Life is just full of surprises.
Well, I've never done this before but I am to the point of serious anxiety about this. So here it is: I am a healthy 22 yr old, white male. I am 6'1" and apprx. 190lbs. About four weeks ago I had a really bad bout of strep throat. Since then and before that point I have been in good health. Anyway, about two weeks ago I noticed a small swollen lymph node in my groin area about 1.5 cm. I also noticed a much smaller, barely noticable, lymph node close to it. I have also had a pretty constant itch in my groin area for about 2-3 months. For about three years now I have had a swollen lymph node on the left side of my neck. It has been checked several times by different doctors and they all told me to relax that some lymph nodes just take a long time to simmer down. Anyway, with this swollen groin lymph node and itch I have been worried. I went and saw a nurse the other day because the docotor was not availible on such short notice. The nurse is very worried. She said that the lymph node in my groin is an early sign of a serious condition. Right after I finished with her I recieved a blood test and did a urinalysis. So far I have only been informed that I do NOT currently have mono. They are going to get back to me Monday with the rest of the test results. The lymph node in my groin is hard, does not move, and does not hurt at all. It is not tender or anything. My sister died of liver cancer when she was seven years old. She suffered terribly a year prior to her death. I was told her suffering was due mostly to the treatments she recieved and not the actual disease. Anyway, I only mention this because my problem is not with dieing. I don't care about death I care about how I die. I don't want to do things that are just going to kill my insides and leave me feeling sick and generally lifeless. Blah... Anyway, if anyone knows how long you can live without treatment please let me know. Any advice or general comments would be much appreciated. Thanks so much. Also, I go back to the doctors on Monday for a chest X-Ray and I see the actual doctor on thrusday. Spoke briefly to the doc over the phone and he told me to stop looking for a horse when their is actually a zebra... or something like that. Dunno what he was getting at I was to stressed to pay to much attention. Thanks.
Comments
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What I would do
Why not see what the Dr. Says and get your blood work and chest x-ray results before doing anything more? After that if you are not happy with the advice, get copies of your test results and see an oncologist for a consultation. The only way to diagnose lymphoma is a biopsy. Your oncologist would be the best source of advice on that.
the zebra thing is an old saying to encourage doctors not to look for exotic solutions to every illness. It goes " when you hear hoof beats expect horses, not zebras". Could it be zebras(cancer) ? Sure, but I seriously think the odds of this being something other than cancer are very good. Keep the faith.
Best of luck.
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Thanks for the reply. I'll beunknown said:What I would do
Why not see what the Dr. Says and get your blood work and chest x-ray results before doing anything more? After that if you are not happy with the advice, get copies of your test results and see an oncologist for a consultation. The only way to diagnose lymphoma is a biopsy. Your oncologist would be the best source of advice on that.
the zebra thing is an old saying to encourage doctors not to look for exotic solutions to every illness. It goes " when you hear hoof beats expect horses, not zebras". Could it be zebras(cancer) ? Sure, but I seriously think the odds of this being something other than cancer are very good. Keep the faith.
Best of luck.
Thanks for the reply. I'll be sure to update on Monday when I find out more.
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More little minions.
Well, I now have three swollen lymph nodes on the left side of my groin. Don't know if they just popped up or if i missed them earlier.... Regardless I hear that it is not a good sign. We'll see what more comes my way Monday. Got a fortune cookie today... Told me to spend more time with my family..... Probably cause I won't be around to much longer.
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Pcote said:
More little minions.
Well, I now have three swollen lymph nodes on the left side of my groin. Don't know if they just popped up or if i missed them earlier.... Regardless I hear that it is not a good sign. We'll see what more comes my way Monday. Got a fortune cookie today... Told me to spend more time with my family..... Probably cause I won't be around to much longer.
Even in the event this is lymphoma, it is very treatable. HL is curable. Good luck Tomorrow. Face it like a man and all will work out ok. Remember that we are not descended from fearful men! I think you will be fine.
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WelcomePcote said:More little minions.
Well, I now have three swollen lymph nodes on the left side of my groin. Don't know if they just popped up or if i missed them earlier.... Regardless I hear that it is not a good sign. We'll see what more comes my way Monday. Got a fortune cookie today... Told me to spend more time with my family..... Probably cause I won't be around to much longer.
