Lymph node....MONO?

[LakeAriel]

Originally Posted by cgrobin

Nodes do swell when they are dealing with infections. When we get 'swollen glands', it's the nodes handling infection. And they usually go back to normal size when infection clears up. They don't usually 'last forever', and the definitely don't hold the bacteria there forever.

He claims it's bacteria. Did he say which type of bacterial infection? Did he put you on antibiotics? Unfortunately a lot of doctors blow it off as an infection, even though they can't find evidence of one, without checking for lymphoma.

Is it only one node? Is it on your neck right below the ears (where I'd get swollen glands as a kid) or someone where else?

Did he check your other nodes manually? The proper way to see if other nodes are involved is to have a CT scan. Some nodes are inside the body (chest, or stomach area) and can't be felt by examination.

Common areas where lymphoma appears is by the collar bone, under the arms and in the groin near where your leg is attached.

I hope the doctor can find and treat an infection. It just upsets me when they dismiss a swollen node with excuses, not diagnosis.

Can you imagine a woman telling her doctor she's got a lump in her breast, and being told it's probably a cyst and to do nothing? They do it to lymphoma patients all the time.

When I was first diagnosed I went through x-rays, a battery of blood tests for everything from mono to Cat scratch fever. I had high dose antibiotics that made me sick, but didn't shrink my nodes. The checked for oral, breast and lung cancer, figuring one might have metasticized to the nodes.

Finally I had a CT scan that showed not only were the nodes in my neck swollen, but also in my chest between my lungs. The biopsy was the last test, and proved it was lymphoma. It took over a month to rule out everything else, before they'd run the test to prove what it was.

My son had the same experience when he was 17. He had stage 4 Hodgkins but thank God is cancer free these 13 years! One of the 4 forms is common in adolescence.


A chest X ray showed the tumors around his heart and blood work at the oncologist/hemotologist confirmed it..Often a protracted case of mono is actually lymphoma, that happened to my 20 year old cousin. Not to scare you OP, but Hodgkins is very curable in the early stages. My son is lucky to be alive..Have it looked into more thoroughly! Good luck!

[cgrobin]

angwill I'm glad to hear your son's biopsy was negative! That is the news we all want to hear!

LakeAriel, that is fantastic that your son has been cancer free for 13 years!

[LakeAriel]

Originally Posted by cgrobin

angwill I'm glad to hear your son's biopsy was negative! That is the news we all want to hear!

LakeAriel, that is fantastic that your son has been cancer free for 13 years!

You too!

[MiniGirl]

I am a non-Hodgkins cancer survivor. I was diagnosed 20 years ago next month. I was 22 years old at the time. Like another poster, I was told the lump was no big deal. I had a bad feeling about it in my gut though, and went to 3 doctors before one would agree to refer me to a surgeon to remove it. My cancer was very aggressive, but it was contained. It went from about the size of a peanut to the size of a walnut in about 6 months. Even the fast growth wasn't enough to concern doctor #2.

[Disneylover 2]

Originally Posted by cgrobin

Nodes do swell when they are dealing with infections. When we get 'swollen glands', it's the nodes handling infection. And they usually go back to normal size when infection clears up. They don't usually 'last forever', and the definitely don't hold the bacteria there forever.

He claims it's bacteria. Did he say which type of bacterial infection? Did he put you on antibiotics? Unfortunately a lot of doctors blow it off as an infection, even though they can't find evidence of one, without checking for lymphoma.

Is it only one node? Is it on your neck right below the ears (where I'd get swollen glands as a kid) or someone where else?

Did he check your other nodes manually? The proper way to see if other nodes are involved is to have a CT scan. Some nodes are inside the body (chest, or stomach area) and can't be felt by examination.

Common areas where lymphoma appears is by the collar bone, under the arms and in the groin near where your leg is attached.

I hope the doctor can find and treat an infection. It just upsets me when they dismiss a swollen node with excuses, not diagnosis.

Can you imagine a woman telling her doctor she's got a lump in her breast, and being told it's probably a cyst and to do nothing? They do it to lymphoma patients all the time.

When I was first diagnosed I went through x-rays, a battery of blood tests for everything from mono to Cat scratch fever. I had high dose antibiotics that made me sick, but didn't shrink my nodes. The checked for oral, breast and lung cancer, figuring one might have metasticized to the nodes.

Finally I had a CT scan that showed not only were the nodes in my neck swollen, but also in my chest between my lungs. The biopsy was the last test, and proved it was lymphoma. It took over a month to rule out everything else, before they'd run the test to prove what it was.

He did say something, but I can't remeber the name. I think it ended with reactive or something. Well, the first time I went in because of it, he did not. Thelast time I went, which was this time,
it was another doctor that saw me.

