View Full Version : Sick of worrying about lymphoma!
I'm getting really fed up of worrying about lymphoma. About 2 years ago when I was just under 6 stone (I recently lost my dad and was barely eating) i felt some lymph nodes swell up and ever since then I've been worrying I've had lymphoma, and im really getting sick of it.
I read up on lymphoma a couple of months ago (bad idea I know) and it said a left sided pain could be an enlarged spleen caused by lymphoma, and a day after that I got a left sided agonising pain which I was convinced was my spleen, I was quick to rush myself to my doctors and my doctor felt my stomach and everything and said it wasn't my spleen, I've had my lymph nodes checked by nurses and doctors and they don't seem worried. I was fine for a while as my pain started to ease (i'm now aware it was more than likely caused by my anxiety/bad posture)
However today,I have convinced myself yet again (On my birthday!) I've got an enlarged spleen because I have left sided pains and a bruised feeling on my back.
I don't feel tired or anything,in fact I feel great. I have a lot of wind though and my stomach seems to have like a "jumpy" feeling at times, I think they're palpations.
I do think I am getting a case of acid reflux as I have all the classic symptoms of it, but today I'm just so convinced I have lymphoma though, surely if it was lymphoma my health would seriously be bad after 2 nearly 3 years?! I have put on weight on since 2 years ago and i'm pretty sure I wouldn't have the appetite of a pig if I had lymphoma.
I even had blood tests last year and everything came back normal, though after reading that lymphoma sometimes doesn't show on blood tests I have of course panicked even further.
I have the energy to wake up every morning at 7 to go to college aswell and do my day to day things there, I'm trying to convince myself I don't have it but it just isn't working! I don't want to drag myself to the doctors again as I'm sure they think i'm out of my mind.
ARGH i just want to get better :'( I haven't been able to enjoy my birthday properly because of this stupid phobia, I feel really twitchy and like my chest is closing in like I'm a bout to have a panic attack, I just feel so psychically sick aswell, which I have of course linked to "lymphoma".
I've been checking my ribs all night to make sure my spleen isn't enlarged, I've been checking my spit aswell to make sure I'm not coughing up any blood. I feel like i'm going crazy, I'm constantly checking my body for lumps aswell, it's horrible.
Anyone else been through this?
thank you to everyone who replies xx
Hi, currently going through the same fear. I've got lymph nodes up in neck, groin and now behind knees and in thighs as well. Have become petrified that it is lymphoma. I also get the left sided pain, but numerous doctors have examined me and say nothing is wrong. The blood tests were all fine too. The thing that's annoying about reading up on lymphoma is that everything says it's hard to diagnose without biopsying one of the lumps. GP's don't seem to know much about it either - or about lymph nodes in general actually. I went to one GP recently who said she couldn't feel any lymph nodes in my groin. Went to another GP a few days later and he said it felt ok - was just enlarged lymph nodes! He said not to worry as they must be due to viral thing and to come back in month if they're still there or have other symptoms. I explained I have plenty of other symptoms, including fair bit of weight loss, and that they had already been there for 2 months and getting worse. But he didn't seem fussed - seemed a bit clueless really. Sorry haven't been able to give helpful advice! However I do think if you've had this issue for 2 or 3 years and hasn't really progressed any further it surely would have been more obvious as lymphoma by now. It could be that the lymph nodes raised years ago and are just now more susceptible to being enlarged as they say that can happen. The wind and reflux could easily be just IBS and stress, and you're just noticing them more and linking to the other stuff because of health anxiety.
Thanks :) though i am sorry to hear you're going through the same thing its awful isn't it? :(
I'm sure you'll be fine though hun how long have you had it for?
I have all sorts of lymph nodes and i've had them checked out time and time again and no one seems too concerned, sometimes people can't even feel them which makes me think i'm going crazy!
I get sick pretty easily aswell from being underweight and I'm just building up my immune system back up by putting weight on. And I have heard prodding and poking can actually cause lymph nodes to swell up too, even though its hard not to when you have an ocd for it :( urgh this is just awful! i wish i could be cured from feeling like this xx
hi - I've had swollen lymph nodes in my groin for years - at least 6 years - gp seem unconcerned and I've honestly not worried about it since (I like to worry about neurological illnesses instead, much worse prognosis :))
I think if you've had these swellings for 2 years and normal blood tests you really shouldn't worry.
Lymph nodes swell normally in response to infection (and prodding!)
thanks speeder!
no one really seems concerned when i ask people to feel them, they are soft to touch and very moveable and don't hurt they're not very noticeable either, i have atleast 9 lymph nodes which i just won't accept isn't lymphoma! i feel mad for having this phobia, i've constantly been checking for more these past few days and checking to see if my spleen isn't enlarged. xx
Im currently going through same thing so ur not alone hun :)
I have about 5 groin nodes up, and about 3 in my neck, one of them is very prominent and is above my colalrbone but at the very side of my neck.. its moveable and squishy but doesnt hurt. Infact, none of mine hurt. Do any of urs hurt???
