The search on the internet all yielded very alarming results from Cancer located in the digestive system, lungs and a cancer of the lymph node called lymphoma. Others pointed to Tuberculosis, pneumonia and other respiratory tract illness that weren't easy to treat. When I tried looking for other causes, one that wasn't alarming and had a death sentence attached to it, unfortunately none of my searches brought about good news. That's when I began to break down for a bit. It was during that time that I had stopped writing articles here for awhile because all I could think about was I was at risk of dying and in a very horrible way. Forums and chat rooms about swollen lymph nodes all resulted in very uninspiring results. Though some would say that if caught early via biopsy things would be so much easier to treat with about 90%++ cure rate, but those figures no matter how you look at it is quite alarming. None of the treatments were cheap either.
That was when I finally gathered the courage to head on down to the general surgeon and had a consultation with her. I was really praying hard that she would simply say it was nothing, that it was just really like that and that it was nothing serious. But when she saw and touched the lump the first thing that came out was that we needed to do an ultra sound test and a biopsy of the lymph node. I almost dropped from my seat, but when she saw tears welling up from my eyes she assured me that it was nothing too life threatening as it wasn't hard and in place which is usually indicative of cancer. What she presumed was that I had Tuberculosis. I felt a bit relieved as tuberculosis was highly treatable but the medication for that wouldn't come cheap lest I agree to go to the community clinics to get my medical dosages.
During the UltraSound I was trying hard to relax, by playing games on my phone though I felt a little guilty with one of the games called Plague Inc in which the objective of the game was to infect the whole world till you get to eliminate the human race. With this experience of mine, I couldn't even look at the game anymore. The game is highly educational though, just that being the mastermind behind a disease wasn't fun for me anymore. Instead I went back to my old games like Temple Run and Mutant Roadkill for entertainment as I waited for my turn. Once I got on the examination bed, the first thing I asked was for the examiner's honest opinion about what she sees. When she said everything looked fine at first and didn't look too serious I started to relax a bit, but when she saw more and even had to consult a doctor to read and interpret the findings, I started to panic and unfortunately they wouldn't want to say till my own doctor got to see the results. By the time the general surgeon got a look at my lab results she confirmed that it wasn't cancer and that it was most likely TB as the results showed several other swollen lymph nodes along my neck line and jaw. She still insisted on a biopsy just to make sure. Knowing that the doctor was only partially sure made me sick to my stomach.
The next day I decided to push through with the biopsy and the whole procedure was supposedly going to take about an hour and I would be quite conscious the whole time. I was petrified and I started praying really hard by that time. Thankfully the surgeon and her team of doctors were quite skilled and the whole procedure took only around 45min. They even got to show me my subclavicular lymph noden which she noted wasn't showing any signs of infection at all but was roughly about 1cm in diameter. The biopsy result wasn't going to be due till after a week.
By the time I got to the doctor's office, I was praying really hard that it would be nothing even though all signs pointed to TB. By the time i walked in the doctor greeted me with a big smile. She said that I had nothing to worry about as the results showed no signs of an infection but was what they would call a reactive hyperplasia of the lymph node which she traced back to the time when I had my wisdom tooth surgery earlier last year of 2012. I almost jumped for joy because the entire two weeks was just torturous and mind wrenching.
The whole experience was quite a learning experience for me and my family. I would say that the internet is a place where one can really find mostly anything, but not everything is good. But even then it is up to the user to filter out the information and see what is most relevant for you. Also when it comes to medical concerns, the internet is a good resource but it is only secondary to a doctor's opinion and diagnosis. It is still quite important to head on down to the clinic if ever you feel something about your body isn't right, no matter how big or small it may seem. The swollen Subclavicular Lymph Node is definitely a serious thing to have and it shouldn't be taken lightly. I may have had a good ending, but the statistics are still quite alarming with regards to this lymph node. Even my surgeon indicated that I was right to have proceded with the biopsy as many people would have ignored it and end up having something deadly serious only to get it treated quite late in the stage. Though most subclavicular lymph node swellings are caused by lung infection there is still that chance of it being cancer especially if you are a heavy smoker and drinker.
I am quite grateful to have walked away from all that, but the little scar I have on my upper left clavicle will always be a reminder from now on to take good care of my health more and to be mindful of my vices. I wouldn't want to go through all that again ever and I hope that no one ever has to. But bottom line is to really be aware and mindful of your body, take good care of it and if you notice something is off even the slightest bit, have it checked. Prevention is good, but catching a disease on it's early stages will be second best as it provides a higher chance of full recovery.
Till Next Time
-Metz-
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