You asked me if it's only one node, well I think it's like three. One in my right side, a smaller one in my left that I didn't know it was swollen until my doctor told me, and ofcourse, after the one in my right, a very small one that shares swelling. And yes, the main one is on my neck, not right blow the ears, but a bit to the left- like below my jaw.

The new doctor I saw even made a joke about doing a biopsy that I did not like at all. The very first time, I went in he checked them manually, and then ordered me an x-ray. No other swollen nodes were found.

And as you know, they diagnosed me with mono. I've had frequent infections. Like one every two months. I had a cold in October, and cold in december, pneumonia in February and a mild cold in April.
But I don't think I visit him again until my yealry check uo since he told me why it was enlarged.

The first time it appeared enlarged, I feelt some discomfort when I swallowed for just a day. Then, no pain at all.

I think that if I would visit the doctor I saw at first, he would have had a different opinion.

But, I guess I can't do anything about it now. I mean, there's only like 5 percent that ( I, a 13 year old girl) the doctors were all wrong and it turns out that I have lymphoma or maybe chronic leukemia. The inly way the'd do a biopsy, is that would be rushed tot he ER with vomiting, and high fever, and so on...then they'd be convinced. These doctors in puerto rico won't do anything! It frustrates me somethimes.


Thanks for the reply.

[cgrobin]

Reactive means the nodes is 'reacting' to an infection. Normally when nodes are reacting to infection they are tender.

As soon as I have 10 posts, I can post you a link to the symptoms to keep an eye our for them.

Keep an eye on this nodes. Watch out for them growing larger or more popping up.

It's not just doctors in PR that refuse to test for lymphoma. I know a lot of adults in various countries that have done the same thing. The person knew something was wrong and refused to give up until they got a diagnosis, and they turned out to be right.

[Mackey Mouse]

I know you are young and I do not want to scare you.....but I am surprised that any doctor in this day would make a joke about doing a biopsy to rule out somethat that could be dangerous... It actually makes me a bit upset.

My daughter had a lump in her neck in her lymph nodes... we went to the family doctor, he thought it was cat scratch fever or it could be mono... it was still there weeks later, we go back. Again, he feels it is nothing. We then take her to Ear, throat and nose specialist, actually the doctor who took out her tonsils when she was young.. He was concerned enough to remove it and send it for a biopsy.. We waited and waited, no results... I think they were testing and retesting to make sure. He called and asked if we were coming with our daughter for the appointment and my husband and I were. He said it was something that needed to be discussed with the whole family.

Anyway, she ended up having papillary carcinoma of the thyroid... no one ever palpitated her thyroid, had they done that they would have felt an enlarged node there. It had metasasized to her lymph nodes and she had surgery to remove it....her thyroid and treatment after.

I tell you this not to scare you, I never accept, I always push for a conclusion, maybe because I have seen so much sickness that I am always ruling the bad things out... Good luck...

[cgrobin]

Can I post a link yet?

[cgrobin]

Anyone who's taken the 'cancer journey', knows how misleading the numbers can be.

While the chance of a person getting lymphoma (or a leukemia) might be low, as an individual your chance of being right is 50/50. Either it's just from an infection, or it's cancer.

Here is a good page on reactive nodes.

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_swolymph_hhg.htm

Since we can't see what you consider and enlarged node, you have to be your own eyes and ears. And your advocate. Play the cute kid card if you have to.

Here's a abstract on a study done on kids seen by a clinic.

http://cpj.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/45/6/544

Over a 3-year period, 126 patients were referred to the clinic for lymphadenopathy. (swollen nodes) 23 of them had malignant diseases.

20% of the kids who's symptoms were suspicious, actually had some kind of cancer that either began or spread to the nodes.

[VMK_Mouse]

I wanted to share something with you. I did not read through the entire trail so you may be all better now.

I am a 34 year old female who has been happily married to the same man for the last 14 years. He is the only man I kiss.

I have had Mono for the last year and half. Yes, that is correct. 1.5 years. I have recently learned that I have thyroid disease and a metabolic disorder we as well.

How did I get the Mono you might ask? From my sister. We do not kiss. LOL! I had a starbucks coffee, she wanted to taste it, I let her and the next thing I know, 4 weeks later I have mono. She had no idea she had mono.

A doctor can only determine if you have mono by doing a monospot test and doing a little bloodwork.

Though mono is called a "kissing" disease, it is easily contracted in the air and is VERY contagious. I am glad that my husband and kid did not catch it from me.

