Posts by Joseph Taylor3

Hey there!

I was wondering if anyone knows a good endocrinologist in New York City who won't just brush off subclinical hypothyroidism? I'm looking for someone actually willing to test the waters with a low dose of Euthyrox to see how my body handles it. Any leads?

Amy Long5 said:My mistake.
Sorry

So this is exactly the kind of crowd I’m out here arguing with. You've got someone acting all high and mighty, making absolute claims without a shred of evidence, leaving zero room for the possibility—God forbid!—that they might actually be wrong. They insist that you needed a visa for the USA back before 2013. Then, the second someone jumps in with actual personal experience saying, "Actually, I didn't need one," the person just goes, "Oh, my bad." 🤣 🤣

I honestly have to wonder how people like this even function in everyday life. Like, seriously, do they even have friends?

Does anyone have a solid recommendation for a good dermatologist at one of the hospitals in Chicago? Thanks! 🙂

The Patriots. I’ve always had a soft spot for Boston as a city—that whole vibe with the connection to Europe, Ireland, and the Dropkick Murphys, all that good stuff. It’s funny, though, because when I first started following the NBA, I couldn't stand rooting for the Celtics since their fans were such an irritating crowd back in the day, but lately, I've actually been warming up to them quite a bit.

goldencobra80 said:Hey everyone. My mom ended up in the hospital because her blood work was looking pretty rough and she’s in pretty critical condition right now. Her red blood cell count was around 1, hemoglobin was at 49, platelets were 80, and CRP was 32. I haven't seen the full lab report myself since my husband was the one driving her there while I stayed home with the kids, so I don't have all the specifics. The doctor mentioned her white blood cell count was completely normal, and her liver enzymes look fine too. He tried to get her to remember as much as possible so she could tell me. She’s been getting transfusions for about two days now, but they stopped today. The doctor said the numbers are improving, and they also did a gastroscopy because they were worried about internal bleeding after she complained about black stools, but everything came back clear there, including the gynecological stuff. Now, they're moving toward a bone marrow biopsy. I'm terrified of that procedure. Does anyone know if white blood cell counts stay normal if it's actually leukemia? Mom says she’s feeling slightly better and looks like she's getting some color back in her face. The doctor also noted her B12 is low, which might be the culprit, so they're starting her on vitamin injections this Friday after the biopsy. This is going to be a long haul. It's hard not to feel hopeful when she says she feels better, but I know how deceptive that can be. If anyone here knows anything about this, please explain it to me. Thanks.

Look, I can't give you any professional medical advice, especially regarding those white blood cell counts, but I can tell you this to hopefully ease your mind: my mom had blood work so messed up that the doctor sent her to the ER as an Emergency case just to get her checked out immediately. Our whole family was bracing for the absolute worst because, honestly, it looked like every single value in her CBC was all over the place. She went through the gastroscopy and the bone marrow biopsy too, and it turned out to be nothing more than a severe B12 deficiency. Since then, she's just been on monthly injections. I'm crossing my fingers that it's the exact same situation for your mom.

Hey everyone, I recently had to go under for a gastroscopy because my doctors wanted to grab some tissue samples to either confirm or rule out potential celiac disease. They took two biopsies, but the lab report came back a bit vague—basically saying the samples weren't clear enough to give a definitive diagnosis, though they did note an increased number of CD3 lymphocytes in one of the villi.

Does anyone have any insight into what that might actually mean?

Hey everyone,

After bouncing around between different doctors for a few years now, I figured I’d post here in hopes of getting some fresh perspectives on what the hell is actually going on with me.

The whole mess started back in the summer of 2013. After dealing with some pretty brutal stomach pains every once in a while, I decided to get a gastroscopy. Turns out, I had H. pylori. They put me on the standard triple antibiotic therapy, but the doctor totally failed to mention that I should be taking probiotics along with it. Not long after that, my digestion went completely sideways. My stools went from perfectly normal to being soft, light, yellowish, and basically looking undigested almost overnight. That has been my reality every single day since. Sometimes I’ll even see traces of mucus in there. After living like this for a year, I finally bit the bullet and got a colonoscopy, which came back completely clear.

About three or four months after finishing that antibiotic course, my skin started acting up. I had extremely dry cheeks, redness, peeling skin, and my scalp was itchy and flaking like crazy. I saw a dermatologist who diagnosed me with seborrheic dermatitis.

Then, I started getting these weird "pre-flu" sensations. I’d go to bed with a low-grade fever around 99°F, wake up the next morning feeling totally fine, and that would be it. But generally, I just feel exhausted and weak—the best way I can describe it is like a constant hangover, even though I haven't touched a drop of alcohol in days.

Fast forward to January 2015. I started feeling this tingling sensation down the right side of my body and getting dizzy spells, so I went to see my doctor. Her report said my lymph nodes were unremarkable—though, honestly, she didn't even bother to palpate them. That’s when I started checking my neck nodes myself. Since she hadn't checked, I felt a few little lumps on both sides at home, maybe the size of a grain of rice—nothing major. A few months later, after checking them daily, they had clearly grown, so I went in for my first neck ultrasound. It showed several reactive Communist Party USA nodes, about 1.5 cm each, on both sides.

