Swollen lymph node in groin...????

Options
mshalto
mshalto Member Posts: 70
edited June 2014 in Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
Swollen lymph node in groin...????
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • mshalto
    mshalto Member Posts: 70
    edited October 2009

    Hello,

    I have what feels like a pretty enlarged swollen gland in my groin (left side). It's a bit tender but not painful.

    Of course, I'm going to "the bad place" in my obsessive little head! I had a seasonal flu shot on Monday, and I've been on Tamoxifen since Jan. and Zoladex since Aug.

    I also have a complex cyst on my right ovary.....having a TVU soon to see if it's shrunk since July.

    Any insights would be GREATLY appreciated. It's a funny thing...after a year of all of this fun, I think I'm finally burning out on panicking! :)  Well, hopefully...

    Thanks so much,

    Miriam

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pabbie
    pabbie Member Posts: 370
    edited October 2009

    Hi-Did you have surgery close to the groin? I found out last year I have lymphadema in my ankle due to removal of lymph nodes in the groin area when I had surgery for colo-rectal cancer in 1999. Now I wear a compression garment on the foot up to the knee when I walk or exercise.

    You might want to call your advice nurse. The lymph system can be confusing at times?

    Take care of yourself.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mshalto
    mshalto Member Posts: 70
    edited October 2009

    Hi Pabbie,

    Thanks for responding--no, the only surgery I've had recently is a lumpectomy  last Oct. I got in touch w/ my onc. and she said to watch it for a couple of weeks--sometimes low-grade infections cause them to pop out.

    You're quite the survivor!! Colo-rectal, too?!  Did they remove those nodes as a precaution? Yes, indeed the lymph system is confusing--as a matter of fact, what can go wrong with the human body is even more confusing, right? :)

    You take care, too. I'll try to stay calm--I have a bad habit of abusing the Internet and making myself crazy, so I'm going to try to be "good" this time!

    Miriam

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • navygirl
    navygirl Member Posts: 886
    edited October 2009

    Miriam, try not to panic. I had my groin lymph nodes swell up several times during treatment. In all cases they went down after a few weeks. If it remains, or if it becomes painful as opposed to sensitive, you could place a call to the onc for advice. 

    Good luck with it...I'm sure it's nothing 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mshalto
    mshalto Member Posts: 70
    edited October 2009

    Thank you, NavyGirl!  You made me feel better.

    Hope you're enjoying the w/e---it's pouring in Boston but at least it's not that cold...yet!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mshalto
    mshalto Member Posts: 70
    edited November 2009

    Well, they're pretty sure it's a femoral hernia. Gee, how'd I get so lucky? :)

    Ultrasound this Fri. to definitely rule out lipoma, lymph node, and to determine what kind of hernia it is.   She says it will need surgery to repair, and I think she means sooner rather than later.

    Oh well....has anyone else here had hernias?

    M.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cka0706
    cka0706 Member Posts: 70
    edited November 2009

    Yup -- I had two femoral hernias, one on each side. I was looking over some insurance forms the other day and discovered my second hernia repair was exactly 1 year before my bi-lateral mastectomy (10/7/08 for the hernia, 10/7/09 for the mastectomy). I had both hernias repaired in '08 (a few months apart). I was swollen and sore but it worked out well. Make sure the surgeon has done hernia repairs! BTW -- most MDs don't think to look for hernias in women. It took years to get someone to believe me.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • soapsnug
    soapsnug Member Posts: 65
    edited November 2009

    Hi Miriam and Everyone,

    I, too, was just diagnosed with a femoral hernia.  My surgeon has given me two options.  One is extensive surgery where he would have to cut through muscle to repair the hernia (I think by sewing the muscle together without mesh, but I have to double check that).  The other surgery is less extensive, no muscle cutting involved, where he would plug the hernia and use mesh to keep the plug in place (the mesh, if I'm understanding it correctly is used as a patch, and sewn directly to the muscle).  My surgeon prefers the more extensive surgery (called the McVay technique), which has a longer, more painful recovery.  According to him, there's less chance of recurrence with that procedure.  Also, he said that sometimes people feel the plug, when they do the plug and patch procedure.

    Internet searches have not been all that helpful.  I've found conflicting information, including reports which state that the recurrence rate is actually higher with the McVay technique.  As far as the "plug and patch" procedure goes, I'm not overly thrilled with the idea of a synthetic materials sewn into my body, especially after reading that tissue can be damaged by the mesh, the mesh can degrade over time, etc.

    My surgery is scheduled for next week, as I was advised by more than one doctor not to wait too long, as the chance of intestinal strangulation with femoral hernias is high.  I really don't want to end up in the emergency room needing a bowel resection!!  So, now all I have to do is decide which procedure to go for.  I keep going back and forth.  Now that I've had the chance to research the options a little this past weekend, I'm going to call my surgeon and ask him some additional questions, and then I'll have to make up my mind.

    Anyone have any thoughts on either type of procedure for this type of hernia?  Thanks!

    Audrey

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories