View Full Version : Ultrasound tomorrow, so worried
I've been having ongoing issues with my tonsils/lymph nodes in neck since October 2017. Tomorrow I'm finally going to an ultrasound of my lymph nodes. I got white tonsils in October and since then the white patches went away but the tonsils and nodes never subsided. It's worse on my left side and I have a weird lump type thing on my left tonsil. I also have a rock hard immovable lymph node behind my left ear. The others are soft and moveable.
When I showed the doctor a couple of months ago, she looked and said "hmmmmmm do you smoke or drink?". Of course this sent me into a spin because I'm thinking she's asking about tonsil cancer. I admit I've partied a little too hard since I was 16 (23 now) to cope with my anxiety and other issues, and now I'm terrified it's come back to bite me. I also socially smoked a bit but not too crazy an amount.
She weighed me and said "well it's a good sign against cancer, that you've maintained your weight the whole time". I asked what she thought it could be instead and she just kept saying "let's just wait for the results", like could she not think of anything benign that might explain it and that's why she's saying "let's just see how the scan goes"????
Even if it comes back clear I feel super low because I can't enjoy going to the gym as my throat is all blocked off with my tonsils and I can't breathe well enough to do cardio or anything. It it was a simple virus shouldn't it have cleared by now? And I've already had a round of antibiotics that haven't done anything. I'm just worried I'm going to be this miserable ill girl for the rest of my life, it's already been getting on 7 months and I haven't got the slightest bit better. I don't know where to go from there.
I have a full feeling under my abdomen (which I just imagine in my head as cancer spread all over my body, and tingling in my legs and arms, that I imagine as tumours blocking nerves causing this feeling all over my body.) My veins also stick out a lot, when they never used to.
I'm a nervous wreck and just want to be well again!!
ThroatGoat
17-05-18, 23:39
7 months? Jeez I thought I was bad. :)
I've had hard immovable lymph nodes behind both my ears for years. By years I mean like 15 or more.
Why didn't your GP refer you to an ENT consultant?
I had my tonsils out at 22, which is unusual as it's normally something you have done as a kid. So a similar age to you, the reason i had them out was exactly what your describing. I would have tonsilitis every month throughout the Winter and they stayed enlarged and never ever wen't down for at least 2 years.
You really need an ENT referral.
---------- Post added at 23:48 ---------- Previous post was at 23:46 ----------
Sorry my lymph nodes were swoĺlen the whole time because of my tonsils.
7 months? Jeez I thought I was bad. :)
I've had hard immovable lymph nodes behind both my ears for years. By years I mean like 15 or more.
Yeah it's making me so depressed :(
I'm also freaking out about HIV at the same time, I had some unprotected sex on a one night stand (very stupid I know) and all these came on like 2 weeks later. I had a full std screening including HIV 2 months after and it was all clear, but I know you need to get one at 3 months for it to be conclusive. I haven't been back because I'm scared.
But reassuring that you've have immovable nodes behind your ears, maybe it's a place that they are more likely to be hard and fixed.
---------- Post added at 23:57 ---------- Previous post was at 23:52 ----------
Why didn't your GP refer you to an ENT consultant?
I had my tonsils out at 22, which is unusual as it's normally something you have done as a kid. So a similar age to you, the reason i had them out was exactly what your describing. I would have tonsilitis every month throughout the Winter and they stayed enlarged and never ever wen't down for at least 2 years.
You really need an ENT referral.
---------- Post added at 23:48 ---------- Previous post was at 23:46 ----------
Sorry my lymph nodes were swoĺlen the whole time because of my tonsils.
I have no idea! I'm really irritated by it, I want to see an expert in tonsils and not just my GP shrugging their shoulders, once this scan result comes back (praying it's benign) that's what I'm going to ask for.
When you had yours out did your nodes go down and you got ill less?
I got tonsilitis back in 2014, then it cleared up pretty much. This is the worst I've had it since then. My tonsils are full of crypts too, I wonder if it's a deep infection that isn't able to clear itself up?
Yeah it's making me so depressed :(
I'm also freaking out about HIV at the same time, I had some unprotected sex on a one night stand (very stupid I know) and all these came on like 2 weeks later. I had a full std screening including HIV 2 months after and it was all clear, but I know you need to get one at 3 months for it to be conclusive. I haven't been back because I'm scared.
But reassuring that you've have immovable nodes behind your ears, maybe it's a place that they are more likely to be hard and fixed.
---------- Post added at 23:57 ---------- Previous post was at 23:52 ----------
I have no idea! I'm really irritated by it, I want to see an expert in tonsils and not just my GP shrugging their shoulders, once this scan result comes back (praying it's benign) that's what I'm going to ask for.
