Can any of you share what your symptoms were prior to diagnosis?

Which_Way_Back

What life I have left....Stage 4 NHL
For me I had a tremendous amout of fatigue. One year i ran a fever of 105 for a week and didnt go to the hospital till I became unaware of what was going on around me. Couldnt eat I laid in tub for a while trying to manage the fever even went outside as the temp was 10degrees that year nothing worked. Upon arriving at the hospital after finding out I had no insurance they gave me a pain med and antibiotics and sent me off saying it was a bladder infection. so around 4 years later Im playing with my kids chasing them in the house I get to the 4th step and I stop only to not move anymore I tell my sons mother I need to goto the ER. She looks at me and says the ER? She knows I never go to the hospital. So I get there "different hospital than the first time" running fever of 105 again thy gave same diagnosement took my gal bladder and sent me home. Still running fever still fatigued. I return to hospital and am hospitalized for 28 days I laid in ice to try and control fever on that 28th I was giving the outcome. No pain ever can compare yet so much pain came from worrying about my children. so I fought wasnt going to but, thought of how selfish I would be if I didnt. Yet they still were gonna let me die no oncologist would come see me because of no insurance coverage but my girl found a way and I owe her what life I have left.

lees1953

Which_Way_Back said:

What life I have left....Stage 4 NHL
For me I had a tremendous amout of fatigue. One year i ran a fever of 105 for a week and didnt go to the hospital till I became unaware of what was going on around me. Couldnt eat I laid in tub for a while trying to manage the fever even went outside as the temp was 10degrees that year nothing worked. Upon arriving at the hospital after finding out I had no insurance they gave me a pain med and antibiotics and sent me off saying it was a bladder infection. so around 4 years later Im playing with my kids chasing them in the house I get to the 4th step and I stop only to not move anymore I tell my sons mother I need to goto the ER. She looks at me and says the ER? She knows I never go to the hospital. So I get there "different hospital than the first time" running fever of 105 again thy gave same diagnosement took my gal bladder and sent me home. Still running fever still fatigued. I return to hospital and am hospitalized for 28 days I laid in ice to try and control fever on that 28th I was giving the outcome. No pain ever can compare yet so much pain came from worrying about my children. so I fought wasnt going to but, thought of how selfish I would be if I didnt. Yet they still were gonna let me die no oncologist would come see me because of no insurance coverage but my girl found a way and I owe her what life I have left.

who
on the earth can be against health care reform?

DenJ

Symptoms
For me the symptoms were a swollen lymph node in my neck....that was what made me see my doctor. After I was diagnosed with NHL.....I learned that the one other I had was night sweats. And mine were at times enough to soak my bed clothes. However, like most have stated, everyone is different. If you do have anything that you are concerned about, I encourage you to have it checked out. I waited only 4 days after I discovered the lump in my neck. I caught it at stage 2. Best of luck to you!!!
Den

Lynn56

My symptoms of non hodgkins lymphoma
I had a stuffy nose for a few weeks before I went to my Dr. He said it was a sinus infection and put me on antibiotics. Nothing changed, so he tried another round of antibiotics before sending me to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Fortunately this Dr. insisted on a nasal endoscopy which detected the lymphoma.

At first I was diagnosed as Stage 1. Then my oncologist asked me about a large bruise on my leg. I said it was from an injury and that I had showed it to my primary Dr.months before, because it just wouldn't go away. My oncologist insisted on a biopsy of the area and sure enough it was lymphoma. Because of the locations of the 2 sites, I was now diagnosed at Stage 4.

Except for the stuffy nose I felt great and had no typical symptoms.

I went through 6 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy. I carried a portable pump as I was on chemo 5 days a week/24 hours a day. I was very fortunate. I felt great during chemo except for some fatigue. My scans in July showed no signs of cancer. I do have scans coming up in two weeks, so I am feeling a little anxious, yet hopeful.

Lisa2009

Lynn56 said:

My symptoms of non hodgkins lymphoma
I had a stuffy nose for a few weeks before I went to my Dr. He said it was a sinus infection and put me on antibiotics. Nothing changed, so he tried another round of antibiotics before sending me to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Fortunately this Dr. insisted on a nasal endoscopy which detected the lymphoma.

