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

for me it was just constant
for me it was just constant coughing for months. My lymph nodes had swollen so much that it was squeezing my airway.

Symptoms
My main symptom was a constant cough. I had it for over a year! It wasn't until I coughed so hard I hurt my rib cage that the doctor gave me an x-ray and there was a large mass taking up most of my right lung. I had also lost a lot of weight 25+ lbs and had the night sweats but thought I was just overheating while I slept. I also coach basketball and could only exercise for a short time before tiring and having to stop. All the symptoms I just attributed to other things i.e tiredness, I just had a baby. Shortness of breath-asthma. Night sweats-my apartment was getting to hot at night.

symptoms
My symptoms of lymphoma which I would never have associated were:
Extremely itchy skin
Rash outbreaks
Night sweats... drenching just before the mass appeared on my neck

Tom33Mi said:

symptoms
first time around i had swelling in the neck second time a huge lump in the middle of my throat twelve years later

Symptoms
Almost none. A small bump on my upper thigh which I figured was nothing. Thankful that I had a good PCP who pushed me to get it examined.

youngen2505 said:

Symptoms
My main symptom was a constant cough. I had it for over a year! It wasn't until I coughed so hard I hurt my rib cage that the doctor gave me an x-ray and there was a large mass taking up most of my right lung. I had also lost a lot of weight 25+ lbs and had the night sweats but thought I was just overheating while I slept. I also coach basketball and could only exercise for a short time before tiring and having to stop. All the symptoms I just attributed to other things i.e tiredness, I just had a baby. Shortness of breath-asthma. Night sweats-my apartment was getting to hot at night.

I can't believe how similar
I can't believe how similar our stories are. Looking through these posts I am just amazed that my doctor didn't know earlier! As mean as it is, I'm glad I'm not alone. Sorry!

How are things going now? Where are you in treatment?

Symptoms
Hi, I'm new to this board.

I've been diagnosed with non-Hodkins L three times since 2001. The first time, I was suffering from what the doctor thought was tennis elbow in both arms. A week or two later, the pain extended the entire length of both arms. There was a mass in my clavicular area that was pressing on the brachio-ulnar nerve, which turned out to be lymphoma.

The second diagnosis came after a routine follow-up CT. There were no symptoms of any kind.

The third time (a year ago), one of my knees was swollen/painful. After CT, MRI, x-ray & PET scan & biopsy, they found that I had lymphoma in one of my vertebra.

symptoms
Hi Deanna,
For me the main symptoms were Drenching Night sweats accompanied by a low grade fever (approx 100 degrees), worsening pain in my groin, sudden weight loss, and loss of strength and stamina.
I was originally diagnosed as having a hernia, which could be easily remedied in an out patient operation. I soon learned that most people with hernias were merely inconvenienced by the bulge in their abdomen, but didn't rea;lly feel any pain associated with it at all or only slightly. That wasn't true in my case, I was in terrible pain and was taking prescribed Vioxx by the 10 or so a day just to keep moving.
I went to the local VA to see about getting the hoped for Hernia operation and was informed by the Surgeon that I didn't have a Hernia, but instead had a very large tumor which was surely malignant and was sert up for an emergency operation the following day. You can imagine the shock I was in and my life was turned upside down in about 5 minutes. The Tumor was successfully removed during a 6 hour operation which was then followed by a 30 day recovery in intensive care during which I could only have intervenous fluids, my weight dropped to 105 pounds from 165 pounds normal weight. There were many complications from the surgery, including a serious infection that required an additional 45 day hospitalization and another major surgery. After that I had 8 sessions of R-CHOP Chemo and eventually the cancer went into total remission and after 5 years I was considered "cured", by the Onco Dr.
My advice is, IF you have any of the above symptoms, you Run, do not walk, to the best surgeon you can find who specializes in Cancer and get a complete Check up, including and MRI or PET scan. Do not look for an easy way out, get the facts as they are, and deal with it. I very nearly lost my life while I put off a hoped for Hernia operation waiting for a more convenient time to have it done. My tumor had grown to grapefruit size, perforated my colon, involved my entire right lower quandrant and had completely disolved my appendix, All that in less than 3 months from the the day I noticed the very first symptom, which was an unusual pain in my side.
DennisR

JMAITRUMBLE said:

Symptoms
Hi Deanna,

As posted before by a lot of people my symptoms included extreme fatigue and drenching night sweats. I was also being treated for acid reflux at the time and prescribed Nexium. When I started taking the nexium I noticed I had black stool, which I assumed was a side effect of the nexium (Which it is). Unfortunately it wasn't a side effect it was a tumor that had grown to overtake almost 60%-70% of my stomach. I was told at the Mayo that the tumor had grown off of the 2 Lymphnodes around my stomach. When the doctors told me it was malignant I was in shock and my world turned upside down.

I'm currently on my first (2 of 4) round cycle of chemo and feel pretty good. I have completely changed my diet (No red meat) and my body is retaining blood with no bleeding in sight. I do wonder at times why my family doctor never thought it was cancer and was more proactive but it is what it is now.

Deanna have you been diagnosed?

symptoms
Hi Jamaitrumble,
Wow...can I ever relate to your experience. Glad to hear things are going well and the Cancer is responding favorably to the chemo, keep up the fight. Your obvious good mental attitude will prove to be very important, don't allow the occasional difficulties with the Chemo wear you down. Thanks for sharing your experience.
DennisR

catwink22 said:

Symptoms
I am newly diagnosed, never heard the word Lymphoma until two months ago. Had a painless mushy lump over my left collar bone. Thought it was from wearing my heavy purse over that shoulder or the seat belt too tight in the car. Denial is a bad thing! Let it go for over 6 months, finally I was putting up my hair in front of a mirror and noticed my left armpit was very swollen. That's when I made the call. Looking back the only thing I had was itching on my back when I got undressed. Felt like I was allergic to the air. It would subside and I thought nothing of it. I haven't lost any weight, I've gained aout 20lbs (stress or middle age?)over the last year AND all my blood work came back normal. I had a lymph node removed from my left armpit and that's how I was diagnosed. A tiny spot on my hip has been found by my PET Scan and I am now waiting for bone marrow biopsy results, but I still do not have what I thought were "classic" symptoms.

symptoms
this is why I love these support groups! we just need reinforcement sometimes

I didn't really have symptoms when I was diagnosed; had gone to DR for diverticulis; it wouldn't go away even after antibiotics so they sent me for scan. I had extremely swollen abdomen but ONC at first was convinced it was a result of the diverticulits.

now diagnosed as Stage IV follicular due to bone marrow involvement, I've been on WW since surgery in April. But the symptoms have kicked in!! I am bone tired, like when I was when I first got pregnant and something is sucking the life out of you...except that was 32 years ago!
I am so tired that often at the end of the day I cry all the way home from work..15 miles.
And I am burning up! not hot flashes just HOT! I am freezing my husband and co-workers, they bought me a fan at work like they use in the server rooms. Abdomen is still swollen
but I couldn't lose a lb if I tried; in fact I really eat less than before, but because the surgery couldn't be done laproscopy had 22 staples and took a long while to be able to walk much...but now the fatigue discourages me fro doing that.

DR says he will leave it up to me if I want to start Rituxin but he isn't sure it will help my symptoms? any of you? did it help your symptoms?? something needs to change; next visit Oct 5...any input? sheila

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?