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Lymphoma? please help!!

Hi,

I'm a 24 yo, normally healthy male, non smoker, not a big drinker. Over five weeks ago, I came down with what I think was (and what was diagnosed as) tonsillitis. I was given antibiotics. Had usual symptoms of very sore throat, white covered tonsils, fatigue, mild fever/chills for a day or two. The whiteness of the tonsils subsided soon into the antibiotics, but about five days into antib's, my throat started to go sore again on one side, and I noticed a lump in my neck, underneath and behind my ear/above the angle of my jaw.. I think this is the paratid gland??

The lump seemed to grow a little over a couple of days, but has now been the same size (I think) for a couple of weeks. It feels quite hard, doesn't really move, it isn't really visible to others but I can feel it (it might be around the same size as the last joint on an index finger, i.e the one with the finger nail on it) . My neck has also been feeling swollen and very painful/tight on the same side, like the muscle of the neck is swollen almost.

At the weekend, I noticed the area just above my collarbone on the same side now feels a bit swollen too, and the node in it feels more prominent than the other side. I've still been getting a sore throat on and off since the tonsillitis, which only just seems to be easing now, but still flares up sometimes. Occasionally I get stomach pain, but not all the time, and it is more a quick sharp pain than a prolonged one.

I've been to the docs a couple of times, they said the inside of my throat looks fine, doc felt my neck, round my collarbone, stomach, groin etc last thursday and said she couldn't find any major cause for concern, that it was probably a virus working it's way out of my system. I'm waiting on CBC and monospot blood test results this week.

Does anyone think any of this could be a sign of lymphoma or some other cancer? Is it normal or possible for something like that to start with (or start by looking like) tonsillitis? And does anyone think it could be glandular fever (mono) still in my system (do these symptoms match mono after 5 weeks or should it be going if it's that)? I really hope it's glandular fever (mono) but it's been over five weeks now and my neck ache and swollen node don't seem to be going away, and with this new one round my collarbone I'm starting to convince myself I've got lymphoma. I'm really worried, I can't sleep, and keep having panic attacks. If it was lymphoma would it be much more prominent swelling than this? I've felt a bit tired over the five weeks, but apart from the tonsillitis stage I've not had any other symptoms.. no nightsweats, weight loss etc.

Any advice would be appreciated, anyone, please just tell me something. I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakdown. Should I wait for the blood test results to rule out mono before getting so concerned?
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Avatar universal
thanks for the reply friend, i appreciate it. i went to the a&e (ER) on thursday night, and then back to the doctor today, both of whom assessed me again and said pretty much the same thing, that it's more than likely a viral thing than anything else. There doesn't seem to be much more i can do now anyway, so i'll just have to ride it out i guess. it's just because it's been well over five weeks like this now, my neck is really painful.. i've had some other strange pain today, like aching in my right upper arm. do you think any of it could be because of stress/anxiety? Have you ever heard of virus'/bugs staying in your system this long?

i got my blood results back, apparently it was negative for mono, and a perfectly normal CBC. I don't know how to take that, I was worried at first thinking "well if it's not mono then what is it?" but the doc and the ER both told me that if it was something serious that it'd show up in a CBC. I thought that a virus or something minor that would pass eventually would have to show up in my bloodwork, but I don't know, what do you reckon? I mean, I've seen my GP, the ER, and two locum docs about this now, all of whom have said pretty much the same thing, so surely they couldn't all be wrong? Like you said, it's just hard not to worry when I'm aching and tired ALL the time for so long.
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Avatar universal
Honestly it sounds like some sort of infectious process to me. Even if it doesn't turn out to be mono, lymph nodes swell for so many reasons...mine swell just from when I look at them funny. haha.

Seriously though...I understand your fear. I'm not a doctor but I am a scientist who has gone through his share of intense lymphoma scares, and I've learned quite a bit. From what I know, your case is not typical of lymphoma, which usually presents as a painless lump(s) which progressively grow and/or multiply. It sounds to me like the onset of your situation was rather sudden/acute and the time course of symptoms since then sound more like a viral or bacterial situation than a malignancy. Taken together it looks to me to strongly point towards a cause like this rather than lymphoma. So while telling you to 'not worry about it' isn't very useful (I know that not worrying is easier said than done), I'll just say that I'd bet a lot on the fact that you are worrying about something that will turn out to be minor.
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Avatar universal
also, the aching in my neck seems to get worse when i do any exercise.. for example, walking to the shops. I lifted a couple of heavy shopping bags to the car about two weeks ago (distance of about 400 yards) and afterwards my neck felt like it was going to explode. Also, I found even something like wearing my leather jacket made my neck and shoulders ache, because it's heavy.
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