At first I was diagnosed as Stage 1. Then my oncologist asked me about a large bruise on my leg. I said it was from an injury and that I had showed it to my primary Dr.months before, because it just wouldn't go away. My oncologist insisted on a biopsy of the area and sure enough it was lymphoma. Because of the locations of the 2 sites, I was now diagnosed at Stage 4.

Except for the stuffy nose I felt great and had no typical symptoms.

I went through 6 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy. I carried a portable pump as I was on chemo 5 days a week/24 hours a day. I was very fortunate. I felt great during chemo except for some fatigue. My scans in July showed no signs of cancer. I do have scans coming up in two weeks, so I am feeling a little anxious, yet hopeful.

NPC
Your symptons sound just like my husbands he had a stuffy nose and could not shake it went to the pcp and he said it was sinus, then got nosebleeds and we went to the ENT, and it was
nasal pharyngeal carcinoma stage 1 haed 31 radiation treatments went through a lot of mouth dryness and sores it's been almost 6mths since his last treatment his scans were good he goes back in November hopefully it will all be good the scarey thing about this is that it can come back anywhere. Hope everything goes well for you. Pray as much as you can.

jpattersonkw

cathlinberreth01 said:

symptoms
I was pregnant so I can't really help you.

I lost weight and strength mainly. I was 12 pounds lighter at 5 months pregnancy than when I became pregnant. My tumor was in my chest and had collapsed my lung. So I was coughing for air at night but I didn't know why I was coughing.

I was tired. My heart was freaking out too because it was pressing on my heart.

Months prior it had paralyzed my diaphragm on one side and I had severe pain for a few hours.

Dull ache under shoulder blade for a few weeks a year earlier that doctor's didn't do anything about.

And ONE night sweat. That was it. Lymphoma didn't cause me much direct pain. It was under my rib cage so I felt no lumps...

Basically, no symptoms until my tumor was 10cm or bigger and almost killed me.

cathlinberreth01 our stories sound similar
I would like to hear more about your story, it sounds so familiar to me.

I wasn't pregnant but I had medistinal lymphoma and a terrible cough, so hard I was vomiting every couple of hours. It started at night when I would lay down, I thought I was allergic to my down comforter and began sleeping on the floor. I also had a strange ache under the shoulder blade....so weird.

One symptom that I had that I've never heard before- for 3 or 4 months before I was diagnosed I had terrible constant pain in my neck and shoulders, like I had been in a car accident.

Gaz

DenJ said:

Symptoms
For me the symptoms were a swollen lymph node in my neck....that was what made me see my doctor. After I was diagnosed with NHL.....I learned that the one other I had was night sweats. And mine were at times enough to soak my bed clothes. However, like most have stated, everyone is different. If you do have anything that you are concerned about, I encourage you to have it checked out. I waited only 4 days after I discovered the lump in my neck. I caught it at stage 2. Best of luck to you!!!
Den

Ignored Symptoms
When I was diagnosed in February 2007 I really wasn't too surprised. My wife, an RN, dragged me to the emergency room with a temperature of 103. Ironically, my daughter also an RN was on duty that night and was called to my bedside. Up to that point I had ignored warning signs of hot/cold sweats, nausea, swollen abdomen and sharp electric shocks through my chest. Needless to say, I pay much more attention to my body now. I am 53 and recently ran the Denver Half Marathon. I feel good and my quarterly checkups continue to be good as well. The statistics point to a recurrence, but I am not fazed. I believe in living in the moment and thanking all those those that have gotten me to this point. I have faith.

pjcinnc

Gaz said:

Ignored Symptoms
When I was diagnosed in February 2007 I really wasn't too surprised. My wife, an RN, dragged me to the emergency room with a temperature of 103. Ironically, my daughter also an RN was on duty that night and was called to my bedside. Up to that point I had ignored warning signs of hot/cold sweats, nausea, swollen abdomen and sharp electric shocks through my chest. Needless to say, I pay much more attention to my body now. I am 53 and recently ran the Denver Half Marathon. I feel good and my quarterly checkups continue to be good as well. The statistics point to a recurrence, but I am not fazed. I believe in living in the moment and thanking all those those that have gotten me to this point. I have faith.

