Newbie with Concerns UPDATE-1?

oneshot1kill2344
oneshot1kill2344 Member Posts: 11
About a month ago I noticed some sensitive lumps in my armpits. They didn't go away so I went to the doc and was put on antibiotics for a week and now I did blood work and go for a ultra sound next week. I've noticed more sensitive lumps appear lower in my armpits and also a lump raise on the right side of my neck. I also have one in my groin area on the right side. They aren't painful and probably would have noticed the lump in the groin had I not been checking for it but the one on my neck is visible. I know a lot has to happen in the next couple of weeks to find out whats going on but should I be worried? I'm 34 years old and in good health. The research I've been doing has my a little concerned. Any thoughts?
«1

Comments

  • muleroa
    muleroa Member Posts: 3
    Concerns
    I was diagnosed with lymphoma in Feb2012, never noticed any swelling of my lymph nodes. I had more than 5 ultrasounds that did show anything, finally, a CAT scan was ordered and found a very large Non Hopkins large B cell Lymphoma which I am still treating. Based on my experience I would ask the Dr to to change the ultrasound for a CAT Scan ASAP. It will the easiest to clear you mind. Probably is nothing but you never know and if I were you I would like to find out as soon as possible. Good luck and God bless.
  • COBRA666
    COBRA666 Member Posts: 2,401 Member
    LUMPS???
    For a lot of us there were no symtoms. Mine was found while having a routine cat scan ordered by my urologist as a 5 year check up. I never had any symtoms at all. Still no symtoms such as night sweats or weight loss. Turns out I had follicular stage 4. There have been several people on here that did notice lumps like you. They had them checked and it was lymphoma. It is best to have it checked out when something is not normal. Hope everything comes back normal,but if not you are in the right place. John
  • dixiegirl
    dixiegirl Member Posts: 1,043 Member
    On top
    Stay on top of your doctor to find out what's going on. Don't let your fears get the best of you. Just keep moving forward and continue to get the tests done. Keep moving forward.

    Beth
  • allmost60
    allmost60 Member Posts: 3,178 Member
    Lumps...
    Hi,
    I had 2 lumps appear...groin left side, and neck left side. CT scan showed multiple lumps in my abdomen also. The Ultra sound did not detect the lumps in my abdomen. My diagnosis after the groin lump was removed and sent to pathology showed Follicular NHL-stage3-grade2 typeA. I felt perfectly fine right up until my first round of chemo. I had no symptoms other than the lumps. If I was you, I would ask to have a contrast CT scan done of the pelvis-stomach-neck. Let us know what you find out, and "Welcome" to the group.
    Best wishes...Sue age 62 (Yakima, Washington)
  • oneshot1kill2344
    oneshot1kill2344 Member Posts: 11
    COBRA666 said:

    LUMPS???
    For a lot of us there were no symtoms. Mine was found while having a routine cat scan ordered by my urologist as a 5 year check up. I never had any symtoms at all. Still no symtoms such as night sweats or weight loss. Turns out I had follicular stage 4. There have been several people on here that did notice lumps like you. They had them checked and it was lymphoma. It is best to have it checked out when something is not normal. Hope everything comes back normal,but if not you are in the right place. John

    Thank you all for the
    Thank you all for the comments. Other than the lumps, I have only had itchy skin and a night or two of night sweats in the last couple of months. I don't think it's related but might be. I guess I need to just wait for the testing phase to conclude before I get too concerned about it. I'm not afraid even in the worst case scenario though. Just eager to learn the "what how and when" and what needs to happen next. I'm an Infantryman so I won't back down from anything..... even cancer. I will bring the fight to the enemy! Not going to work myself up until I know the "actual's". Could be a lot of things I guess. I'm just not very good at "expressing myself" to the people I love and know so I thought it would be a good idea to find a forum like this so I can air out feelings. Thanks everyone and I'll keep you posted. Hope to hear back next week on the blood work. Keep you apprised of the ultra sound. 11B
  • oneshot1kill2344
    oneshot1kill2344 Member Posts: 11
    dixiegirl said:

    On top
    Stay on top of your doctor to find out what's going on. Don't let your fears get the best of you. Just keep moving forward and continue to get the tests done. Keep moving forward.

