I'm SURE I have lymphoma

[Uncertain27]

I mentioned before that I could feel a lymph node in my neck, but now I've noticed it gets bigger and slightly harder I think when I've been asleep then smaller when I've been walking around! I've never heard of them doing that, so it can't be normal can it? I can't get a doctor's appointment until next week, and my family think I'm making this up for attention, which is unlikely to change. I'm really scared, should I just accept I probably have it or what?

---------- Post added at 04:09 ---------- Previous post was at 04:06 ----------

Oh and can I continue posting here if I have it (or anything else serious) or would it be better for me not to so I don't scare other posters? :unsure:

[rated_r90]

Cancerous lymph nodes NEVER shrink like you describe. You're probably focussing on it so much that you are imagining changes that aren't even happening. If you are persistently prodding it, that will irritate it and make it feel harder as well. Try to leave it alone and believe that you don't have lymphoma. Definitely see your GP to reassure yourself. You're not wasting their time, it's what your GP is there for!

[sades101]

I have been through a lymphoma obsession not long ago - as I can feel 4 lymph nodes around my neck and ears. I still have the fear but I did manage to bully my doctor into letting me have an ultrasound scan, which came back normal - how big are the lymph nodes you can feel? also (and i know it doesnt help in a way) lymphoma has the highest success rates of survival/cure of most cancers... but obviously keep on at the docs if you are worried

[AllIhaveisme]

I have many, many lymph nodes I can feel on my neck that have been popping up for 9 weeks. Mine also seem to go up and down. I had 2 hard, fixed ones on the back of my neck but those went away and the rubbery, moveable ones stay. :(

[Uncertain27]

Cancerous lymph nodes NEVER shrink like you describe. You're probably focussing on it so much that you are imagining changes that aren't even happening. If you are persistently prodding it, that will irritate it and make it feel harder as well. Try to leave it alone and believe that you don't have lymphoma. Definitely see your GP to reassure yourself. You're not wasting their time, it's what your GP is there for!
It always feels more obvious in the morning, but overall it doesn't shrink and might have got a little bit bigger but I'm not sure. I have been poking it though. :redface:


I have been through a lymphoma obsession not long ago - as I can feel 4 lymph nodes around my neck and ears. I still have the fear but I did manage to bully my doctor into letting me have an ultrasound scan, which came back normal - how big are the lymph nodes you can feel? also (and i know it doesnt help in a way) lymphoma has the highest success rates of survival/cure of most cancers... but obviously keep on at the docs if you are worried
I just have one that feels about the size of a pea most of the time but sometimes a bit bigger or smaller. I can't feel any others, infact I couldn't even feel the ones in my groin when I had a huge infected insect bite on my leg the other week, although I was expecting to because I was already aware of it.
I went to register with the GP and got a check-up today, the practice nurse checked them when I mentioned it and said she couldn't feel anything there, :redface: but I have a doctors appointment next week just incase.
Thanks by the way. :)

[Vida]

I know how you feel, i obsesses over lymphoma a few years ago. I had an enlarged lymph node in the back of my neck that I had ultrasound on and then referred for biopsy. I was a wreck. I suddenly developed night sweats. When i went to my appointment to be consulted by a specialist i was told it wasnt necessary as it was normal size. I still.have it NOW (years later) its pea shaped hard and always there.
like you, i did feel it getting bigger and smaller but i was constantly prodding and probing probably irritating it.
let us know how your appointment goes. Hugs

[Uncertain27]

I know how you feel, i obsesses over lymphoma a few years ago. I had an enlarged lymph node in the back of my neck that I had ultrasound on and then referred for biopsy. I was a wreck. I suddenly developed night sweats. When i went to my appointment to be consulted by a specialist i was told it wasnt necessary as it was normal size. I still.have it NOW (years later) its pea shaped hard and always there.
like you, i did feel it getting bigger and smaller but i was constantly prodding and probing probably irritating it.
let us know how your appointment goes. Hugs
Thanks. By the way, why did they refer you to begin with if it was normal, just for peace of mind because they knew you were worried about it? :)

[Vida]

Yes, my GP knew about my health anxiety and he wanted to assure me that he wasnt ignoring my concerns.

