Dr suspects lymphoma but labs aren't abnormal enough yet

thank you so much for responding ...yes my RBC is dropping Protein in my blood is dropping ....H&H are normal by 1 POINT and they weren't that way a year ago they were much higher , low globulin.... i have horrible pain in my back hips and legs .... no appetite ... my eye dr said my eyes have what look like "pot holes" in them and they so dry ... cold and sweating at the same time, wake up at night drenched in sweat . exhausted daily ... I feel bad about 85% of the time ..... she won't send me to hematology , says my labs aren't abnormal enough yet..

thank you so much for responding ...yes my RBC is dropping Protein in my blood is dropping ....H&H are normal by 1 POINT and they weren't that way a year ago they were much higher , low globulin.... i have horrible pain in my back hips and legs .... no appetite ... my eye dr said my eyes have what look like "pot holes" in them and they so dry ... cold and sweating at the same time, wake up at night drenched in sweat . exhausted daily ... I feel bad about 85% of the time ..... she won't send me to hematology , says my labs aren't abnormal enough yet..

This may be one of those times where you need to be the squeaky wheel and keep nudging your doctor to get some answers.
If your doctor mentioned that she suspects lymphoma then that should be enough to get a referral to a hematologist or hematologist oncologist. (Though many specialists are both). You’re having so many uncomfortable symptoms that it warrants more than a ‘wait and see’ when your lab results are showing a steady decrease in red blood counts, globulin levels and a previous history of suspicious cells in a lymph biopsy 2 years ago. Plus, my goodness, feeling ‘bad’ about 85% of the time is disheartening!

I’m not a doctor but I have had experience with my PCP, whom I had trusted for years, totally throwing me under the bus and missed a major diagnosis 3 weeks in a row for not bothering to follow through with blood work. It took a hematologist less than 30 seconds to look at my labs and have me rushed to the hospital. I’m not, in any way, suggesting you have an issue like that. I just want to make a point that had my husband and I not been assertive to get results, I wouldn’t be here. We have to be our own advocates some time!
If your doctor won’t listen to you, do you have the option of another PCP? Some insurances don’t require a referral to a specialist. Do you know if your insurance does?

I don't think it does. All the rheumatologist says is I'm in the beginning stages of " something" meanwhile no ones looking at the big picture and how over the last year my labs have changed . We'll they are just a couple points low or high when for 40 years they've been normal. I have days I can't function .. days I feel sick . I know something is wrong and all I hear is well auto immune issues is probably what ypir dealing with and those can take years to pinpoint. But yet I had 2 abnormal biopsies and all the lymphoma symptoms?

Welcome to Connect, @dparker12 I can sure empathize with your frustration when you feel ‘off’ and sensing something isn’t normal with your health. I’m so sorry you’re going through this stressful situation.

Doctors tend to look for trends when studying lab numbers. When you say your blood results are abnormal and changing, which numbers are you talking about? Lymphocytes, red blood counts, hemoglobin?
What type of symptoms are you having?

Are you currently working with a hematologist?

Hi thanks for the reply... RBC count has slowly dropped over the last 9 months ...TIBC& UIBC are both high...positive ANA... H&H are both 1 number from being abnormal but 9 months ago were much higher in the normal range . Protein is a little low in labs .... I hurt from head to toe and this hit out of nowhere. My husband and I hike, canoe we are very active and since this hit I'm down for the count . Falling asleep and don't realize it. Wake up covered in sweat. Loss of appetite. They won't send me to hematology yet because they say labs aren't abnormal enough yet. I can feel some lymph nodes in my arm pits and I've had one removed subclavicular.

To be sure, autoimmune diseases can be the cause of so many unique symptoms and often difficult to diagnose. And of course some symptoms can overlap with other diseases.
But it’s understandable to feel with your 2 abnormal biopsies and other symtoms that maybe it’s not autoimmune related and especially considering how awful you feel, it’s darned hard to wait around for answers!

My gut reaction would be to seek a second opinion and I think you’re feeling it too. You know your body better than anyone and have to be an advocate for yourself!

One thing I can suggest that might at least help your very dry eyes. Systane nightime eye lubricant. It’s an over the counter med. This is a small tube for about $12-$15. Lasts a good month.
To use it, pull out your lower lid and squeeze a little 1/4 inch strip of this ointment in the lid. Then blink so that it melts over your eye. You’ll want to put this in the last thing before you go to bed and plan to sleep. It will blur your sight. (But rapid blinking will clear it!) It’s important to use this consistently nightly. It helped me so much I no longer need drops during the day! Worth a try.

I really hope you get a 2nd opinion either with a primary doctor or oncology/hematologist. Another option would be to see a Functional medicine doctor who uses specialized training and techniques to find the root causes of chronic illnesses. But whoever you choose, I think you’ll feel less frustrated if you can at least feel like you’re moving forward!

A positive ANA isn’t limited to auto immune diseases. It can also be a response to infections, Cancer Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, medications and fibromyalgia.
What other blood work have you had besides checking for lupus and Sjogrens? Have you had tests to check your thyroid?

Since you do a lot of hiking and this seems to have hit out of nowhere, have you been checked for Lyme’s disease??