F19. back in november i had a pretty bad throat infection. couldn’t eat or drink for nearly a week. went to the walk in and they sent me home with throat spray. a few weeks later, the infection and pain went away, but i was left with a delayed swallow as well as loss of appetite. i went to my gp and they said it was all in my head and prescribed me sertraline. fast forward to january and i go back because it isn’t helping. they tell me take omeperazole. by this time, my symptoms have worsened. my appetite is completely gone, i’ve lost 25 lbs. i’m dizzy and nauseous all the time. i have nerve pain. my skin is itchy and i’m waking up through the night sweating. i’m always tired and i wake up everyday with countless tiny bruises. i have about 50 on each leg right now.
i went back to the doctor yesterday and told them all my symptoms. she checked my lymph nodes and the ones in my neck are slightly swollen. she also checked my history and noted that my white blood cell and platelets were slightly elevated last august, but liver and kidney function looked okay.
i am now booked in for another blood test to check white blood cell, platelets, clotting, thyroid, and for celiac. i’ve been referred to an ent for a nasal and gastrointestinal endoscopy. and i have to do a stool sample to check for stomach bacteria.
should i be worried? i’m trying not to jump to conclusions and let the doctors do their thing but this is really impacting my daily life.
I think being anxious and nervous is what most would feel going through what you are now.
From my personal experience I believe when medical teams offer an initial prognosis they were always sway to the worst case scenario that one that is dismissive or passive with concern. I think the backlash is more severe.
as daunting as having to endure lots of Tests and waiting for results, I see this as a good things as you want accurate conclusive outcomes to then go forward with whatever is next.
I’m not medically trained to say whether you should be concerned or not but it’s good that your medical team are checking things.
The bcuk support line are fantastic and I would certainly give them a ring so they can give you sound advice and help manage things when results are in and what questions to ask.
Welcome to the forum - and thank you for taking time to send in your post.
I’m so sorry to learn about the experiences you’re having - you are clearly concerned and I’m sure you want to get to the bottom of things as soon as possible.
As @Rammie18 has stated, and I agree, it must be daunting having to endure lots of tests and waiting for results. I can relate to this due to my own circumstances, so my thoughts are with you. Not knowing if something is wrong and if so, what’s wrong, must be so difficult.
I can only encourage you to keep in regular contact with your medical experts and follow their advice and guidance.
If you prefer, don’t forget you can always speak confidentially with our support services team for information and support on 0808 2080 888
Hello there @jellyjelly.cat, welcome to the forum. I’m sorry to read of your concerns but it’s great that you’re getting checked thoroughly.
Just a hunch from your spellings but if you’re in the US there’s a great blood cancer organisation called Blood Cancer United much like Blood Cancer UK and they have lots of resources that may be of interest: https://bloodcancerunited.org/
While I’m not a doctor, mine have told me that all sorts of infections like those in lymph nodes can affect our blood cell numbers and cause them to be above or below normal. Please hold out hope that you don’t have blood cancer.
I’ve experienced lymph node infections and they’re not fun! Did your doctor suggest warm compresses on the affected lymph nodes? Putting a clean flannel in hot water and then gently over my lymph nodes helped mine feel less bruised and inflamed. Just an idea, do check it with your doctor.
Hope that helps a little @jellyjelly.cat, do please let us know how you get on.
I am sorry that you were told you were being an over anxious patient before.
It does sound like all the right things are happening now. Funnily enough I have just had a test for stomach bacteria and am awaiting the old camera down the throat too. It all takes ages doesn’t it. If the stomach bacteria test is positive there is a very quick treatment with three medications given together and it will resolve quickly. Mine was negative.
I have Chronic myeloid leukaemia ('CML') and the ups and downs in white cell counts often mean my consultant would tell me that I had just had an infection but my body had dealt with it. We sometimes do not notice at the time and tell ourself that we had overdone it. Really the body was hard at work doing it’s own thing! No wonder the glands were up.
All the tests will tell the GP what is going on. You are at a tough moment and I do feel for you. Do not expect the worse. Bodies are so complex I sometimes think how amazing it is that they work properly! Know that they do and all the clues will be there for the doctor soon. Treatments are ready if you need them.
Do let us know how it all pans out and best wishes.