About 3 days ago when I was taking a shower, I went to wash my right armpit and was hit pretty hard by a sharp pain. I started feeling around, and theres a nodule about the size of an acorn, maybe 1/2" deep inside where it starts. Really hard and VERY painful. I feel it sometimes while just reaching for something. This came out of nowhere. For the past couple months, my left armpit was a little tender for some reason. Then it went away and I forgot about it. Then this popped up in my right armpit.
Been smoking for about 8-9 years.
At my last job, I used to be drenched in different solvents. We had a wet grinder for surfacing heads, that used engine coolant for grinding fluid. I would pull the head out and blow it off. All of it was airborne. Then I would wash it in a solvent tank, with the solvent all over my hands and arms, and then I would blow that off. I would be standing in a cloud of coolant and solvent, and I would do this all day. This lasted for 2 or 3 years. Thier glass beader had huge leaks everywhere and I used to breathe the glass dust too. I used to cough up blood on occasion. That was maybe the first year. When I started machining blocks, the honing oil was so pungent that i couldnt breathe. it was incredibly powerful. My hands and arms were always covered in it, as were the arms and hands of everyone who did this stuff before me. A bunch of stupid manly men who thought this stuff couldnt hurt them. This was before all the reformulated solvents and oils that are safer. I would constantly wash my hands, and tried to turn my head away from the honing machine cause the fumes were so unbearable. Wearing a mask for 8 hours is horrible so its not like anyone would bother. I have big palms and short skinny fingers, so no gloves ever fit me, and any I did wear would really get in the way cause the fingertips of the gloves would dangle around and get in the way of everything. This stuff would get in my system, and I would actually sweat this stuff. My eyes would glaze over from the fumes accumulating on my eyes...either that or it was coming from the inside out. before this job when I was 18 or so, my dad had tons of bottles of trichlorethane. i used to use it to clean spark plugs and wash parts, cause nothing came close in strength. it used to pour all over my hands and arms. I found out later about this crap having some triple bond molecule that you can never really get out of you. Then there were all the endless times standing in a cloud of paint mist. For years at this job, I was breathing airborne cutting fluid mist from our mills. These misters are illegal now, but not that any employers of mine ever cared about the law. I still deal with chemicals, but nothing like back then. During all the years at the old job where chemical exposure was hardcore, I was really into exercise and nutrition. I would sweat like an animal for 2 hours every night and ate flawlessly and took lots of vitamins, minerals and supplements. sweating so much keeps your lymph system cleared out and healthy, but about 9 years ago when I started this job, I took up smoking and quit working out. I havent had a sex drive whatsoever in the past 5 years, even though my test levels are fine and sperm tested ok. Im always totally tired beyond belief and have alot of stress I deal with daily. My mom's sister died in 1999 of cancer, and my dad's dad died of prostate cancer in 94. My dads brother got prostate cancer, but they found it in time. He has to inject his junk to get an erection, but at least he's not dead. 2 weeks ago, I welded up my header with my new welder, and didnt wear a mask. Didnt bother cause the fumes werent bothering me. Stupid. The next week or so, my neck swelled up. All the tissue in my neck. It was actually making it hard to breathe.
So if anyone knows, or has known someone with lymphoma, I'd like to hear if what they had, started with symptoms like this. The 1 hard nodule in my right armpit that hurts like hell.
This is really making me think about my life and how much Ive taken for granted and wasted in my life. I pray that this is simply a swollen lymph node and nothing more. But my little brother has 4 swollen lymph glands in his neck that vary in size from day to day, and he says they dont hurt at all and the doc doesnt think its anything to worry about. The fact mine came so fast and hurts so bad really has me scared.
Been smoking for about 8-9 years.
At my last job, I used to be drenched in different solvents. We had a wet grinder for surfacing heads, that used engine coolant for grinding fluid. I would pull the head out and blow it off. All of it was airborne. Then I would wash it in a solvent tank, with the solvent all over my hands and arms, and then I would blow that off. I would be standing in a cloud of coolant and solvent, and I would do this all day. This lasted for 2 or 3 years. Thier glass beader had huge leaks everywhere and I used to breathe the glass dust too. I used to cough up blood on occasion. That was maybe the first year. When I started machining blocks, the honing oil was so pungent that i couldnt breathe. it was incredibly powerful. My hands and arms were always covered in it, as were the arms and hands of everyone who did this stuff before me. A bunch of stupid manly men who thought this stuff couldnt hurt them. This was before all the reformulated solvents and oils that are safer. I would constantly wash my hands, and tried to turn my head away from the honing machine cause the fumes were so unbearable. Wearing a mask for 8 hours is horrible so its not like anyone would bother. I have big palms and short skinny fingers, so no gloves ever fit me, and any I did wear would really get in the way cause the fingertips of the gloves would dangle around and get in the way of everything. This stuff would get in my system, and I would actually sweat this stuff. My eyes would glaze over from the fumes accumulating on my eyes...either that or it was coming from the inside out. before this job when I was 18 or so, my dad had tons of bottles of trichlorethane. i used to use it to clean spark plugs and wash parts, cause nothing came close in strength. it used to pour all over my hands and arms. I found out later about this crap having some triple bond molecule that you can never really get out of you. Then there were all the endless times standing in a cloud of paint mist. For years at this job, I was breathing airborne cutting fluid mist from our mills. These misters are illegal now, but not that any employers of mine ever cared about the law. I still deal with chemicals, but nothing like back then. During all the years at the old job where chemical exposure was hardcore, I was really into exercise and nutrition. I would sweat like an animal for 2 hours every night and ate flawlessly and took lots of vitamins, minerals and supplements. sweating so much keeps your lymph system cleared out and healthy, but about 9 years ago when I started this job, I took up smoking and quit working out. I havent had a sex drive whatsoever in the past 5 years, even though my test levels are fine and sperm tested ok. Im always totally tired beyond belief and have alot of stress I deal with daily. My mom's sister died in 1999 of cancer, and my dad's dad died of prostate cancer in 94. My dads brother got prostate cancer, but they found it in time. He has to inject his junk to get an erection, but at least he's not dead. 2 weeks ago, I welded up my header with my new welder, and didnt wear a mask. Didnt bother cause the fumes werent bothering me. Stupid. The next week or so, my neck swelled up. All the tissue in my neck. It was actually making it hard to breathe.
So if anyone knows, or has known someone with lymphoma, I'd like to hear if what they had, started with symptoms like this. The 1 hard nodule in my right armpit that hurts like hell.
This is really making me think about my life and how much Ive taken for granted and wasted in my life. I pray that this is simply a swollen lymph node and nothing more. But my little brother has 4 swollen lymph glands in his neck that vary in size from day to day, and he says they dont hurt at all and the doc doesnt think its anything to worry about. The fact mine came so fast and hurts so bad really has me scared.