    Beth

    Indeed! Thank you Beth. I
    Indeed! Thank you Beth. I have been a bulldog but not an annoyance. I will keep you posted. PS> beautiful queensland. My second favorite dog next to wiener dogs. ;o) z
  • oneshot1kill2344
    oneshot1kill2344 Member Posts: 11
    allmost60 said:

    Lumps...
    Hi,
    I had 2 lumps appear...groin left side, and neck left side. CT scan showed multiple lumps in my abdomen also. The Ultra sound did not detect the lumps in my abdomen. My diagnosis after the groin lump was removed and sent to pathology showed Follicular NHL-stage3-grade2 typeA. I felt perfectly fine right up until my first round of chemo. I had no symptoms other than the lumps. If I was you, I would ask to have a contrast CT scan done of the pelvis-stomach-neck. Let us know what you find out, and "Welcome" to the group.
    Best wishes...Sue age 62 (Yakima, Washington)

    I will ask about that next
    I will ask about that next week. I'm trying to be patient about things until the blood is back. I will see if I can push my doc for a CT scan. I have good insurance so it shouldn't be a problem. Keep you posted. Thank you Sue!
  • oneshot1kill2344
    oneshot1kill2344 Member Posts: 11
    allmost60 said:

    Lumps...
    Hi,
    I had 2 lumps appear...groin left side, and neck left side. CT scan showed multiple lumps in my abdomen also. The Ultra sound did not detect the lumps in my abdomen. My diagnosis after the groin lump was removed and sent to pathology showed Follicular NHL-stage3-grade2 typeA. I felt perfectly fine right up until my first round of chemo. I had no symptoms other than the lumps. If I was you, I would ask to have a contrast CT scan done of the pelvis-stomach-neck. Let us know what you find out, and "Welcome" to the group.
    Best wishes...Sue age 62 (Yakima, Washington)

    I will ask about that next
    I will ask about that next week. I'm trying to be patient about things until the blood is back. I will see if I can push my doc for a CT scan. I have good insurance so it shouldn't be a problem. Keep you posted. Thank you Sue!
  • Lumps
    I recommend to go straight to an oncologist, not a GP, and ask to be tested for lymphoma. Only way to positively diagnose it is through a biopsy. Your situation with the obvious lumps should make that process quite easy and painless. It can only be helpful to do this. If it is lymphoma then you will know and can be treated. If its not then the worry is gone. Lymphoma is a manageable disease. Sounds from your name that you may have been SOF. If so thank you and please get this attended to.

    Deal with it.

    Best of Luck
    Garry
  • unknown said:

    Lumps
    I recommend to go straight to an oncologist, not a GP, and ask to be tested for lymphoma. Only way to positively diagnose it is through a biopsy. Your situation with the obvious lumps should make that process quite easy and painless. It can only be helpful to do this. If it is lymphoma then you will know and can be treated. If its not then the worry is gone. Lymphoma is a manageable disease. Sounds from your name that you may have been SOF. If so thank you and please get this attended to.

    Deal with it.

    Best of Luck
    Garry

    Blood Work
    BTW, my blood work is and always has been normal except for slightly out of range low white count. Everything else is fine with my blood even though I have Stage IV lymphoma with bone marrow involvement. 26% of my marrow cells showed lymphoma but somehow my blood work looked good. Go for the biopsy if possible.

    Garry
  • jimwins
    jimwins Member Posts: 2,107
    Welcome ☺
    Welcome oneshot,

    I agree with the others - get it checked out.
    As you've already seen, there are wonderful and supportive folks here.

    Hugs and positive thoughts,

    Jim
    DX: DLBL 4/2011, Chemo completed 10/2011, currently in remission. :)
  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,803 Member
    unknown said:

    Blood Work
    BTW, my blood work is and always has been normal except for slightly out of range low white count. Everything else is fine with my blood even though I have Stage IV lymphoma with bone marrow involvement. 26% of my marrow cells showed lymphoma but somehow my blood work looked good. Go for the biopsy if possible.

    Garry

    Tests

    I fully agree with all Gary says here. Taken together, lumps, itching, and night sweats are too much of a coincidence to not follow up quickly on (all three are routine symptoms of lymphoma). I never had any of the three, however. My only classic symptom was severe fatigue.

