Oh no, swollen glands - this cannot be good

[karl]

oh no, swollen glands - this cannot be good

so, i've been on azathioprine (imuran) since april - making it about 3 and a half months. just in the past couple of days i have noticed that my glands under my armpits have become swollen

that sorta of went away, now the glands in my neck are swollen. like about an inch under my earlobes.

i was really hoping that it was just seasonal allergies, but i'm usually not that lucky.

the bad thing is that my doctor is not there on fridays, so she will not get the message till monday. combine that with starting a new job on monday, this is not good

anyone else have anything like this happen before?

 

[Wiles]

I've had swolen glands on my neck a year or so ago. A few months ago I had a lump in my armpit. I've never seen a doctor for it, it just went away on it's own.

 

[karl]

it says on the directions that i should immediately notify my doctor if you notice any unusual lumps or swollen glands

shit, i hope its just allergies, although i haven't really had any other seasonal allergy symptoms

 

[Nancy Lee]

I think it would be best to check with your doctor...
just in case it is a drug allergy.

Nancy

 

[soupdragon69]

Yes as Nancy says talk to your doc. You could be fighting off something viral for instance because you are immunosuppressed on the Imuran - so your glands are swollen in response.

Then again may be nothing at all. So do please get it checked out for your own peace of mind. Nowt worse than imagining all sorts of things that could be wrong when it is probably something simple and easily dealt with.

 

[karl]

i'll get it checked out. i don't know how, i really can't take off work considering that i'm just starting

i feel the same, i don't feel sick at all - which is a good thing. although my gut has been giving me sharp pains as the bowel passes the illiocecal valve, but the pains go away quickly. i can deal with that pain, it comes and goes every few days anyways

 

[karl]

well, she's not there on fridays. she'll get the message on monday. that really doesn't help me. i can feel it more in my neck and armpits, although this morning i couldn't feel anything. it seems like sleep resets it.

 

[karl]

well, this is no good. my gastro called me this morning. she said that the swollen glands are not a side effect of the AZA. perhaps i'm trying to fight something off viral

also, i do have to be concerned with lymphoma. as it could be cause by AZA, although it is very rare

she told me that my recent blood tests were good (as of 2 weeks ago - going tomorrow for another one)
i told her that i feel ok for the most part. sometimes i have a slight ear drainage feeling and i might be a little stuffy in the morning, but it really doesn't seem like seasonal allergies because my symptoms for those in the past were more severe. she said that the enlarged glands might be causing the drainage etc
she suggested that I would go to my primary care doctor and have it checked out.
today i felt ok, except around 11am i was getting that weak drained sick feeling. after I ate, i was fine, i think that was the problem
but like i said, i just started a new job today and they are training me for the next month. i really don't want to ask off of work. i'm going to see if maybe i can get an early appointment and maybe miss an hour or so of work. this all started at the worst time, but thats the name of the game when it comes to crohns

 

[Creepy Lurker]

well, this is no good. my gastro called me this morning. she said that the swollen glands are not a side effect of the AZA. perhaps i'm trying to fight something off viral

also, i do have to be concerned with lymphoma. as it could be cause by AZA, although it is very rare

she told me that my recent blood tests were good (as of 2 weeks ago - going tomorrow for another one)
i told her that i feel ok for the most part. sometimes i have a slight ear drainage feeling and i might be a little stuffy in the morning, but it really doesn't seem like seasonal allergies because my symptoms for those in the past were more severe. she said that the enlarged glands might be causing the drainage etc
she suggested that I would go to my primary care doctor and have it checked out.
today i felt ok, except around 11am i was getting that weak drained sick feeling. after I ate, i was fine, i think that was the problem
but like i said, i just started a new job today and they are training me for the next month. i really don't want to ask off of work. i'm going to see if maybe i can get an early appointment and maybe miss an hour or so of work. this all started at the worst time, but thats the name of the game when it comes to crohns

I think that the cancer that aza (slightly) promotes is a type of skin cancer. You really shouldn't worry about it though. There is still a lot of debate in the field about whether it is a statistical anomaly or not.

 

[karl]

I think that the cancer that aza (slightly) promotes is a type of skin cancer. You really shouldn't worry about it though. There is still a lot of debate in the field about whether it is a statistical anomaly or not.

i've never read that anywhere. however i'm thinking its not lymphoma just because i've only been on AZA for like 3 months now. i doubt it would come about that quickly

i think i'm developing a sinus infection or something. i need to get to the doctor soon. when i get my blood test tomorrow morning before work, i'll see if i can get an early appointment or something

 

[karl]

i went to the doctor this morning, finally got an appointment that was early enough for me to not have to miss work.

so he had me put on a gown and felt me up :thumbdown:
he could feel the nodes that are an inch below my ear lobes, also found one in my chin area that was slightly enlarged but not tender

you could not feel any of the other nodes in my armpits or groin. he wanted to know if i was stuffy, running nose etc to see if it was seasonal allergies, but i'm not
he wanted to know if i have been feeling weak or gotten the chills/fever or a rash etc, but i don't have those symptoms
he also wanted to know if i had gotten any insect bites or left the country or gone out in the wilderness. i informed him that i am a geek, so i stay inside and i have not been bitten by anything

so, he ordered some bloodwork to be done, however the good news is that i had routine bloodwork done 2 days ago because i'm on the AZA

he later had his assistant call me and say that my bloodwork was good
my GI also called and said my bloodwork looked stable.

he said that if things get worse, that i should call and make an appointment. hopefully things will get better and it will go away.

so, pretty much i'm stuck with no answers at this point. the good news that i can say is that i've noticed that my nodes have slightly decreased in bothering me today - now that might be all in my head also...so who knows?!

 

[karl]

ugh, it's been like 2 and a half weeks now. i still have swollen glands, but yet my blood tests look good. some parts of the day they aren't really swollen, other parts of the day they are swollen and it almost feels like i'm getting a sore throat. i'm sort of stuffy and i sneeze more in the morning, i've had some sinus headaches. i'm really hoping this is only allergies
wtf is going on?!