That's A Weird Lump
Earlier today I was working on some health insurance paperwork and while doing that I was getting flash backs of when I was going through the process of being diagnosed with cancer. So I decided that today I would talk about how I got diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I will skip the problems I had with insurance because I don't want to go into an angry rant.
In November of 2016 I felt a lump above my collar bone. I didn't think anything of it. A month later I noticed the lump again and realized that I should probably get it checked out. So I made an appointment with my doctor in January.
If you can't tell yet, this process took months.
When I had my appointment, I remember sitting there telling my doctor that I felt a lump on my neck. As my doctor started to palpitate my neck she was having a hard time finding the lump that I mentioned. She said she couldn't feel anything.
As I look back on this moment I realize that I could have just said okay and moved on. I could have waited until I had major symptoms showing or the lump got bigger. But luckily I grabbed my doctors hand and showed her where the lump was on my neck. Once she felt it she decided to order some blood tests, an ultrasound and X-ray.
When I went back to my doctor's office for results, I was nervous to see what happened. I had waited over two weeks to get this news and when my doctor came into the room she automatically says "Your X-ray looks good" but then she says, "Wait let me double check". As she opens up my X-ray to look at it she realizes she misspoke and that there are two large lumps, one on my neck and one in my chest.
So that was the first of many annoying interactions I had with medical personnel.
Then my doctor order a CT scan of my neck and chest. More blood test. A fine needle biopsy which hurt like crazy after the local anesthesia wore off. Seriously though, I cried from how painful it was and an hour later I had to go do a pet scan and a full body CT scan. I was so mad that medical personnel didn't tell me to take some pain meds before the pain kicked in.
With each scan or test I had to wait at least two weeks to get results. Each time I had to wait, it felt like forever and I went from thinking it could be something benign to something more serious.
I went through a short phase where I really hoped it was a cyst that could be popped. Probably because I was watching a lot of Dr. Pimple Popper during that time. At another point I totally thought it was nothing bad because a surgeon told me that my lump was probably nothing. He said that he sees lumps like this all the time and that its probably nothing.
Obviously, he was wrong.
I was really blessed to have a friend who is an Oncologist and was willing to look at all my scans and test results, which cut down on wait time. He told me early on that the test results were pointing toward Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After the fine needle biopsy results came in, my oncologist friend let me know that it definitely was Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
My doctor eventually called to let me know that it was Hodgkin's Lymphoma, the day she called was the same day my husband found out that he got into graduate school. So it was a weird day filled with sorrow and joy.
The last thing I had to do before treatment was get a bone marrow biopsy which would tell me the staging of my cancer. I was told that the bone marrow biopsy would be a quick 10 minute procedure and that it would be painless. The procedure took twice as long, it took 2 doctors taking turns trying to get the needle to pierce my hip bone. The nurse that was numbing me with local anesthesia was having a hard time. I wasn't getting numb so I felt a lot stabbing and twisting from the needle. At one point I felt a jolting pain go down my leg multiple times. I cried so hard during that procedure. After the biopsy was done the doctor (not my general doctor) hands me some tissue to wipe my tears and says that I have really strong bones, then just walks away.
From the first time I felt the lump to staging, it took a total of 4 months to find out that I had stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. That was probably the most stressful time of my life and an emotional roller coaster.
Thank you to my husband, family and friends who supported me during that crazy time.
In November of 2016 I felt a lump above my collar bone. I didn't think anything of it. A month later I noticed the lump again and realized that I should probably get it checked out. So I made an appointment with my doctor in January.
If you can't tell yet, this process took months.
When I had my appointment, I remember sitting there telling my doctor that I felt a lump on my neck. As my doctor started to palpitate my neck she was having a hard time finding the lump that I mentioned. She said she couldn't feel anything.
As I look back on this moment I realize that I could have just said okay and moved on. I could have waited until I had major symptoms showing or the lump got bigger. But luckily I grabbed my doctors hand and showed her where the lump was on my neck. Once she felt it she decided to order some blood tests, an ultrasound and X-ray.
When I went back to my doctor's office for results, I was nervous to see what happened. I had waited over two weeks to get this news and when my doctor came into the room she automatically says "Your X-ray looks good" but then she says, "Wait let me double check". As she opens up my X-ray to look at it she realizes she misspoke and that there are two large lumps, one on my neck and one in my chest.
So that was the first of many annoying interactions I had with medical personnel.
Then my doctor order a CT scan of my neck and chest. More blood test. A fine needle biopsy which hurt like crazy after the local anesthesia wore off. Seriously though, I cried from how painful it was and an hour later I had to go do a pet scan and a full body CT scan. I was so mad that medical personnel didn't tell me to take some pain meds before the pain kicked in.
With each scan or test I had to wait at least two weeks to get results. Each time I had to wait, it felt like forever and I went from thinking it could be something benign to something more serious.
I went through a short phase where I really hoped it was a cyst that could be popped. Probably because I was watching a lot of Dr. Pimple Popper during that time. At another point I totally thought it was nothing bad because a surgeon told me that my lump was probably nothing. He said that he sees lumps like this all the time and that its probably nothing.
Obviously, he was wrong.
I was really blessed to have a friend who is an Oncologist and was willing to look at all my scans and test results, which cut down on wait time. He told me early on that the test results were pointing toward Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After the fine needle biopsy results came in, my oncologist friend let me know that it definitely was Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
My doctor eventually called to let me know that it was Hodgkin's Lymphoma, the day she called was the same day my husband found out that he got into graduate school. So it was a weird day filled with sorrow and joy.
The last thing I had to do before treatment was get a bone marrow biopsy which would tell me the staging of my cancer. I was told that the bone marrow biopsy would be a quick 10 minute procedure and that it would be painless. The procedure took twice as long, it took 2 doctors taking turns trying to get the needle to pierce my hip bone. The nurse that was numbing me with local anesthesia was having a hard time. I wasn't getting numb so I felt a lot stabbing and twisting from the needle. At one point I felt a jolting pain go down my leg multiple times. I cried so hard during that procedure. After the biopsy was done the doctor (not my general doctor) hands me some tissue to wipe my tears and says that I have really strong bones, then just walks away.
From the first time I felt the lump to staging, it took a total of 4 months to find out that I had stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. That was probably the most stressful time of my life and an emotional roller coaster.
Thank you to my husband, family and friends who supported me during that crazy time.
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