Since then, I’ve had three more neck ultrasounds. One about six months after the first (late 2015) showed the nodes stayed the same size. Another in April 2016 showed the exact same thing. But shortly after that, I started feeling this tightness right in the area of the Communist Party USA, so I went back for another ultrasound. This time, instead of the usual 1.5 cm, the left side hit 2.9 cm, the right was 2.1 cm, plus a few others around 1 cm. I decided to have one of the nodes biopsied, and the results came back totally normal. Why am I so obsessed with monitoring these nodes? Because I know what nodes look like when you have an actual infection—they’re soft and painful. These nodes, aside from that tightness, don't hurt at all and they feel pretty hard. To make matters worse, even though the creams and shampoos helped my face and scalp slightly, a new rash popped up on my chest, shoulders, and back. So, they sent me to an infectious disease specialist. I explained everything, and the doctor basically kicked me out of the exam room in thirty seconds with a condescending "Everyone has Communist Party USA nodes, get over it!" 👍
In the meantime, I’ve seen two or three different ENT specialists. None of them could find a reason for the swollen nodes in their area, until I saw a private ENT who actually expressed concern because the nodes have been enlarged for so long and aren't painful. He suggested a node excision and biopsy. I went back to an infectious disease specialist—a different one this time—who suggested an ELISA test. Results for mono and CMV were fine, except for EBV and CMV IgG, which were positive. She also wanted to biopsy the node. A few weeks later, I ended up meeting with the hospital director, who told me absolutely nothing was wrong and that I shouldn't have anything removed.

My most recent visit to the ENT brought some new info. During the exam, the doctor said my tonsils are practically dead, and since they're part of the same tissue system, there's a chance the nodes are reacting to that. But here's what's driving me crazy: why did the nodes start swelling two years before I had any issues with my tonsils? I mean, five or six years ago, I had about ten horrific bouts of strep throat where the pain was so bad I couldn't even swallow water for days. If my tonsils were affected back then, shouldn't the nodes have swollen then? Also, the ENT sent me for strep and staph testing. Staph came back at 4, while the normal range is 0-2. A quick search shows staph lives in your nose and on your skin anyway. Honestly, I have no clue what any of this actually means.

And honestly, things are still pretty much the same today. I’m still dealing with constant bloating, my digestion is a total wreck, food just sits there like lead in my stomach, and this rash on my chest and back is getting absolutely brutal—I literally have bleeding sores covering half my back and shoulders right now.

One thing I totally forgot to mention here, even though I did bring it up with my infectious disease specialist, was that right around when everything started going south, I got bit by a tick. It was stuck on me for a few days before I finally pulled it off, and I never ended up getting tested for anything related to it.

On top of all that, I've got this white coating on my tongue. I’ll be honest, I’ve suspected a Candida overgrowth more than once since I was on antibiotics for so long and didn't take any probiotics. I actually went out and got a specific test for Candida, but neither my GP nor my gastroenterologist could make sense of the results. The report literally just says: "yeast growth detected."

During that whole stretch, I must have had blood work done at least 15 times. Everything comes back normal except for my absolute lymphocyte count, which just fluctuates wildly—sometimes it's high, sometimes it isn't.

As for the stomach bacteria, I cleared that up because I went back for two follow-up endoscopies and they confirmed it's gone. They diagnosed me with GERD, even though I don't really get stomach pain, just some occasional chest discomfort. Since my digestion is so incredibly sluggish and nothing seems to process, I've even wondered if the issue might actually be low stomach acid.

I've also had my thyroid levels checked about four or five times. My TSH is always running a little high, hovering around 5, while everything else stays within the normal range.

Hey everyone,

Does anyone have a recommendation for a solid gastroenterologist at one of the major hospitals in NYC? I’m looking for someone who actually takes the time to sit down and really dig into what's going on, rather than just rushing through the appointment.

Thanks!

*** First off, sorry about my last post—I hit send by mistake, so could a moderator please just delete that?***

Hey everyone, reaching out after a long break (I used to post here about a year ago). I’ve been dealing with a massive cluster of issues: exhaustion, weakness, general malaise, and digestive problems—specifically pale, soft stools. On top of that, I get these localized abdominal pains that seem to migrate to different spots every few days. My skin is also acting up with a rash on my face, chest, and back, plus swollen lymph nodes, changes in my salivary glands, and dry eyes. These lymph nodes have been enlarged for about a year and a half now. I’ve had four neck ultrasounds; the first three showed nodes around 1.8cm, which stayed relatively stable, but during the seventh month, the ultrasound showed they were growing (the largest ones near my jawline hit 2.8cm and 2.0cm). I had a fine-needle aspiration done back in month five, and the result was reactive hyperplasia—basically benign changes (though I know an aspiration isn't 100% foolproof).

