Lymph node cancer? Every doc. sends me to another!

[Kris171]

OK... the thyroid ultrasound results are a bit confusing to me and I haven't spoken to my doctor yet, and wont until Monday afternoon, but they did find more nodules than just the one that was found on the CT scan. T

There are 3 nodules all together. One on the right lower lobe 1.1 cm, isoehoic with anechoic rim, the Left Isthimus has a nodule, 3.6mm a vague hypoechoic area. The lower left lobe has a isoechoic structure 4.1mm, there appears to be a halo. No hypervasularity appearing, Impression - multinodular goiter.

The only thing now is to correlate all this with the nodes found in the neck on the CT, (no US was done on the neck) but CT showed jugular chain, bilaterally fron and back nodes and one occiptical node, and under the chin, submandular and submental regaion which I have read is not a good sign.


The first time I had any tests done was an ultrasound on my breasts after 2 mammograms and they found 2.7 cm lymph auxillary tail nodes and said to come back next year that it was nothing to worry about. Now it seems I have them everywhere! The Pelvic US showed the same thing many, many cysts on endoemetrial complex, heterogenous in appearance and nabothonian cysts and a 13mm on ovaries with endometrial thickness and ct showed inguinal nodes under 12mm.

All of this started with swollen nodes, fatigue, and tachycardia, abnormal blood counts and urine analysis. For the past two months I have had elevated WBC, lower RBC, high platelets, and high Lymph#. Urine has consistently shown protein, blood and leukocytes. Most of y pain is in pelvic area and bones.

6 months ago I noticed if I run my hand along the bones in my lower leg I would feel pain in the bones now it is that way with my skin over the joints and especially the knees, I feel lumps under my skin in these places and have told this to every doctor I have seen.

I was tested for Lupus, RA, all kinds of infectious diseases, STD's and Aids. All negative, ITher
lyme disease test showed up positive for IGM P23, but that was not enough to consider it to consider it Lyme Disease, my dr. was going to start treatment for it anyway, since nothing else was positive (cat scratch fever, e. coli, bartonella all negative) but after CT's and US results wants me to see an oncologist. The only other positive results is EBV virus of 8.0 when it should be 1.0, very high, and C-Reactive protein high at 6.0. Would cancer cause those kind of results and what does the protein p23 have to do with cancer? This has been a roller coaster since April Fools Day, my first appointment!!

I'm just one big nodule/cyst!!! By the way what is the difference between a tumor and a nodule, node, and cyst??

Any advice would be great!

Hoping for the best for all of us,

Krissy

By the way I am 39 years old and cancer seems to show up in everyone on my father's side of the family at this age:(

[Ken_PA]

Well, another thing to possibly consider in a mystery condition is XMRV, a virus that's been talked about in relation to Chronic Fatigue. Some docs say it doesn't exist, but patients who have it disagree. CFS/ME is a controversy. Studies go both ways on it.

XMRV is a mouse virus, one of the MuLV type (Murine Leukemnia Virus).

Btw, I don't think you can be tested for every autoimmunity, or every virus. Only for the main ones.

Viruses as well as cancers can act in mysterious ways.

[Kris171]

Thanks:)

I did have many labs done for the various immune disorders and infectious diseases with everything being negative, so my id doctor referred me to the oncologist due to symptoms, lymph nodes,, etc... and family history. The US and CT's showed the nodules enlarged nodes and cysts, his plan is to biopsy the biggest nodule on the ultrasound, just not sure which part of the body he will do that in yet, guess I will know more tomorrow. I did find info on the web about EBV and cancer as well as the IGM and p23 protein, p23 binds to host receptor H70 for progesterone which is part of the hormones in our body and shows up when there is a possibility of breast cancer, etc. (hormone body parts) is what I am understanding...here are some links:

http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/UnderstandingYourDiagnosis/ExamsandTestDescriptions/TumorMarkers/tumor-markers-specific-markers

This is from Wikepedia:

The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), also called human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4), is a virus of the herpes family, which includes herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, and is one of the most common viruses in humans. It is best known as the cause of infectious mononucleosis. It is also associated with particular forms of cancer, particularly Hodgkin's lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and central nervous system lymphomas associated with HIV.[1] Finally, there is evidence that infection with the virus is associated with a higher risk of certain autoimmune diseases, especially dermatomyositis[citation needed], systemic lupus erythematosus,[2][3] rheumatoid arthritis,[3] Sjögren's syndrome,[3] and multiple sclerosis.[4]

I was tested for all the autoimmunes and HIV...all negative, but this was 2 months ago. I just don't know how all this fits together with my scans and ultrasounds, labs, symptoms, and the doctors are puzzled as well. So therefore, I get treated for NOTHING since they don't know what to treat me for. ( However, in the bginning of all this I did take 2 weeks of Doxycillin and 1 week of Ceftin and 2 weeks of metronidazole...nothing helped )
unfortunately the next step is a biopsy of biggest node, not sure from what part of the body
though.

Thanks for your response and well wishes,
Krissy

[Ken_PA]

Hi, the IgM P23 might also be associated with the Epstein Barr Virus. It's not associated AFAIK with cancer, except that EBV is associated with Burkitt's Lymphoma.

Still, all in all, your situation looks like some immune reaction gone overboard - not cancer. If it all happened so quickly, that also tends against cancer. The only sure way to rule out cancer is with a biopsy. Scans, like ultrasound or CT or MRI, can give clues.

casual definitions:

a lymph node is an organ, part of the immune system
a nodule is a collection of tissue
a tumor can be benign or it can be cancer
a cyst is some liquid or semi-solid, enclosed with a membrane

Good luck.