Familiar.
Boy as I read these posts it is amazing how we are somewhat all the same. I got sick the end of August. Head cold. couldn't fight it so I went to my gp..she did blood and gave me a perscription to get filled for antibiotics. Before I was 10 minutes away she called and told me to go to a radioloy place here in town and get a chest xray. thought I had pneumonia.And come back to the office don't go home. I got the xray. returned to the dr office. they gave me a shot of antibiotics. She said my white blood count was way too high. Went back 3 days later.. the same . another shot. different antibiotics. Went on and on with that for a bout 2 weeks getting blood test after test. Finally she told me they were calling a hemotologist to set up an appt for me. Well I had not idea what to expect. I went to the appt and walked in and on the wall was Cancer Center. My gosh was I shocked. Went in to see the dr. He thought for sure I had CLL but after the BMB he found out it was stage IV follicular lymphoma. I did not have a lot of symptoms. I was warm at night but I have been going thru the dreaded menopause so that wasn't anything new. I was getting more and more tired. I thought that was age..Now that you all talk about it I did get itchy sometimes. I am pretty sure my dr knew when she sent me what it might be because she told me not to worry it might not be anything.. Yea right!!
It sure does change the way you look at things. Little things become a whole lot more important and I am not in such a hurry anymore. I have faith that God will take care of me!
Patti

jerzpilot

pjcinnc said:

Familiar.
Boy as I read these posts it is amazing how we are somewhat all the same. I got sick the end of August. Head cold. couldn't fight it so I went to my gp..she did blood and gave me a perscription to get filled for antibiotics. Before I was 10 minutes away she called and told me to go to a radioloy place here in town and get a chest xray. thought I had pneumonia.And come back to the office don't go home. I got the xray. returned to the dr office. they gave me a shot of antibiotics. She said my white blood count was way too high. Went back 3 days later.. the same . another shot. different antibiotics. Went on and on with that for a bout 2 weeks getting blood test after test. Finally she told me they were calling a hemotologist to set up an appt for me. Well I had not idea what to expect. I went to the appt and walked in and on the wall was Cancer Center. My gosh was I shocked. Went in to see the dr. He thought for sure I had CLL but after the BMB he found out it was stage IV follicular lymphoma. I did not have a lot of symptoms. I was warm at night but I have been going thru the dreaded menopause so that wasn't anything new. I was getting more and more tired. I thought that was age..Now that you all talk about it I did get itchy sometimes. I am pretty sure my dr knew when she sent me what it might be because she told me not to worry it might not be anything.. Yea right!!
It sure does change the way you look at things. Little things become a whole lot more important and I am not in such a hurry anymore. I have faith that God will take care of me!
Patti

So familiar
About 4 years ago I felt a small ball at the right side of my upper neck, it didn't hurt, itch or grew in size; that was when I was 31. I was always hot to the point that the palm of my hands would get red and that was about it. No pains or other symptoms until 2006 were I had night sweats only but thought that I was just hot and nothing else. in 2008 The fevers only once in a while but not more than 100 degrees and thought I was just fighting off some type of cold, only a few rashes this year and thought they were bed bugs since I was traveling and staying in hotels. In Sept. of this year the lymph nodes around my groin area were slighty enlarged but didn't think nothing of it (just maybe extra muscle). In Oct. this year I was bathing and noticed this large ball trying to hang out my right amrpit, that's when I almost fainted when I first saw it. When to the doctor and he did blood work and found nothing, he suspected lymphoma and sent me for a CT-Scan and showed that I had a whole bunch of enlarged lymph nodes inside my body including an enlarge spleen. A week later got a biopsy done and the results came back as Indolent FNHL grade 2 of the B cell type. Now I have an appt. at Memorial Sloan-Ketterin Cancer Hospital in NYC on the 24th of this month. Now I am feeling the pains in my neck, chest, abdomen and weird, at the heel bone of my left leg. Can't wait until I start treament and start feeling better, althought the oncologist said it would most likely come back. Keep posting treatments and any new information, together we can help eachother. God bless all.

