Hodgkins Disease Scare..

[Caldo]

Hello all! First time poster. I luckily found this site a few weeks ago and it has provided me with lots of helpful info to deal/cope with my anxiety. I finally got up the courage to post about some issues I've been having lately..

Firstly, let me start out by saying that I'm a long-time anxiety sufferer. I've had everything from ECG, to chest X-Ray, ultrasounds, colonoscopy, etc. perfomed. Basically everything aside from an MRI. I'm 24 years old and have been suffering through this disorder for the last 3-4 years or so...

What brings me to post this message today is that I've been really worried as of late about Hodgkin's Disease. I know, I know...I'm sure it's nothing and by me looking up various symptoms of anxiety, I've now gone on to diagnose myself with something new! Oh joy! For the past oh...2-3 weeks or so I've been waking up(not interrupted sleep)in the afternoon(I usually sleep about 10-12 hours a day)with sweats. Not profusely sweating, my hair isn't really wet or anything, but the collar of my shirt is noticeably moist. This usually happens every night, but maybe once or twice a week I don't really have any signs of sweating. On top of this, I've been extremely fatigued(hence the 10-12 hours of sleep and even that doesn't feel like enough). I've also been running a temperature of 99.0-99.8 and I check it like a fanatic. Usually every 10-15 minutes. I use two different digital thermometers, orally, and one usually runs around 99.0-99.8, while the other runs from about 98.2-99.2. I've had them both for about 2 or so years now, so maybe they aren't all that accurate, especially with how often I abuse them, but of course my brain tells me that isn't the case and I'm just running a fever due to my newly diagnosed(self diagnosed, I might add!)Hodgkin's Disease.

Now, of course I worry about Hodgkin's as these are all signs of the disease. The reason I come here is to I guess get advice on what this might be. Maybe I'm just looking for reassurance that this is in fact Hodgkin's and somebody can show me how to feel my lyph glands to prove that they are swollen and that I for sure have the disease! Maybe I'm just looking for reassurance that everything is ok. My last blood test was in June-Julyish, and aside from slightly elevated triglycerides, my blood was normal. So..I guess I'm just wondering if anybody has any ideas/advice on what I should do? I'm sure it's just my mind running wild, as this is probably the 4th or 5th bout of cancer that I'm on(all self-diagnosed!), but hopefully somebody here has had similar experiences? I would go to my GP and get tests/advice, but I'm now unemployed and money is extremely tight, especially since I don't have medical insurance.

Thanks all!

[LeeBee]

Gosh, caldo, what a thorough checker you are! Checking your temperature every 10-15 minutes is astonishing. You must be sensitized to every tiny change in your body, it's no wonder you are seeing serious illnesses all over the place.

As I understand it, night sweats because of lymphoma (Hodgkins) are huge - profuse sweating with soaking sheets. Not a little sweat around the collar which sounds perfectly normal to me if you're sleeping in the afternoon.

Google could tell you how to check your lymph nodes but I won't - please resist the urge - you'll just add it to your checking list! You would know if your lymph nodes were swelling because of lymphoma.

If you really are running a temperature then you should get yourself checked over by a doctor. Although it doesn't sound like it's really a "fever" and could just be normal variation in your body. You could have a slight infection that's raising your temperature and keeping you tired. Depression and anxiety can also make you feel exhausted. Either way, it sounds to me like a medical check would be a good idea.

[Krakers]

Hi Caldo - I'm not an expert on HA, as has been demonstrated through other posts.

I do know quite a lot about Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, but its personal and I don't want to discuss it here.

What I do know is that you can be tested quite easily for either Hodgkins or non - see your GP and they can arrange tests. More often than not they're negative.

Krakers.

[Trixie]

Can I ask you why you sleep for so long? If you are not physically ill perhaps if you were to occupy yourself out of the house perhaps doing volunteer work it might make you feel better and take your mind off things.

[Caldo]

I tend to sleep as long as I do because I feel exhausted no matter how many hours of sleep I get, it seems. Also, I very rarely will awake after 7-8 hours. I will usually sleep a full 9-10 before I awake and then I tend to dose back off since I still feel exhausted.

[hm1177]

Hiya - my HA started because of swollen lymph nodes and immense fatigue which lead to weight loss that was constantly dismissed by the docs. I felt so ill that I was sure something was wrong so I googled! Anyway after blood tests, fine needle aspiration, gland removal, biopsy and CT scan I was finally convinced I didn't have lymphoma! A friend had it and it was picked up through blood tests. His night sweats resulted in his sheets being so wet it was as if they'd had buckets of water thrown over them. Apparently you can sleep too much and this can result in you feeling more tired and unrefreshed. Try not to sleep so much (set your alarm for 8 hours sleep) and maybe go for a walk in the fresh air.

[amu]

Just wanna say that I wouldn't worry about the sleeping - I feel the same way, impossibly tired after just 7-8 hours, don't feel good unless I had 10 hours sleep, and if I sleep longer than that (11-12) then I kind of "oversleep" and feel tired anyway, so I try to stick with 10 hours. I know many adults just sleep around 7, but those with anxiety often sleep longer.

[mandie]

I to know alot bout non hodgkins. My dad has just spent 6 months in hospital with it.

If your blood tests were normal i really wouldnt worry about thinking you have it.

The sweats you get from this condition are so bad that it wouldnt just be your collar that is slightly damp

Also you dont mention any other of the symptoms that someone with this condition would have.

Its probably the anxiety that is making you feel so tired.

love mandie

[Caldo]

Thanks for the help and reassurance all. It really helps. Like I said, this is my 4 or 5th? bout of cancer now(all of which were self-diagnosed!), so hopefully I'm ok!

[Jordo]

I seem to be going through the same right now. I don't have a fever, though this past week i started having night sweats and they are described much like yours. My clothes and sheets aren't soaked, but my skin feels moistened with sweat. I also think i have a new lymph node in front of one of my ears. I don't give myself a node exam too often, maybe certain ears, but not this one. So, i don't know how long it's really been there and even if it's a lymph node. I'm just getting over a cold, so for all i know that could be causing eveything and it could also be Zoloft withdrawl, but i'd like to think it's something terrible. I just got back from the doctor a week ago and none of this was noticed then, but coincidentially right after. Hodgkins was the same disease i was favoring.

Normal temperature range varies within a couple degrees and yours seems within that, so i wouldn't worry too much about having a fever.

[a90snoah]

I've been going through this for the last two months. Started with an enlarged lymph node in my waist at Christmas, which went away in 2 weeks. And then around the 20th of January BAM, full on sick. Night sweats, high fever, exhausted, swollen lymph node above left ear, abdominal pain. Convinced I had lymphoma after looking online and went to the doctor who ordered CT, blood tests, etc. Blood tests came back as high liver enzymes, low platelets, and then further blood tests showed a very high percentage of atypical lymphocites (over 60%). So then she told me it's just a virus and sent me home. It was pure hell because of my OCD - I couldn't stop thinking about doomsday scenarios in my head. Finally I got a call that the mono test came back positive. It's mono. I started to feel better and then my sidepain returned and my lymph node is still swollen after almost two months, but I'm trying to relax. I know it's fine, but nonetheless it's consuming my thoughts. I can't shake the lymphoma fear. Any tips?