enlarged right tonsil & swollen lymph node that's been there for months, maybe years...neck & throat

celflo121 said:

Hi Stephanie,
 
I came across

Hi Stephanie,

 

I came across your message board because I have just found two lymph nodes to be swollen along with my tonsils. Now I'm realizing that maybe they have been swollen for what seems to be years with no other symptoms and I have just figured I should pay more attention to them. Which brought me to google and now my anxiety is sky high but I have booked a doctors appt for tomorrow to see how it goes. I read the entire message string attached to your initial question and I was SO happy to see that what your results showed was not cancer but rather a result of chronic infections causing your swollenness. I have to ask, mainly for my own worries, can you describe your chronic infection to maybe see if thats happening in my case as well? I know everyone is different but I just turned 26 with no kids and I can't help to think of the road my life will be if it was something other than a curable infection.. I know this is 4 years after you had this conversation board but I'm really hoping you might be able to help me with a response.

 

Thanking you,

 

Celena

Please repost in "New post"

It would be better to repost this in a new post as she has not been on since Sept 2015. 

We do understand your fears as this is something you do not want to just overlook and think it will go away. You also do not want to Google, unless you are really good with resurch as most of what you find is old, and incorrect, if you get on the wrong sites. On the top of the forums you will see one called Superthread Read only. I would sugest you repost this as a new post and then go through the superthread as it has so much information from members/survivors.

Larrykins said:

Unholy agony
Tonsilectomy was the most constant, unstoppable, inescapable and longest amount of pain I have ever had! Cancer treatment was a walk in the park by comparison. I felt like a beast being slowly slaughtered. Not normal.
It's why I have never questioned why they would only take out one tonsil and not the other as they must both have been equally mistreated. I couldn't eat or sleep for 2 weeks. Screaming in agony all the while.
Don't let this put anyone off however...

Me Too

Thanks for confirming how bad it was.  I thought something was wrong with me because the pain was so bad.  Forget the pain meds, they did nothing.  All I could do was to sit completely still and try to put my mind into a meditative trance where it might not hurt as much.

After a week I was dehydrated because of not being able to swallow and ended up in the ER.  Then he told me my pain was common.  I suppose it's in the paceints best interest NOT to tell them how bad it will be.  I did feel sorry for my wife as there was nothing she could do to help.  Everytime she'd ask I'd wave her off.  I truly think the pain meds would have helped if he gave me a sufficient dose, which he did not.  Even the nurses were upset because he under presribed my meds.  I found out later he is famous for that.  Problem was, he was and is the best surgeon where I live.  Two weeks of hell and I pray to never go through it again.

 

On a side note, I did seriously consider suing him for unbearable pain.  But I did and do still need him.

 

Thanks for posting that.  And to those who are going to have some throat surgery soon, not everyone has that level of pain.  Many here got through it just fine.

 

Tom

An2los said:

Photo

Hi can u take photo of that?

??

What purpose would posting a photo serve? No one can diagnose anything as we're not trained medical professionals.

Positive thoughts and prayers

"T"

Larrykins said:

My experience
Hi Stephanie,
I was in the same boat as you this time last year. I went to ENT specialists (2) and neither did a biopsy. They both thought my left tonsil looked 'odd' and I had a lump in my left side for around 5 years. My neck used to inflate twice a year but no one saw anything in blood tests either. They also wanted to operate, neither even mentioned cancer. An MRI I had done was mis-read. They told me I had a non-cancerous lump in my saliva gland and should have it out.
During the operation they saw no tumor in the gland but 3 'infected looking' lymph nodes which they took out with the tonsil and tested. The test came back positive for SSC (squamous cell carcinoma).
I was furious because I imagined that they had just scrambled my cancer and spilled cancer cells all over. That if they did a biopsy then I would perhaps have started with radio and chemo and then had an operation carving very large margins.
These thoughts have never left me and although my surgeon has been excellent I still think they should have done a biopsy.
I had a biopsy done on the right lymph nodes after the operation and it was not pleasant mind you! A biopsy on the lymph node is also not an exact science and they can miss the right spot quite easily apparently. The tonsil on the other hand is very easy. It takes minutes and can be done right there in his office.
My initial doctors were ENT specialists not oncologists but still, I am not a professional driver but I can see a hole in the road well enough.
At present I have had all the treatment and I am presently clear. I am 42 and I was lucky enough not to suffer too much.
I know a lot more about cancer medicine now than before but I am not a professional, and don't know anything about your case but if I could go back in time I would ask for a tonsil biopsy. A few sprays of lidocaine, a painless pinch and my doctors would have known immediately what we were up against. I don't understand why this is not standard procedure and when I saw your post it just makes my blood boil.
Another reason to have the biopsy first is that because I was operated before the diagnosis they had to wait a couple of months before the radiation treatment could start. I had to heal first. These months were hard, knowing I had cancer and doing nothing about it. The mind will race. Which is another reason not to Google too much. You are in the right place for info here.
I really do hope you don't have cancer and there are many other reasons for inflammation and lumps which are not life-threatening but they will only see this with a biopsy. And it's so easy to do.
I wish you all the best luck in the world. I also wish I had written your letter on this site one year ago and had it read by me. You are already ahead! Insist. You are in control of your health.
Larry

What cancer treatment you got.

And how did you tolerate it

 Please share complete details.