Hey Everyone,
I'm Alice and I'm 20 years old. I recently thought that I might have cancer but it's been confirmed that I don't! I wanted to write this post after I knew for sure to help anyone out there who is currently paranoid because coming to this cancer chat when I was feeling freaked out helped me a lot. I will say though, if you're having symptoms that you suspect might be cancer related and you haven't gone to the doctors, please do so asap. Nothing on the internet can accurately diagnose you, it will only make you more scared and anxiety in itself can make you feel ***. Everyone is different, please do the best you can to avoid googling anymore than you already are.
Two months ago I had a lymphoma scare due to my tonsils being extremely swollen, with my right tonsil being twice the size of my left. They did not hurt at all, in fact, I didn't even realize they were swollen until I went to the doctors for a persistent cold. The doctor was very surprised at their size, especially the fact that the right side was a lot bigger and immediately started asking me questions relating to cancer symptoms like whether or not I was having night sweats or losing weight. While I didn't have any cancer symptoms, I did feel extremely fatigued most days and I did have the risk factor of having had mononucleosis two years ago. I was pretty paranoid at this point because my GP gave me an urgent referral to an ENT specialist through the NHS. The hospital contacted me telling me that I would need to wait two entire months to even see an ENT. Because I am a study abroad student from the US, I had private travel insurance so I took advantage of that and found a private ENT specialist on my own.
After the ENT especialist examined me, he said that there is a small chance it could be lymphoma but it's more likely to be chronic tonsillitis. He told me that there is no way to know for sure unless I got a tonsillectomy to have my tonsils out and biopsied.
As I waited to get my tonsillectomy, I was growing increasingly anxious and could barely sleep. I was constantly googling my symptoms and started feeling around my lymph nodes to see if any were swollen. I actually started feeling a hard lump on the right side of my neck and I genuinely started to think that there was no way that I didn't have lymphoma. I was coming up with all these theories in my head about how because I have lymphoma that spread to my tonsils, that's why I was having such a persistent cold that won't go away.
Eventually, I finally got my tonsils (and adenoids) taken out and the recovery was quite literally the most painful experience. However, it didn't last forever and I pulled through. If you're about to get a tonsillectomy for whatever reason, I don't want to scare you but definitely be prepared and take your pain meds. During the recovery, I did bleed several times which was really scary but it didn't end up being anything too serious. I'm now more than two weeks into my recovery and my throat is pretty much back to normal. I got my biopsy results a few days ago and they definitively diagnosed my condition as chronic tonsillitis. I did also have several doctors check out the lump I felt on my neck and all of them have said that it's nothing to worry about. I'm still a bit worried but in a few weeks when I go back for another check up, I'll ask my doctor to check on the lump again.
All in all, even though this has been a really exhausting and tough experience, I will say that getting my tonsils removed was definitely worth it. I understand how some of you who have similar experiences might be feeling right now but really trust me, it's way more likely than not that it is not cancer. If it does end up being cancer, know that it is not the end of the world and you CAN put up a fight and win. I have had several close family members and friends who have dealt with cancer, they all survived, even some that had later stage cancer. Again, as I said before, everyone is different so please go visit your doctor.
Feel free to ask me any questions regarding my experience if I haven't covered something.
Sending all the best wishes to everyone! You are strong and will get through whatever it is you're dealing with!
Alice
