Needle aspiration

Honeychild · Regular Joined: 06 Nov 2009 Posts: 14

Hello,

I don't know if anyone remembers me but I posted a few weeks ago about my swollen lymph nodes and night sweats.

I went to the doctor last week and got result of my blood test which came back fine again after the third time. The doctor made an apointment for me to do an ultrasound of the lymph nodes in my neck and under my armpit.
Although she thinks that what I am feeling under my armpit is just a muscle.

Also she wrote on the paper to get a needle aspiration done but only if they find it necessary when they do the ultrasound. I actually hope they do because I am still concerned about these lymph nodes. The doctor told me to not worry because she doesn't think that it is anything bad. She asked me why I was so worried and if I maybe had lost someone to lymph node cancer but I told her that that is not the case and that I am worried because I have several swollen lympho nodes in my neck and I am not sick at all.

The nightsweats stopped for a week or so but last night I was sweating again in my bed. Has anyone ever experienced that symptoms related to lymphoma come and go?

Thanks so much for reading I will post again when I have my ultrasound done and the needle aspiration.

Vincera · Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:39 pm Post subject: Re: Needle aspiration

What other symptoms have you had?
Temp? Appetite loss? Itching?
What's your blood LDH level?
I wonder why they want to do US and not MRI.
Maybe saving money?
_________________
61 y.o M, Diffuse large B cell NHL, stage 3. Lower back. Diagnosed Mid May 09. Completed 6 R-CHOP treatments on 9/8/09. In Remission: 10/19/09

Honeychild · Regular Joined: 06 Nov 2009 Posts: 14

Hi,

Thank you for the reply.

To answer your questions I haven't had any other symptomps. Only night sweats now and then. Everything came back fine with my blood results.

I don't why they won't use MRI but keep sending me to do an ultrasound. Last time I did ultrasound of my neck they measured the lymph nodes and they were 0.3 cm so the doctor said that there was no need to worry.

I thought maybe they do the ultrasound first and if it's bigger then '' normal'' then they will go for an MRI.

I live in the netherlands so I'm not really sure how it works here.

Amsterdamgirl · Experienced user Joined: 28 Oct 2009 Posts: 52

Hi Honeychild,

I am also in the Netherlands and my husband was recently diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. The getting diagnosed part was very stressful. Lots of "non-invasive" procedures at first taking two months, even though his very first blood tests were completely off the charts in terms of the normal ranges. But they kept checking for what we felt were irrelevant things such as cat scratch disease even though he is never anywhere near cats!

I think ultrasound vs MRI is definitely one of cost. Due to the national health system here, they generally want to do the least costly procedures first before proceeding to more costly ones, and only if absolutely necessary.

The good news for you is that your blood tests came back normal. If you are really concerned and would like to push for an MRI, you may consider going to a company called prescan (you can look them up on the internet). They arrange for Dutch patients to go to Germany for scans. You may have to pay out of pocket though, or check with your insurance company as to whether they will reimburse you.

On the other hand, I'm not sure what an MRI would tell you because I believe the only way to diagnose lymphoma is through a biopsy, and needle aspiration is one way of getting the necessary tissue to do the biopsy, so hopefully you will be able to get that procedure done soon.

Where in NL are you having your tests done?

Good luck.

Honeychild · Regular Joined: 06 Nov 2009 Posts: 14

Hello,

Thank you for your kind reply and information.
I am sorry to hear how long it took before your husband had gotten a proper diagnose. It can be very stressful.
I read what you said about testing for cat scratch disease and I have a cat at home but I haven't thought of it maybe I will mention it to the doctor.

I live in Enschede and that is near Germany so I will look into the company called prescan. But I will wait and see what the results of the ultrasound and needle aspiration will be.

Thanks again.

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