Unexplained Weight Loss

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Spoonie77
Spoonie77 Member Posts: 925
edited August 2019 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned

Can anyone share if they had a recurrence or a new cancer dxd that came along with unexplained weight loss?

My PCP mentioned I have lost 5 pounds in the past week, as I had 2 different appts at the same clinic. She's not worried per say, but has her eye on things.

IMO I shouldn't be able to lose weight now since I've been emotional eating like a fiend for the past 2 weeks due to lymph node swelling and fever for no reason which preceded that symptom beginning. I am shocked I'm not gaining.

To add to my worry, when I stepped on my scale yesterday compared to this morning, I have lost 2 pounds. That would make it a total of 7 pounds. :(

Losing weight for me HAS always been a struggle, so I am worried.

Yesterday my Thyroid/Neck US showed a new nodule on my right thyroid, plus many "reactive" lymph nodes of various sizes. One was at the 5B level which was greater than 1 cm in length. Waiting for my MO to get back to me about all of this, but in the meantime just hoping maybe this is fluke.

I also started Zoladex injections on 7/2 so without my ovaries producing estrogen I figured I would for sure start gaining.

Anyway, sorry to blabber. Hopefully this isn't Thyroid Cancer or a Lymphoma, as I have a strong family history of both.

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  • Spoonie77
    Spoonie77 Member Posts: 925
    edited July 2019

    Are there other diseases/conditions that can cause significant weight loss that AREN'T cancer?

    I'm trying to stay off of Google. I know you all can relate.

    TIA for any help yall.


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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited July 2019

    I was dropping weight fast last year. I was eating healthier than usual, but my PCP thought it was suspicious and referred me to a hematologist/oncologist. Before that appointment came up, I had my long-procrastinated mammogram. Yada, yada, ultrasound, biopsy, breast surgeon. So that's how I wound up with an oncologist before surgery. Since I was a smoker, she scheduled a pre-op chest CT instead of an x-ray. At the bottom of that x-ray was part of my kidney, with a good-sized tumor on it. The CT was in July, then a re-excision in August, then the nephrectomy in September, at which time I stopped losing weight and started gaining. But I quit smoking a week before the kidney surgery, so I don't know if I'd have gained otherwise. Then I started radiation in late October, and for some reason that made me ravenous.

    All this to say, check with your oncologist! Sooner rather than later.

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  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited July 2019

    Hyperthyroidism can cause weight loss. Have they checked your TSH and whole thyroid panel? And determined what the node on the thyroid is?

    Best to you and I hope it is something super-simple so you can enjoy the weight loss without the worry.

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  • Spoonie77
    Spoonie77 Member Posts: 925
    edited July 2019

    Thanks Alice - Definitely following your advice. My MO has the latest info on my scans and such, plus my messages to her about this and other symptoms. Figuring I'll hear from her office early Mon morning. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with the weight loss issue. You've been through so much. I'm so glad you keep posting on these boards.


    WallyCat - You're right, I'd forgotten about Hyperthyroidism. Wish it was that. No such luck as I was actually was dxd with Hypothyroidism in 2009. PCP ordered a check of my TSH levels this week, all is in range, unfortunately. The node in the thyroid was just found on Friday, so I have no clue as to what that is or what next steps are. Will figure all that out this week I'm guessing.

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited August 2019

    Have you been drinking enough water? Dehydration can lead to temporary weight loss, and fluctuations can be a couple pounds in a day.

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  • Spoonie77
    Spoonie77 Member Posts: 925
    edited August 2019

    Thanks Kbee. Yes am still and was plenty hydrated. Drink more than a gallon of water daily.

    Continuing to lose about a pound every other day. Have lost close to 15 pounds now since late July. Continues to peel off of me despite me eating cake & other "omg eat everything i possibly can cuz im stressed" food around.

    I see the new Immunologist on Tuesday. am hopeful she can shed some light on this worrying symptom. Maybe it is also linked to my Zoladex allergy? Who knows. I just know I'm worried. This is SO not my norm and Im stressed that no one else seems concerned even though most drs seem to drill unexplained weight loss into our heads.


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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited August 2019

    Hoping the doctors can dig and find answers. That would be very concerning. Hoping the answer is something non cancer related...and that the solution is straightforward.

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  • Fiaranch1
    Fiaranch1 Member Posts: 328
    edited August 2019

    I have had thyroid issues since I was 15 years old but it was under active which causes weight gain not weight loss. Then in 2013 I was diagnosed with breast cancer (for the 2nd time) and Lymphoma (Blood Cancer) at the same time . I went from 135 lbs to 98 pounds in about 6 weeks. There are over 72 different types of Lymphoma . I have Non Hodgkins stage 4 for which there is no cure, only treatments. . My type is not inherited genetically . I recommend 2 things . 1. See an endocrinologist to rule out or address thyroid issues. I have had horrible luck with any PCP being able to successfully treat my thyroid condition. 2. Ensure your MO is addressing your concerns (e.g proper scans/biopsy's) regarding Lymphoma. If he /she is not addressing your concerns find another MO that you feel confident in . Breast Cancer is bad enough, however trying to treat multiple Cancers simultaneously requires top notch care . I got very lucky and have a fabulous MO . Without her my life could have been in a very bad place !

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  • Spoonie77
    Spoonie77 Member Posts: 925
    edited August 2019

    Thanks FiaRanch. Appreciate reading your experience and your recommendations. I take them seriously. My brother passed away from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when I was 13 and it was such a traumatic event. I guess that's why my losing weight has been so scary, when that is not my normal. It has slowed, but I am still losing, without trying, in fact while eating cake. Le Sigh. I will be seeing Endo in Oct to follow-up on my thyroid mass. Hoping that is negative. I saw my Neuro this week and had the quickest appt ever with any Neurologist....told him my symptoms and he said "Let's get scans.". Have that on 8/28. Hoping it will be clear, but with the swelling continuing in my neck, the itching, and other symptoms, it's hard not to worry. I was recently dxd with a rare allergy to Zoladex, so I am hoping that IS all this is related to and that my scans will be clean. I'm not sure how I would react to be following in my brother's footsteps and my other brother with his Thyroid cancer, like you said, having one cancer is hard enough, adding another is quite another thing. Fingers crossed one is all I have, and not 3. I know the odds are in my favor, but I'm always the unlucky unicorn in the medical world. Ugggh.

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