Hey Milly

I just wanted to reach out because I read your post and felt as though I might be able to offer some comfort. I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma when I was 20 (last year) and underwent chemotherapy and reached remission after three months. I just wanted to let you know that your doctors are doing everything that they can to make sure they cover all of their bases, I know so many people that have tests for lymphoma and it ends up being something completely different. If it turned out to be lymphoma I wanted you to know that it is very curable and I've made so many friends through being ill who are all also in remission or on their way to being!

I know the waiting is awful and it's hard when doctors sugarcoat things because of our age BUT it might be because there isn't anything to share yet! Please don't stress too much, feel free to message me if you'd want to talk on anything else for more advice/reassurance.

Lots of love x

Hey thank u so much for reaching out, 

That's amazing you went into remission after 3 months, so happy for you! I've read it's common in young people and very curable. Of course it would be a shock and I would rather not have cancer, but I'm feeling optimistic either way. And you're right, I could be reading into how the doctors were acting way to much because I'm paranoid about the whole situation lol, they are just doing their job. 
Milly xx

Hi, 

I'm 22 and in a very similar position. Have had a neck lump for a while, another one came up and have had itchy skin for a while and am now experiencing all sorts of aches and pains in that area

I had bloods which were fine, am awaiting chest x ray results and have an urgent ent appointment on the 12th, feeling very anxious and unable to think positively at the moment x

Hey Milly

I'm 19 and I'm going through the same experience at the moment. I've had a lump on my next for about 6 months, and I finally went to the doctors about it 3 months ago. I'm a heavy smoker so I was terrified about the thought of getting it looked at and it being bad news. I went to my GP and had 2 lots of blood tests done, one came back normal and the other was abnormal. I was given some strong painkillers that somehow made my neck swell even more so I ended up in A&E. I had more blood tests done that came back inconsistent and a chest xray that didn't show anything worrying. I was booked in for an ultrasound and the doctor told me that it was inconclusive and had to be repeated in a few months. Fast forward to now and that second ultrasound is booked in for next week, with a high possibility of a biopsy as well.

In the meantime my anxiety levels have been through the roof. I work in a warehouse and I have no escape from doing pretty heavy lifting all day, and with how I feel at the moment it's hard just to get up in the morning. I'm taking painkillers every day just to get out of bed. My body feels exhausted all the time and I've developed really bad chest pains. It's all been so scary but it's nice to know that I'm not alone and I'm so grateful that I'm not the only one.

I hope you're okay and the doctors can quickly sort it out for you because the waiting is the toughest part. Fingers crossed that I'll get more answers very soon.

Hey, thanks for replying!

it really helps knowing that other people are going through the same experience. Let me know if there's any news.

Milly xx 

Hey please don't worry about the biopsy itself, it's a weird feeling but relatively painless. I completely understand how you feel. I'm already so physically exhausted and waiting is making me mentally exhausted as well. I'm just so drained, I'm meant to be going back to uni soon and haven't managed to get any work done. I couldn't imagine the pain of having to work in a warehouse right now, so well done for carrying on but make sure you're taking care of yourself:). I hope you get your answers soon, let me know how things go.

milly xx 

Hi,

I'm supposed to be going back to uni this week too but don't want to go back until I have some answers, I haven't been able to do any work either as I'm filled with worry it's such a horrible start to the new year. Hope you get the biopsy results soon and that they're all good xx

hey just to update, going to call doctors again tomorrow as the past two days there were shut111 referred me to my gp so wasn't massively useless imo. i have since developed a strange sharp pain at the top of the side of my neck just under my ear which comes on with certain head movements and read it could be due to a tumour so that has panicked me more, hopefully i'm just overreacting but it just seems to be more and more bad symptoms coming my way:(

Yes I have that pain as well, kind of going up the side of the neck right? But I think it might just be to do with the pressure the lump is causing (on nerves or something maybe) so i wouldn't worry too much. I've also been trying to call these past few days and no ones been picking up. I'm going to try again tomorrow aswell.

milly xx 

Yes I have that pain as well, kind of going up the side of the neck right? But I think it might just be to do with the pressure the lump is causing (on nerves or something maybe) so i wouldn't worry too much. I've also been trying to call these past few days and no ones been picking up. I'm going to try again tomorrow aswell.

milly xx 

yeah it's just at the top of my neck under my ear, not constant or anything just when i move in a certain way, the fact it could be pressing on nerves worries me more as that sounds quite sinisterfinally managed to get an appointment later today so hopefully find some answers soon, keep me posted if you do too x

an update on my situ, i went to doctors today and was told it doesn't feel like anything to worry about which is quite reassuring however still not entirely sure as i don't know how they can tell and he didn't really have any answers, however said he would book me in for blood test since i was so worried. so not sure how to feel x

Hey, this is what they said to me too, I was aprehemsive about how they can tell just by feeling it but they have lots of experience and warning signs to feel out for, so I would try take some reassurance from it. I also got bloods done as I was anxious, which came back fine, and a chest x ray which came back okay, but as the lumps are still there I've been booked in for an ENT appointment. I wouldn't of had all this if I didn't keep on at them so if you do think it's not right insist on further tests x

hey, thanks for the reply it does help, i do feel a bit more confident i just don't want to get my hopes up and then my blood come back abnormal, but i shall push for tests if they don't go away but was told they can take 6/7 weeks to go down anyway? so not sure x

Yeah they told me to wait 4 weeks and see, hopefully yours will go down, stress and anxiety don't help at all, I know it's impossible not be worried in this situation but try not to think of the worst, as me crying every night probably hasn't helped mine at all haha x

oh tell me about it, my poor boyfriend has had a nightmare with me crying everyday and being convinced i'm going to die! hopefully everything will be fine for all of us and we can chill haha, keep us posted x

unfortunately blood tests came back and apparently i have to have another as they may indicate viral infection or something different, so back to square one with worrying and constantly crying! 

another update ahah, second blood test came back normal! thank god! now been told to just keep an eye on it but leave it alone for a couple of weeks and if it's still there or i'm still worried to call back and they'll order me a scan

Hey everyone! 
 

Hope you're all doing well. This conversation has been really helpful whilst I've been going through my process. Basically I found lumps in my neck end of December. Waited until Feb to see if they went down which they didn't. After a few appointments and blood tests coming back fine my lymph node to the right of my collarbone got really big and filled my clavicle. Then within 2 weeks I was referred to haematology at the hospital where I was told it probably isn't cancer. Had chest  x Ray & more bloods just to be safe & then had ultrasound biopsy 2 days later. During this the consultant told me he'd put money on it being lymphoma which was a big shock. Yesterday after waiting 4 days for results my original consultant rung me & told me the biopsy didn't show them enough so she's sending me for an urgent app PET scan 'to see what's going on' lol. Now I'm super anxious as you can imagine and waiting for a call from the cancer hospital to book me in. Up until now I've had no symptoms other than the neck lumps and neck ache. 
 

On a positive note I'm super impressed with the speed of everything even if the order of tests etc is a little different to normal. Just bracing myself for a lymphoma diagnosis now ! Didn't think I'd be going through this at 28 lol! Talk about inconvenient! Hopefully I'll get the scan this week!

All the best,

Scott 

You sound a little like me, mighty inconvenient !! 

The two things being investigation with me is pheochromocytoma which is a rare but mostly benign andrenal tumor and lymphoma. Honestly at my wits end at the moment when feeling so drained. Ive had raised infomatory markers and raised lymphnodes for over a year. I got referred to haematology 2 years ago bit there was nothing there then. All infectious causes have been ruled out so now i'm waiting for a CT scan. 

I hope everyone gets answers and take care!