[Uncertain27]

I think the lymph node feels a tiny bit smaller now I've spent a couple of days NOT messing with it constantly, but now I'm worried because I was ridiculously tired today. I did stay up until 3AM but then I didn't wake up till about half past eleven this morning, and still went back to sleep for an hour or two in the afternoon. I started my period yesterday (TMI) though, so it might be that. I feel alright now though and I'm going shopping.
:unsure:
Oh and I saw something on Google (yes I know!) a while back about exposure to solvents being possibly linked to leukaemia and lymphoma as well as a couple of other things, and I inhaled an aerosol when I was about 15. It was only once to see what would happen kind of thing though, not all the time. I didn't/don't take any other drugs, don't smoke and don't drink excessively (maybe a bit more than they'd recommend for one day when I do drink at all, but that's not more than a couple of times a month). I'm 23 by the way.

[Uncertain27]

Hmm, my appointment is tomorrow and I'm bothered about how I'm going to tell my family if the Dr thinks it's something dangerous. My mum would be upset and some of the others would just shout at me because they use anything as an excuse to do so. :wacko:

[Uncertain27]

I also noticed tonight that I can feel another thing further down from the first one that feels the same, but this one is tiny, like the size of a grain of rice, so it might be normal, but I'm scared because I'm sure it wasn't there before. :weep:

[Mipsy]

I posted the other day with a similar fear, a hard lump in my neck just below my ear. My doc thinks its a lymph gland which is fighting infection, either from recent dental work, or a blocked eustachian tube.
Today I went to a private doctor, who gave me acupuncture as well as homeopath is medicine. He also thought my ear congestion was causing the problem.
Now that I'm less anxious, I could swear the lump feels smaller. Poking and prodding it all the time obviously made it more prominent.
I'm sure yours will be similar to mine x x

[Uncertain27]

My other one has been there for about two months and seems to change up and down.
Oh and when they say lymphoma grows 'rapidly' so it would be obvious, what does that mean? Like overnight? 4-5 days? A month? It could be anything. :unsure:

[AllIhaveisme]

How did your appointment go?

[Uncertain27]

Apart from having something else happen in the waiting room that freaked me out, it went okay. The doctor checked and said my lymph nodes feel normal to him, and he wasn't concerned about them, but was concerned about my worrying so sent me for a blood test next week. :) Of course I am now worrying that it will find either lymphoma that he missed because it's elsewhere, or something random that I never thought of. :unsure:

[Mipsy]

I'm sure the doc will have a good idea of what he's looking for. Try not to worry. He will probably want a full blood count just to check you are generally ok and not run down.
Hope you manage to relaxa bit this weekend :0)

[Uncertain27]

My appointment for blood tests is tomorrow. Does anyone have an idea how long it takes to get the results for these things? And would it even show lymphoma? I read that it doesn't unless it's really advanced, which it probably couldn't be as I feel normal.:unsure:

[AllIhaveisme]

I got mine the next day. I heard it wouldn't show lymphoma but my Dr did a red blood cell morphology to test for lymphoma he said. But everyone tells says if I had lymphoma, my wbc count would be off the charts.

[almamatters]

Blood tests are are a good indicator of lymphoma apparently, your full blood count would be off. This is what my GP told me anyway, in fact, he would not investigate my swollen lymph nodes further as my blood results were fine. My results were back in about 3 days, but it does vary from surgery to surgery.

[Uncertain27]

Thanks. I'm worried now that they will find something though, even though the Dr said my nodes are normal and the nurse couldn't even find them! :blush:

[Uncertain27]

When I went last week, they couldn't see me because I was five minutes late apparently (:ohmy:), so I had to go today instead. The test results take 7-10 days apparently, but they only phone if there's a problem. Going to be scared every time I answer the phone now probably. :o

My neck aches on one side now as well, but I was watching TV in bed with my head turned to the side for ages yesterday. Does anyone know if it could be from that after only a day?