Suspicious for lymphoma and scared but no concrete diagnosis yet!

Well you will hear many of us say we are not Dr so keep all comments in that context.

i have 2 Types of Lymphoma one Hodgkins non aggressive (indolent) and non Hodgkins aggressive.

1. I had some swollen nodes under arm pit and in peck area. No pain Even when pushed on pretty hard.

2. Loss of appetite. Lost 35 lbs in 6 weeks. Not nauseous or anything just no appetite. Not everyone has this symptom.

3. Fatigue and shortness of breath.

4. Night sweats but not every night.

The early symptom I remember most was just a general feeling of something not being right. Not sick just like my blood sugar or something was off.

With all that said I am pretty sure antibiotics would not affect your lymph nodes if it was Lymphoma.

Also keep in mind that Lymphoma is not like most cancers. Many times the treatment and prognosis does not change if found in stage 1-3. Anyway keep with your Dr. And work with them til you have a firm diagnosis.

Keep us informed and let us know how it is going. My thoughts  are it is not Lymphoma. Hope I am right. Just keep searching. 

Sandy Ray

Welcome, MrGreek.

Your set of doctors have been very through in checking this node, and all results indicate away from Lymphoma, but of course all of these indications 'prove' nothing. The following is a clinical generality, but worth knowing:  You are quite young to potentially have Lymophoma, and there is a strong tendency for youths who do get Lymphoma to tend toward aggressive varieties.  Among the most common childhood and young-adult cancers are Leukemia, Lymphoma, 'Bone Cancer," and brain tumors.  But when they occur in youth, they are nearly always aggressive subvariants. Some indolent (non-aggressive) forms of Lymphoma can move very slowly, but seldom does this occur in youth.  The disease is proud to jump out an SHOW ITSELF.  For reference, know that there are around 50 variants of Lymphoma readily recognized in pathology:  5 types of Hodgkin's (HL), and well over 40 types of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL).  

I was first diagnosed with massive involvement, whole body -- lower jaw to groin area, and across both sides, and wrapped around numerous organs.  After I got into full remission (no enlarged nodes detectable via CT), about a year later, I was driving and felt a lump in my upper neck, throat.  It was very detectable, and asymmetric (only on one side).  It gave me quite a fright, and I went to the oncology center for a touch exam.  My oncologist said immediately, "Oh yes, I feel it easily."  He then added, "But this is a gland, not a lymph node." My doc has an astonishing 5 Board Cetifications (Hematology, Medical Oncology, Internal Medicine, and two others), so he is always cetain of what he says.  He said he could easily differentiate, and that the enlarged area was not a node at all.  Any time I have a sore throat or other infections, I can feel them, but what he shared that day has been a great relief.

One thing worth asking about (from a person who would know) is whether the enlargement is a node at all.   Never underestimate what a medical professional might NOT know, since "Medical Mistakes" is the 3rd leading cause of all deaths in the United States.

max

I am blessed, MrGreek.  Complete remission from Stage III HL, 6 years now.  Complete remission from Stage II Prostate cancer, 2 years.

I can't walk at the moment, some kind of weird foot inflammation, but that is explained at my "Double-Boarder" thread. When you reach the latter decades of life, the warranties all wear out, and finding a good "mechanic" is expensive.  I need a restoration !

Remain health-conscious, avoid smoking or drinking to excess, and use common sense and you should live to about 100.   I hope you find what you need here at the Board,

max

The world Health Organization recognizes 68,069 human illnesses and conditions. About 125 of them are cancers. Our bodies are capable of producing about 150 different symptoms. By simple division 68,069 diseases divided by 150 symptoms is 450+ potential diseases per symptom. Multiply 450 times the number of your symptoms and you see that your chances are very, very low.

You can also see why the diagnostic process is so complicated and frustrating at times. All of this began with your nasty infection. That alone is sufficient to explain the enlarged node(s). Nodes can develop scar tissue and never shrink back down. As to how I'm doing, here is brief history.