    I was late stage 3 at diagnosis, and I never felt a lump anywhere, but the surgeon said my biopsy node was the size of a golf ball. I also had pretty normal blood work throughout treatment, so much so that the blood tests were of seemingly limited value. I would drive the issue and get to a medical oncologist .

    max
  • oneshot1kill2344
    oneshot1kill2344 Member Posts: 11
    unknown said:

    Blood Work
    BTW, my blood work is and always has been normal except for slightly out of range low white count. Everything else is fine with my blood even though I have Stage IV lymphoma with bone marrow involvement. 26% of my marrow cells showed lymphoma but somehow my blood work looked good. Go for the biopsy if possible.

    Garry

    Thanks
    Thanks Garry, I will do that asap. I didn't even know the name of the type of Doc I would need to see so that helps immensely.
  • oneshot1kill2344
    oneshot1kill2344 Member Posts: 11
    jimwins said:

    Welcome ☺
    Welcome oneshot,

    I agree with the others - get it checked out.
    As you've already seen, there are wonderful and supportive folks here.

    Hugs and positive thoughts,

    Jim
    DX: DLBL 4/2011, Chemo completed 10/2011, currently in remission. :)

    Indeed Jim and thank you.
    Indeed Jim and thank you. Great support here! Kind of freaked out a little about it and I'm not the type to complain so it's good to get some direction and put my concerns at ease.
  • dixiegirl
    dixiegirl Member Posts: 1,043 Member

    Indeed Jim and thank you.
    Indeed Jim and thank you. Great support here! Kind of freaked out a little about it and I'm not the type to complain so it's good to get some direction and put my concerns at ease.

    Treatment
    I am currently doing radiation to get rid of the lump in my armpit. It's been there 3 times and I am ready to get rid of it for good.

    I did have lumps and nightsweats at the beginning. This is the first relapse I've had where I could see it and feel it. All the other times has been through PET scans.

    I know you're not afraid, but when you hear the words, you have cancer, it's like a huge semi running over you and backing up and doing it again. I can't say you're headed down this path, but it certainly sounds very familiar to the experience I have had.

    Like I said before, stay on top of it. I agree, maybe an oncologist/hematologist would be the best and that way get right to the big guns.

    I have 2 heelers and one border collie retriever mix....talk about energy wow.

    Take Care,
    Beth
  • oneshot1kill2344
    oneshot1kill2344 Member Posts: 11
    dixiegirl said:

    Treatment
    I am currently doing radiation to get rid of the lump in my armpit. It's been there 3 times and I am ready to get rid of it for good.

    I did have lumps and nightsweats at the beginning. This is the first relapse I've had where I could see it and feel it. All the other times has been through PET scans.

    I know you're not afraid, but when you hear the words, you have cancer, it's like a huge semi running over you and backing up and doing it again. I can't say you're headed down this path, but it certainly sounds very familiar to the experience I have had.

    Like I said before, stay on top of it. I agree, maybe an oncologist/hematologist would be the best and that way get right to the big guns.

    I have 2 heelers and one border collie retriever mix....talk about energy wow.

    Take Care,
    Beth

    I can't imagine what will
    I can't imagine what will run through my mind if I hear those words. A semi running over me a few times actually seems fitting ;o). I'll be really pissed off about it too! I'm staying positive about it though. I will surely looking into getting an appointment with an oncologist. I'd rather know NOW then wait week after week for the "regular" docs to get their butts in gear and get me the results I need. Keep you all posted! I should know sometime this week what the blood work shows and I have the ultra sound on Wed. Those heelers are HIGH ENERGY!! Great pooches though ;o) Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I feel in limbo.
  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,803 Member

    I can't imagine what will
    I can't imagine what will run through my mind if I hear those words. A semi running over me a few times actually seems fitting ;o). I'll be really pissed off about it too! I'm staying positive about it though. I will surely looking into getting an appointment with an oncologist. I'd rather know NOW then wait week after week for the "regular" docs to get their butts in gear and get me the results I need. Keep you all posted! I should know sometime this week what the blood work shows and I have the ultra sound on Wed. Those heelers are HIGH ENERGY!! Great pooches though ;o) Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I feel in limbo.

