View Full Version : Convinced I have lymphoma
My skin is extremely itchy, mostly on my legs but it can be throughout the body sometimes. Sometimes it comes with a rash sometimes it's just my skin is itchy. It's been going on for at least 4-5 years. I've also been having these little super itchy bumps for about 1-2 months, first I thought they were flea bites but although I don't have new bites, the old ones don't seem to disappear and they are still itchy.
I read lymphoma stories and this ia a very common symptom of it. Some paients and survivor say they had been itchy for years prior to their diagnosis.
I also found slightly enlarged lymph nodes in my groin. I am also extremely tired, losing weight and have abdominal and back pain. My neck and shoulders are extremely tense and they were tense even before my HA started.
I'm very very worried at the moment I think this time I won't be that lucky :(
lukeneal26
13-01-15, 00:52
hi pope sorry to hear your feeling like this :( when was the last time you had a blood test? I have every thing you said you have apart from I only itch sometimes Im trying to put it down to meds and being on edge! I mean I look at my poop every day its that bad at the moment I mean I sent my mate a picture of my poop and asked if it was normal that's where I am at the moment haha
Hi Lukeneal26, I'm sorry you are feeling like this, have you had a fecal occult blood test? I was in hospital last week and they checked my blood, everything was fine but lymphoma doesn't always show itself in blood test. Today I woke up sweating and now soo scared that I also have night sweats. My itching is severe, sometimes I scratch so badly that I wake up with blood on sheets. All my legs are covered in scars.
lukeneal26
13-01-15, 10:37
I wake up soaked most mornings :( its just because you've gone to bed on edge its like right before you have a panic attack you go all hot, try not to worry although that's not easy as I know. my doctor wont run anymore tests and im starting to agree with him I think its just my meds and me being on edge all the time today ive woke up with a heacy chest and im trying my hardest just to shut it out :) hun the chances are if you had this stuff going on for years yours bloods would be all over the place white cells would be sky high and other things would be raised, its one of the cancers they use a blood test to looks for signs off hope your better today
Yeah I know but when I read the stories there were a lot of survivors/patients saying blood works were fine but the itching was there for years. The swollen lymph nodes in my groin are still there too.
I'm glad that you're starting to agree that it's anxiety and side effects of meds. It's a big step:)
My kids father died of lymphoma last year so I know a bit about it.
The lymphoma rash is very different to what you describe. Red little itches is a skin condition or allergy. Not lymphoma. Or the itching is simply due to panic.
It would show up in a blood test if your lymphoma was bad enough to cause severe itching.
Take an anti- allergy med before bed and see if that helps.
You have had the tests, your gp presumably doesn't think you have it?
Just because people had itching for years before doesn't mean it was due to the cancer. They were probably entirely unrelated.
A blood test won't diagnose it alone but they would show raised white count. If you had lymphoma that was causing these symptoms, rest assured your white blood cells would be up and they would see that on a blood test.
If I had a dollar for everyone that was "convinced" of an illness, I'd not be worrying about bills and could take a nice vacation for a few weeks ;)
I'm not saying one doesn't get physical symptoms because anxiety certainly causes them and even people with HA get sick, just not the nasties they think they have.
But that's the nature of the dragon.
Positive thoughts
Thanks for your messages. The itch I've been experiencing is weird, it's not only red bumps, hives or any other redness on my skin, sometimes there's nothing there yet my skin is soo itchy that I scratch it until it bleeds. It can't be HA or panic either as I've only had HA for 4 months but I've been itchy for years.
I'm so sorry to hear about your kid's father. It must be very hard for you and your child.
I have an appointment with my original doctor on Friday but I've booked another one with another doctor tomorrow as I can't wait. I just need to show the lump in my groin and tell her about my symptoms. I was given different kind of creams but they haven't helped.
My blood work is fine but I have slightly elevated eosinophil levels. It's 0.6 but it should be between 0 and 0.4.