Edwin

aramance

Symptoms prior to diagnosis
I had a large mediastinal mass (behind my breastbone). So because of this I had chest pain that radiated to both arms. I couldn't feel any masses or nodes anywhere else. I was pretty tired all the time. I also felt like I had something in my throat all the time and problems swallowing. It was because the mass was so big, it was pushing my trachea to one side. The chest pain is what caused me to go to the ER, which is where I was diagnosed.

liquidglas

Lynn56 said:

My symptoms of non hodgkins lymphoma
I had a stuffy nose for a few weeks before I went to my Dr. He said it was a sinus infection and put me on antibiotics. Nothing changed, so he tried another round of antibiotics before sending me to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Fortunately this Dr. insisted on a nasal endoscopy which detected the lymphoma.

At first I was diagnosed as Stage 1. Then my oncologist asked me about a large bruise on my leg. I said it was from an injury and that I had showed it to my primary Dr.months before, because it just wouldn't go away. My oncologist insisted on a biopsy of the area and sure enough it was lymphoma. Because of the locations of the 2 sites, I was now diagnosed at Stage 4.

Except for the stuffy nose I felt great and had no typical symptoms.

I went through 6 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy. I carried a portable pump as I was on chemo 5 days a week/24 hours a day. I was very fortunate. I felt great during chemo except for some fatigue. My scans in July showed no signs of cancer. I do have scans coming up in two weeks, so I am feeling a little anxious, yet hopeful.

hello
I hope that things turn out well for you. They do sound hopeful. I am writing you because I would like to know a little more about how they went about your diagnosis. Was it only the nasal endoscopy? or did they also perform a CT scan in the beginning? Did you have any rashes on your body?

Thank you so much. I am concerned as not only have I have chronic sinus problems (dry throat, stuffy sinuses, slight voice change bc of mucus I believe) I have had a persistent itch in between my glutes, but specifcally one strange and itchy rash on my upper abdomen. i am going to see a dermatologist. I have also had feelings of weakness for a couple days but thought nothing of it as I just thought it was the onset of a flu that never hit me. After reading that this may be a cause, I am really worried. Im also scared to death of CT scans and hope that maybe just a nasal endoscopy and/or MRI will do the trick.

I hope you can help me... I would appreciate your advice on what i should do. The best of luck!

God bless,

Gil

liquidglas

Lisa2009 said:

NPC
Your symptons sound just like my husbands he had a stuffy nose and could not shake it went to the pcp and he said it was sinus, then got nosebleeds and we went to the ENT, and it was
nasal pharyngeal carcinoma stage 1 haed 31 radiation treatments went through a lot of mouth dryness and sores it's been almost 6mths since his last treatment his scans were good he goes back in November hopefully it will all be good the scarey thing about this is that it can come back anywhere. Hope everything goes well for you. Pray as much as you can.

hello
i hope everything goes well for your husband. I just wanted to know how did they diagnose him exactly? was it just a nasal endoscopy? or a CT scan? both? I hear that MRI arent as effective. I myself am worried since Ive had these symptoms for a while however I also have itches and a rash on my abdomen that really worries me. I wish him the best.

Thank you

Gil

lisam61

liquidglas said:

hello
i hope everything goes well for your husband. I just wanted to know how did they diagnose him exactly? was it just a nasal endoscopy? or a CT scan? both? I hear that MRI arent as effective. I myself am worried since Ive had these symptoms for a while however I also have itches and a rash on my abdomen that really worries me. I wish him the best.

Thank you

Gil

NPC
Hi it's been awhile since I've been on this chat, my computer crashed it was a hassle trying to find everything again. My husband was diagnosed with a biopsy from the nose, the ENT thought it was a polyp and decided to biopsy it first, it came back as NHL, NPC, he had 31 treatments of radiation and had awful side effects, they ended in May of 2009, he has recently contracted an infection he went back to the ENT, and he cultured his nose and said he has a staph infection, he's been on antibiotics, but he had to have a repeat pet scan and the Oncologist called and said he saw some abnormalities so he's going back next week we are on pins and needles again. I hope the monster isn't coming back. I am praying for all of the people on this chat. It's so imporant. If I can be of any help let me know. God bless you.

lisam61

Lynn56 said:

My symptoms of non hodgkins lymphoma
I had a stuffy nose for a few weeks before I went to my Dr. He said it was a sinus infection and put me on antibiotics. Nothing changed, so he tried another round of antibiotics before sending me to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Fortunately this Dr. insisted on a nasal endoscopy which detected the lymphoma.