The reason I have not been able to get rid of the mono is because I was not aware of the Thyroid Disease and Metabolic disorder I have. When my doctor started realizing I could not get rid of the mono, she then did tests which indicated my immune system was shot. Those tests then lead me to an Endocronologist, who did further tests by taking blood and sending me for a sonogram which indicated the Thyroid and metabolism issues.

During all of this, I was getting a recurring fever blisters in the same spot on my lip all of the time and my lymph nodes under my chin and in my arm pit were always swollen.

I am on the mend now and the mono has just about left me (finally). One of the things my doctor told me to take that really started helping was Lysine. Lysine is good for the immune system. When you have mono, the immune system is really low and you are suseptible to everything. That means that if the mono is still strong, you can catch colds and infections very easy. That also means that if you are tired and not getting enough rest or you feel puny, you can get reactived mono very easily. Once you get the mono virus, it lives in your body for the rest of your life.

So, if you have mono and your nodes are swollen, that could be a sign that something else is wrong or you might just have mono. Either way, I would certainly ask for additional testing. I learned from the sonogram and tests that I had done that I have had Thyroid disease for a year or so and it was only detected in March this year.

[Disneylover 2]

Originally Posted by cgrobin

Reactive means the nodes is 'reacting' to an infection. Normally when nodes are reacting to infection they are tender.

As soon as I have 10 posts, I can post you a link to the symptoms to keep an eye our for them.

Keep an eye on this nodes. Watch out for them growing larger or more popping up.

It's not just doctors in PR that refuse to test for lymphoma. I know a lot of adults in various countries that have done the same thing. The person knew something was wrong and refused to give up until they got a diagnosis, and they turned out to be right.

What do you mean by tender? Like soft and like a coushin? The Dr. also siad that it will stay like that and when i have an infection, it will grown even bigger. As another DISer said, him making a joke about doing a biopsy was pretty upssetting and rude. Thanks for the information. These past months, I've been getting itchy skin, like once once in awhile.

The skin was NEVER red on top of the node. My parents are convinced that I have nothing, so I can't really do anything, But I really appreciate your concern!

[Disneylover 2]

Originally Posted by angwill

Disneylover,
Good news with my DS his lymph node they removed was benign so nothing to worry about. I really wasn't worried but I think it made him feel better.

Angela

Great news! Sorry I responded so late...I didn't see your post.

[cgrobin]

Originally Posted by Disneylover 2

What do you mean by tender? Like soft and like a coushin? The Dr. also siad that it will stay like that and when i have an infection, it will grown even bigger. As another DISer said, him making a joke about doing a biopsy was pretty upssetting and rude. Thanks for the information. These past months, I've been getting itchy skin, like once once in awhile.

The skin was NEVER red on top of the node. My parents are convinced that I have nothing, so I can't really do anything, But I really appreciate your concern!

Tender as in sore. I've seen something about the nodes being hard or rubbery, but haven't found it.


This site list the symptoms in simple language.

http://lymphoma.about.com/od/symptom...rningsigns.htm

These are the symptoms for Mono. (BTW, there is a type of Hodgkins that is associated with the Epstein-Bar Virus (EBV) that causes mono. So having had the virus makes you higher risk for Lymphoma.)

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mon...352/DSECTION=2

Everything I've read says after an infection, a node should shrink in size. It might not be as tiny as it originally was, but it shouldn't look 'enlarged' either. Imagine if infected nodes never shrunk, and just got bigger every time you got sick. By the time you were 20 they would be HUGE!

[Disneylover 2]

[QUOTE=cgrobin;24879477]Tender as in sore. I've seen something about the nodes being hard or rubbery, but haven't found it.


This site list the symptoms in simple language.

http://lymphoma.about.com/od/symptom...rningsigns.htm

These are the symptoms for Mono. (BTW, there is a type of Hodgkins that is associated with the Epstein-Bar Virus (EBV) that causes mono. So having had the virus makes you higher risk for Lymphoma.)

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mon...352/DSECTION=2

Everything I've read says after an infection, a node should shrink in size. It might not be as tiny as it originally was, but it shouldn't look 'enlarged' either. Imagine if infected nodes never shrunk, and just got bigger every time you got sick. By the time you were 20 they would be HUGE![/QUOTE]

I lookes at theose symptoms for MONO, and the only one had at the time was the swollen node, nothing else. I need to correct myself. yes, he said they will get bigger every time I have an infection, bu he also said that after the infection it will return to how big it was before the infection. And, no. It's not sore. Mine's a bit hard, but quite movable.

[cgrobin]

About getting big and then shrinking again, makes sense.

Are they currently the largest they've been, or did they shrink down from their largest size?

Are they big enough to be measured so you can keep track? I remember being able to feel mine just below where the upper and lower jaws connect, but I don't remember them ever being visible.