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What leads you to ask the
What leads you to ask the question?
Thanks for asking. I am 16,
Thanks for asking.
I am 16, weigh 92 lbs, and am 5 foot. I currently have a few swollen lymph nodes but there is one in particular that is hard and has been ther for about 3 weeks, (as far as I know) it is on the left side of my neck. I have a few other symptoms:
fatigue,
no appetite every other day
tense neck (don't think its related)
Lower back pain (said to be from tight muscles)
teeny tiny caugh that occurs only about twice a day.
two swollen lyph nodes on my neck, one under my jaw.
maggie- so none of these
maggie-
so none of these swollen nodes are at all painful? You know, like in the past you maybe had an infection and swollen nodes and they were sensitive-- this isn't like that?
admittedly some of your other symptoms could point to lymphoma-- the fatigue, the appetite, the low back pain (in lymphomas, caused by swollen organs like spleen or liver), cough, and of course the nodes-- but they could point to a lot of things, or nothing at all.
as far as non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, the odds of you having an NHL are very, very, very poor. About 66,000 new NHL dx's are made in the US each year, with 1.7% of them in people under 20, or about 1,100. that's men and women.
they're equally poor in Hodgkin's, with about 12% of the 8800 new Hodgkin's dx's made in people under 20, or about 1100. Compare that to the estimate that there are around 80,000,000 people 20 years old or younger in the US, meaning about 0.00001% of that population will develop a lymphoma in a given year.
These are the same statistical odds of being in a plane crash, believe it or not. So while there's a 0.00001% chance of you developing a lymphoma, there's a 99.9999% chance that you won't (as long as you're under 20).
I know, numbers are only convincing when we have no emotional investment, and this is your life and health, so numbers mean very little. the best thing you can do is of course go see a doctor. keep in mind that doctors don't figure out what's wrong with you by tallying your symptoms, they figure it out through a process of elimination, and every test and exam is geared towards eliminating possibilities. and lymphomas are a bitch to diagnose. they can do a full blood and metabolic panel on you and it come back OK and you can still have lymphoma.
I would urge you to see a doctor. in the unlikely event it is a lymphoma, catching it early makes a big difference. in the event it's not, but is something else, you advocate for your own health and well-being by addressing it. hopefully it's nothing. most likely it's nothing. but have yourself checked out anyway. and if you think the doctor blew you off for whatever reason, get another opinion.
I so deeply appreceate that
I so deeply appreceate that responce. You answered all my questions. I believe in statistics so I strongly believe that I will not have lymphoma. Thank you very much.
I am going to see a doctor today just for a little check, but I now will go in there with no expectations of lymphoma. If I do have lymphoma, I will probobly feel pretty darn special ha. Thanks again
-Maddy
Maddy- I hope things are
Maddy-
I hope things are going well and that you're feeling better--
Ross