Last night I had night sweats. Not the it-could-be-hot sort of night sweats, but the dire night sweat, where the bed is drenched and you have to lay down a towel to get to sleep. These were the same sort of night sweats I had before my initial diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
The strange thing was that is was OK with it. I didn't panic or anything, and I think that's because of a little sore I noticed last night. I don't want to get my hopes up, but I think it could be mild erythema nodosum, which is a symptom of sarcoidosis and not Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
So I'm actually thinking it's sarcoidosis at this point, and I don't actually have lymphoma. We'll see.
Update (8:00am)
Surgery is in a few hours. I'm managed to stay away from all delicious water, so it looks like everything is a go.
Update 2 (1:49pm)
Surgery delayed. It was scheduled for 11:30, but the operation ahead of me had a complication, so it looks like it'll be at least another hour before we get started. Hungry and bored...
Update 3 (2:10pm)
Anesthesiologist stopped by. It'll be about 35 minutes for sure. I told him, incidentally, how I always remember my conscious sedation appointments and he said "Ah, you're not a cheap date, then. Fortunately, we're using general for this one. "
Friday, June 13, 2014
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3 comments:
Phone call from Liz: the very-preliminary opinion is that it is likely to be sarcoidosis and not cancer. Austin is still unconscious. He wins his bet! Sarcoidosis is a rare disease and no doubt is not something you are grateful to be diagnosed with - unless the alternative is relapsed Hodgkin's -- in which case, it's definitely your first choice.
Wikipedia says, " Sarcoidosis is confused most commonly with neoplastic diseases, such as lymphoma, or with disorders characterized also by a mononuclear cell granulomatous inflammatory process, such as the mycobacterial and fungal disorders." What does this sound like? Valley Fever of course! So, Austin's doctors will need to also rule out VF as a cause. It's important to note that VF, like sarcoidosis, causes Erythema Nodosum! So Austin, make sure your pathologist considers this. (I'm sure he/she will since it is part of the testing which leads to diagnosis of sarcoidosis.)
OK, I know I'm writing a lot here. But I started reading through every variety of sarcoidosis, and found one which is A CLOSE FIT. It's called Lofgren Syndrome and Wikipedia says,
"It is characterized by enlargement of the lymph nodes near the inner border of the lungs (called "hilar lymphadenopathy") as seen on x-ray, and tender red nodules (erythema nodosum) are classically present on the shins, predominantly in women. It may also be accompanied by arthritis (more prominent in men) and fever. The arthritis is often acute and involves the lower extremities. Löfgren syndrome consists of the triad of erythema nodosum, bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy on chest radiograph, and arthralgia. Löfgren syndrome is associated with a good prognosis,with > 90% of patients experiencing disease resolution within 2 years."
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