Mar
I have been having many lymphoma symptoms for last few months and got a 2nd opinion about the swollen nodes today as i wasn't happy with the 1st doctor wanting to wait another month. At least 1 of the nodes (just from the physician feeling) is at least 2cm so I am being sent to a specialist and will most likely have a biopsy.Just wanting to know how other people who have been through this were at this stage and anything I should know. I have been getting informed about it myself in case i do get diagnosed and sort of thought id be ok mentally but now after seeing a different doctor and from what he told me and the fact he’s sending me for further tests i think im starting to freak out a bit. Any advice or insight will be much appreciated. Thanks
Answer:
there are a lot of things other than lymphoma that cause enlargement of the lymph nodes. the symptoms of lymphoma are very general and can be associated with a number of other conditions, so this makes it very difficult for physicians to diagnose it correctly initially. It is a process of elimination to start with. The only way to diagnose lymphoma with any certainty is by conducting a biopsy but they will only proceed to this step after investigating all the other causes first.
I know all the waiting can be somewhat worrying. I was the same when I was having all my tests done - it seemed to take forever. I was online reading all about lymphoma and getting very worked up as there are some things I wished I hadn't read - like prognosis and percentage survivals for the 5 and 10 year mark. I was diagnosed with lymphoma in the end.
But I want you to remember that lymphoma is a relatively unusual cancer. Try no to stress too much until your results come through. (I know thats easier stated than done!). Its good to have some knowledge of the condition, but dont read too much. A lot of stuff online simply isn't true as anyone can post anything they want, so make sure you only read from reliable sources
I wish you all the very ideal