Lymph problem update

[leilajax]

I went in for my mammogram today.  The axiallary lymph node has been prominent for nearly a year now and measures 2.5 cm.  mammogram though breasts are cystic looks great, it's just the large axiallary node that is concerning.  Doctor immediately asked if I had had rheumatoid testing and I said that results were low positive but consistent with my Hashimoto's diagnosis.  She then asked if I had been tested for Lyme and or TB.  She said that it sounds like a chronic lymphatic disease and says that the large axiallary node's texture rules out lymphoma and carcinoma in general.  Yay!  But she said that sarcoidosis, Lyme, tb, and other chronic lymphatic infection/disease must be further investigated.  She recommended a lymphectomy to have the large axiallary node studied in depth.  She was surprised that it has stayed enlarged for such a long priod of time and that it is not waxing and waning like my other nodes.  Now, all I have to do is find a doctor that is willing to perform the lymphectomy.  I wonder if they can test for bacterial/fungal/viral infection with a lymphectomy???  Does anyone know?  Getting a step closer:). Anyone with lymph nodes that do not wax and wane or has had a lymphectomy i'd love to hear more about your personal experience!

[JackieCalifornia]

www . news . ucdavis . edu / search / news _ detail . lasso?id=9922

(take out all the spaces)

[JackieCalifornia]

That doc is a keeper.  Anything ending in "-ectomy" means taking the thing out, like appendectomy is appendix + ectomy = taking out the appendix.  I'm guessing they would then send samples to the lab for analysis.

BUT first search for
    --- lyme disease lymphadenopathy ---

Here's the first hit in the results:
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"Lyme disease bacteria take cover in lymph nodes, study finds"

June 8, 2011

The bacteria that cause Lyme disease, one of the most important emerging diseases in the United States, appear to hide out in the lymph nodes, triggering a significant immune response, but one that is not strong enough to rout the infection, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.  [UC Davis is a good school, btw.]

Results from this groundbreaking study involving mice may explain why some people experience repeated infections of Lyme disease. The study appears online in the journal Public Library of Science Pathogens at: http://tinyurl.com/3vs8pm9.

“Our findings suggest for the first time that Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in people, dogs and wildlife, have developed a novel strategy for subverting the immune response of the animals they infect,” said Professor Nicole Baumgarth, an authority on immune responses at the UC Davis Center for Comparative Medicine.

“At first it seems counter intuitive that an infectious organism would choose to migrate to the lymph nodes where it would automatically trigger an immune response in the host animal,” Baumgarth said. “But B. burgdorferi have apparently struck an intricate balance that allows the bacteria to both provoke and elude the animal’s immune response.” ...

Swollen lymph nodes, or lymphadenopathy, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease, although it has been unclear why this occurs or how it affects the course of the disease. The UC Davis research team set out to explore in mice the mechanisms that cause the enlarged lymph nodes and to determine the nature of the resulting immune response.

They found that when mice were infected with B. burgdorferi, these live spirochetes accumulated in the animals’ lymph nodes. The lymph nodes responded with a strong, rapid accumulation of B cells, white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infections. Also, the presence of B. burgdorferi caused the destruction of the distinct architecture of the lymph node that usually helps it to function normally.

While B cells accumulated in large numbers and made some specific antibodies against B. burgdorferi, they did not form “germinal centers,” structures that are needed for the generation of highly functional and long-lived antibody responses.

“Overall, these findings suggest that B. burgdorferi hinder the immune system from generating a response that is fully functional and that can persist and protect after repeat infections,” Baumgarth said. “Thus, the study might explain why people living in endemic areas can be repeatedly infected with these disease-causing spirochetes.”

In addition to Baumgarth, members of the UC Davis research team include Stephen Barthold, director of the Center for Comparative Medicine; Emir Hodzic, director of the Real-Time PCR Research and Diagnostics Core Facility; staff scientist Sunlian Feng; graduate student Christine Hastey; and Stefan Tunev, formerly of the Center for Comparative Medicine and now at Medtronic Inc.

Funding for the study was provided by the National Institute of Health.
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In your situation, before having surgery, I would go find a good Lyme doc, taking copies of all your tests to date, but I'm not medically trained -- it's just what I would do.

Let us know what you do and how it goes.  Best wishes!  This is progress, believe it or not!