    Non-Oncologists
    Oneshot,

    My impression of the knowledge level of cancer among non-oncologists is not good. I have known a lot of people with what overtly seemed like cancer who were treated for a long time for something else, losing valuable time. One buddy was bleeding in urine for many months while he was treated by a urologist for what he thought was a non-cancerous disease. Sadly, that friend is now dead. My brother's mother-in-law was treated for about a year for pancretitus before the doc realized she had pancreatic cancer. She died five days later.

    It pays in dealing with cancer to get informed and drive your own situation. Very often there are reasonable treatment options for any given cancer. Demand a full explanation of all alternatives, if you are indeed diagnosed. Make the doctor explain why one path is better than another. You will see on these boards that frequently doctors give patients a choice in chemo drug combinations, whether to have radiation or not, and other such choices.

    Others patients just sleep at the wheel.

    max
  • Non-Oncologists
    Oneshot,

    My impression of the knowledge level of cancer among non-oncologists is not good. I have known a lot of people with what overtly seemed like cancer who were treated for a long time for something else, losing valuable time. One buddy was bleeding in urine for many months while he was treated by a urologist for what he thought was a non-cancerous disease. Sadly, that friend is now dead. My brother's mother-in-law was treated for about a year for pancretitus before the doc realized she had pancreatic cancer. She died five days later.

    It pays in dealing with cancer to get informed and drive your own situation. Very often there are reasonable treatment options for any given cancer. Demand a full explanation of all alternatives, if you are indeed diagnosed. Make the doctor explain why one path is better than another. You will see on these boards that frequently doctors give patients a choice in chemo drug combinations, whether to have radiation or not, and other such choices.

    Others patients just sleep at the wheel.

    max

    Wow!
    Very well put. Wish I had read this about 7 years ago!
  • NANCYL1
    NANCYL1 Member Posts: 289

    I can't imagine what will
    I can't imagine what will run through my mind if I hear those words. A semi running over me a few times actually seems fitting ;o). I'll be really pissed off about it too! I'm staying positive about it though. I will surely looking into getting an appointment with an oncologist. I'd rather know NOW then wait week after week for the "regular" docs to get their butts in gear and get me the results I need. Keep you all posted! I should know sometime this week what the blood work shows and I have the ultra sound on Wed. Those heelers are HIGH ENERGY!! Great pooches though ;o) Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I feel in limbo.

    I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT WILL
    Thought I would tell you about my experience.

    In January 2012, I went to my internist for a general checkup, including a blood test. She found that my white blood cells were high. Gave me the name of an Oncologist at a Cancer Center nearby. Could have been an infection, but I did not waste time. Went to see the Oncologist and had a blood test, CT-SCAN, PET-SCAN, and BONE MARROW test. Result: A Mild B-Cell Lymphoma. I am having a series of Infusions every six months: RITUXIN is the chemo. It is not a heavy-duty chemo. What I have can be controlled, but not cured. I found this early which is in my favor. So don't waste any time.

    Good Luck to you and let us all know.
  • oneshot1kill2344
    oneshot1kill2344 Member Posts: 11

    Non-Oncologists
    Oneshot,

    My impression of the knowledge level of cancer among non-oncologists is not good. I have known a lot of people with what overtly seemed like cancer who were treated for a long time for something else, losing valuable time. One buddy was bleeding in urine for many months while he was treated by a urologist for what he thought was a non-cancerous disease. Sadly, that friend is now dead. My brother's mother-in-law was treated for about a year for pancretitus before the doc realized she had pancreatic cancer. She died five days later.

    It pays in dealing with cancer to get informed and drive your own situation. Very often there are reasonable treatment options for any given cancer. Demand a full explanation of all alternatives, if you are indeed diagnosed. Make the doctor explain why one path is better than another. You will see on these boards that frequently doctors give patients a choice in chemo drug combinations, whether to have radiation or not, and other such choices.

    Others patients just sleep at the wheel.

    max

    Indeed! Very well put and
    Indeed! Very well put and great advice. That is my exact concern right now that the regular docs are going to "choose the wrong path" so to speak. I won't be sleeping on this one lol! I am actually growing impatient with the wait game. Keep ya posted Max and thanks!