When you had yours out did your nodes go down and you got ill less?
I got tonsilitis back in 2014, then it cleared up pretty much. This is the worst I've had it since then. My tonsils are full of crypts too, I wonder if it's a deep infection that isn't able to clear itself up?
GP's are very good at shrugging their shoulders, without question they are not doing referrals like they did and i think they are being told to cut down on them.
Yes my glands/nodes all settled down. When you have bad tonsils it's much, much more than just a sore throat. You've had this since October and through the Winter which is exactly when my tonsils acted up.
You really need to see an ENT consultant and forget your GP. I would suggesr i high dose vitamin c daily dose too.
GP's are very good at shrugging their shoulders, without question they are not doing referrals like they did and i think they are being told to cut down on them.
Yes my glandes/nodes all settled down. When you have bad tonsils it's much, much more than just a sore throat. You've had this since October and through the Winter which is exactly when my tonsils acted up.
You really need to see an ENT consultant and forget your GP. I would suggesr i high dose vitamin c daily dose too.
Thanks for the advice <3 last resort I'd pay private if they won't refer me but I don't see how they couldn't if the scan is clear (which I'm praying it is). I also have some BB size nodes in my groin but I am quite thin so maybe that's irrelevant and they're just palpable from past utis etc.
I also get some shivers, but no fever. The GP basically says if there's no strep (after they did a swab) then they're not infected. That just sounds like rubbish to me, surely there's different types of infections. Healthy tonsils don't almost touch and make it hard to breathe when you try to do any exercise. Also is it not possible for the infection on the surface to clear but for there to still be gunk inside?
I do wish I didn't have a hard node though, all the others are soft and movable but this one hard one freaks me tf out.
I'm no Doc but i think your GP is talking rubbish!! I had strep in Aug 2016 and i've had no tonsils for 23 years and when i had tonsil troubles i never had strep.
I'm no Doc but i think your GP is talking rubbish!! I had strep in Aug 2016 and i've had no tonsils for 23 years and when i had tonsil troubles i never had strep.
I mean I did have white patches originally so surely that is indicative of having some sort of infection in the first place even if they're denying there being one now. :/
I have a photo of my white tonsils in October, and then the other photo is of the same one now. Not very clear as it's quite difficult to get a photo of the back of your mouth. They don't look all that swollen in the photo but I think it's just the sideways angle.
I also remember having a very foul taste in my mouth that I couldn't get rid of no matter how many mints I had. I still have a little bit of a bad taste now and I am super paranoid about having stinky breath! :scared10:
The chances of swollen tonsils being cancerous are EXTREMELY rare (even long term swollen), although it's worth checking just in case. Try not to worry about it and definitely see an ENT like Matt recommends.
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The chances of swollen tonsils being cancerous are EXTREMELY rare (even long term swollen), although it's worth checking just in case. Try not to worry about it and definitely see an ENT like Matt recommends.
Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
Thank you :) It's mostly the hard lymph node that is stressing me out, thinking it's either lymphoma or tonsil cancer. I know it's unlikely but we wouldn't all be here if we were rational :roflmao:
So I got my ultrasound, the technician (if that is the correct term) was super friendly and understanding. She said there was nothing there that concerned her, and the nodes weren't even clinically enlarged. I said "but they feel huge, the doctor said they were enlarged, and I've never been able to feel them in my life until now." She said they might be bigger than they used to be due to infection, and may never go back to the size they were, but are not at a level that would need further investigation, and as they've been that size for 7 months they're unlikely to grow. It just irritates me that Dr Googles says nodes should 'never' be palpable! And that ultrasound and FNA are completely useless for lymphoma.
She laughed when I said about google, she said "don't use google you'll be diagnosing yourself with lymphoma and all sorts!" I'm sure that if lymphoma was a possibility she wouldn't make a joke about it!
And the 'hard lump' under my ear, she thinks it's my parotid gland. Of course now I've convinced myself it's a cancer or an HIV symptom (dr google saying salivary gland dysfunction is a symptom of HIV, which I'm worried I have, had a test 2 months post risky encounter - negative, haven't plucked up the courage to go back for another test yet).
Anyway she said to go back to my GP in a week's time for the official results and ask for an ENT referral. Fingers crossed the GP will give me one! I'll be glad to see a specialist after going back and forward to a GP for 7 months with a shrug of the shoulders and a recommandation of ibuprofen :weep:
So I got my ultrasound, the technician (if that is the correct term) was super friendly and understanding. She said there was nothing there that concerned her, and the nodes weren't even clinically enlarged. I said "but they feel huge, the doctor said they were enlarged, and I've never been able to feel them in my life until now." She said they might be bigger than they used to be due to infection, and may never go back to the size they were, but are not at a level that would need further investigation, and as they've been that size for 7 months they're unlikely to grow. It just irritates me that Dr Googles says nodes should 'never' be palpable! And that ultrasound and FNA are completely useless for lymphoma.