At first I was diagnosed as Stage 1. Then my oncologist asked me about a large bruise on my leg. I said it was from an injury and that I had showed it to my primary Dr.months before, because it just wouldn't go away. My oncologist insisted on a biopsy of the area and sure enough it was lymphoma. Because of the locations of the 2 sites, I was now diagnosed at Stage 4.

Except for the stuffy nose I felt great and had no typical symptoms.

I went through 6 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy. I carried a portable pump as I was on chemo 5 days a week/24 hours a day. I was very fortunate. I felt great during chemo except for some fatigue. My scans in July showed no signs of cancer. I do have scans coming up in two weeks, so I am feeling a little anxious, yet hopeful.

Husband with NPC
Hi was wondering how you are doing? My husband also had it in the right nostril, and then after he had radiation treatments 31, and clear pet scans we thought he was out of the woods, a year later he got sick again sinus infection again but we knew this time that it might be the return of the monster and they scanned him and sure enough lymphoma non hodgkins, now he is getting chemo chop which is making him so tired I was wondering how you are and which chemo did you get? The scan showed the cancer in the sinuses and other areas as well his sturnem and spine. We need to hang on to God it's all we can do. God bless you hope you are well.
Lisa

lisam61

Lynn56 said:

My symptoms of non hodgkins lymphoma
I had a stuffy nose for a few weeks before I went to my Dr. He said it was a sinus infection and put me on antibiotics. Nothing changed, so he tried another round of antibiotics before sending me to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Fortunately this Dr. insisted on a nasal endoscopy which detected the lymphoma.

At first I was diagnosed as Stage 1. Then my oncologist asked me about a large bruise on my leg. I said it was from an injury and that I had showed it to my primary Dr.months before, because it just wouldn't go away. My oncologist insisted on a biopsy of the area and sure enough it was lymphoma. Because of the locations of the 2 sites, I was now diagnosed at Stage 4.

Except for the stuffy nose I felt great and had no typical symptoms.

I went through 6 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy. I carried a portable pump as I was on chemo 5 days a week/24 hours a day. I was very fortunate. I felt great during chemo except for some fatigue. My scans in July showed no signs of cancer. I do have scans coming up in two weeks, so I am feeling a little anxious, yet hopeful.

Husband with NPC
Hi was wondering how you are doing? My husband also had it in the right nostril, and then after he had radiation treatments 31, and clear pet scans we thought he was out of the woods, a year later he got sick again sinus infection again but we knew this time that it might be the return of the monster and they scanned him and sure enough lymphoma non hodgkins, now he is getting chemo chop which is making him so tired I was wondering how you are and which chemo did you get? The scan showed the cancer in the sinuses and other areas as well his sturnem and spine. We need to hang on to God it's all we can do. God bless you hope you are well.
Lisa

lisam61

Lynn56 said:

My symptoms of non hodgkins lymphoma
I had a stuffy nose for a few weeks before I went to my Dr. He said it was a sinus infection and put me on antibiotics. Nothing changed, so he tried another round of antibiotics before sending me to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Fortunately this Dr. insisted on a nasal endoscopy which detected the lymphoma.

At first I was diagnosed as Stage 1. Then my oncologist asked me about a large bruise on my leg. I said it was from an injury and that I had showed it to my primary Dr.months before, because it just wouldn't go away. My oncologist insisted on a biopsy of the area and sure enough it was lymphoma. Because of the locations of the 2 sites, I was now diagnosed at Stage 4.

Except for the stuffy nose I felt great and had no typical symptoms.

I went through 6 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy. I carried a portable pump as I was on chemo 5 days a week/24 hours a day. I was very fortunate. I felt great during chemo except for some fatigue. My scans in July showed no signs of cancer. I do have scans coming up in two weeks, so I am feeling a little anxious, yet hopeful.

