Worried about lymphoma

Hi,

I’m 22 years old and have always struggled with major health anxiety since the age of around 13. In 2016 I started feeling really run down and not well within myself. I put it down to working my *** off over the summer! However I couldn’t shake it off and started feeling sick on and off. I then noticed a small lump in my neck which felt like a hard pea and it moved when I pushed it along with a sore throat and fever - I instantly thought CANCER. I visited my doctor and he says I had a viral infection. The lump never disappeared and I started feeling really congested. Once again I visited the doctors and he sported I had nasal polyps and a slightly deviated septum. He says I’m prone to suffering from Sinitus and this can reoccur. He prescribed some nasal spray and sent me off. 

2 years later, I still have this lump in my neck which I assume is a lymph node and I also have nodes under both ears close to my jaw which flare up all the time and they can be painful to touch! I put it down my sinuses as I have a lot of post nasal drip and sinus pain and suffer frequently with sinus infections. Whenever I feel the symptoms coming I stock up on painkillers and ibuprofen and just try and get through it. Alongside this, I also got told I had GERD which was causing inflation in my throat so they prescribed my esomeprazole which helped with my acid reflux etc but I haven’t taken it for a while as my symptoms cleared up.

Despite all these things, continuously throughout the last 2 years, I go days with feeling so sick! All the time I experience nausea. I think I’ve gotten so used to it now that I just get on with my day despite feeling terrible most of the time. When I google my symptoms it seems my GERD could be causing the sickness but I don’t know! I started to experience pain in the left side of the stomach under my rib and began having loose stools and sometimes constipation.

last week I started bleeding abnormally along with feeling bloated, abdominal pain and a dodgy tummy and my GERD symptoms seem to be re-appearing. I immediately went to my doctor where I had a swab test which came back with a bacterial infection so I’m now taking antibiotics to clear it up. However, in the last couple of weeks I’ve been unbelievably anxious I can’t help but think all of these things are lymphoma. 

I've now noticed my right clavicle is slightly larger than then left. This is barely noticeable but I can see it. It doesn’t feel like a lump but you can slightly see it’s more raised. I’ve also been experiencing on and off itching all over especially during the day. This happened a couple of days in a row 2 weeks ago and has started again. Is this my anxiety? I can’t stop researching things online and reading stories about girls my age going through this and it turns out they have Hodgkins Lymphoma. My family and boyfriend constantly think I’m overreacting because I’ve done this many times before however, it’s so real for me? I’m booking an appointment to see my GP, however, I have so much coming up now it’s almost December I’m worried about getting bad news..

I've read itching and a swollen clavicle are telltale signs of Hodgkins Lymphoma and having both of these is causing me so much stress. I've never had night sweats and don't particularly feel fatigued. however, I have noticed when drinking alcohol I feel SO poorly for the following 2/3 days to the point where I don't even want to drink anymore. Could all these things really be my sinuses and complications with my GERD or perhaps another problem with my digestive system? 

If anyone could offer some advice or reassurance that would be so helpful as i think i'm going crazy!

Thanks,

Becky :-( xx 

 

  • Hello dljonesciss. I was wondering if you got any answers abouth this? I too have a hard, enlarged lymph node in my neck under a swollen sternocleidomastoid. It's such a worry, isn't it? I hope you're ok 

  • Hi I am too experiencing the same as u and I'm suffering from extreme health aniexty because of it. It sounds like we are all experiencing the same symptoms with the node, sinuses and stomach pains. I'm also getting some pin in my back and overaries, feel like I'm fallen apart and bothering the doctors so Iv not really been goin and when I do I forget about most the stuff and only focuse on one thing which is then a vicious circle because I then come out worry about the other things still

    reading back on previous posts I'm definitely going to start writing it all down so I can take it to drs with me and I won't forget stuff that way. My drs told me she's not worried about my lymph nodes but the fact there hard and not moving is scaring me and it's been 3 months nearly but al my bloods are clear