She laughed when I said about google, she said "don't use google you'll be diagnosing yourself with lymphoma and all sorts!" I'm sure that if lymphoma was a possibility she wouldn't make a joke about it!
And the 'hard lump' under my ear, she thinks it's my parotid gland. Of course now I've convinced myself it's a cancer or an HIV symptom (dr google saying salivary gland dysfunction is a symptom of HIV, which I'm worried I have, had a test 2 months post risky encounter - negative, haven't plucked up the courage to go back for another test yet).
Anyway she said to go back to my GP in a week's time for the official results and ask for an ENT referral. Fingers crossed the GP will give me one! I'll be glad to see a specialist after going back and forward to a GP for 7 months with a shrug of the shoulders and a recommandation of ibuprofen :weep:
Last time I was here, you were super scared of cancer because some character from Coronation Street died from it. It means only one thing - Google has made a mess of your life AND health (yes, health, because anxiety is making your throat problems worse). So, my advice is: by all means find out what is wrong with your tonsils, but cross cancers and lymphomas off the list (2 fully trained medical professionals told you so) and stop googling. Better still, blacklist all medical sites so that you can't access them.
Btw, I can feel my both parotid glands under my fingers. It has always been that way - even during my worst HA bouts I didn't think anything much of it. They are definitely not "dysfunctional". Therefore, chin up and keep it up :)
ThroatGoat
23-05-18, 22:48
Google says nodes can easily be found in the neck and groin area for me.
I've had 2 solid ones behind each ear for literally years and I'm not dead yet.
Lymphoma was a concern of mine until I had my blood work done, I'm pretty sure you can't have lymphoma and your blood tests be totally fine.
[QUOTE=ballerina;1794470
Anyway she said to go back to my GP in a week's time for the official results and ask for an ENT referral. Fingers crossed the GP will give me one! I'll be glad to see a specialist after going back and forward to a GP for 7 months with a shrug of the shoulders and a recommandation of ibuprofen :weep:[/QUOTE]
I rest my case. 7 months of getting fobbed off by a GP:lac: Even i can see from the pictures you posted your tonsils are red and agitated. Make sure you get that referral, but be prepared for a long waiting time.
I rest my case. 7 months of getting fobbed off by a GP:lac: Even i can see from the pictures you posted your tonsils are red and agitated. Make sure you get that referral, but be prepared for a long waiting time.
I got one! I took my mum with me, the GP said "well I don't know if they'll do anything, but it's been going on a while, so I'll refer you if you want me to"
I got a password to book my own appointment online, but it says there are none available, so I guess I'll ring tomorrow.
my mum was like "I'm glad I came with you, that doctor is so defensive, she wouldn't have done anything if I wasn't there" and my mum doesn't have any sort of anxiety.
Just glad I've got the referral! Even without health anxiety worrying about serious issues, I have a tonsil issue full stop. I spit yellow with blood in it, my salivary glands swell and I can't breathe properly half the time due to the inflammation.
---------- Post added at 00:33 ---------- Previous post was at 00:23 ----------
Last time I was here, you were super scared of cancer because some character from Coronation Street died from it. It means only one thing - Google has made a mess of your life AND health (yes, health, because anxiety is making your throat problems worse). So, my advice is: by all means find out what is wrong with your tonsils, but cross cancers and lymphomas off the list (2 fully trained medical professionals told you so) and stop googling. Better still, blacklist all medical sites so that you can't access them.
Btw, I can feel my both parotid glands under my fingers. It has always been that way - even during my worst HA bouts I didn't think anything much of it. They are definitely not "dysfunctional". Therefore, chin up and keep it up :)
tbh I wasn't scared of cancer BECAUSE of coronation street. I was just sick of seeing it everywhere, and to see someone that felt completely well, suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer, and leaving their family behind upset me a lot (even though I know it's not real), when it's a programme that's usually familiar and easy to distract myself with.
Also the sonographer said they were swollen, and I do have pus that comes out of them so I do have issues. I've had issues with my tonsils since 2011, even before health anxiety. My anxiety might not make the physical issue worse, which is 100% there whether serious or not, anxiety or not, but I do agree it makes my dealing with it much harder. And I do agree that I should cross the cancer off of the list, my pre-health anxiety self would've thought, phew the doctors said I don't have to worry about cancer. But my brain is wired to the 'what if' of every scenario. :doh:
---------- Post added at 00:35 ---------- Previous post was at 00:33 ----------
Google says nodes can easily be found in the neck and groin area for me.