Husband with NPC
Hi was wondering how you are doing? My husband also had it in the right nostril, and then after he had radiation treatments 31, and clear pet scans we thought he was out of the woods, a year later he got sick again sinus infection again but we knew this time that it might be the return of the monster and they scanned him and sure enough lymphoma non hodgkins, now he is getting chemo chop which is making him so tired I was wondering how you are and which chemo did you get? The scan showed the cancer in the sinuses and other areas as well his sturnem and spine. We need to hang on to God it's all we can do. God bless you hope you are well.
Lisa

Bsmom1971

My symptoms n' diagnosis
I had lung infections/bronchitus symptoms but no amount of prednisone, antibiotics or inhalers did the trick to help me. I have been fighting this (FNHL)for several years. I had a spot on my lung but the Dr. didn't think anything of it, then 2 yrs. later he decided it had changed enough that it warrented a petscan; I have a pacer so I'm unable to have MRIs.

Besides the Brochitus, I had night sweats, itching, lymph node swelling behind my ears, hives, dry mouth, complete dehydration, pain in my left arm pit, heaviness in my chest all the time but the one thing I never had was weight loss. I actually gained weight; I went from 120 lbs to 200 lbs., no amount of diet or exercise would help me lose it and I'm also diabetic and kept myself on a strict diabetic diet! I was also diagnosed with heart trouble as well as COPD over the past few years so the meds were a contributing factor, or so I was told.

I had a bronchial scope to have a biopsy done but the tumor was so low in my lung, the Dr. was unable to get too the tumor; they were going to do c-scans every 3 months to watch the tumor for changes but I asked the Dr. about surgery to remove it since my Mom and Brother both died of complications due to lung tumors. I had the surgery in Jan. of this yr., was diagnosed with FNHL, stage 4 and will be starting chemo next week.

Not all of us are going to have the same symptoms...When the Surgeon talked to my Primary Physician, he said, "You're going to be surprised to hear this but she has A cell, stage 4, FNHL!" So, I'm assuming, my symptoms were not all that common with the disease.

I also have PIDD/a autoimmune disease and it's my understanding Autoimmune is a factor with NHL. So if you haven't been tested, get an appointment with an Autoimmune Specialist; I've been taking IVIGs for almost 10 yrs. now and without them, I'd been dead long before now! I was always in the hosp., spent more time there then at home; Once I started the IVIGs 10 yrs. ago, I haven't been in the hosp. for lung infections but once or twice ;-)

I guess I'll stop for now...Take care and may God bless us all!

If God is your Co-Pilot, Change seats!

Coupe35

slickwilly said:

symptoms
Hi. First we have to remember that each individual case is different. Lymphoma does not seem to have any bounderies and I am a perfect example. I had lymphoma in my face and not in my lymph system where it should of been. Having said that my doctor is always checking for swollen lymph glands. The night sweats are also a common signal. A lump that seemed to be spreading and lots of pain was my final signal. But it still took the removal of a mass and 7 biopsies to find my cancer. There are proubly lots of medical problems that can cause the same symptoms as lymphoma so its always a matter of getting tests and scans done. And I will say I had a gut feeling that I would be dealing with cancer. 6 years out Slickwilly

In your face
Could yopu explain about what you meant by in your face. It was adnoids, tonsils or?

moftexas

No symptoms
I had absolutely no symptoms. I went in for an annual healthy physical, and my doctor felt my spleen was enlarged, so off to get a CT scan. Turns out I had stage 4A follicular NHL. Talk about denial - no way I could have so much disease in me and not feel bad!

bobmcghee

symptoms
My problem was pain and numbness in my lower back and down my legs. My doctor sent me for a mri that showed spine problems. The L3 was crushed and putting pressure in the nerves and L2 was not right either. Then a biopsy was done on both bones and it came back as B cell lymphoma which is what damaged the bones. Since the results of the biopsy came back last Friday my first oncologist appointment is tomorrow so I am quite new to the process. I haven't been sleeping well either since the first bad test report.