Hi popejoan!
I agree with the others here, that does not sound like lymphoma at all. My friend had it (she is healthy now) and it was very different from what you describe. She had the itch but not like that, nothing visible on the skin etc.
I have the kind of itch you describe, have had it for years, it comes and goes. It is stress related.
Hi Justina, thank you for your message and I'm glad your friend is fine.
I understand that but my itching doesn't always come with a rash. I have severe itching without a rash as well. I also have 2 swollen lymph nodes in my groin. I feel pretty hot at nights, I am very very tired and feeling sick all the time.
Hi
cCn I ask how old you are? I had really itchy skin - especially at night for m onths on end. I even had a flea specialist come out as at first I was convinced we had bed bugs, When we didn't I moved onto leukaemia/lymphoma. itching can be related not only to allergies but very definitely to hormones as mine was. Something would have been awry with your bloods.i really do not believe that you have lymphoma. I KNOW the agony of being utterly convinced you are ill.= and then of course you focus on the symptom. I went to bed waiting to sweat and itch - sure enough I did.
Hello, thank you for your message. I am 30 and been itching for years now. Levels are within normal range in my blood but I realized white blood count has been up in 6 months. I'm also on birth control pills for 10 years.
snowflake293
13-01-15, 22:48
Hi popejoan
I am sorry you have been worrying so much hun, you know I get it and understand *hugs* seriously though, if you had sommat serious like that they would have picked up on it in all likeliness so try to remain calm if you can.
A lot of your symptoms sound like what I get when I am very tense and anxious, especially weight loss, shoulder tension and itching. I also get the occasional night sweat too which always worries me, but I am still here :)
I know it is hard not to cause its an instinct reaction sometimes (at least for me anyway) to Google, but really try not to if you can help it. I've got into such a state several times this week cause of it.
Just keep thinking to yourself you have seen a dr and if they were really concerned you would know about it. Please try and trust you dr hun if you can.
Here if you need to talk xxx
Thank you so much Snowflake, you're always helpful. I read your thread as well and I'm glad your smear test went fine, feel free to message me if waiting for results gets overwhelming.
I will do my very best to trust my doctor. I have that "this time I know" feeling and I feel like I've never had such real symptoms. I was living with this itch just fine before my HA started, now I'm like "how did I ignore this, it willbe too late when I'm diagnosed now". X
snowflake293
13-01-15, 23:06
I can't tell you how much you remind me of myself. I had that exact feeling when I had a mole I was worried about before Christmas, I had written myself off! The relief I felt when I saw the Dr and she said it was nothing... I just burst into tears and ended up having a total meltdown.
Honestly hun, this is anxiety - I know how real it feels, I really do... but please trust your doctor if you can. They would not take chances, it is more than their job/reputation is worth, if they are in any doubt at all they would say so. You are going to be ok :)
Thanks so much, I am feeling ok at the moment - was anxious earlier but feeling ok now. Just hoping it stays this way.
Thinking of you and hope you worry eases soon xxx
I feel like nothing but a surgical biopsy on the lymph node in my groin will convince me otherwise.
I think this is the only difference between us, I just need the reassurance from tests, especially biopsies. I'm hoping that the doctor will take me seriously and do something rather than send me home. I look bad enough to concern anyone though.
I hope you stay relaxed too and thank you so much xxx
There was a member here that felt the same way. Thought he had lymphoma for years. Poked and prodded his groin nodes till they were so swollen that they matted. Finally convinced a doctor to perform an invasive procedure and biopsy. Of course it was negative. He still didn't believe the doctors or results.
With all due respect, you're walking the same path.
Positive thoughts
With all due respect, you're walking the same path.
Totally agree with this.
You need to trust your Drs. If you hound the Dr to do the biopsy, what will be your worry WHEN it comes back negative? That they biopsied the wrong node? That it hadn't spread to that one yet?
