Swollen lymph nodes… no answer

Posted by anilu @anilu, Dec 3, 2022

Husband has lung cancer and lymph nodes have been swollen for months.
Yesterday after 3rd day of chemotherapy (2nd round) for the first time lymph nodes aren’t just swollen but it’s giving him pain .
Because it’s the weekend, nurse said to keep an eye on it and if worse , go to urgent care . Is that all we should do ? Could this be an infection with no fever present?

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Hello @anilu and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. This may be a situation where you have to trust your and your husband's instincts on if this feels concerning. The best thing that can happen is you go to the ED and find out that there isn't anything urgent to be concerned about. However, if there is an infection or something more going on, time is always best to have on your side, in my opinion.

What does your instincts tell you both?

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@amandajro

Hello @anilu and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. This may be a situation where you have to trust your and your husband's instincts on if this feels concerning. The best thing that can happen is you go to the ED and find out that there isn't anything urgent to be concerned about. However, if there is an infection or something more going on, time is always best to have on your side, in my opinion.

What does your instincts tell you both?

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Thank you for your suggestion Amanda.
Went to ER (weekend) and had cat scan and lab. No infection or blood clot.
We did get peace of mind.
As the caregiver I find myself overreacting but …this is such a heavy responsibility…I am my husband’s advocate.

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@anilu

Thank you for your suggestion Amanda.
Went to ER (weekend) and had cat scan and lab. No infection or blood clot.
We did get peace of mind.
As the caregiver I find myself overreacting but …this is such a heavy responsibility…I am my husband’s advocate.

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I'm glad you went to ER @anilu to get things check out and for peace of mind. Infection while on chemotherapy is nothing to be "brave" about and tough it out. Better to check.

I might also suggest telling the oncology nurse about this symptom at his next chemo appointment and to ask what to do if it happens again. Is it normal and to be expected with every treatment?

Ani, may I ask what type of lung cancer your husband has? I'd like to connect you with other members with the same cancer.

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@colleenyoung

I'm glad you went to ER @anilu to get things check out and for peace of mind. Infection while on chemotherapy is nothing to be "brave" about and tough it out. Better to check.

I might also suggest telling the oncology nurse about this symptom at his next chemo appointment and to ask what to do if it happens again. Is it normal and to be expected with every treatment?

Ani, may I ask what type of lung cancer your husband has? I'd like to connect you with other members with the same cancer.

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Good suggestion Coleen, I will ask the oncology nurse that.
My husband’s diagnosis is Metastatic Small Cell Lung Cancer. We found out in September of this year and he has gone already through 2 rounds of chemo. A pet scan shows treatment is helping .

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@anilu

Good suggestion Coleen, I will ask the oncology nurse that.
My husband’s diagnosis is Metastatic Small Cell Lung Cancer. We found out in September of this year and he has gone already through 2 rounds of chemo. A pet scan shows treatment is helping .

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That's fabulous that the PET scan is indicating that treatment is helping.

You might wish to connect with other members talking about small cell lung cancer in this discussion:
- Small Cell Lung Cancer: Let's connect https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/small-cell-lung-cancer-1/

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