8months of waiting.... Do i have cancer or not?!

sillysam · New User Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 4

Well... an update on my situation....I went to the doc's 1st time in NOV 2007, (when i first posted here) got 1ST blood test to check for infection, which came back clear (no infection).

I went to doc's again in JANUARY (different 2nd doctor) because lump was still there and i wanted to know why. Doctor said to keep an eye on it and to take my temperature and come back if i noticed anything out of ordinary.

I went to the doc's again late FEBRUARY (different 3rd doctor) lump still there, this time i wanted something more done! I plucked up courage to ask for scan/x-ray/something/anything more to be done! Doctor was reluctant, but eventually put me in for an ultrasound of the neck.

7weeks later (APRIL)....... finally got my ultrasound on neck done.
2weeks later (APRIL)....... got results of ultrasound - 2.7cm lump on side of neck. Doc says he wants another blood test done to check for infection again.
1week later (MAY)........ got blood test results, clear (no infection). Now wants me to go for biopsy (finally!) He suggests Fine Needle biopsy. Am booked in to see specialist at hospital.
6weeks later (JUNE)...... see specialist at hospital, in 'Blood diseases clinic', which might sound obvious, but freaked me out a bit, as i was initially told to go to Haemotology dept... Have 3RD bloodtest to check for infections. Specialist go through symptoms and check's all areas for other enlarged lymph nodes. She decides an excisional biopsy would be best and more accurate, but because of the nature of my lump (closely fixed near my neck tendon/muscle) she wants a CT scan done to check if surgery would be easy enough. Also wants CT scan to check for other masses in body.
2weeks later (JUNE)..... on monday i will have my CT Neck/Thorax/Abdo/Pelvis
in another 2weeks.... will see specialist again to arrange biopsy.

SO..................... (sorry for huge long post) I have a large swollen lymph node, which is usually painless, but every few days/weeks, it really aches and the surrounding area (upper shoulder/ jaw) has been aching recently too. For the past few months, i have been getting random upper abdominal pain's (usually upper left side - spleen?). I get itchy quite a lot, usually on legs, but i don't know if this is enough to be concerned about.

This is really starting to effect me mentally/emotionally. I just want to KNOW.......... i've started getting very irratable, very stressed and unfortunatly my lovely boyfriend is getting the effects of this on him. Im trying my hardest to stay positve that this is nothing, but after nearly 8months, its seriously taking its toll and hopefully i will know either way soon.

Any thoughts/ similar stories would be greatly appreciated. Don't worry about scaring me, in my head i think i've already got cancer (SOOO WRONG I KNOW!) but i just don't wana be shocked if/when they tell me.

brainman

Sam, I am so very sorry about how long it is taking the doctors to find out what is wrong. I am not sure this a normal for a lymphoma. I do know that my father had leukemia for over a year before they finally said it was leukemia. Unfortunately, sometimes the diagnosis is not right there on a scan.

You are in my thoughts and prayers.
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Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
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shuggy1972 · Regular Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 24 Location: New York

Sam

You are not alone.

Since Feb 08, I've seen 2 urologists, 2 dermatologists, 3 ENT's, 1 Infectious Diseases specialist, and an orthopedic surgeon. I've had 2 MRIs (left knee, without then with contrast), 2 ultrasounds, a CT scan of my neck, tests for HIV, TB, thyroid function, Complete Blood Count, biopsy of a mole on my left toe, etc etc...

I'm currently waiting for the results of a CT guided core needle biopsy of two enlaged lymph nodes in my neck. The CT scan showed a number of enlarged nodes on both sides (submandibular and one in the paratracheal area), the largest of which was 1.2cm...which is not huge for a lymph node, but over the size to generate 'suspicion'.

They also found what looks like a small (1.4cm) cyst on my thyroid gland, so I have to have an ultrasound guided fine needle biopsy on that in a few weeks.

I still have a 'tight' feeling behind my left knee (despite the two MRI scans showing up nothing) and now I have some small lumps at the back of my right thigh which the infectious diseases guy says could be enlarged lymph nodes. I also have a similar 'tight' feeling in the right groin area, although I can't feel any nodes there. I was having night sweats, although those seem to have stopped in the past couple of weeks.

I'm getting a bit fed up with seeing doctors and having no answers (as is my health insurance company!). Alternative explanations I've been given so far - ' maybe just some low level virus' or 'maybe you're allergic to New York City' - seem pretty weak.

Part of me thinks 'sod it, if the doctors don't seem too worried why should I be' and yet I'm normally a very healthy person, and all of a sudden I have these lumps and swellings appear, not resolving over time and not responding to antibiotics...

Anyway, sorry about the rant...but just wanted to say that I totally understand the stress you are under. My wife is currently 6mths pregnant, and I'm supposed to be looking after her and giving her support...but it's been very tough to focus on anything other than worrying about the fact I may have some type of cancer that's getting worse by the week while I see various doctors in search of an answer.

Reading the posts on here has been helpful, but it has also brought home to me the number of people who are misdiagnosed or who have delayed diagnosis, despite some fairly obvious symptoms. I would say that we both need to keep pushing until we are given a definite answer.

So best of luck with your excisional biopsy of the lymph node - that at least should give you a definitive answer and let you get on with whatever needs to be done next.

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