Needing reassurance that it's not lymphoma or leukemia

[venusi]

I'm going to be as brief as I can and would like some advice if you can help.

7 weeks ago I got poorly with some kind of "viral infection" so the Dr called it.  I had a slightly scratchy/prickly throat, but my lymph nodes were NOT swollen at the time, I developed a temperature and felt achy, sleepy and weak, I also had a tickly dry cough.  In week 1 the Dr took a look and diagnosed viral tonsilitis (as I had spots in the arches just before my tonsils), then I went back a few days later feeling worse and he gave be antibiotics the antibiotics made me even worse though I carried on with the course.  My throat/arches felt hot, the sort of sensation you get from eating very spicy food when it burns your throat so not like a regular sore throat, just a prickly feeling, sometimes it tingled and not constant either.  By week three I was back at the Dr's office feeling still this same but this time I had developed night sweats and would wake in the morning with sweats and feeling over heated.  I was sent for mono spot test and CBC and bone profile.  Results came back and I was told I had Mild Neutropenia which I have had since July but it was slowly coming back up to normal (1.1 in July and up to 1.67 in December), my lymphocytes had been also a little low the month before but were back to normal (I was having monthly tests done because I am anemic).  I noticed by week 4 that my lymph nodes had swelled up and were tender and I was back at the Drs again, this time they were getting annoyed with my being here.  They tried telling me it was viral and to go home and rest.  They were not worried by my blood results and told me they wanted to check it over three months.

It is now week 7 and I'm still poorly.  In the morning the nodes under my earlobes are very tender, I have two nodes in the side of my neck that are up but not tender, the nodes on the back of my neck/head are tender and my underarm ones are tender but not swollen.  They appear to be tender then not tender throughout the day.  My temp also goes up and down through the day.  I'm still fatigued and weak and I lost over 14lbs in weight when it began, I'm pale and my eyes look heavy, I have no energy and all I want to do is sleep.  I have had mild neutropenia since July and I gave birth two months before that, so I have a baby to look after too, I'm just so exhausted and not getting better.  I also now have white patches in my mouth and bald patches on my tongue since this started up, I have a white patch on the side of my tongue that will not go and these spots in my throat are still there but have faded a bit.  They're not like normal tonsilitis spots, they're really small.

I'm hoping it is just mono and that the test was done too early to tell or something.  My aunt died from NHL last year so it is in the family and I am very worried.  I do have a swollen non tender lymph node under my jaw on the right which came up during a bout of mumps and never went back down again, this was a few years ago, but it has been tender recently whilst I've been poorly.

My blood work is pretty much normal apart from my being borderline anemic and mildly neutropenic, but I cannot understand why my glands won't go down, and why I'm getting night sweats.

[venusi]

Hey, the spots are greyish white and about the size of grains of sand and I have also developed leukoplakia on the side of my tongue which is worrying me.  But I did read that you can get that with mono too.  So confused.  I haven't been tested for past infections but I am seeing a Dr this week about another matter which could be related to it.

[jocro37]

Hi venus, I really dont know much about leukemia or lymphoma unfrotunately. My only experience with leukemia is that my daughter too has been ill with your same symptons since October 2010. She was admitted to hospital in november with severe neutropenia- 0.3. and low platelets.We were told the cause was either mono or leukemia.She was put on iv antibiotics and her blood counts raised so we were discharged and have had to go put for repeat cbcs. She also tested negative for mono but they tested her antibodys and she has tested postive for a past and recent infection- has this test been done for you? I am still very worried about my daughter that something more sinsister could be going on but I do know that if u have had severe mono you can be ill and have symptons for months.If I was you though I would seek a 2nd opinion, I certainly know how u feel about the doctors thinking your a worrywart- I too get that impression from my doctors- but doctors can be wrong!. The spots u describe in your mouth are they red? If so my daughter has these too and these have only just cropped up over the last few days not when the initial mono infection started back in november. Also a fever lasting for more than a week is considered abnormal. My daughter still has these but I think she may have caught more virus's ontop of the mono because her immune system is low. Do not let the doctors fob u off though, seek a second opinion or go to your emergency department. My daughter also still having the night sweats, this has been going on for 4months.
I really hope all will be well for you and it is just mono but please seek that second opinion and let us know how you go on, best wishes