Enlarged lymph nodes along the stomach wall: can this be anything other than cancer?
Posted , 2 users are following.
Okay, so. 23 year old male here. My mother passed away in February, she died in diffuse gastric cancer weeks after being diagnosed. Knowing that hereditary diffuse gastric cancer exists and often occurs in young adults I immediately started fearing for my own life. A few days after her death I started experiencing a lot of gastrointestinal symptoms - belching and hiccups for two days, constant mild diarrhoea and barely noticeable upper abdominal discomfort since then, and occasionally bloating and indigestion. Here's what terrifies me the most: I had a CT scan this Monday which showed two enlarged lymph nodes (short axial diameter of 12-14 mm) in the upper abdomen, in the region of the celiac trunk, along the small curvature of the stomach. Back in December my mother's CT scan also showed multiple enlarged lymph nodes in her upper abdomen, the largest one also being along the small curvature of the stomach (22×14 mm). I am yet to talk to my gastroenterologist about the results, but I find this hard to dismiss as sheer coincidence. Can this still possibly be anything other than cancer? Knowing how hard it is to diagnose diffuse gastric cancer I could very well end up going too far before getting an actual diagnosis even though I know what we should be looking for. Please, help me, I am absolutely terrified.
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lynda20916 CMV
Posted
Please accept my condolences on the loss of your mother. Unfortunately, no one on this site is a doctor. We usually can't assist with diagnosis--just offer practical suggestions and support.
Knowing your family history, it seems that your doctor should be highly motivated to find out what's happening with you. I am hoping that you'll get a diagnosis as soon as possible, so that you can start to receive treatment. Best of luck to you. xx
CMV lynda20916
Posted
I was just hoping someone here actually was a doctor here or had similar CT findings that didn't turn out to be neoplastic signs (or at least not that of linitis plastica/diffuse gastric cancer). Thanks for your response, I appreciate the kind words.
lynda20916 CMV
Posted
You're welcome, CMV. I do hope you get a response. It is rare that doctors write into this site. I think it has something to do with their medical malpractice insurance. Once in a while, someone will write in claiming a miracle cure, but their posts get taken down by an administrator--they're usually selling something. Take care.