I have had intermittent swelling and other symptoms and wondered if anyone has had similar?
Posted , 2 users are following.
Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and I am hoping someone can help or offer any advise.
In March 2016 I began with extreme tiredness, night sweats, bruising easily, general malise and generally felt like I had been hit by a bus. I then had some blood tests done and all came back fine except a raised IgM at 3.56. I was then referred to a haematologist who stated he was not concerned with the reading and to keep an eye on it. Then 3 months later I ran the bloods again and the IgM was raised but lower than the previous - they therefore said it was decreasing and would be fine.
Fast forward to September this year and I noticed a swelling just above my right collarbone. It comes and goes day to day or every couple of days. It is not sore or linked to anything. I also have a swelling in my right armpit which has also been there since September time. They feel squishy and not specifically hard. I still have extreme fatigue and had my bloods done again. My IgM was raised again over 3.5 and my MPV was slightly raised. My ESR was fine so there is no infection.
I am due to have an ultrasound on the 19th December and I just wanted to know if anyone had experienced something similar.
0 likes, 8 replies
JoyKF53 charlotte_73529
Posted
Hello Charlotte, welcome to our forum. Any swellings or unusual lumps should be thoroughly investigated. Blood tests do not always tell the whole story. A CAT scan and MRI are the most reliable tests which they may decide to do if the ultrasound shows anything up. And possibly a biopsy of one of the lumps, a surgical biopsy being more reliable than a needle aspiration as they can miss some of the cells. Please let me know how you get on and please don't worry, every problem has a solution.
charlotte_73529 JoyKF53
Posted
Thank you for your reply. Well I have the ultrasound on the 19th so hopefully they can see what and if there is a problem. If not I will ask they do a biopsy or some other tests. I am cautious as my grandma currently has a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and my auntie died from leukaemia.
Yes I will let you know how things go.
JoyKF53 charlotte_73529
Posted
I was diagnosed with non Hodgkin's lymphoma two and a half years ago. I had the treatment (then a totally unrelated brain tumour which has also been treated) and am still here to tell the tale lol
charlotte_73529 JoyKF53
Posted
That's really good that you are hear to tell the tale. Do you mind if I ask how you were diagnosed? For example were you having symptoms then it was found in bloods or something else?
JoyKF53 charlotte_73529
Posted
The cancer NEVER showed in the blood tests. They always came back fine. I found a small rubbery lump behind my left ear while I was in the shower. G.P. sent me for further consultation, had surgical biopsy followed by chemotherapy then radiotherapy to mop up any stray cells. It was stage 1a which means it had been caught in the early stages with no symptoms. It was Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). I did have one night that I woke up and had absolutely drenched the bed with sweat but that was it. But like I said, I'm still here. They are developing new treatments all the time and will be far more advanced now then when your relatives had problems so stay positive, life is for living.
charlotte_73529 JoyKF53
Posted
Yes my grandma was the same and the doctors keep saying if I had cancer would show in bloods. Well fingers crossed its just fatty tissue or something. What baffles me is how it comes and goes - I have taken photos and have been monitoring it since Sept/Oct.
So are you in remission now? In terms of drenched the bed I had this for about 2-3 weeks then it stopped. Then I had one episode about a month ago but didn't think anything of it.
JoyKF53 charlotte_73529
Posted
Yes, please do. When I say drenched the bed I mean drenched! You could virtually wring the sheets out with your bare hands! I don't know if this helps but I was told that it's not hereditary. Nobody has used the word remission but I'm guessing that as my check ups are getting further and further apart I must be lol
charlotte_73529 JoyKF53
Posted