Hello,

I recently posted about my boyfriend who has been unwell for quite some time. His main complaint is awfully bad fatigue and lethargy, as well as soaking night sweats and loss of appetite. A large lump appeared on his neck and he was sent for bloods and an ultrasound. The bloods came back fine (no glandular fever or HIV) except for raised lymphocytes, which he has had since September with no other obvious signs of viral/bacterial infection. He was told that the ultrasound showed that it was a reactive lymph node and therefore it's reassuring. He was then told that they didn't have a reason for the swollen gland, given advice on how to have a healthy diet and told to come back in 3 months.

He said as soon as we left the surgery that he felt 3 months was a very long wait for him given how unwell he feels, and I agree. I am autistic and have a special interest in medicine. I am in no way saying that I have the knowledge or the expertise of a doctor, but I know from extensive research I have done that in some cases, affected nodes in lymphoma (which is the main concern) can sometimes be indistinguishable from reactive nodes on ultrasound scans. Knowing that the lymph node looks reactive on the scan would have reassured me in any other situation, but the combination of knowing that and his evident symptoms of lymphoma has left us feeling like he should have been referred to a specialist anyway. My family think I am a "hypochondriac" for thinking this, and I felt the GP thought I was being overbearing for raising my concerns, but I don't want to take any chances when his symptoms are affecting him this much.

Has anyone had any similar experiences to this? I am aware that thankfully lymph nodes can just be raised for no particular reason, and I am worried that I may sound insane, but with his particular combination of symptoms and how they affect his life I do not want to take any chances and want to help in any way I can.