gailveronica
03-10-19, 18:56
Hi, Everyone!
It's been about 6 months since I last posted, and I was doing great!
Let me give y'all the rundown:
Earlier this year, I got hit with left-sided pins and needles/tingling. On top of weakness, dizziness, stomach upset, fullness/pain in left ear and jaw, and a few lumps and bumps (one behind leg, one in groin, one in neck).
I had some testing done: MRI - brain (white matter lesions consistent with migraines) and lower back (clear), CT - neck and chest (regular reactive lymph node, rest was clear - but gallstones detected!), Ultrasound - groin (lipoma) and back of knee (lipoma), Bloodwork (elevated ESR / CRP but otherwise unremarkable - and my ESR / CRP have been elevated for 4 years now with no underlying cause aside from being overweight)
I've seen: Rheumatologist (I'm fine!), Neurologist (I'm fine!), ENT (I'm fine!), and my GP more times than I can count.
All in all - I AM FINE. My pins and needles are there, but my neuro (head of neurology at local hospital) said it's not malignant and it's NOT MS (which everyone had thought at first), and I just have to "live with it." Which is A-OK with me, as long as I know it's nothing sinister, I can live with it...
EXCEPT...
One week ago today I began to develop a large boil/ingrown hair/pimple on the nape of my neck. It puffed up fast and quickly and was extremely painful for 2 days. My lymph node beneath it swelled quickly and was also super painful!
In my head - I know, the lymph was doing its job, it was protecting me!
Now that the boil has gone, the lymph is still large. It's squishy, it's movable, and it started out tender - but it's fairly large. As in, it doesn't take prodding. My coworkers can see it. It's sticking right out of my neck. That being said it's probably less than 2 cm, but the location (lower back of neck) is why it's noticeable.
I've also had some weird reactions to alcohol lately - not so much lymph pain, but I've vomited twice in the past 2 months when I've had a fairly normal (3 beer) amount of Saturday alcohol. Some days I'm fine, but those two times were not fun at all. This also makes me think - uh oh, cancer.
Why on earth is my lymph node still large after a week? I'd hate to start the cycle of going back to doctors, because holy cow, it took a lot of time / energy / money to do this earlier in the year, but I have this feeling that OH maybe behind my leg was a lymph and OH maybe in my groin was a lymph and OH maybe my numb chin / leg are all due to advanced lymphoma and now it's all coming to a head...
I know this isn't the case. Logically, I know this.
But how long, in reality, does it take for a lymph to start shrinking? I'm not patient. :)
(edited to add: my mom had breast cancer and my dad is currently in treatment for stage 4 prostate cancer and this all feels so very *real* to me, you know?)
It's been about 6 months since I last posted, and I was doing great!
Let me give y'all the rundown:
Earlier this year, I got hit with left-sided pins and needles/tingling. On top of weakness, dizziness, stomach upset, fullness/pain in left ear and jaw, and a few lumps and bumps (one behind leg, one in groin, one in neck).
I had some testing done: MRI - brain (white matter lesions consistent with migraines) and lower back (clear), CT - neck and chest (regular reactive lymph node, rest was clear - but gallstones detected!), Ultrasound - groin (lipoma) and back of knee (lipoma), Bloodwork (elevated ESR / CRP but otherwise unremarkable - and my ESR / CRP have been elevated for 4 years now with no underlying cause aside from being overweight)
I've seen: Rheumatologist (I'm fine!), Neurologist (I'm fine!), ENT (I'm fine!), and my GP more times than I can count.
All in all - I AM FINE. My pins and needles are there, but my neuro (head of neurology at local hospital) said it's not malignant and it's NOT MS (which everyone had thought at first), and I just have to "live with it." Which is A-OK with me, as long as I know it's nothing sinister, I can live with it...
EXCEPT...
One week ago today I began to develop a large boil/ingrown hair/pimple on the nape of my neck. It puffed up fast and quickly and was extremely painful for 2 days. My lymph node beneath it swelled quickly and was also super painful!
In my head - I know, the lymph was doing its job, it was protecting me!
Now that the boil has gone, the lymph is still large. It's squishy, it's movable, and it started out tender - but it's fairly large. As in, it doesn't take prodding. My coworkers can see it. It's sticking right out of my neck. That being said it's probably less than 2 cm, but the location (lower back of neck) is why it's noticeable.
I've also had some weird reactions to alcohol lately - not so much lymph pain, but I've vomited twice in the past 2 months when I've had a fairly normal (3 beer) amount of Saturday alcohol. Some days I'm fine, but those two times were not fun at all. This also makes me think - uh oh, cancer.
Why on earth is my lymph node still large after a week? I'd hate to start the cycle of going back to doctors, because holy cow, it took a lot of time / energy / money to do this earlier in the year, but I have this feeling that OH maybe behind my leg was a lymph and OH maybe in my groin was a lymph and OH maybe my numb chin / leg are all due to advanced lymphoma and now it's all coming to a head...
I know this isn't the case. Logically, I know this.
But how long, in reality, does it take for a lymph to start shrinking? I'm not patient. :)
(edited to add: my mom had breast cancer and my dad is currently in treatment for stage 4 prostate cancer and this all feels so very *real* to me, you know?)