right tonsil and lymph node enlarged

[Stevenggg]

Hi guys,

I noticed about 2 months ago that my right tonsil was huge compared to the other one (about 6 times the size) and coveres half of the back of my throat...  i was looking after a feeling of something being "full" in my throat... after that I didnt think much of it as there was no pain at all.

yesterday I read an article about lymphoma and that sometimes it can present in one swollen tonsil.  I had a feel around my neck and noticed that I have a swollen lymph node on the same side as the swollen tonsil..  its firm and doesnt hurt when I press on it... its located directly under where the tonsil is...  just on or beside my wind pipe.

recently I have been feeling very run down and weak and have been to the doctors on numerous ocasions but nothing has been found.

I will point this out to my doctor next time I go and see what he says

should I be worried?

I have recently been diagnosed with an inegural hernia and will have to get this fixed at somepoint..

Im wondering now if this could actually be a swollen lymph node..

I also have a hiatal hernia and im wondering if that could be the same case..

im not worried sick but as i am on an oil rig at the moment with no access to a doctor I wondered what you guys could make of it.

thanks

[seggyann]

Hi Ken. You seem quite knowledgeable and whilstni have been scaring myselfnhalf to death I came across these posts. I went to the doctors ahout 9 years ago and it was noticed that my right tonsil was slightly bigger than the  left but wasn't causing me any problems. (Did suffer with reoccuring tonsilitis as a hild and glandular fever when I was 16) they prescribed me antibiotics at this stage but they didnt do anything andnonce I had been told it was bigger I kept looking at it. I then noticed a gland or node enlarged on the same side of my neck about half way down the side. Its still there and the slightly bigger tonsil nearly 9 years on.its not very big maybe a cm or just over and soft and squidgy like under the fingers. After having my second child in 2012 I had the baby blues and broke down in the doctors office telling him I was convinced I had cancer and showed him the tonsil and lump. He checked and looked in my mouth amd felt round my neck and the lump and he said no not there and shook his head and said I would definately know about it by now if it was cancer even lymphoma.i just read though that you have lowngrade lymphoma for 8-10 years without knowing. I suffer with anxiety and recent concerns with my husbands health has brought my own to the surface again.

[FEG3740]

Hi

I can relate to you very much! Do you mind update us on your situation please?

[Stevenggg]

hi again Ken... my wife noticed today that I have a rather large bright red growth up my nose... im a little worried its related to my swollen tonsil..

here is a link to an online album showing pics of it... what do you think?

I have included a pic of my swollen tonsil and my slightly discolored finger joints.

http://imgur.com/a/sJFlH

[Ken_PA]

Steven, you'll read all over that a rock hard node is a sign of metastasis. However, the calcification that makes it that hard can also result from a really powerful immune response, wherein not only will fibroblast cells lay down scar tissue, but also osteoblasts get involved and start depositing calcium. Still, you would want to mention the hardness of the node to any doc that you talk to.

Pushing on a node can inflame it.

[Stevenggg]

Hi ken.. I heave read that lymphoma can cause bone pain and wbc to elevated... I had agood feel if the lymph node last night and it seems slightly bigger abd if i push it hard it feels rock solid

[Stevenggg]

im in scotland so I guess mine could be different.

The thrush on my penis has actually started to clear..  at least that confirms that my immune system is fuctioning properly

[Ken_PA]

and the idea that Cipro caused the joint/muscle problems is speculation, of course. Offhand I can't think of a way to test that, unless taking Mg and calcium results in a big improvement. Taking mineral supplements is a complicated topic in itself, with them interfering with each others' absorption, with a possible antagonistic role of phytates, etc

[Ken_PA]

Here's the pdf of the package insert, the warning is st the top in the drawn box (hence the name of boxed warning):

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2011/019537s074,020780s032lbl.pdf

28 days is the recommended duration. Antibiotics are chosen according to whetheer they:
- can kill the target organism (like E Coli)
- can get into the target tissue

Maybe yours was manufactured outside the U.S. and so the warning wasn't there?

The red patch argues against cancer.

You are probably correct about the doc not wanting to admit the drug caused problems. I don't know what the incidence of the side effect is. Likewise, many docs won't admit that candida can be a problem. At first no one had ever heard of it, Then it was supposedly responsible for almost every symptom in almost everybody, The hype spawned a  lot of opportunist marketers and a backlash made a lot of docs leery of a candida diagnosis.

