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swollen lymph nodes and worried

fluffyteddy
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hi 

im 28 years old and have swollen lymph nodes in my groin armpits and neck. the ones in my groin are moveable and some are fixed in place and hard. they do not hurt. i went to the gp a year ago and they reffered me for a ct scan which revealed an enarged spleen and liver. i then had a scan on my lungs which revealed nothing. i then went back a few months later for an ultrasound on my liver and spleen and kidneys. from what i remember they were still a little enlarged, i have been self harming due to the stress of thinking i have cancer and ended up in hospital due to blood loss and had to have 3 blood transfusions because my blood levels were extremely low, whilst being checked and sorted out with bloods i told the consultant about my swollen lymph nodes and on the rare occasion i have some night sweats, they took bloods to send off to heamotology and its been 2 months now and havnt had a phonecall regarding results. i really dont know what to do i am a worrier and think the worst, i dont know if the heamotologist hasnt got back to me because there is nothing to worry about or if they just dont care or aint listening to me. i have googled alot regarding the lumps but it always comes back as cancer which is making my anxiety skyrocket to the point im not eating anymore and my mental state is deteriorating. what do i do??????? i have contacted the hospital for results but can never get through to heamotology. ive also called my dr (gp) to see if they have any results and they told me as it was the hospital that took the bloods i need to call them. im losing my mind and really do not know what i should do. do i go back to my gp???? i am extremely worried about getting called in for a biopsy as by the sounds of it thats the only way to properly test the lumps can i request to be put to sleep for this if it comes to it?? because if they want me awake for it i will not go due to extreme anxiety please help :( i also suffer being aneamic. all these are signs and thats why in my head i am adamant i have lymphoma or leukemia please help 

  • Hello there

    I am sorry to hear about the worries you have about your health and changes to your body.  Not hearing back from the hospital must be playing on your mind so it is understandable to have questions.

    Symptoms and swollen lymph nodes can appear for lots of different reasons. However most of the time the cause will be something far less serious than cancer.

    I would have assumed if anything had been picked up abnormal from the tests you have had done so far they would have let you know about it, but for your own mental health it is important to try and get these results.

    I think there is a couple of things you could do. Firstly it is really important you arrange an appointment with your GP to talk through your concerns but also how these worries are affecting you physically and mentally so they can get you the support you need. If you cannot get through or it is out of hours call NHS111 for advice.

    Secondly, try and contact the haematology department, failing this contact the hospital Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS) here explaining your situation to find out if they can chase things up for you, so you can get some answers.

    I hope you also have family or friends around you to support you at this time. Do let them know how you are feeling and how all of this situation is affecting you so they can also help you through this time.

    There are some other organisations including Mind here and Anxiety UK here that also have some tips and suggestions of things to help manage your mental health and they also have helplines that you could call for support as well as the samaritans at this link.

    I hope this is helpful and that you find out more soon about your situation and get the help you need.

    Take care of yourself

    Naomi

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    Just to add, my husband had a biopsy on his groin lymph node last week. He said it wasn't a problem and only took a couple of minutes, (the paper work took a lot longer) he said it didn't hurt so please don't be afraid of going if you need to. 
    Sue 

  • Hi there fluffyteddy

    I think Nurse Naomi has given you some really good advice so I hope you will soon be able to get some reassurance regarding your swollen lymph nodes. We were concerned to read that you have been self harming and just wanted to add a couple of links to resources which you may find helpful. The charity Harmless has some useful resources and the charity MIND also has more in depth information plus a list of useful contacts and resources including a helpline where you can talk to someone either by telephone or email. Whenever you find yourself becoming overwhelmed or struggling to cope, do try and reach out for some support. 

    I do hope things get better for you soon

    Best wishes

    Moderator Sarah

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