Non tender inflamed lymph nodes, undiagnosed?

Posted , 7 users are following.

I'll start with a little back story. 

 

A year and a half ago (and still now, just less frequent) I have dizzy-spells when going from laying down to standing, at which point I feel like I'm near to passing out. I have to steady myself for a few moments to recover and in one incident I passed out in the bathroom. I contacted my GP the following day. 

 

Attending, my GP checked my lymph nodes and I made a point of saying about the one behind my ear and how it's been prominent for a few months. He discovered larger ones in my neck and groin that I had previously not noticed. They are all "Non-tender inflamed" as he described and then sent me to a specialist at the hospital. 

 

The specialist at the hospital voiced his concern when I mentioned recently I started having night sweats, I also touched upon a "film-like" substance consistently in my urine but he didn't seem to acknowledge much regarding that. Putting me forward for an MRI scan, ultrasound, x-ray and biopsy of the neck. 

 

Having done all of those above I was reassured the results shown no abnormalities and they wanted to send me to Haematology to investigate further. At this point, I moved location and haven't done anything regarding the issue for 8 or so months. I recently attended my local GP and explained my previous situation, the lymph nodes remain the same though I've noticed they fluctuate in size (I have yet to measure them) they're prominent and easy to spot at any given time, but occasionally they fluctuate to a larger size at which point night sweats and the "film-like substance" in my urine becomes consistent every sleep/passing of urine. Fatigue has become something I'm dealing with on a daily basis, previously working full-time I found myself sleeping during work and immediately after until I started work again the following day. When not working a typical day means I'm sleeping well at night (despite sweats) and having an afternoon nap. I find myself constantly yawning and trying various things to combat this (black coffee, caffeine tablets, iron tablets to no avail) 

 

Forgot to add. I donate blood over a year ago and they mentioned I had a low count of iron in my blood and suggested I shouldn't donate, we proceeded anyway and I feinted towards the end; not sure if this has any relevance or not. 

 

I've had some blood tests (adding images of said tests here) and I'm waiting on the results. Anyone have any ideas?

Added pictures of my recent blood tests and up-to-date pictures of my visible lymph nodes.

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Liam,

    I came across your post today, and read your symptoms. Mine are similar - my blood test showed I had low hemoglobin, hematocrits and cholesterol (lower than the average range). I feel tired constantly, mood swings, sometimes I feel extremely warm, my neck lymph nodes have increased in size. And I've experienced a lot of abdominal cramping. They did a cervical ultrasound, a CT scan of my stomach - but according to the doctors everything looked okay. However, I was scheduled for a biopsy. Every day, like you I imagine, I grow more and more concern of my health. I just want to be at ease and get rid of whatever is ailing me. 

    Please, keep posting your progress. I will do the same. Good luck! 

  • Posted

    Hi Liam,

    This sounds very much like EBV, better know as Epstein Barr's Virus or 'mono'. Have a look into this and also do a review of your diet. A nutritional approach seems to work best in dealing with this. Have you had all your bloods done?

  • Posted

    I forgot to add, did they take a swab or do a biopsy of any of the lymph to confirm it was nothing chronic? As this is important to consider first.
  • Posted

    I've had all my bloods done and they came back "satisfactory" with no further action required. However, lymphnodes and night sweats are still persistent. Frustrating indeed.

    Would mono last 1,5+ years though? I appreciate the response

    • Posted

      Hi Liam. You're welcome. Satisfactory is just a general overlook in my opinion. They need to look again at the possibility of a viral infection to the lymphatic system.

      Mono/EBV can remain dormant in the body for years. It's related to the Herpes virus. Please have a look through online at symptoms/causes etc. Thankfully if they've cleared you on a few different levels, they've isolated that it isn't lymphoma or Non Hodgkin's Diseases etc.

      Regardless, keep a close eye on this. If it was mono, and left untreated, it can promote malignancy.

      As a practice, get more anti virals into your diet and see what happens. Such as fresh garlic, and turmeric. Keep yourself hydrated well and change to a good sea salt with your food.

    • Posted

      Hi Liam, and funks0ul - 

      An update, I visited the surgeon I was referred to by my primary doctor, and it didn't go as well as I expected. He felt the swollen node on the left side of my neck, yet decided not to do a biopsy. Only told me to come back in six weeks. I pushed for more questions, and asked why he chose not to do the biopsy, even after I gave him a thorough explanation of my recurrent symptoms, he simply stated he didn't feel the need to do it. He even answered a phone call, while he was examining me. So, yeah, it was a horrible experience. In a way, he brushed me off for being young and having an HMO (I'm from the US). Unfortunately, people in the USA with HMO's tend to be treated as low priority most of the time. Anyway, about a week ago, I had a horrible pain in my chest and left arm, along with an intense pressure in my head (mainly the right side), even my right ear felt warm and was visibly red too. Went to the ER, and the doctor suspects pseudo-tumor cerebri, which is something I had when I was 10 years old. He suggested I visited a neurologist. It's been a complete nightmare, to say the least. Someone in the thread mentioned keeping a diary, I do that as well. Hopefully when I get to meet with the neurologist, he or she will be able to grant me some much needed peace of mind as to what the hell is going on. 

      I will take funks0ul and mermaid's suggestion to continue pushing for more tests, and look into my diet. Although that's something I changed about a two years ago - no sugars, no caffeine. We shall see. Please keep the thread alive to keep track of your progress. I will continue doing the same. 

      PS I've been cleared of STD's. Here's hoping we can all get a clear answer. Sending positive vibes to all! 

  • Posted

    Hi Liam, It's been over a year since you posted. I hope you're better now? Did you find out what was wrong in the end? I've had swollen glands for years and no explanation which leads to any resolution has ever materialised from any doctor.

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