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Help - Am I A Worry-Wart Or Do I Have A Legitimate Concern??

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Subject: Help - Am I a Worry-wart or Do I have a legitimate concern??
Date: 02/06/2007

 Hi -

I have a story about my situation and then my question.  Any comments or help would be much appreciated.

I am a 34-year old female who discovered several enlarged lymph nodes in my upper neck last January.  I went to my family doc and she was not concerned, after going back with no change a month later, she still seemed unconcerned since they were mobile and not hard.  She did ultimately send me for a neck ultrasound and referred me to an ENT who is a Fellow at our Cancer Centre and also a professer teaches ENT interns through the Univeristy Medical Centre.

The largest lymph node is 1.5 x 1.4 with a depth of about .3 I think.  I have now had two ultrasounds 6 months apart and the radiologist said they were "relatively unchanged" only "mildly enlarged" and seemed "begnin in appearance".  The ENT said that since they were not larger than 2cm and bilateral that he didn't think it warranted biopsy.  They have been there a year now that I can tell.  I also had a clear chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound last year, no other symptoms and my blood tests a regularly fine (except I have EXTREMELY high thyroid antibodies).

I am still very concerned and have now gone back to my family doc. She is still unconcerned but has ordered a repeat chest x-ray and a CT of my head and neck.

I hear so many stories of missed lymphoma diagnosis and hearing that people have nodes that are neither huge nor hard at the time of diagnosis.

My Question: With no change after a year, should I stop worrying or push for a FNA or biopsy?  I did have Mono as a young teenager.

 Thanks so much!

Subject: RE: Help - Am I a Worry-wart or Do I have a legitimate concern??
Date: 02/06/2007
I think you have a real concern. It is good you are getting the Chest x-ray and that might answer things in and of itself. With no change in the past year it is most likely not cancer (cancers do one thing-GROW) but if it is good for your piece of mind if can't hurt. One thing I should mention, though, is that FNA will NOT Dx Hodgkin's disease as the cells involved are too large to fit in the needle. Hope everything works out, Darrel
Subject: RE: Help - Am I a Worry-wart or Do I have a legitimate concern??
Date: 03/09/2007
You sound like you are more worried about your health than you need to be.  Your physicians are giving you straightforward, honest answers.  Try to have some faith in them.  If you had lymphoma, you would have more symptoms by now.  Relax and enjoy your health.  I DO have lymphoma, but I also have life, and I focus on the LIFE part, not the LYMPHOMA part.
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