Lymphoma worry wtg on blood tests

[dibdabbers]

Hi, ive been suffering with anxiety since i was 16.. my current fear is lymphoma. I had a lup behind my ear about 1cm and not painless. Ive had no infections either. Went to docs today and he sent me for a blood test. he didnt seem overly concerned but was very quiet, Im dreading the results and feel really ill with stress :-(

---------- Post added at 21:26 ---------- Previous post was at 21:25 ----------

i still have the lump by the way..answers would be great

[candy_floss]

I completely understand what you are going through, believe me! Just read my previous threads and you'll see what I mean!
My fear of Lymphoma is ruining my life and like you, mine started with a lump behind my ear. My lump is situated on that lumpy bit of bone directly behind the ear. My doctor told me it is common for nodes in this area to swell with scalp issues and when he examined my scalp he said that I had scalp dermatitis. I also had one swell in the same location last year when I had a particularly nasty scab on my scalp.
Other common causes of lymph node swellings are infections such as colds. Have you had a cold recently?

And I don't know if this will reassure you or not but I now have several swollen lymph nodes behind my ear. The first one has been up since February and these new lumps have been around since March time. My doctor has told me that these are stubborn and may never go away entirely.
I've had blood tests that have came back clear and been examined by 6 different doctors (some of them on more than one occasion) over this issue ans they all say I am fine and do NOT have lymphoma.

Poking at the node will only keep it inflamed for longer. Try leaving it alone and see if it goes down. If it doesn't, don't stress too much. Mine don't appear to be going anywhere and haven't even decreased in size since they appeared but my docs say I'm fine so I'm sure you are too.

Lymphoma is a common fear for many HA sufferers, have you see how many posts about lymphoma and lymph nodes there are on this board?
I had some lovely reassuring response when I first posted about my ear lumps. Posting the link in the hope that these will help you too:
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=112787

PS: my lumps weren't hard and fixed in place like I said they were in that post....the doctor said straight away they ere soft and moveable, I just didn't realise because they are in an awkward and boney position, where there is not much room for them to move! :blush:

[dibdabbers]

Hi thanks for taking the time to reply, ihave 2 lumps i cant tell whether they are moving or not. I wouldnt worry if id had a cold or something (although i prob would lol) and i have no dandruff or anything. Ive been looking up survival rates..HA is an awful thing to live with..

[nomorepanic]

Please wait and see what the doctor says as I am trying to stop members from asking for and giving medical advice on here as we cannot say what it is as we are not qualified. Sorry.

[dibdabbers]

Hi its not so much advice, its just most people think your nuts when you tell them..its nice that people understand

[candy_floss]

Hi its not so much advice, its just most people think your nuts when you tell them..its nice that people understand

Yes I understand this too. My doctors think I'm crazy and I get embarrassed everytime I go now because I've seen them so many times and they are very impatient with me nowadays :weep:, to the point where I've been told they will not take me seriously now. It's nice to post here where their are people who understand what that feels like.

Oh and try not to get too hung up on the 'moveable' thing because as I said, behind the ears is a very boney place and they might not be free to move as freely. Doesn't necessarily mean they are fixed :). In the meantime, looking up lymphoma statistics is not going to help! I was doing the same thing myself and advised to stop by posters as I already have far too much knowledge on this subject.

[swgrl09]

If you look around and search for your concern on the forum, you will see TONS of us have posted about this fear so you most definitely are not alone!