Im worried as the ones in my groin have got harder, but not bigger. I had abdominal pain 8 weeks ago and took myself down to A&E where i was admitted. I had an ultrasound as i did mention about my groin and neck lumps. The ultrasound showed enlarged lymph nodes, so they done blood tests. First they done a full blood count, and another two standard blood tests that they do in A&E. Then they decided to do another blood test which specifically looks at lymphoma cells (its called LDH blood test, maybe u cud ask to have that done?) and all my blood tests were completely normal. HOWEVER, the stupid doctor in the hospital said the blood tests arent always accurate, so of course, i cant seem to accept its not lymphoma! I do believe that if i had lymphoma, I would know about it and the lumps apparemtly would 'get alot bigger in a very short amount of time' if i had it, according to the consultant doctor that i saw in hospital. They sent me on my way and told me to come back if they got bigger. I wasnt showing any other sign of lymphoma and at the age of 23, they thought it would be too invasive to go cutting me open to biopsy as they didnt think it was lymphoma..
So based on all of that, i am 80-90% sure ive not got it, but it only takes 1% of doubt to make u believe uve got it doesnt it lol.
The lumps havent got smaller or gone down atall. They are there constanntly, and i swear the ones in my groin are harder...
I went to my doctor a couple of days ago and told her about them. and she said to come back and have more blood tests in 2 weeks, but having a normal blood count and normal LDH blood test is very reassuring and apparently if it was lymphoma, the white blood cell count would be 'off the chart'.
But for extra peace of mind i can have more blood tests done which is what im guna do.
Just to say ur not alone and hope they go down soon. Ask for that LDH blood test and make sure uve had a full blood count done too.
Take care x
ps. where is the spleen??????
thanks crazyhayz sorry to hear you're going through the same thing as i am its really awful thinking you have a life threatening illness everyday :(
i just have all my lymph nodes in my neck which don't hurt and never grow, some days they go down in size if i don't touch them which im sure is a good sign.
and i read the same thing that getting a blood test doesn't always show lymphoma,and having blood tests done at the end of last year to check for cancers, thyroids and to check for aneima they all came back negative but since reading that i've been terrified.
and also reading that lymphoma is common for teens and being 17 its quite scary thinking you have it and being the main age group for it.
and the spleen is on the left side of the abdomen, not quite sure on the exact whereabouts of it but its on the left side, i get pains there sometimes on my left (and also my right but left side being a bit more worrying) but i told my doctors a couple of months about my concerns about it and have felt around the area and said everything feels normal, my pains did go away after a bit after that but i do get the ocassinally though not as bad so im just putting that down to anxiety or ibs.xx
urgh back to post again, just read swelling of the stomach is a symptom of lymphoma, and my boyfriend noticed ive had a bit of a "pot belly" for a few months now :'( im so upset. i'm just hoping its due to the fact i've been eating a lot, i had a flat stomach last year and it just seems now its swollen, but everyone ive asked if it feels swollen have said no, yet i'm now convinced even more i have lymphoma even though i know swelling of the stomach is a symptom for a lot of things not to mention im on The Pill (microgynon 30) which i've read can cause a swollen stomach. but i'm still so worried i cant get it out of my head i have lymphoma :'( i can't even sleep and i have to be up early tomorrow! its nearly 2 in the morning. cannot stand feeling like this for much longer.
nomorepanic
13-11-10, 01:42
STOP googling for one!
It will not help and it will only ever tell you that you have some incurable disease or cancer
i didnt make a trip to dr google,ironically, was something i read on here xx
Hey anyone who could use this!
Ok so Long story but I'll keep it short.
3 months ago I experienced your average ear infection, pain in the ear and all that. Then a week later a lump in the throat sensation. Now being 17 and anxious and already a hypochondriac I ran straight to google. Bam throat cancer. Being british I swallowed excessively and poked and prodded looking for lumps increasing the sensation then all of a sudden I found my lymph nodes! Then more worry as I googled more and found Lymphoma, so for 2 more months I googled every night, prodded every night and found more and more lumps. When you dig you'll always find something. So convinced I had lymphoma I finally plucked the courage up to visit my GP and Voila! What I have are non pathological lymph nodes and he had a feel, all normal. Perfectly healthy, actually in the wrong place to the diagrams. All in all it was nothing just my hypochondria. I was diagnosed with something though. Eustachian tube Dysfunction. That explains most of my weird symptoms pointing at lymphoma and the fullness and inability to pop my right ear. So got some steroid spray and I'm on the mend. My GP recommended me visiting a counselor about my Hypochondria because I have had it for almost 11 years now. So hopefully It is just nothing Like mine and just a minor condition that's a quick fix with a nazal spray haha :) Just keep off the internet and make an appointment if you're worried, my anxiety went through the roof, I had 2 panic attacks! The GP was more concerned about acid reflux causing the lump in the throat. But Yeah. Good luck and most of all enjoy life, Its a waste to worry! I hope this helps! Don't be a I'll wait and see.