If you have had baseline testing that has found no substance to your lymphoma concerns then the appointment with your Dr needs to be for a referral for CBT.
I am sorry you're on this roundabout. Health Anxiety is the devil.
Take back your power by learning to trust your Drs x
You both are right, that's true I'm on the same path.
I tried all day not to scratch, tried to prove myself that it was only in my head but around 6 am I started scratching like crazy, my legs are killing me. I slept for 10 hours and woke up sweating.
I will see my Gp in 2.5 hours. Whatever she says I'll try and believe. Although I don't trust this particular doctor I will do my best.
snowflake293
14-01-15, 13:06
I feel like nothing but a surgical biopsy on the lymph node in my groin will convince me otherwise.
I think this is the only difference between us, I just need the reassurance from tests, especially biopsies. I'm hoping that the doctor will take me seriously and do something rather than send me home. I look bad enough to concern anyone though.
I hope you stay relaxed too and thank you so much xxx
Bless you hun I totally understand how you are feeling. This will get easier though and you will be free of this worry. We are all here on this forum cause we want to get better from our anxiety. Thinking of you and sending lots of hugs :bighug1: xxx
Thank you hun, it's good to have people that can totally understand you. I wish nobody had this though. I want to get better so badly but I don't know how.
No matter what you do, try not to listen to your body too much, try not to concentrate on any symptom, you're doing great xxx
---------- Post added at 17:01 ---------- Previous post was at 13:24 ----------
Okay now I'm really freaking out. I went to the doctors today. She felt the nodes and said we need to keep an eye on them, if they don't go down in 2 weeks there will be further tests.
I wasn't expecting this at all and she asked me loads of questions. I think she was also concerned about lymphoma.
She also ordered allergy tests so I'll go back tomorrow to give blood. I'm sooo soo scared now :(
That is standard procedure to test for swollen nodes. It doesn't mean it is cancer.
Did she say she was concerned about lymphoma? could you have listed the symptoms of lymphoma yourself when it could actually be anxiety related?
Are you touching your groin a lot? if so, please leave them totally alone for two weeks and see what happens to them.
I'm sorry you are still feeling bad and I can totally relate, BTDT with other illnesses, but you don't have cancer until they say you do, and right now they are only talking about further tests if they don't go down and there are many things it can be which aren't cancer :)
Please don't touch your nodes ok? x
No she didn't say she was worried about lymphoma. Well weight loss and fatigue could be anxiety related but I don't think itchiness is.
I will do my best not to touch them, I promise. I'm so scared more will pop up in other parts of my body :(
No she didn't say she was worried about lymphoma. Well weight loss and fatigue could be anxiety related but I don't think itchiness is.
I will do my best not to touch them, I promise. I'm so scared more will pop up in other parts of my body :(
Itchiness is a very common symptom of anxiety, with and without a rash. I suffer from it, it comes and goes and I never know when my anxiety will cause my skin to itch and when it will not. Sometimes antihistamines help me a little but most of the time they don't.
Thank you Justina. Actually I've been suffering from HA for only 4 months, I was fine before, I was never worried about my health and I've been itchy for 4 years.
This thread has made me really itchy ;) Have you noticed how the more you think about your itch the worse it gets? Maybe if you try to stop thinking about it then it'll go away.
Thinking about it makes it worse I agree but I also wake up scratching, sometimes my boyfriend wakes me up saying stop scratching.
Pope
Me and my mum go through stages where we itch like crazy at night. Not quite severely as you but bad enough to keep up awake. We don't know what it is. It's only in bed and well we obviously don't share a bed so it seems to be something that just does happen!
Have you checked for bed bugs? I don't even know if you can check for bed bugs?
I know how hard it is to stop poking things but if keep touching your groin nodes they aren't going to go down and you could put yourself through unnecessary tests. So many people here have made nodes worse by poking them and found they go down when they leave them alone :)
Thank you Hypo. My mum is also a very itchy person. Don't know if it's just genetic. Mine started when I came to England from Turkey (should've been the opposite if it was about heat), I think I was itchy before that but not this much.
