manda95
16-03-16, 14:27
Hi again, everyone.
If I could just ask anyone who's interested in reading this to refer to my first and only post so far, to get a little more background info on what's been going on.. It's sort of a long post, so I apologize, but I would really appreciate full insight.
I ended up not being able to go to the ENT on Monday (3/14) as I so desperately waited for due to the office not accepting my insurance as a new patient...even after I called and double checked before I even booked an appointment. :weep: This caused SO much anxiety (5 panic attacks in 6 days) and made the wait unbearable, so being denied on the spot after so much anticipation was a horrible experience. Anyway, I couldn't just not go anywhere, but the closest ENT was about 40 miles away and I couldn't get an appointment in until late March/early April... so I opted for Urgent care, because I couldn't take waiting anymore.
Surprisingly, I tested positive for strep, although I had no symptoms that I would attribute to strep (again, please refer to my first post :)). I've had ongoing throat problems for about 2 1/2 years, so it was really hard for me to believe that I actually have strep. Could this really be the cause of my discomfort for so long? My symptoms have never once felt like strep, so it's really confusing. What's even more strange, is that my fiancé has never once caught strep or has ever had any throat issues this whole time. My symptoms usually come and go, but I've only been to the doctors twice over this and was prescribed antibiotics both times, but then again they never even tested me for strep so I don't even know if I really even had it then. All the other times my symptoms "come", I didn't go anywhere and let the symptoms go away on their own. I've been terrified of some form of cancer in my throat area for so long now, so I don't really know what to think. It just doesn't feel like strep to me at all but apparently right now I have it.
Now, moving on to the main thing. I found a painless, moveable lump in my neck about the size of a grape last Monday. This freaked me out entirely. I showed this to the NP who saw me at urgent care (same time I tested positive for strep) and she said it was a swollen lymph node probably due to strep. She also said it wasn't that big, and that it being painless is a GOOD thing... What do you mean??? I've only ever read that painless, swollen lymph nodes are a BAD sign...a very bad sign. So I've been terrified of that and so scared about lymphoma now or cancer spreading to my nodes! I've been doing so much research, which only ever turns out scary. People have found lymph nodes smaller than mine with NO OTHER SYMPTOMS (even a good blood test) and ended up having stage 4 cancer. People have also said they had to push and push their doctors and get multiple opinions before they were diagnosed, and that is terrifying. How can I trust what anyone says after I've read all that???
Anyway, she sent me for an ultrasound for my reassurance, which I had this morning. The ultrasound technician had a difficult time finding it on the ultrasound, despite me showing him where it was (not visible, but not super hard to find), so I don't know what to think, but I'm a mess. I'm so scared of the results (which I don't know when I'll be getting back - the technician wasn't much help). But even if the results come back okay or they can't find anything, I won't be convinced, because I FEEL it. I keep touching it obsessively to see if its gotten any bigger or smaller but it's so hard to tell. I know it's best to leave it alone but it's so hard when it's all I think about.
Question is, could I have a painless, large swollen lymph node due to my "strep" diagnoses? Pretty sure I've had strep before and I've had plenty of colds where my nodes swell..and they are always a little tender to touch.
I'm on 500mg of Amoxicillin for ten days I believe, started Monday afternoon.
So, so sorry for writing so much, my anxiety is going nuts right now and I don't want to leave a single detail out. What should I do? Should I get a second opinion? Beg for some other kind of scan? I just changed my primary care doctor but haven't filled out any paperwork yet, I plan on going there, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to get in..
Thank you so much and I really appreciate anyones time and insight...
If I could just ask anyone who's interested in reading this to refer to my first and only post so far, to get a little more background info on what's been going on.. It's sort of a long post, so I apologize, but I would really appreciate full insight.
I ended up not being able to go to the ENT on Monday (3/14) as I so desperately waited for due to the office not accepting my insurance as a new patient...even after I called and double checked before I even booked an appointment. :weep: This caused SO much anxiety (5 panic attacks in 6 days) and made the wait unbearable, so being denied on the spot after so much anticipation was a horrible experience. Anyway, I couldn't just not go anywhere, but the closest ENT was about 40 miles away and I couldn't get an appointment in until late March/early April... so I opted for Urgent care, because I couldn't take waiting anymore.
Surprisingly, I tested positive for strep, although I had no symptoms that I would attribute to strep (again, please refer to my first post :)). I've had ongoing throat problems for about 2 1/2 years, so it was really hard for me to believe that I actually have strep. Could this really be the cause of my discomfort for so long? My symptoms have never once felt like strep, so it's really confusing. What's even more strange, is that my fiancé has never once caught strep or has ever had any throat issues this whole time. My symptoms usually come and go, but I've only been to the doctors twice over this and was prescribed antibiotics both times, but then again they never even tested me for strep so I don't even know if I really even had it then. All the other times my symptoms "come", I didn't go anywhere and let the symptoms go away on their own. I've been terrified of some form of cancer in my throat area for so long now, so I don't really know what to think. It just doesn't feel like strep to me at all but apparently right now I have it.
Now, moving on to the main thing. I found a painless, moveable lump in my neck about the size of a grape last Monday. This freaked me out entirely. I showed this to the NP who saw me at urgent care (same time I tested positive for strep) and she said it was a swollen lymph node probably due to strep. She also said it wasn't that big, and that it being painless is a GOOD thing... What do you mean??? I've only ever read that painless, swollen lymph nodes are a BAD sign...a very bad sign. So I've been terrified of that and so scared about lymphoma now or cancer spreading to my nodes! I've been doing so much research, which only ever turns out scary. People have found lymph nodes smaller than mine with NO OTHER SYMPTOMS (even a good blood test) and ended up having stage 4 cancer. People have also said they had to push and push their doctors and get multiple opinions before they were diagnosed, and that is terrifying. How can I trust what anyone says after I've read all that???
Anyway, she sent me for an ultrasound for my reassurance, which I had this morning. The ultrasound technician had a difficult time finding it on the ultrasound, despite me showing him where it was (not visible, but not super hard to find), so I don't know what to think, but I'm a mess. I'm so scared of the results (which I don't know when I'll be getting back - the technician wasn't much help). But even if the results come back okay or they can't find anything, I won't be convinced, because I FEEL it. I keep touching it obsessively to see if its gotten any bigger or smaller but it's so hard to tell. I know it's best to leave it alone but it's so hard when it's all I think about.
Question is, could I have a painless, large swollen lymph node due to my "strep" diagnoses? Pretty sure I've had strep before and I've had plenty of colds where my nodes swell..and they are always a little tender to touch.
I'm on 500mg of Amoxicillin for ten days I believe, started Monday afternoon.
So, so sorry for writing so much, my anxiety is going nuts right now and I don't want to leave a single detail out. What should I do? Should I get a second opinion? Beg for some other kind of scan? I just changed my primary care doctor but haven't filled out any paperwork yet, I plan on going there, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to get in..
Thank you so much and I really appreciate anyones time and insight...