Lymphoma symptoms not taken seriously

Hi there, I am a 33 year old female who is generally fit and well and have only ever struggled with my mental health never been concerned about my physical health until lately.

About 8 months ago I noticed a lump in the right side of my neck, I Presented to my doctors and was sent to ENT to have them scanned. They told me they looked fine I just had a cluster of 3 together and its probably my skin and should change my shampoo if I feel itchy.

I had dull pain in my neck and shoulder along with a tight trapezius muscle and was told I had probably strained something, even though I dont recall any injury. I also mentioned my xiphoid process is protruding, so they scanned my abdomen and told me it may be my epigastric hernia returning, they could see a fatty lump but said no hernia and I was sent away.

I accepted this tried to move on. I have been on combined HRT for a year which I have decided to come off as I have read more into it and dont feel comfortable taking this risk.

Over the last month I have lost a lot more weight than I expected with healthy eating I have gone from 60kg in December to just over 53kg now. I have been getting night sweats and feeling tired all the time and lost interest in many things. Last week I noticed prominent lymph nodes in both sides of my groin and also one of my submandibular glands are prominent. The doctor felt these and told me they're normal its just because im thin you can feel them. I told him the lumps in my neck are still there, and i have a constant ache on the right side with tightness in my shoulder and trapezius only on the right side, he told me he rules out lymphoma and I await blood tests next Tuesday.

I have also been suffering with IBS symptoms for a long time now which they tested me for coeliac and told me I was fine and left it at that. I feel I am moving my bowels every morning first thing but its always soft not formed no matter what Im eating.

I have tried getting a second opinion from other doctors in my surgery and I feel now they have discussed me and are just backing each other up, I dont feel heard or that they are taking me seriously at all.

I also work as a clinical support in the hospital and know ultrasounds can't detect cancer and without biopsies things can appear normal.

I guess I'm looking for some help and whether I should be taking this further. You know your own body and something doesn't feel right. Ive also had possible cysts rupture on my ovaries along with a cyst on my breast which ive never had before.

  • Hi there and thanks for the post

    I am sorry to hear about the symptoms you are experiencing and the concern they are causing you.

    Symptoms as I am sure you are aware can be the result of many different things and in most cases the cause won't be anything as serious as a cancer.

    However when symptoms persist or get worse it is important to go back and discuss these with your doctor. The GP is experienced at assessing symptoms to determine if any tests need to be carried out.

    Lumps and bumps or enlarged lymph nodes can be felt for a number of reasons. Firstly they can be more easily felt in thin people but also a current or recent infection can cause lymph nodes to swell. An ultrasound is a good test to check out lumps and can pick up particular features that may need further investigation. A biopsy isn't always required.

    It sounds like you have some blood tests coming up so see what they show up first and go from there. Once those results are in you can discuss those with the GP and also share any other concerns you have to decide if there is any other tests that would be useful to find out more. The patient association have information about making the most of your GP appointment that may be useful to read.

    I hope you know more soon and that you start to feel listened to.

    Best wishes

    Naomi