In England I changed house 6 times. The itchiness sometimes came with rash and hives sometimes it was just my skin. I can see some colorless very small bumps around my knees but it's not the only area that itches. My knees are very itchy sometimes and when I scratch I can see those bumps spreading. I even took pictures several times.
Also one time I remember a friend sent a link and said when you look at these photos you'll itch like crazy. They were photos of asymmetrical holes on skin I started itching like crazy from head to toe and I had to take a cool shower I thought I was gonna die scratching.
I'm trying not to touch, just checking my neck, collarbones and underarms if there is any new ones. I gave blood today. It's a broad spectrum fbc, esr blood test, kidney, liver, tyroid, electrolytes and allergies.
Im new to this site and this is mt first post. Ive developed an HA over the last year now im tripping on a pea sized lymph node left side of neck near my jaw. Ive jad ot for 4 years. I went to an ENT doc and he said its nothing and im fine, but last night I had real bad night sweats. I had the heater up so it could have been that but im freakimg out. Its good to see there are others who share my problem. :hugs:
---------- Post added at 14:18 ---------- Previous post was at 14:12 ----------
Im not trying to hijack your post ive just been very concerned about this its messing with my job and social life. Sorry
Hello, no it's absolutely fine, no problem. You can also create a new thread about your problem if you want more people to see.
Well it's a good sign that your lymph node hasn't changed size for 4 years. If there was anything sinister it would've been huge by now. If an Ent specialist said it's fine just believe him.
About night sweats, it just happens sometimes, I'm sure your lymph node and one night sweat aren't even related.
Welcome to the site, and there are very supportive people here that are ready to help you. Hope you feel better soon :)
Went to see another doctor today. I had 2 recent blood tests. One on 7th on Jan and the other on the 15th of Jan.
On 7th my lymphocytes are higher than normal. They're 4.4 normal range is (1.5-4.0). White cells are within normal range.
On the 15th, lymphocytes are 3.6 so they gone down in 8 days. White cells are still normal.
Doctor said an infection maybe but I didn't have any infections and he said they're within normal range now and he's not worried.
It worried me a lot though, starting to think I have some sort of low grade lymphoma that's why levels go up and down :(
It's totally normal for reading to fluctuate slightly. Joan, really, if there were any red flags, they would have been addressed. Keep in mind, stress and anxiety can cause slight fluctuations in your blood count as your body is battling to stay normal when under assault by adrenalin and stress.
Sending positive thoughts and prayers that you take the steps necessary to stop the dragon from breathing fire down your neck and lying to you.
Thank you Fishmanpa you are always very helpful and nice. Just hoping it is only stress and not lymphoma or leukemia. I'll just try to relax over the weekend and will do my best to work on my HA.
LauraWoo84
16-01-15, 20:29
Hi pj
I know where you are coming from I am panicking that I have lymphoma I have had a swollen lymph node above my collar bone, I have red blood spots coming up across my body and I'm always tired but then struggle to fall asleep. I have had blood work have had the spots looked at by three doctors and the lymph node checked by three doctors and as my bloods come back normal the docs don't seem to worry.
I keep getting sore throats my body can't even cope when I get an insect bite.mi do have ibd and HA but I can't believe these two things can cause all these things.
I am so scared right now
Hi Laurawood, I'm so sorry you are feeling this way, I know how crippling it is.
Do you have any night sweats or weight loss? Did doctors say come back in 2-3 weeks to see if the lymph node got smaller or bigger? You know we need to trust our doctors right? They were trained for this for years. He checked my abdomen today and checked if my liver or spleen were enlarged and I don't even know where my spleen is but still I'm doubting them and thinking they missed something.
You know your body and you know deep down that there's nothing wrong, give it a bit of time and try to distract yourself, you'll shake off this fear.
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