How concerned to be?

SER · New User Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 8

I have a palpable mass in my left armpit that I noticed 3 weeks ago. I had a mammogram and an extensive ultrasound done this morning. (showing several swollen lymph nodes in the general area as well as the one I feel)Without a written report, I am quite concerned. How worried should I be if I have all of the symptoms except weight loss? I have had an eternal itching in my armpit for several months.

hhmv73a · Experienced user Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 95

there should be a written in a couple of days. it is usually required after an image study.

if the enlarged nodes persists, you should talk to the physician about further investigation. this picture can be caused by different diseases, such as infection, benign, or malignant tumors. since the consequences are very different, one thing for sure is to follow up closely with your doctor.

good luck,

let us know if you have further questions.

regards,

jay

J. Jay Lu, M.D.
Diplomate, American Board of Radiology (Radiation Oncology)

SER · New User Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 8

Thank you for your reply. The ordering physician's office has informed that though the Dr will get the report by tomorrow, she will not be in her office tomorrow so I will have to wait until at least Monday. While this may not seem unreasonable to a physician's staff, it is very frustrating to have to wait through another weekend when the mass is in my body.

Also, I was wondering, if it was caused by an infection wouldn't I have an elevated white blood cell count? I had lab work done last week and the results were normal aside from some cholesteral issues. Again,thanks for taking the time to even read my concerns, seems more than my own physicians are willing to do.......

hhmv73a · Experienced user Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 95

ser,
you are very welcome!
manifestations of infection can be very different from disease to disease. not all infection will cause systemic reaction such as elev white cell counts. for example, certain viral infection will not have elev WBC counts even they are systemic.
hope you have received a negative report already.

let us know if you have further questions.

good luck,

jay

J. Jay Lu, M.D.
Diplomate, American Board of Radiology (Radiation Oncology)

SER · New User Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 8

Once again, I thank you for your reply, and your kind words. I have no word as of yet......... If I don't hear something by days end, I will be camped out on a doorstep.

SER · New User Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 8

I just got a call from my Dr who has referred me to a surgeon for further evaluation. Not totally surprising news. I am surprised that I will have to wait til the 16th of this month to go. Hard not to worry............

SER · New User Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 8

From my ultrasound report there are two prominent lymph nodes measuring 2.4 x 1 x 2 cm, and 2.15 x 1.5 x 1cm in the left axillary area. No definite evidence of solid lesions in the breast. Now what? I'm not sure what this means, though as I previously stated I have been referrred to a surgeon. A chest x-ray was done today. I do not have that report or the mammogram report, though my Dr did say that the mammo shows enlarged lymph nodes in both breast. I'm going nuts here.................several benign looking cysts.

sgishelly · Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 11:28 pm Post subject: Re: How concerned to be?

SER

Hello there...I was in your shoes back in October 2004. I was actually on this board looking for something else but I saw your post and it was so much like my experience that I had to respond.

I found a palpable mass in my armpit on Oct 9 and went to my PCP. They sent me for mammograms and then on for an ultrasound. There was an enlarged lymph node that showed up on all of these tests but nothing else. Then I was sent on to a surgeon to have a needle biopsy done of the lymph node. I found out on Nov 1 that I had a carcinoma with the markers of breast cancer. To make a long story short...they did not find the primary tumor in my breast til I had the mastectomy. The primary tumor was 1cm and the largest lymph node was 4 cm. I'm not trying to scare you and hopefully you have already received good news from your doctor.

That 3 weeks of waiting was the longest of my life. The not knowing is really bad and you tend to jump to all kinds of conclusions. Hopefully your outcome will be different than mine... But whatever the outcome, you have come to a good place to get answers.
_________________
Shelly
Dx Nov 1, 2004 at 40 y/o
Right MRM, Left Simple Mast. - 12/9/04
Stage 2A IDC -
Primary tumor 1cm
3+ / 14 nodes, ER/PR+, HER2-
34 rads - finished 5/25
chemo - AC and Taxol FINISHED 7/6/05
beginning reconstruction 2/06
brain mets 4/06 - now stage 4

SER · New User Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 8

Hi Shelly..................thanks for your response. I am very frightened as you well know. I don't even see my surgeon for another 9 days and then what three weeks after that I'll get a diagnosis? By then I'm sure I'll have mental problems on top of all............LOL

Where are you now in your treatment? How are you doing, feeling? I am very sorry to hear of your diagnosis.

sgishelly · Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2005 11:33 am Post subject: Re: How concerned to be?

Hi there,

I'm doing the chemo portion of treatment now. I go for my 2nd AC dose tomorrow. I'm doing fine.

I know exactly how you are feeling right now. When you see a surgeon...if they do a biopsy it should only take a few days to get the results. When you get the results, you will either be greatly relieved or you will feel like your feet have been knocked out from under you...depending on the results. It did take me a few days to get over the shock of hearing the news. My husband and I sat in the floor and cried. The hardest thing was telling my kids and my parents. I had to tell my oldest over the phone because she's away at college. I emailed everyone else...it was much easier to sit and type it all out and send it to everyone and not have to keep going over and over it. I've got a list of people that I email regularly to update them on my progress.

If you get a diagnosis like this, you'll be surprised at the strength you have deep down inside you. And you'll be surprised at the generosity of friends, acquaintences and family members. Hopefully your diagnosis will be something simple and easy to fix. If you need to talk, email me at sgishelly99@aol.com...put "cancer forum" in the subject so I won't accidentally delete it thinking it's spam.
_________________
Shelly
Dx Nov 1, 2004 at 40 y/o
Right MRM, Left Simple Mast. - 12/9/04
Stage 2A IDC -
Primary tumor 1cm
3+ / 14 nodes, ER/PR+, HER2-
34 rads - finished 5/25
chemo - AC and Taxol FINISHED 7/6/05
beginning reconstruction 2/06
brain mets 4/06 - now stage 4

SER · New User Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 8

Okay, well my level of anxiety has just doubled to say the least. I have just come from PCP who got the report on my chest X-Ray. I go for a CT Scan of my chest tomorrow. Being a baket case already I am not sure what the chest x-ray showed but I do know the word adenopathy(sic) was used. Pending the result of this test, I will either be referred to a surgeon who can see before NEXT Wednesday, or perhaps a breast surgeon. I have a blood test scheduled for later today........cbc w/differential. Can you give me any idea what this implies, if anything, I have no idea what an adenopathy is and can't find it on the computer......

leo · Owner Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 1574

Hello

Adenopathy means enlarged lymphnodes. That means you may have to have a biopsy done by a surgeon.

best regards,
Leo
_________________
Leonardo F - Webmaster Cancer Forums
Disclaimer: this information is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice.

SER · New User Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 8

Hi, Thanks for your response. I have since had an excisional biopsy done and go this AM for the results. However, what was identified on x-ray AND ultrasound as well as mammogram as lymph nodes turned out to be a fatty tumor of some kind in my left axillary. The surgeon examined me in his office on Wednesday, clearly palpated two distinct masses. While on the table he removed one. I asked about the other one, he could not feel or find it. Is this a common mistake? There was another discrepency as well between a chext x-ray and the ct scan. Should I just be thankful that the news is good (surgeon said the tumor looked good (?) ) or do I need to start at the beginning with different tests, dr's etc???????? I live in a pretty rural area of southern Delaware.

	Cancer Forums Forum Index -> Lymphoma - Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Forum	All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

A website for discussions about any type of cancer, including lung cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma, prostate cancer, laryngeal cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and others