It'd be good if you can post back with the results of your diet experiment. Candida can be very hard to get rid of, prescription drugs don't do it. But if it gets into the bloodstream, then prescription drugs can be a lifesaver..

[Stevenggg]

anyway mate.. thanks for your help.  I think theres a good chance that this is just a really bad side effect to the fluroquinolone.. the more I read about it the more i see people are having long term effects similar to me... I didnt even know there was fluoride in them either otherwise id have told me doc to get lost.  Il still be sure to have tonsil and lymph node looked at though.. I shone a torch in this morning and seen that there seems to be a big sort of red patch on the side of my soft palate also so although im sure its nothing il still try to get an ENT specialist to have a look.

[Stevenggg]

yeah i was unsure of the cipro when i was prescribed it... it seemed an awful strong antibiotic to be prescribed when they didnt even know if i had an infection but i took it anyway.. you are right it does make a lot of sense..  il speak to the doctor about it and see what he thinks... my guess is he wont be willing to agree the cipro is causing it.. seeing as he prescribed it to me and didnt tell me anything about side effects...  there was nothing on my box of cipro about side effects... the leaflet inside said to contact your doctor if you experience any vomiting as this antibiotic can cause you to contract C-DIFF (which they tested me for... dont know why)  but that was all it said.

[Ken_PA]

Right, but the possible existence of drug effects actually makes thing simpler, because there wouldn't seem to be any disease that could account for all the symptoms you've had.

Plus there are the possible secondary effects of a yeast/fungus infection brought about by the long abx.

There remains the mystery of the easy bleeding -- though simple liver function tests might give a clue as to whether the Cipro caused liver damage -- and then coagulation factors can also be measured directly.


I'd be wary of taking any more fluoroquinolones.

[Stevenggg]

I was on 500mg twice a day for 30 days...

maybe it is all the cause of the cipro... but the underlying issues (the reason i was taking the cipro) is still there..

the pain in my hips and groin started before i took it.

[Ken_PA]

Steve, the FDA has mandated a "boxed warning" since 2008 on Cipro because of pain/inflammation in tendons -- and sometimes in extreme reactions the Achilles tendon was completely sheared:
http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/news/20080708/fda-warning-cipro-may-rupture-tendons

Since it is not known what the mechanism for the side effect is, then it's quite possible that muscle pain is also a side effect. But it is known that magnesium might be involved (Cipro binds to Mg) so taking Mg as a supplement might help (but too much is strongly laxative). (Mg Oxide is fairly useless.)

Offhand, I'd say that being on an antibiotic for a full month is a long exposure. Were you on more than 500mg x 2 per day?

Your red spots might have been not petechiae from impaired clotting ability but instead rash/hives/urticaria from the drug. Check this list of symptoms: http://www.pdrhealth.com/drugs/cipro

[Stevenggg]

Yes....my heels have been hurting?

[Ken_PA]

Yes, it's probably best to try to knock down any possible candida  overgrowth. There are photos of thrush online to compare with,  the whiteness is very visible.

Have you identified what might have made things worse on the 11th?

There are killers such as garlic, cloves, olive leaf. But kill too quickly and risk Herxheimer's Reaction.

Lack of calories might be bad. Fat won't feed yeast/fungus.

Do you happen to have Achilles Heel pain?

[Stevenggg]

Yes the pelvic pain was the start... Then all the joint and muscle pain... Then i was put on cipro for 4 weeks as my prostate waa enlarged... I finished cipro 6 weeks ago and now all problema persist and thrush has began in last week... I noticed the tonsil a long time ago before all thia started... It only brought my atyention more 2 months ago.... This all began 6 months ago with pelvic and groin pain.... I have been avoiding sugar yes... Iv decided for the next week im only going to eat raw salad and drink only water to see if that helps... The thrush is waayy worae today... Red spots all over head and foreakin.... If it even is thrush.. Im only assuming

[Ken_PA]

One more thing: the node size is not at all alarming. I wouldn't worry over lymphoma for now.

[Ken_PA]

Steve, I'd say that this latest info moves you from "probable lymphoma" to "mystery immune condition".

If your bruising/bleeding is not from low platelets, then you'd want your levels of "coagulation factors' tested. They're made in the liver.

