swollen node, how worried should I be?

cookiegal

Update July 28: here we go again. Birds 3. Come back in 6 months. Onc say this is a post surgical change and it may just always be there. I may not ever get back to negative. Sigh. At least it did not grow

Update March 24: good news. Nothing too suspicious at this time. Culprit may have been lymphatic tissue not full fledged node??

Mammo in 4 months, but good news.

Thanks for the support.

Phew

angielee

You are wise to go back in 7 weeks rather than wait for the 6 month recommendation. If for no other reason than to put your mind at rest. Not knowing, guessing, self diagnosing are all painful realities when there is any abnormal finding. I hope it is swollen for some other reason and within 7 weeks you can go back to living life without that fear in the back of your mind. hugs!

cookiegal

Thanks Angielee, I am trying to find some spiritual lesson in dealing with this but it is hard!

cookiegal

Two more weeks

cookiegal

One more week.

coraleliz

Slightly confused. It sounds like you haven't seen your MO since the enlarged node was seen on mamogram. Hopefully s/he will order additional testing or at least repeat the mamogram. Maybe a PET scan? I think that is what I'd ask about. Hope all goes well next week.

cookiegal

you are correct, because of the blizzard I saw him right before the mammogram that day. I did go back and see his nurse, she said come back in two months. The MO will do an exam, and possibly order an ultrasound.

ladyb1234

Good luck Cookiegal. I would push for more than an exam when you visit your MO. I hope that the swelling is due to another reason. Thinking of you. Please check in and let us know.

cookiegal

Thanks lady B.

I will say for most of this time I managed the anxiety really well with meditation, then all of a sudden, one week out, boom!

blondedoris

Sorry to hear you're going through this, Cookie. Insist on the US; it'll help put your mind at rest either way (and they're probably the easiest of tests to deal with, I think).

Gentle hugs x

cookiegal

Thanks BlondeDoris. We both got started in this 9/09 it looks like.

I do have nodes that are prone to swell. I have one in my neck that pops up for just about anything. I had a scalp infection a few years ago and it was HUGE. So I hope they poke around and say nothing there. I think they said it was actually too small for ultrasound back in January, so we will see.

As I mentioned in the OP, the original recommendation was to come back for a new mammo in 6 months, but my onc wanted to see me in two.

cookiegal

Kayb Thank you! that is the perfect story to hear. Do they have to be a certain size for US? I remember the nurse saying it was too small, part of the reason they were waiting.

coraleliz

My personal experience with ultrasound on axillary nodes is not good. I had 2 pinto bean size lumps in my armpit about 3years prior to my BC diagnosis. The ultrasound confirmed they were enlarged but they were considered "isolated" because my mamogram was "clear". Long story short,3 years later, those were my 2 positive nodes. The mamogram didn't pick up the associate tumor because it was next to the chest wall. it was found on an MRI that they almost didn't do. The way I see it is, I handed them the diagnosis 3 years before they figured it out.

I had a PET scan after my surgery & it showed a tiny blip in my axilla. It was thought(by most) to be related to surgery(inflamation). There was some talk about doing a partial PET scan in about a year to re-evaluate, but that never happened. So, if anything shows up in my armpit, I'm pushing for the PET scan. I guess I don't understand what info an US can give you(or me). Other than it's enlarged & we already know that.

I'm hoping your node withers away quietly. Perhaps they can monitor is with US to make sure it's not growing?

cookiegal

Yes I think that is the idea. I think the ultrasound can show whether the "fattiy helum" has been changed by cancer cells.

I work weekends, so that is keeping my mind busy for another day.

cookiegal

KayB, I am one big mess of inflammation. Sigh. The only good part is I respond very well to platelet rich plasma for orthopedic therapy since I am "the champion inflamer." I kept getting mis-diagnosed with cellulitis. It is my special skill.

cookiegal

update in OP

cookiegal

thanks! I need to not get myself so worked up if this happens again

cookiegal

so I went back for my 6 month. Birds 3 again. No change. It is very puzzling. Onc and fellow thnkthis radiologist is being overly zealous. But the cloud is not lifted. It was not palpable on exam

Lee7

hi cookiegal,

Ive had something similar that they watch but thankfully the node has decreased in size. The look of it on US does help them determine whats going on, and having a fatty hilum is a good sign. They also measure the cortical thickness, and thinner is better.

I could have had mine biopsied, but I have LE and I didn't want to lose this node if I didn't have to. So far so good.

cookiegal

Lee my thoughts exactly on the biopsy. Mine is too small for US. The are not even sure it is a real node. Could be tissue that wanted to be a node and never developed. Or could be because so much got shifted during my reduction. Or could be from an infection. Or could be cancer being checked by tamoxifen. I had an infection on my head that drained into a neck node, three years later it still is slightly swollen.