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View Full Version : Was doing well -- now worried about oral cancer or lymphoma



Gopennstate
21-03-17, 21:36
At the beginning of this past August, while shaving, I felt a lump on the right side of my neck, a few inches below my jaw. I brushed it off at first, but when it was still there a few days later, I began consulting Google. After two weeks, I went to a walk in clinic and was given some antibiotics and told if it didn't go away, to see an ENT who might stick a scope down my nose and stick me with a needle for a biopsy. Well, after it was still there two weeks later, I saw an ENT. He felt it, said it was a lymph node, that it would be there for a while and I was fine. He then asked if the walk in clinic did any test, and I said no. He knew I was worried and said he'd send me for a CT with and without contrast to ease my mind and that he'd call me with the results because he knew they would be fine. I got the CT on a Friday and he called Monday morning saying "everything was fine, no growths or anything like that, you're fine and people get nodes all the time." He knew I was still worried and had me come in his office two weeks later. He felt my neck, said I was fine again and that he diagnoses neck masses all the time, that he saw 6 neck mass patients that Monday.

After that, I told myself to trust in his medical opinion and move one. And so I did. Until around Christmas time. I swallowed and felt a lump in my nasopharynex area. I didn't freak at first, but then it constantly felt like something was there, so I began constantly checking my mouth. A few weeks went by and I developed a lump where my right tonsil used to be. Then I began developing other "lesions" on the back of my throat and my other tonsil as well as my soft palate. I wasn't sick at the time, but around the middle of January I caught a cold from my fiancée and one of the bumps in the back of my throat swelled pretty big, so I went to a new GP, as I was out of state and couldn't see my ENT. She said I had an infection, took a CBC -- everything was fine but my WBC which was at 9 (high normal limit), and gave me antibiotics. I began feeling better and the lump in my throat went down a little.

When I got back to my state at the beginning of February, I still had the feeling of a lump behind my nose and still had the lesions in my mouth, so I went to the ENT. He shined a light in and explained it was lymphoid hyperplasia, and could be caused by allergies. So he prescribed me nasal spray and allergy pills and set up an appointment for a month. If nothing changed, he said we will biopsy the hyperlasia. Well, my follow up appointment is April 3rd, and there's been no change. So looks like ill be getting a biopsy. I should not that I also get jaw pain, ear pain and ringing in my ears.

The lymph node is still there. I didn't check my CT report to see how big it is, I'm guessing about 1.5-2 cm. it's hard and somewhat movable. I try to talk reason into myself, such as I'm relatively young at 29 years old and cancer is rare. But good old Google always makes me think the worse.

Don't know where I was going with this post, just needed to vent, as the closer my appointment gets, the higher my HA is.

GlassPinata
22-03-17, 00:48
I'm sorry to hear this, but I'm sure that after months, if these enlarged nodes were caused by anything sinister, they would've grown hugely, and there would be many other symptoms.
It's possible you've just had multiple colds and sinus issues all winter, which have caused your neck nodes to become reactive and remain enlarged.
It can take months for them to go down.
I'm sure the tests will prove me right.

best wishes.

Mindprison
22-03-17, 01:02
Sorry to hear you've been having a hard time with this. Lymph nodes are a popular health anxiety topic it seems and I've been down this road recently myself.

The thing with lymph nodes is that they can always be felt if you look hard enough. In some cases they never shrink to their previous size. For example the glands near my jaw can be felt and click while I'm eating. They never went back down after a bout of tonsillitis 10 years ago!

Poking and constantly self checking also can make them shotty (permanent swelling)

I'm sure all will be fine! If it was anything serious then you would absolutely know about it. Try not to obsess over sizes too much either, try your best to trust the professionals!

Best wishes and hope you feel better soon!

Gopennstate
22-03-17, 01:19
Thank you. I will post an update after my biopsy.