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Kimwith6
Kimwith6 Member Posts: 9
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

I just had my 4-year onco check about 2 weeks ago. I had been having soreness in just to the left of midline near my collar bone, not far from my port scar, and in my left armpit. I had my last CTs about 7 months ago, including a chest CT, and all was well then. My regular onco has left the practice now, so I saw an "interim" onco this time. He did a pretty thorough exam of my left chest area, said he thought it was probably scar tissue that was sore, plus I had had the shingles about 2 months earlier and he thought I might still be having pain from that. So, no worries, see you in 6 months...Well, the area is still sore, but what is really bothersome, I noticed in the mirror yesterday that there is a lump in my lower neck, about 4 cm above my clavicle. I thought, Crap its a thyroid nodule. Being a nosy ultrasound tech, I scanned it myself (yes, thats cheating but I couldnt resist), and its not in the thyroid, it is an enlarged lymph node.  Now I have 2 choices: go straight to the dr, who will do about a hundred tests, or wait and see if it grows or goes away. The worst thing: my mom, who was diagnosed with breast ca in 1990, had her first recurrence in the cervical lymph nodes. I know it can happen, but I still feel silly that this is probably nothing and I am being a worry wart.  What to do?

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited November 2012

    I would go tomorrow and get the onco to stick a needle in the sucker. It is probably just from the shingles and being run down, but I am a reformed procrastinator on medical stuff.

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  • TectonicShift
    TectonicShift Member Posts: 752
    edited May 2014

    I would get it looked at asap. For peace of mind.

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  • Karina121293
    Karina121293 Member Posts: 370
    edited November 2012

    Kim, I noticed a sore, swollen something on my neck just after my active treatment. I had an ultrasound and they said it was just an enlarged 1cm lymph node, but not cancerious. They could tell from the smooth and round look of it. The soreness went away eventually, but they still check it every time I have ultrasound. It is still there, though half smaller than before. My doc says lymph nodes can get bigger and may stay like that for a long time for no apparent reason .  

    Hope you get answers soon and yours is just a harmless swelling too.   

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  • Kimwith6
    Kimwith6 Member Posts: 9
    edited November 2012

    Thank you, girls, I know what to do. I know this looks pretty healthy by ultrasound, except it measures well over a centimeter. I just get tired of dealing with stuff, you know? I would like to have 6 months that I didnt have to think about breast cancer, just once that I didnt have to go to a dr for several months. No needles, no probing, etc. Will it ever happen?   Just being a whiney-butt, sorry!

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited November 2012

    Kim, I hear you. The doctor thing gets real old, real fast. Whine away!

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  • Bugs
    Bugs Member Posts: 1,719
    edited November 2012

    The good news is that you can cheat and take a peek on your own :)  You know that lymph nodes swell for all sorts of reasons and that you shouldn't panic (easier said than done).   If it were me, I would give it the two week rule and see if it changes at all.  I would try not to touch it every 30 seconds (hehe, you know you are!).  I would also take advantage of the antioxident properties of red wine.  Won't hurt!

    Keep us posted!  Scary stuff, lumps.  

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  • Maggs09
    Maggs09 Member Posts: 193
    edited November 2012

    I don't post much, although I follow some threads, especially ones that have to do with stage III.

    Kimwith6, I was just wondering... did you go to have that lymph node checked?

    I hope, it's nothing serious!

    Hugs!

    Maggs

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