Stomach cancer

[Tgo01]

My friend went to the emergency room a few days ago because of pain she was having in her stomach. They did a CT scan and found a cluster of enlarged lymph nodes in her stomach. At the time the doctor seemed concerned but didn't seem too concerned...if that makes sense. He recommended she make an appointment with her doctor so they could refer her to someone to get it checked out. Her doctor said the cluster of lymph nodes is about the size of a baseball and says she needs to be admitted to the hospital as soon as possible, they are going to set up a time next week.

At first I was hoping it was just an infection or something and I'm still hoping that but it's sounding more and more like cancer. The only good thing is from what I've found on google stomach cancer usually causes unexplained weight lose, she hasn't experienced this yet so that's a good sign. Anyone know what else could cause a cluster of lymph nodes that size, other than cancer?

[Drunken Durfin]

I'm not a doctor, but whenever I hear "lymph nodes" it is almost always followed by cancer.

[Tgo01]

I'm not a doctor, but whenever I hear "lymph nodes" it is almost always followed by cancer.

I wasn't too worried about what the first doctor said because he just said the CT scan found enlarged lymph nodes and she was sick for a week a few days prior to this pain, the doctor today said it was a cluster of them and that usually points to cancer. The only other encouraging news is the pain is almost completely gone and the doctor today said he couldn't feel the lymph nodes when he pressed against her stomach. Just gotta hope for the best I suppose.

[Drunken Durfin]

Well, that little addition of info makes it sound not so bad.

[the fat white duke]

I'm not a medical professional.

Serious infections can result in lymph nodes swelling to impressive sizes.

I've never heard of baseball sized swelling, but I have a lymph node on the back of my neck that feels like a golf ball whenever I get a sinus infection.

[Showal]

Could be a blockage somewhere not allowing the lymphatic fluid to drain ... Or lymphoma.

[Allereli]

hope she's okay, cancer's a bitch

[Darkwynde]

Hope she's okay and it is nothing too serious.

[Tgo01]

Thanks everyone. She's going to see the surgeon today who's doing the biopsy.

[Atlanteax]

Baseball-sized swelling sounds potentially ominous, hope she is okay.

[AnticorRifling]

Uck not good, hopefully they can give some good news but the image I get instantly reminds me of that short story by Selzer....Sarcophagus. Don't read it.

[Gelston]

The lymph nodes in my armpits swelled to about golfball size a few times. I always lanced them myself. It eventually stoped, but I can never get away from the feeling that it was due to my smallpox shot.

[diethx]

I always lanced them myself.

uhh

[Gelston]

uhh

Heh, I always treated them the same as any other surface infection. Reading on it now, swelling of lymph nodes in your armpits is a sign of possible breast cancer. Meh, I was in Iraq at the time.

[AnticorRifling]

Heh, I always treated them the same as any other surface infection.

Blame it on the hookers and rub dirt on it?

[Gelston]

Blame it on the hookers and rub dirt on it?

And copious amounts of peroxide.

[Tgo01]

The surgeon today referred her to a radiologist to find out for sure what's going on but he thought it was lymphoma based on the CT scan. I know cancer is serious but reading up about lymphoma it sounds like depending on the type it's either easily treatable/curable or the patient lives for many years with the cancer. Just hoping it's the easily curable kind now. She must have an early stage of the cancer if anything, she is showing no signs at all, even the most common one of unexpected weight loss.

[diethx]

Rough break, hopefully it's easily treatable.

[Mohrgan]

I know I'm few weeks late, but just chiming in to say I hope the biopsy had some good news that it was not cancer or failing that that it was one of the kinds that responds really well.

Depending on your friend's age, many of the lymphomas that occur in younger people (wild guess on my part) especially tend to be the ones that respond to treatment (your Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma) especially when, as you say, they are found early/ before they start manifesting lots of symptoms. I expect by now, since I'm two weeks after the initial conversation, she probably has an answer, the pathologist probably examined the biopsy specimen while the surgery was still in progress. Though it sounds strange, the more "aggressive" lymphomas are often the most curable, if they are caught early (and at the same time, worse if they are NOT caught early). A very great deal depends on "staging" (how widespread the tumor has grown in the body) and "grading" (characteristics of the individual cancer cells), which the pathologist+radiologist will already have done, at this point. Best wishes.

[Tgo01]

Actually you're not late, she won't know the results for another 2 weeks. Really not sure what's going on at that place, the doctor performing the biopsy said they should have results within 48-72 hours, that was a week ago. Yesterday the doctor's office (not the one who performed the biopsy) said they had to send it to Arizona and they wouldn't have the results until the 29th. My friend thought this was unusual but they said they send all of this kind of stuff to Arizona and usually takes this long.

Thanks for the well wishes everyone.

[SFactor123]

Cancer is the worst disease on the planet and I hate it when someone gets cancer, I really hope that she will be OK.

[g++]

Actually you're not late, she won't know the results for another 2 weeks. Really not sure what's going on at that place, the doctor performing the biopsy said they should have results within 48-72 hours, that was a week ago. Yesterday the doctor's office (not the one who performed the biopsy) said they had to send it to Arizona and they wouldn't have the results until the 29th. My friend thought this was unusual but they said they send all of this kind of stuff to Arizona and usually takes this long.

Thanks for the well wishes everyone.

My father has had some form of cancer for years and what I have learned is that when doctors learn things they tend to want to tell other doctors before talking to patients because in cases of cancer treatment they tend to have meeting and boards and clinical reviews where they make decisions. So while to your face they make god like pronouncements when they actually get the results they go to some board room and ask their 4 oncologist friends for help and then parrot whatever they decide back at you. Especially surgeons, if you have a surgeons phone number just ask him for the oncologists phone number hes working with and throw the surgeons away the only thing he knows is where hes cutting.

I just realized i am probably replying to a post bumped by a bot heh.

[AnticorRifling]

A bot that doesn't have any sites plugged...do I ban it or just let it be retarded?

[Latrinsorm]

Party.

[Showal]

Cancer is the worst disease on the planet and I hate it when someone gets cancer, I really hope that she will be OK.

Totally agree. I hate cancer too. You know what else i hate? Genocide. I can't stand it when someone is a victim of genocide. It's the other worst thing on the planet!