Saturday, November 22, 2008

Lymphoma Lump Pics

Thought I'd share the pics I took... since some people have an idea in their head about what cancer is. It comes in many types... seen and unseen. It can affect people in various forms and in many different ways.

As far as cancer goes, I'm kinda lucky... the type of lymphoma I have is indolent (slow moving). I had it for about 5 years before someone figured out what it was. I get these bumps and lumps under the skin on my right arm. I go through a period where they pop up as small bumps, then recede back to where you can just barely feel them; this goes on for several months, back and forth. Then they become this big hard lump that itches, hurts, and looks nasty. The slightest bump, scrape or scratch... talk about pain... like a slow-burning crescendo of pain that seems to take forever to subside! It usually results in a slew of muttered swearing to keep me from screaming or crying.



That dark red scabby spot... that's not normally there. I stuck it with a pin 'cause... that's the kind of crap I do! When I first got them, when I didn't know what it was, I would stick them with pins and this clear liquid stuff would drain out. It eased the pain and itching. This bigger one is like a rock and it didn't work.

3 comments:

artisticace'smom said...

Dude...only you, Shelly, would show it ALL to the world....

Well, probably not just you, but you know....

..it's definitely not looking good.

Michelle said...

I know... but maybe someone else might benefit. There could be others out there that are still trying to figure out what it is they got.

Look at my situation... treated for ringworm, injected with steroids, treated for fungus... until he just gave up. Don't know what it is! Like the cyst near my underarm... she told me it was probably just a fatty nodule.

There are a lot of incompetent doctors, nurses, and P.A.'s out there.

Heck, how about the doctor that jumped the gun and gave me chemo because he saw spots on my lungs, which he assumed was stage 4 cancer - when, actually, it was scar tissue from having pneumonia 14 years earlier.

People... start questioning your doctors and getting second or third opinions!

Unknown said...

Hi! I had the same thing, did the same thing, went through the same health "care" struggle! And now I'm on that road again. I'm 95% sure my cancer has returned but the doctors won't believe me and my insurance refuses to cover the necessary tests to prove or disprove my hunch. Hope you are well! You are not alone