Welcome Pcote! I got a fortune cookie yesterday and it said: "A handful of paitience is worth more than a bushel of brains"
. Hang in there! I'm sorry to hear about your sister. In addition to coming here, I think it would help you to talk to someone personally. I think there may be some other things going on behind the scenes you may or may not be aware of. Some of your symptoms could indicare lymphoma bur it also could be many other things less serious than lymphoma (which is very treatable). To answer you question earlier (How long you can live without treatment?"), the only honest answer I can give is you live as long as you live. There are too many variables and unknowns at this point to give a concrete or educated guess on that.
Please know you are not alone and you are welcome here anytime. Keep us updated and good luck today and on Thursday!
Hugs and positive thoughts,
Jim
Not sure what I'd do if I ever got this fortune cookie:
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A not so reassuring day.jimwins said:Welcome
Welcome Pcote! I got a fortune cookie yesterday and it said: "A handful of paitience is worth more than a bushel of brains"
. Hang in there! I'm sorry to hear about your sister. In addition to coming here, I think it would help you to talk to someone personally. I think there may be some other things going on behind the scenes you may or may not be aware of. Some of your symptoms could indicare lymphoma bur it also could be many other things less serious than lymphoma (which is very treatable). To answer you question earlier (How long you can live without treatment?"), the only honest answer I can give is you live as long as you live. There are too many variables and unknowns at this point to give a concrete or educated guess on that.
Please know you are not alone and you are welcome here anytime. Keep us updated and good luck today and on Thursday!
Hugs and positive thoughts,
Jim
Not sure what I'd do if I ever got this fortune cookie:
I'll make this brief. Got the chest xray and saw a black patch. The tech said it was gas.... Gas in my chest? Anyway, still don't have the results of my blood test. Will know more on Wednesday. I now have 5 swollen nodes in my groin and one feels connected to another one. Can nodes become connected? I'll take death over disease any day.
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Test Results... uber fail
Just got off the phone with a receptionist at my doctor's office and I'm pissed now. Spoke with the receptionist requesting the results of my tests. She then put me on hold and went to speak with my nurse. She comes back to the phone (the receptionist) and tells me that the nurse would like to wait until tomorrow to give me the results of my tests with the doctor. WTF? Why not just tell me now (like they said they would) instead they are giving me the darn run-around. I don't mean to be overly dramatic here but this is really freaking me out. I'm part scared part frustrated. My groin nodes are still swollen, hard, immovable with no pain and occasionally when I feel them they are tender feeling (I think). Anyway, tomorrow I see me doctor and I will finally get some answers as to WTF is going on. I am trying to be patient but I am just a little scared about all this. Thanks for the replies thus far and hopefully tomorrow I can make one last posting and stop bothering everyone with my health issues. *knock on wood*
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Bother
You are not bothering anyone. Venting is one of the many benefits of this board. So vent away.
I think I understand your frustration. It seems to me to be very unfortunate that they can't just tell you the results. My surgeon just spit it out. I was in critical care at the time. I really appreciated his candor. On the oither hand I must say that some things are better done in person than on the phone. He probably just needs to explain the results and the receptionist did not feel qualified to do that.
Cheers.
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Hang in there!Pcote said:Test Results... uber fail
Just got off the phone with a receptionist at my doctor's office and I'm pissed now. Spoke with the receptionist requesting the results of my tests. She then put me on hold and went to speak with my nurse. She comes back to the phone (the receptionist) and tells me that the nurse would like to wait until tomorrow to give me the results of my tests with the doctor. WTF? Why not just tell me now (like they said they would) instead they are giving me the darn run-around. I don't mean to be overly dramatic here but this is really freaking me out. I'm part scared part frustrated. My groin nodes are still swollen, hard, immovable with no pain and occasionally when I feel them they are tender feeling (I think). Anyway, tomorrow I see me doctor and I will finally get some answers as to WTF is going on. I am trying to be patient but I am just a little scared about all this. Thanks for the replies thus far and hopefully tomorrow I can make one last posting and stop bothering everyone with my health issues. *knock on wood*
I know howHang in there!
