Lymph Nodes

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Lymph Nodes

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Lymph Nodes Hi

I have four bumps in the left hand side of my neck which I think are four swollen lymph nodes. I had my annual check up at the end of January - I had two bumps then and my consultant said that he thought they were lymph nodes. Since then though two more bumps have appeared.

I itch all over and have scratched myself so badly that I have broken my skin in many places. I had axillary clearance in my left side so I wonder if my lymph nodes in my neck are reacting to the mess my skin is in.

My GP has sent my for blood tests to see if I had an infection etc but these all came back fine - in fact my white blood cell count was slightly low.

I’m not panicking yet but I am starting to get a bit concerned.

Has anyone else had this problem?

All the best

bjj

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— Hi bjj,

Yes, I can relate to the lumps in the neck problem BUT I want to emphasise first my situation is quite different to yours and I don’t want to start panic. The first thing I would say to you is it may be a good idea to contact your onc. at the hospital you are treated and tell them you have more lumps. At your annual check up was it just a look & prod one or did they do any scans?

The lumps in my neck (they were lymph nodes) started 4 years ago - just under the ear, lower down on the collar bone, then the skull area behind the ear got tender. My neck on the right side where the lumps were started to go hard and stiffen. Now all these symptoms alarmed me - but did not seem to cause the oncs. as much anxiety as I would have expected. Their feeling was - I had had a lot of treatment over the years - this might be something but they would prefer not to treat unless it manifested itself somewhere else. Eventually this happened and I was put on more chemo which worked. But only for a short while - then it was discovered that my tumours in the past had been HER2+ and I was put on herceptin and have had no trouble since. You probably need to read my profile for more in depth info. But your onc may well not be unduly worried - but I think he needs to know that you have more. Not your GP - it is not their field of expertise.

The itching I have not experienced. Bjjj I hope this is helpful and not too alarmist. I do wish you well - but let them do the worrying for you - don’t leave it - you will just get more anxious.

I see you are in Sevenoaks - I am in Lingfield, not that far away.

LOL, Dawnhc

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Thanks Dawn Hi Dawn

Thanks very much for replying to my posting.

Don’t worry you haven’t made me panic. I am concerned because I think there must be a reason - all be it messed up skin or whatever. Just started the school holidays and I don’t want to panic the kids by rushing back to the onc so I think I will sit on it for a couple of weeks and if the bumps haven’t gone down by then I will go back. At the end of the day I think I will need to be reassured and have the bumps properly looked at rather then just a quick prod.

In answer to your question my annual check-up involved a mammogram and an ultrasound. My initial lump although I could feel it very easily never showed up at all on the mammogram so I insisted on having an ultrasound as well. In fact it showed up as a benign fibroadenoma on the ultrasound but at least it could be seen! I have never had any other body scans etc. My tumour was small and my lymph nodes were clear so I guess they thought further scans and tests were not worth bothering about.

I was interested that you are HER2+ and that maybe the bumps were associated with this. I have been in the unusual position of having two HER2 tests done by different hospitals, one came back IHC3+ definitely positive and one came back IHC1+ definitely negative. It was nothing short of a horrendous nightmare trying to get it sorted. Not sure that it is now. I don’t know which result to believe! I will never be totally convinced either way. Consequently I am very open-minded as to whether or not I am HER2+ - I think I have to be! I’m not on Herceptin, never had chemo and now too late to start a new regime. I accept now that I had the most appropriate treatment when I was diagnosed (pre HERA trial results) with the knowledge available. I am very vigiliant though - hence slight concern about my bumps.

If you are ever in this direction and would like to meet up - just say.

Thanks again

Love

bjj