Lymph nodes issues, some itching - lymphoma?
Posted , 4 users are following.
I've had swollen lymph nodes in my head and back of neck for 8 months now. I have seen my reg dr, ENT, dermo and an oncologist (just to get variety of opinions). All of them do not seem concerned as I don't really have any other symptoms and all the nodes are small (around 1cm) and have not changed much, besides sometimes being a bit smaller than 1cm. They think my nodes swollen are actually due to bad acne I had on my face and dermatitis I get on my scalp.
My question is I have seen on some posts that itching is a symptom of lymphoma. I have noticed some itching lately but I thought maybe it was just allergies or dry skin. It isn't severe, and it's generalized, on my arms and legs mostly. It comes and goes also. I'm just curious if anyone else has had this or has any ideas on if this could be a red flag?
I had an ultrasound done recently on my lymph nodes and the ENT Dr said they all appeared benign and nothing worrisome. But after reading how itching is a common lymphoma symptom, I'm getting a little anxious now.
0 likes, 6 replies
harrishill1 Philly89
Posted
phil0l. You didn't mention whether any doctor took a blood test? If there is anything wrong with you most things would show up in a blood test. If you haven't had one, ask for CBC. If your blood is fine, then, there is probably nothing to worry about.
Best wishes, harrishill
Philly89 harrishill1
Posted
I had 2 blood tests over the last year and both came back normal. However, from what I've read on other forums online, blood tests are not always very telling/accurate with lymphoma. A lot of people had normal blood tests but ended up doing a biopsy or CT scan and then found the lymphoma that way.
I also read from others that ultrasounds are very inaccurate too for diagnosing lymphoma =/
ItAintMono Philly89
Posted
Your username sounds familiar from the anxiety forums am I right? Are you sure the anxiety couldn't be causing the itches?
You also fail to mention one of the other major symptoms of lymphoma: Night sweats. But even those could be cause by anxiety or a virus. (Like I've had the past few months).
Philly89 ItAintMono
Posted
Yes I post on the anxiety ones all the time! Lol. The lymph nodes swelling has def been giving me much worse anxiety the last 8 months, but lately I actually have been feeling better and not as anxious so that's why I wasn't sure if the itching could be related still. I guess it could be, but it just freaked me out a bit reading how itching is a very common sign of lymphoma also.
My Drs have told me night sweats, fever, and weight loss are all the main red flags for lymphoma, but after reading on a lot of forums and posts online - it seems like a lot of people with lymphoma actually had little or no symptoms before being diagnosed. Some of them had the itching only and nothing else, some didn't even have any symptoms at all. It's a bit unnerving bc you just never know what if that's whats happening with me etc and obvI start thinking about the worst and what ifs.
ItAintMono Philly89
Posted
Cool! Thought the username seemed familiar.
I'm having a bad bout of anxiety due to a long "virus" and kept thinking the worst too, especially when I was having night sweats. Also had itchiness at one point too, but only last a day or 2 so I put it down to the anxiety. I'm also worrying about nodes still, because I can feel a bunch of them in my neck and groin. But like your's they're small so my doctor told me not to worry about them.
That seems like the very common symptoms! Someone told me "unless you're waking up at night drenched, you probably haven't got lymphoma!" I've also not got a fever anymore, was 39c at one point. Have you had a fever at all?
Also, something else my doc told me was: "Unless they're hard, immovable, large and growing we're not worried about them" large really does mean large too as far as I'm aware, all mine are small with the biggest one being about the size of a bean, they're also not growing which would be a major red flag.
How does someone get diagnosed as having lymphoma without any symptoms being present? That makes little to no sense to me lol.
Philly89 ItAintMono
Posted
I haven't had any symptoms besides the swollen lymph nodes, no fever, weight loss, or night sweats thank god. And like urs they haven't changed in size either, if anything they get smaller sometimes but they haven't gotten any bigger than like 1.5cm which is supp to be a normal size from what my Drs say. I keep trying to remind myself of that =/
I think I'd feel better if I was in ur shoes bc even though u had a fever, u also had a virus? So then that is a very likely reason why ur nodes swelled. I'm more freaked out because I have no symptoms and there is no obv, likely reason for them to be swelling -_-
From what I've read from others online that were diagnosed with lymphoma, some did have the night sweats, fever, etc. But the ones who didn't, some of them had a lymph node that was large and so the Drs did a biopsy and that's how they found out. Or they had lymph nodes swollen and then had chest pains, so they did a CT and found the lymphoma that way.