    olz keep me updated on ur outcome abdu hope u get good news xxx

  • Hi! I'm having the same as this. I've had a sore throat since start of June and was turned away by nurses and actually told "it sounds like you're just looking for things to be wrong" when I was trying to get her to feel the lump in my neck in August. Obviously this put me off and made me feel like I was overreacting! I have post-nasal drip and a congested nose so was told by a GP in Aug to do nasal spray for 6-8 weeks then call back and get a stronger one if that didn't help. He said the lump was a lymph node that was just swollen because of my "sinus infection". Now I feel like I've wasted 4 months of valuable diagnosis time messing on with nasal sprays. I have a few hard, unmovable nodes in my neck (but they're not really enlarged, just small but hard) and swollen bits in my clavicle. Went to a new GP last week and after feeling my neck he immediately booked me in for an urgent blood test and scan which I'm waiting on. I've been asolutely miserable since June and feel like this is the first time I've been listened to. I was convinced it was lymphoma in August but begged them to do a blood test and it came back fine so now I'm terrified that it's something that has spread from elsewhere :( I feel like the only thing I've got to hold onto is that I haven't lost any weight and I'm not tired or lost my appetite. Good luck everyone xxx

  • How are you getting on [@Becca777]‍ 

  • Hi! I had my bloods taken and they did a full cell count, checked for thyroid stuff, glandular fever and not sure what else. All came back within normal range and my neck ultrasound came back with no sinister findings in the lymph nodes. I'm going to call the gp at some point this week to see what else he can do, as i do have numerous hard immoveable lymph nodes which obviously shouldnt be there, and what feels like a blocked sinus which is creating post-nasal drip which is causing a sore throat. Feeling a lot less stress now that someone has actually listened and done checks, but also still wanting it sorted out fully. Thank you for asking, hope you're coping with whatever brings you here :)

  • Really glad it all went well. I have swollen nodes in my neck that have been there 3 months with no real related symptoms but recently getting really painful neck which almost feels like the weight an positioning of the nodes becoming to much for the nerves and muscles around them (not sure that's even a thing but hey!) Had ENT today and wa son and out in 3 mins with very brief feel and said he wasn't worried. Got an ultrasound in next 2 weeks but just absolutely sick of worrying about it. 
     

    Hope you're well again soon. 

  • I know its a horrific feeling but stress makes symotoms worse, i was having pains in my arms and legs all the time which obviously makes you panic and think "its everywhere" but they've disappeared since i've had my results back, and what i thought were lumps in my right shoulder seem to actually be hard balls of muscle from how tense i was 24/7. I would stay off this chat until after your ultrasound and try to resist googling as it just heightens anxiety thinking the worst. If my gp wont do anything further im going to try and get a head mri privately to check my sinuses for growths blocking them but think after that im just gonna have to accept that its nothing serious. Good luck, hopefully your scan will come back fine. Bizarrely they said there was nothing wrong on mine even though i can physically feel the lumps, bodies are weird!

  • Thank you that's great advice. I'll be keeping everything crossed that we both get over this and soon

  • Hi Iv been back to my drs after trying this omeprazol with no difference in my symptoms

    my nodes are still up and she says she can feel more so redone my bloods and has now referred me to the people who check the lymph nodes (I'm *** it) also my thyroid has been boardline over active since last jan and she says I now have a goitre on one side so really stating to be anxious now, iv also been referred to the thyroid consultants (don't no names of them) think fear just took over and I couldnt even take in any of what my dr was sayin.

    im literally just waiting for everything now and all I can think is the worst ‍♀️ and how this pandemic will make it sooo much worse and slow gettin seen. Iv not told anyone how I feel because I feel stupid and scared and don't like putting on people, I have 3 children and all I can think now is omg wat if it is cancer and it's been more than half a year just left! 
    sorry ladies this doesn't help any of our anxieties but I need an out put somewhere and I no u guys no the fear xxxx

  • Hi all, returning quickly to the chat just to say that ultrasound scan showed a big node that was of no concern. Few weeks later discovered a lump in breast which after being scanned as well was also of no concern. They mentioned at breast check also feeling some nodes that they checked on scan and said all look completely normal. I'm feeling great and have accepted that I just have big nodes

     

    Good luck to all and hope this post brings comfort to some xx