I've had 2 solid ones behind each ear for literally years and I'm not dead yet.
Lymphoma was a concern of mine until I had my blood work done, I'm pretty sure you can't have lymphoma and your blood tests be totally fine.
I didn't used to be able to feel any nodes at all, however I can now, I suppose part of recovery is learning to accept that your body can change and may not go back to how it was, but that doesn't mean it's serious.
I got one! I took my mum with me, the GP said "well I don't know if they'll do anything, but it's been going on a while, so I'll refer you if you want me to"
I got a password to book my own appointment online, but it says there are none available, so I guess I'll ring tomorrow.
my mum was like "I'm glad I came with you, that doctor is so defensive, she wouldn't have done anything if I wasn't there" and my mum doesn't have any sort of anxiety.
Just glad I've got the referral! Even without health anxiety worrying about serious issues, I have a tonsil issue full stop. I spit yellow with blood in it, my salivary glands swell and I can't breathe properly half the time due to the inflammation.
---------- Post added at 00:33 ---------- Previous post was at 00:23 ----------
tbh I wasn't scared of cancer BECAUSE of coronation street. I was just sick of seeing it everywhere, and to see someone that felt completely well, suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer, and leaving their family behind upset me a lot (even though I know it's not real), when it's a programme that's usually familiar and easy to distract myself with.
Also the sonographer said they were swollen, and I do have pus that comes out of them so I do have issues. I've had issues with my tonsils since 2011, even before health anxiety. My anxiety might not make the physical issue worse, which is 100% there whether serious or not, anxiety or not, but I do agree it makes my dealing with it much harder. And I do agree that I should cross the cancer off of the list, my pre-health anxiety self would've thought, phew the doctors said I don't have to worry about cancer. But my brain is wired to the 'what if' of every scenario. :doh:
---------- Post added at 00:35 ---------- Previous post was at 00:33 ----------
I didn't used to be able to feel any nodes at all, however I can now, I suppose part of recovery is learning to accept that your body can change and may not go back to how it was, but that doesn't mean it's serious.
Try this: what if it is not cancer?
omg sis i have like similar symptoms. i have a swollen node under my left jaw for like 6 months now. although i'm not entirely sure if the node is still there since i haven't tried prodding it for like over a month now (I'M SCARED TO TOUCH and like find out what if it has g r o w n yIKES) but anyw there's still the swollen feeling to it so i guess it's still there. also, the swollen feeling is accompanied by a wisdom tooth ache so it's even worse now.
but what keeps me a little bit fine and assured is that, like you, i've maintained (even gained YIKES) my weight and that my node never grew or that it never affected other nodes elsewhere in my body. although i haven't done an ultrasound and a recent cbc which are still the things that i need (to like, reassure me mostly).
i'm planning to go to an ent and dentist soon though. i really want to get rid of my nasty toothache, it's so uncomfy. :( btw i'm 18!!! nice to meet you.
omg sis i have like similar symptoms. i have a swollen node under my left jaw for like 6 months now. although i'm not entirely sure if the node is still there since i haven't tried prodding it for like over a month now (I'M SCARED TO TOUCH and like find out what if it has g r o w n yIKES) but anyw there's still the swollen feeling to it so i guess it's still there. also, the swollen feeling is accompanied by a wisdom tooth ache so it's even worse now.
but what keeps me a little bit fine and assured is that, like you, i've maintained (even gained YIKES) my weight and that my node never grew or that it never affected other nodes elsewhere in my body. although i haven't done an ultrasound and a recent cbc which are still the things that i need (to like, reassure me mostly).
i'm planning to go to an ent and dentist soon though. i really want to get rid of my nasty toothache, it's so uncomfy. :( btw i'm 18!!! nice to meet you.
have your wisdom teeth come through? It may be that, I got all mine out nearly 2 years ago, pretty simple op! Good luck <3 Node anxiety is a horrible one :(
oh yeah my wisdom teeth all erupted/grew well and they have no problems except for my bottom left one which has been flaring up for weeks now. i'm thinking i have pericoronitis since i did have a flap of gum covering a part of that problematic tooth.
having node anxiety (or health anxiety in general) is indeed a pain! but i try not to check for them nodes anymore, because if i did, then i'd surely find nodes. and even if they're small, soft, and squishy, i'll still be like, worried, and that in itself would be causing more stress for me.
i am predicting that i will inevitably go down the path of undergoing a dental surgery of some sorts after my check-up lol or idk, it's up to the dentist to decide! :whistles:
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