now than a sphere. My aunt, who's had breast cancer, felt it and said I shouldn't worry about it at all. I also have had a flatter lump for a couple of weeks on the other side of my neck, but higher up.

joepet mentioned that he was diagnosed with lymphoma emanating from the colon, and I'm scared that the continuous presence of unexplained lumps and severe constipation (at least for a 25 year old) might indicate a correlation.

joepet · Senior User Joined: 18 Dec 2008 Posts: 273 Location: Japan

I wouldn't even consider the possibility of lymphoma in your colon yet. First of all, it is so rare (estimated that one in a million people will be diagnosed with lymphoma in the colon in their lifetime, and most of those people are over age 50. source http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/25/4/722.pdf) that there are a lot more plausible explanations to research. Secondly, because lymphoma cells are a lot weaker than regular colon cells, the pressing of bowel movements will quickly resulting in bleeding that will come out your backside. If it is in your rectum or sigmoid colon (near the rectum) this will result in bright red blood with your bowel movements; if the lymphoma is closer to your small intestine, the blood will be darker.

Check out the tissue when you wipe yourself the next time you do number two. If you don't find blood smeared on the tissue, don't worry about lymphoma being in your colon.
_________________
Age 37 (36 at diagnosis)
Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma
Stage 1AE (localized in colon)
Began six cycles of R chop 21 3rd Dec 2008
Finished R chop 21 Apr 2009
Complete remission as of May 2009

gogetter · Regular Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 20

[quote="joepet"]I wouldn't even consider the possibility of lymphoma in your colon yet. First of all, it is so rare (estimated that one in a million people will be diagnosed with lymphoma in the colon in their lifetime, and most of those people are over age 50. source http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/25/4/722.pdf) that there are a lot more plausible explanations to research. Secondly, because lymphoma cells are a lot weaker than regular colon cells, the pressing of bowel movements will quickly resulting in bleeding that will come out your backside. If it is in your rectum or sigmoid colon (near the rectum) this will result in bright red blood with your bowel movements; if the lymphoma is closer to your small intestine, the blood will be darker.

Check out the tissue when you wipe yourself the next time you do number two. If you don't find blood smeared on the tissue, don't worry about lymphoma being in your colon.[/quote]

Thanks joe. No blood at all, but it all just seems a little too coincidental, all these different things that have begun to affect me. People are calling me a hypochondriac now, but from what I have read on these boards, any symptoms at all, no matter how innocuous, can lead to a bad diagnosis. So I'll try not to worry, but I will keep my wits about me. I was thinking of going back to the doc on Monday to follow up and also to ask him for a referral for an MRI or CT scan. These small lumps just have me freaked, and on top of that I could be severely backed up in the colon. Any idea what I could take apart from Ex-lax? (Shot in the dark, I know...)

To think I'd only been to a doc once in the past eight years before this month... I guess my body is showing the first signs of wear and tear. Smile

joepet · Senior User Joined: 18 Dec 2008 Posts: 273 Location: Japan

To live a long and happy life, you must learn the difference between worry and concern. Your symptoms are something to be concerned about. If they continue, or you start to feel worse, you should once again consult a doctor. But outside of that, you shouldn't be thinking about them at all. Worrying cannot possibly help you, and can only make you feel worse.

For constipation, the next step would be a "dry" enema. In Japan, they sell something that comes in individual bulb droppers that worked well for me. Not sure what is available in your country; that's something to ask your pharmacist about.
_________________
Age 37 (36 at diagnosis)
Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma
Stage 1AE (localized in colon)
Began six cycles of R chop 21 3rd Dec 2008
Finished R chop 21 Apr 2009
Complete remission as of May 2009

gogetter · Regular Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 20

You're right joe, I'll try not to worry so much. Off to the doctor on Monday, but until that time, forgetting about it would be the best thing.

I don't want to go the enema route just yet, so I'll keep trying the small Ex-lax pills one a day at night. Sincere thanks for the help and advice, I'll check back in on Monday. All the best, and I hope your own health is staying good.

joepet · Senior User Joined: 18 Dec 2008 Posts: 273 Location: Japan

Try not to take the ex-lax for more than a week, or your body will build a tolerance, and you will either:

1. Suffer from long-term constipation and laxative reliance, or

2. Be tempted to double, triple, etc., your laxative dosage, to the point where you really, really screw your body up.
_________________
Age 37 (36 at diagnosis)
Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma
Stage 1AE (localized in colon)
Began six cycles of R chop 21 3rd Dec 2008
Finished R chop 21 Apr 2009
Complete remission as of May 2009

gogetter · Regular Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 20

Ok, went back to the doc earlier today, he decided to refer me to a good surgeon to put this to bed. I asked him if that meant a definite biopsy, and he said the surgeon would decide that. I was under the impression that surgeons tend to just perform the necessary, I mean what more is there to wait around for really?