:bighug1:
oh miniholly im sorry your going through all this if your bloods are ok usually thats a good indication and in lymphomas your white count is very high also your lymph nodes react to infection and inflammation so any minor infection can cause them to swell some people have very run down immune systems and pick up all kinds of bugs and infections but you can have that from worrying yourself out,it is rare but if you cant settle get some more bloods done and if they havent changed at all i think you can rest God bless
Nicola is so right...stop googling! Easy enough to say, hard to do, I know. Just to let you know I had a bout with Lymphoma anxiety for a long time. A couple years ago I noticed a swollen lymph node in my neck, left side, near the bottom of my neck...I freaked out completely, but had to go to a wedding across the country so I tried to ignore it, but it was impossible. A couple weeks later I went to the doc, he felt the node and gave me a round of antibiotics to see if I had an infection. 10 days later, no change in size of the node, panicked I returned to the doctor who really brushed it off as nothing. They ran a blood test and it came back well within normal range and I went on my way, yet still felt something was wrong. A couple months later I decided to see a different doctor because the node was still there and I felt a few more pop up on both sides of my neck they felt kinda small, but I could definitely feel them. This doctor felt the initial one that I found and said it didn't feel like a cancerous node because it was highly movable, small (according to him) and it was not rock hard. So, he ordered a CT scan just to be safe and a month or so later I had the CT scan. Came back as multiple nodes both sides of my neck, but none larger than 8mm and not suspicious of anything sinister. In fact, my doctor didn't even call me to tell me the results..I had to literally hunt them down myself. Still not satisfied five months later I went back to the same doctor and said "look, the nodes are still there and I cannot help but feel like something is wrong. He ran a blood count and an Epstein Barr panel...both came back fine, but he said that he felt like the nodes were scarred maybe from a bad infection in the past. He did say he would send me to an ENT if I was still nervous. So, I asked him what he would do if it were him...he said, I would leave them alone, stop touching them, stop worrying. I said ok, and declined the ENT visit. Two months later, I had the itch to see him again and request that ENT visit because I started to get anxious again. The more I am typing this the more I realize how ridiculous all this was...I then saw a different doctor in the same office and she felt the nodes but said they were so minimal, but she would send me to an ENT if that's what I wanted for peace of mind. She said it's very possible that an allergy, previous infection, or even a scalp infection could have caused the nodes to flare up and sometimes they just don't go back down to normal size. Either way, I went to the ENT a month later and he looked down my throat with a scope (not a pleasant experience) felt around and said that the nodes were really too small to even biopsy because the yield would be far too small for the inconvenience and invasiveness of the procedure. He said that typically with a lymphoma or a cancer that the nodes swell to the size of a golf ball and they do so very quickly. With mine he felt that they were caused by a scalp irritation (I shave my head and wear a hat often when I'm outside, sweat and what not can cause an infection without question)...So, I have tried my best to not touch the nodes over the last year and have succeeded for the most part...although in April of this year I noticed what I think is a lymph node in my groin area...I was bit by five fire ants on my foot, same leg as the node...I also had an ingrown hair that swelled up and looked infected on my inner thigh, same side as the node...So, I'm fairly certain that's what caused that. But who knows...I have tried to forget about the lymph nodes and just live my life...I have reasoned with myself that it's not worth the worry and panic and googling that only yields the worst stories imaginable but fails to recognize the 99% of the time that the lymph nodes were harmless in people.
here's to no worries!!!!!!
---------- Post added at 15:58 ---------- Previous post was at 15:54 ----------
One more thing...I never worried a bit about my health until four years ago when my mother passed away from ovarian cancer. I know that I cannot get that since I'm a male...but still it wrecked my psyche when it comes to my health. Every lump or bump or pain or change in my body I immediately think I am destined to have cancer! It is clearly a health anxiety from watching my mother battle through something awful that has caused this.....
Mummyrayray
17-03-15, 08:06
Is anyone still active on this thread?
Oh goodness, I have been in floods of tears today worrying about this very thing. Came on here after being offered a blood test and just read where someone has commented on how hard it is to diagnose and how they can only tell with a biopsy which has now sent me reeling :(
I have had glands up on the right side of my neck since Xmas, with a funny tingly sensitive feeling in the ear/throat area and I can feel the lumps when I swallow (anyone else have that?? Feel like only one) and am so aware of them. I have been in a state today after seeing 3 doctors who dismissed it, the one today has sent me for a blood test that isn't for 2 weeks and now I am reading that its hard to diagnose.
My only one thing I keep holding on to is the fact that its been worse today than ever since I saw the doctor and went in to panic! :(
Someone also mentioned ear infections - I did have a bout of these prior to this - but its the weird feeling and feeling of actually feeling like the lumps are there when I swallow is scaring me but this comes and goes............
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