Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice or shared experiences while I wait for further tests.

My GP has been investigating my symptoms after I finally went in following a long period of feeling unwell. I’ve had lots of blood tests done. The only abnormal result so far is that my ferritin is extremely low (2) and I’m slightly anaemic. I had a FIT test after the ferritin result which was negative, and a coeliac test which was also negative – although I need to repeat this as I usually eat mostly gluten-free, so I’m now having to reintroduce gluten for six weeks before repeating the test.

I was put on iron tablets but I didn’t tolerate them well, and I haven’t noticed any improvement in my fatigue. If anything, it’s getting worse. I’m also really struggling with restless limbs and finding it hard to keep up with work and looking after my children.

I went back to the GP today to ask about an iron infusion, which they agreed to arrange. While I was there, the doctor noticed a visible lump on my neck. I’ve had one swollen lymph node there for around three years – it’s slowly grown a little each year. I mentioned it to a GP last year but was told it was likely a calcified lymph node, so no further investigation was done. More raised nodes have appeared in the last six months or so, but I hadn’t brought it up again.

After examining me today, my GP said he could feel several enlarged nodes. He stressed that he doesn’t think it’s cancer and suspects they’re reactive, but he has to be thorough and has referred me to ENT on the urgent cancer pathway.

Of course, I made the mistake of googling lymphoma symptoms, and I’m now quite anxious because I do have some: unexplained weight loss and itching were part of why I went to the GP originally. I wondered if the itching might be liver-related (I previously had cholestasis in pregnancy), but all my liver tests have come back normal. I occasionally get night sweats, though not every night and they aren’t drenching.

My question is: would blood tests normally show more abnormalities if this was lymphoma? Has anyone had similar blood results with enlarged lymph nodes?

Thanks so much if you’ve read this far, and any reassurance or experiences would really help me while I wait for the referral.