Hey mollie, I was diagnosed with non Hodgkin lymphoma in 2007 , my symptoms were large lump in my neck loss of weight on and off sweating other than that I felt well , I really didn’t have any concerns just thought it was swollen glands it was only when my daughter said mum that lump is getting bigger and we we’re going on holiday the next day so went to the doctors to get antibiotics, just went to a walk in centre and they told me I needed to go to the hospital ASAP, one doctor said I could go on my holiday and another said he would prefer I didn’t, so me being me I went on my holiday for two weeks by this time the lump had got bigger still didn’t even think cancer as felt so well , the day I arrived home there was an appointment for a were they tried to take cells from the lump in my neck which I didn’t feel at all the next day when I got there they couldn’t believe how much bigger it had got , by this time I couldn’t lay flat as I couldn’t breathe if I did I had pillows so I was sleeping a little upright, I got a letter back really quickly saying they couldn’t get a result from that procedure so then had to go for a biopsy I then got a phone call within days with my diagnosis, because I’d left it so long before I was checked out I then had to have chemo with rchop it was so strong and not very nice at all , I think you need to push for a biopsy asap I hope this helps a little bit , if you have any questions please feel free to message me, Shirley.

Hi Mollie

Haematology are the experts In the Lymphoma field, and they wouldn’t have been so quick to discharge you had they had any inkling that there was a problem.

I was diagnosed with NHL in December 2021 and yes, the only way to officially diagnose a lymphoma (there are over 65 types) is with a biopsy, you are correct - however there are many different indicators and factors that would lead the haematology team to suspect that, and it sounds like they don’t?

I wish you all the best however I think it best if you listen to the experts on this one 

Sean

Hi Mollie, my daughter was diagnosed with non Hodgkin lymphoma June 2022 she didn't exhibit any symptoms no itching ,weight loss or loss of appetite she found notice a lump on her right collar bone in January went to her they told her it was jus a swollen lymph node it started getting bigger in February she had some blood tests and a scan they both came back clear they said it nothing more than a large lymph nodes maybe she had a previous infection the only issue she had was difficulty breathing when laying down. It started getting bigger so in March they referred her to the ENT clinic she was told she and an appointment for September 2023 because she was 18 i got her permission to call the clinic on her behalf no way was going to wait over an year for a  appointment. Finally got a within days thankfully after the Biopsy 4 days later she was diagnosed with non Hodgkin lymphoma stage 2. So please demand they do a biopsy and try to stay positive.. I'm currently awaiting my biopsy result for Acral melanoma wishing you the best of luck xx

Hi Mollie,

Haematologists are experts in lymphoma and I think you can feel confident in their reassurance, especially with a CT scan. Only a biopsy is definitive but a scan will give indicators, e.g. I had an MRI and I was called back for an ultrasound and biopsy. Lymph nodes can pop up for all sorts of reasons and the chances of cancer are low (easier said than believed I know!) I don't think waiting to see if anything else grows is a bad thing, but if you really want to push it you can definitely try for an ultrasound, it's not guaranteed that they'll give you a biopsy though. Lymphoma is slow growing in any case so a few more weeks-months is not likely to make any difference. Hope this gives you some reassurance!

I’m afraid I’m going to have to slightly fact-check here. 
Lymphoma is not, in many cases slow growing. Lymphoma can appear in 2 categories - HighGrade or Low Grade depending on the type.

Low-Grade Lymphoma does indeed grow slowly over many months/years, and is often treated very gradually over a long period of time...

However....

High Grade Lymphoma is aggressive, and can grow extremely quickly over the course of a matter of Days/Weeks. I was diagnosed with High Grade Burkitt Lymphoma in December 2021 and became very unwell in a matter of weeks.

Sorry I could have been clearer, I meant to say low grade and that if your symptoms haven’t progressed during the waiting period then you’re not likely to have an aggressive form that needs immediate treatment. 

Thank you for your reply. Yeah you are right. I think I’m just going to try and park it for now and just keep a watchful eye on the lumps incase of any changes. Thank you again and I hope you are ok 

Hi. Thank you for your reply. Oh my goodness I hope your daughter is doing ok! How is she? That must’ve been horrendous. This is my worry with my lumps but as people have said on here to my post haematology are the experts so maybe I’m best waiting and just keeping an eye on my lumps for now? 
Also I hope you are ok! When did you have your biopsy? Praying for good news for you x

Hi thank you for your reply. Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry to hear this! I hope you are doing ok! How are you feeling these days? 
Thank you for your advice! I think I’m going to wait a little bit, I’ve got to have some blood tests done next Thursday anyway so I’ll keep an eye on the lumps and see if anything changes as well as symptom wise. Atleast then if anything does happen to change I can go straight back to the doctors. Thank you again x