I know how scary this all can be, I remember the weeks before I was diagnosed! It was such a hard time, the waiting around for the results and the runaround with the doctors! Some clinics have a strict policy of giving news over the phone, actually my clinic is one of those and yes it can be freaking annoying! Please don't feel like you're bothering people here, that's why the board and its wonderful people are here (to help out)! Take care and please let us know what the doc says!
Sincerely,
Liz
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Doctor's Diagnosis
Alright. Saw the Doc. Finally! All my test results came back negative. Doctor gave me a fairly thourough examination and told me everything besides my swollen groin nodes feel fine. Doctor said he does not have a "bad feeling" about me, but wants to run three additional blood tests to rule out anything serious. Anyway, he will call me Monday with my other test results. He wants me back in his office in four weeks if the test results come back negative. He said at that point he will schedule a biopsy for me.
He also asked me if I finished taking all my strep throat meds to which I replied "no". "I felt better after taking the meds for several days but I still had a couple days of meds left to take". He told me he thinks the lymph nodes in my groin might be left over from the strep that I had six weeks ago.
Anyway, I'm still kind of worried just because he did not rule lymphoma or something out for sure. Now I guess I just have to wait a month to see if these cursed nodes go away.0 -
Go with it...Pcote said:Doctor's Diagnosis
Alright. Saw the Doc. Finally! All my test results came back negative. Doctor gave me a fairly thourough examination and told me everything besides my swollen groin nodes feel fine. Doctor said he does not have a "bad feeling" about me, but wants to run three additional blood tests to rule out anything serious. Anyway, he will call me Monday with my other test results. He wants me back in his office in four weeks if the test results come back negative. He said at that point he will schedule a biopsy for me.
He also asked me if I finished taking all my strep throat meds to which I replied "no". "I felt better after taking the meds for several days but I still had a couple days of meds left to take". He told me he thinks the lymph nodes in my groin might be left over from the strep that I had six weeks ago.
Anyway, I'm still kind of worried just because he did not rule lymphoma or something out for sure. Now I guess I just have to wait a month to see if these cursed nodes go away.A good report is a good report. Go with it and be glad. Almost everyone here knows what a really bad report is like.
Live on to fight another day . I know uncertainty is worrisome, but it is part of this oncology game we play. Best of luck with the news forthcoming in a month or so... Your doc sounds pretty certain.
max
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Good news so farPcote said:Doctor's Diagnosis
Alright. Saw the Doc. Finally! All my test results came back negative. Doctor gave me a fairly thourough examination and told me everything besides my swollen groin nodes feel fine. Doctor said he does not have a "bad feeling" about me, but wants to run three additional blood tests to rule out anything serious. Anyway, he will call me Monday with my other test results. He wants me back in his office in four weeks if the test results come back negative. He said at that point he will schedule a biopsy for me.
He also asked me if I finished taking all my strep throat meds to which I replied "no". "I felt better after taking the meds for several days but I still had a couple days of meds left to take". He told me he thinks the lymph nodes in my groin might be left over from the strep that I had six weeks ago.
Anyway, I'm still kind of worried just because he did not rule lymphoma or something out for sure. Now I guess I just have to wait a month to see if these cursed nodes go away.It sounds like good news so far and you are not a bother here. I hope the nodes go away and that all is well. I'm thankful they have not found lymphoma. I know you are young and seem like a pretty serious person. Why not give yourself a break from all this and do something nice for yourself (witihin reason)? You're only 22 once!
Hugs and positive thoughts,
Jim
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Lymph Node (enlargement)
Well, I really appreciate the responses. Tomorrow I recieve the rest of the test results to show if I have any infections or if I still have slight strep throat left over from a month ago. Anyway, my lymph node feels like it has gotten bigger. Been having another person feel it and they said it has not gotten bigger but it feels harder. Not sure if that is bad or not. Anyway, trying not to worry about it.
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Further test results
Doctors office called informing me that the other test results came back negative. Doctor gave me anti biotics to take. Guess he wants to rule out possible infection. Been taking the meds for three days now. No change to swollen nodes. Will update with any further info.
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