So I’ve had some issues cropping up noticeably since around this time last year. I ended up procrastinating due to insurance, and finally went to a new GP about three weeks ago. Before I visited the new doctor for the first time, I’d had worsening exhaustion and some pretty sudden weight loss without dietary or activity changes (13lbs now since around late November/early December, but I was only 112lbs to begin with) and had noticed a chain of enlarged hard nodes on the left side of my neck. I’d noticed them about two months before I saw the doctor, but I’m not sure how long they’d been there.
Because I hadn’t had a regular check up in so long and due to symptoms, my doctor ordered a pretty extensive battery of blood tests, and the CBC, metabolic panel, disease, and immune disorder testing so far has come back normal. Thyroid too, I believe.
Eventually, the doctor also ordered an ultrasound on my neck, which was completed last Tuesday, along with an abdominal/pelvic CT scan. My doctor has been out of town, so we’re scheduled to go over results this upcoming Thursday.
No CT results have uploaded to my patient portal, but the neck ultrasound results have, and I’m confused about it.
The report is very brief, and says there are bilateral nodes with fatty helium and a small axis. Impression is benign.
I’m willing to accept that they’re benign, but there is no mention at all of the larger node I can feel and see jutting out on the left side, which is decidedly larger than any on the right, or any mention of the cluster of (smaller) enlarged nodes in my left clavicle.
The ultrasound lady was very quick and somewhat dismissive, could she have actually missed the larger left node? It is literally the size of a large grape and is not mentioned in the report.
Whatever is going on with the clusters of nodes on the left side is also causing a tingling nervy twinging feeling whenever I brush against them, which extends to right below my left ear. It isn’t painful and the nodes themselves aren’t tender, but it’s a very awkward feeling.
To compound all of this, the biggest node seems to slowly be growing and I’m starting to have pretty severe body aches in addition to the fatigue. Sometimes it feels like chills, but so far I’ve actually been registering at a lower than average temperature.
No sign of infection, no wounds, no recent illnesses. My insurance isn’t great, so I doubt they’d clear new imaging on my neck considering the recent ultrasound report.
I’m just struggling to deal with this because it is not getting better.
Has anyone had a similar situation? How should I approach my doctor? Do I just accept this is the new normal.