The doc again did not seem very moved by the size of the two lumps, and really does not seem to think that it is lymphoma. I snuck a peek at his covering letter in the documentation he gave me to pass to the surgeon. In it, he says: 'I have tried to reassure the patient, but suspect you may need to remove the node.' That's a worry. He also said in it: 'Patient is an anxious one..'

I also looked at my blood results, a LOT of different parameters, far more than the six I had thought previously. There was one, t-buli.... something, that was slightly higher than it should be. That's to do with the liver. The rest were within the normal ranges, but my white blood cell counts were a bit low, close to the minimum.

I'm freaking out at this point, especially since I couldn't actually get a hold of the surgeon's secretary this evening to make an appointment. Its gonna be a long summer apparently.

gogetter · Regular Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 20

I see the surgeon on Monday evening, anyone know if he would most likely just extract the lymph nodes, or would there be a conversation and deliberation over whether he should or not, and adopt a further wait-and-see approach? I just don't know what to expect...

Princepia · New User Joined: 21 Feb 2009 Posts: 7

Wow..he sounds like I did...ok, RELAX, RELAX, RELAX...I know it's so extremely hard to do it, especially when you wake up and it's what is always on your mind constantly.. The mind is a sinister thing, when I thought I had lymphoma..I was constipated, I had chest pain, I would feel like I had a 102 fever(only to find out with a thermometer that I was normal) constipation is a very common symptom of anxiety. Funny thing is, I went through alll this crap to get diagnosed, and they found nothing. You know what I DID get through all this? Post traumatic stress, I get massive anxiety attacks now and have turned into a hypochondriac, the doctor has told me that after getting so hyped and always worrying about something constantly, that now, with it being over and done with so suddenly...I don't know what to do, and all the strength I was using during that time has come out and is unleashing in one big anxiety filled burst.

SO RELAX, I had like over 10 lumps that I could feel in my neck..they were all normal sized lymphnodes that I've had unchanging for 5 years. It was nothing, absolutely nothing. Apparently some of us out here have bigger nodes then others, so relax.

The anxiety is going to get you before anything else! Razz

gogetter · Regular Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 20

[quote="Princepia"]Wow..he sounds like I did...ok, RELAX, RELAX, RELAX...I know it's so extremely hard to do it, especially when you wake up and it's what is always on your mind constantly.. The mind is a sinister thing, when I thought I had lymphoma..I was constipated, I had chest pain, I would feel like I had a 102 fever(only to find out with a thermometer that I was normal) constipation is a very common symptom of anxiety. Funny thing is, I went through alll this crap to get diagnosed, and they found nothing. You know what I DID get through all this? Post traumatic stress, I get massive anxiety attacks now and have turned into a hypochondriac, the doctor has told me that after getting so hyped and always worrying about something constantly, that now, with it being over and done with so suddenly...I don't know what to do, and all the strength I was using during that time has come out and is unleashing in one big anxiety filled burst.

SO RELAX, I had like over 10 lumps that I could feel in my neck..they were all normal sized lymphnodes that I've had unchanging for 5 years. It was nothing, absolutely nothing. Apparently some of us out here have bigger nodes then others, so relax.

The anxiety is going to get you before anything else! Razz

[/quote]

Lol, you do sound like me alright. I went to the surgeon last night, really great guy, very on point and came highly recommended. After he physically examined me (after reading my files) he was so confident it was nothing to be worried about, he said 'I'll remove a lump if you want me to, and I'll prove to you its benign.'

He also said my definition of 'hard' lump was not concurrent with his, so apparently my lumps are reasonably soft. He set me up for next week, but he seemed reluctant for me to have the biopsy, detailing certain risks and a scar that are only worth the trouble if he felt there was a necessity to get in there. I mean, these guys get paid for surgeries, so I feel somewhat reassured by that.

I will have a CT scan and further blood work later this week hopefully, and I'll make my final decision based on those results. I feel great today, so I just wonder is some of it in my head....

I know what you mean though about there being a hole once everyone starts telling you that you are fine. On my way home, I was thinking about searching up things like toxoplasmosis, cat scratch disease... anything that could have caused this 5 week inflammation of two nodes. Our kitten (10 months old) scratches me every single day, and is also constantly licking/grooming me, lol. So who knows.

So everyone has seemingly ruled out lymphoma, but I have not. As long as those lumps are there, I'll be concerned.

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