You no longer need a neck node sono ASAP to confirm lymphoma, but you'd want one eventually to eliminate lymphoma as a possibility.

The thrush is the likely candidate for causing the enlarged tonsil and then the neck node. Hopefully you are avoiding sugar at all costs (and have no-sugar yogurt if available). If a fungus/yeast is also in your gut (likely), then that can cause fatigue since "leaky gut" lets toxins into your blood, as well as proteins that wouldn't normally get into the blood with the gut's tight junctions intact. That makes you allergic to food in a sense. I'd avoid dairy for the time being, since it has casein.

Your hiatal hernia might be from an infection, did symptoms get better from the antibiotic? Or worse? (antibiotic is usually like gasoline on a fire, regarding fungus).

The thing to do is to try and logic out the problem. Did the pelvic pain mark the beginning of everything?

Sorry, got to run for now...

[Stevenggg]

I would say the node is about 1cm x 1cm roughly... The tonsil is about double thatt... The node could have been there before but just not noticed yeah...in terms of pain the muscle pain and this thrush is what is worste and fatigue is making me miserable...i also have a hiatal herni.. I dint know if that could be a factor?

[Stevenggg]

Hi ken...  I have recentlybhad some bloods done as ihave been suffering a lot of symptoms but nothing has been found...  Cbc was  normal although wbc was slightly high.. Ana was negative ra factor was negativee urinalysis was normal... Im also having extreme fatigue halfway through the day... I am sweating a lot.. I have been bleeding easily.. Slightest bang and skin seems to break..  I have bleeding under the skin on my shoulder from carrying a bag last night... It was heavy but this hasnt happened before... I have a red dotted rash on my legs and chest and bellly...have been having pain in my pelvis area for a while now and pain in the muscles of my legs hands and arms... I do sweat a lot at night but wouldnt say drenching... Have a fever that comes and goes... No pain in lungs or throat... There is no pus from the tonsil..it looks normal just big...the node in my neck seems round but i cant feel the back of it so cantvtell how big it is so it could be long...its firm rubbery..i can move it its not solid to the tissue..i havnt had a cold or anything but i was on a month of ciprofloxacin for suspected prostatitis due to pelvis pain..

[Ken_PA]

alternate possibility for you:

you had a virus in your airway which paved the way for a bacterial infection in throat (worse and more dangerous than virus). You can cough up green phlegm from infection. Can get into lungs and cause dangerous pneumonia without antibiotics. Throat infection caused neck node to react and swell.

If you exhale forcefully, is there wheezing? If someone puts their ear to front and back of your chest while forcefully breathing, is there cracking?

--you happen by coincidence to really have an inguinal hernia


Does that fit?

[Ken_PA]

Hi, Steven. I don't want to be alarming and you don't necessarily have lymphoma, but I think that you should be evaluated as soon as you can.

Is there any chance that you can get a blood draw done by a nurse on the rig and have that go out on a helicopter to a lab? The tests you'd want are a CBC to see if red blood cells and other blood cells are low. Another would be the LDH blood test.

How soon do you go back on land? I'd suggest phoning your doc first to describe what you've said here, and the doc might order up a sonogram of the neck node so he can have the results in hand when you see him. That usually doesn't happen in reverse order like that, but maybe an exception might be made because of your situation with time.

How big is the node on your neck? Does it seem movable or is it instead fixed to the underlying tissue? is it possible that node was swollen before the tonsil, and that you just hadn't noticed? Is it round, bean shaped or long and narrow?

Does there seem to be anything like pus coming from the tonsil? Any weird color? Flaming redness? Do they have antibiotics on the rig?

How big is the tonsil now as compared to when you first saw it 2 months ago? In other words, is it growing rapidly?

Do you get bruised easily, or have bleeding gums after brushing?

Night sweats wherein you get drenched?

You are correct that the supposed inguinal hernia might be a swollen inguinal node - unless a scan was done. A doc can't tell for sure just by feeling. (But I'm not aware that a hiatal hernia is associated with lymphoma.)

What's your age?

It is certainly possible that all your symptoms are from an immune reaction, but this should be checked.

Lymphoma nodes are painful only rarely.

Keep in mind that there are different types of lymphoma, and the type is generally only discovered when a node is surgically excised and analyzed - and that depends if there is sufficient reason to do an excisional biopsy.