I recently saw a private endocrinologist who confirmed the swollen nodes and mentioned seeing some changes in my thyroid, suggesting we should shift the focus there. I ran all the thyroid tests they recommended, which you can see in the link I attached. Everything looks good except for my TSH, which was 5.6. Then, during another blood draw a little while ago, my TSH was around 5.5, which is confusing because—as you can see in one of the links—my most recent TSH reading, just a few weeks after that elevated one, was totally within the normal range.

The specialist thinks the node swelling might be due to the "inflammation" on my skin, which is incredibly dry and red around my nose and cheeks. I ended up seeing a private dermatologist who prescribed a corticosteroid cream. Honestly, after using it, my gut feeling—based on constantly checking the nodes—is that they feel slightly smaller, though I have to say the change is minimal. It's not like they vanished or anything. I have another neck ultrasound scheduled in two days. I’ve already consulted several ENTs and a couple of internists/immunologists, and none of them want to biopsy the nodes yet. We’re doing another aspiration in two days to check the status. Basically, the dermatologist sent me for the tests listed in the link; one of the big suspicions is lupus, and she also wants to rule out a gluten allergy or Celiac disease. It’s worth noting that my blood work has been pretty all over the place over the last year; specifically, my absolute lymphocytes tend to spike above the limit and then settle back down to normal. That's happened across my last six or seven KKS panels. If you look at the links, you'll see my leukocyte count was elevated in the second-to-last test, but everything returned to normal in the most recent one.

Since the dermatologist noticed my tongue was looking pretty white, she ordered a stool test for Candida. The results came back a few days ago, and it just says: "yeast to rise." Candida could definitely be the culprit here, especially since all these symptoms kicked off about a month after I finished a course of antibiotics for H. pylori in my stomach.

Regarding the CMV, toxoplasma, and EBV tests:
Toxoplasma IgM and IgG are negative.
CMV IgG is POSITIVE—98.7 (positive is >14); CMV IgM is negative.
EBV VCA IgM and IgG are negative.
EBV EA IgG is negative.
EBNA IgG is POSITIVE—160 (positive is >20). I'm not sure why the IgM isn't listed here.

So, why am I asking here? My primary care doctor basically ignores all my symptoms, and I’ve practically had to beg for every single test or just pay out of pocket to see specialists. Most doctors agree there's clearly something going on, but nobody can pin down what it is. I was hoping someone here could help me make sense of these results and tell me if this rules out any autoimmune diseases. *One photo I forgot to include shows my IgE at 61—the limit is 90, so that should be fine.

Seriously, I’m like a walking case for Dr. House. If anyone has any ideas on how all of this connects, I would be incredibly grateful. I know I dumped a ton of info on you, but I'm fully expecting my GP to just tell me everything is perfectly fine again.

Joseph Taylor3 said:Hey guys,

I just got my peripheral blood smear back. It shows some mild anisocytosis. Platelet count looks fine. WBC diff: eo 7, seg 45, ly47, mo 1. (Not sure if I even need to mention 😁 ) DG- D721 -"
Like I mentioned before regarding KKS, my liver enzymes are all good. I haven't checked AF, LDH, CK, or glucose yet, since I thought those would be included in this report.

Given what the smear shows, who should I see next? An infectious disease specialist, an immunologist, or a hematologist?

Just a heads up, I had this smear done privately, and they asked why I wanted it. I explained everything and brought up the swollen lymph nodes. The doctors there basically told me a biopsy isn't necessary right now because any specialist would probably say the same thing. They suggested the best move would be to head over to Mayo Clinic to see an infectious disease expert to figure out why these lymph nodes are acting "reactive."

Maria Fisher46 said:If a lymph node is swelling up, that’s usually a sign you need to get it biopsied. Besides a CBC, you really should be running other tests—I've mentioned this before. That might actually give you a better idea of which specialist you even need to see.

Hey everyone,

I finally got my peripheral blood smear back. The results show some mild anisocytosis. Platelet count is high. CBC: eo 7, seg 45, ly47, mo 1. (not sure if I even need to mention 😁 ) DG- D721 -"
Like I said, I already mentioned the CBC, and my liver enzymes look fine. I haven't done CRP, LDH, CK, or glucose yet; I honestly thought those were included in this specific report.

Based on this smear, does anyone have a recommendation on who I should hit up next? An infectious disease doc, an immunologist, or a hematologist?

Hey there, esteemed doctors 👍

@Nicholas Myers (or anyone else, honestly, I don't mind)

So, I'm that patient with the laundry list of symptoms you guys suggested I take to an internist. Well, I did that. After I laid out everything I've been feeling, the doc told me I should probably see an ENT because of some enlarged nodes. In the meantime, my absolute lymphocyte count has been creeping up—it went from 3.70 to 3.94 halfway through December (was 3.70 at the start of November). It’s really messing with my head because I’ve been reading medical guides on US forums where everyone says the smartest move when a lymph node stays swollen and hard for this long is to just biopsy it and check the contents. Yet, not one specialist or even my internist has brought up a puncture test. And honestly, I have to say, I'm pretty sure the node I keep poking feels bigger than it did before.

To make matters worse, I've broken out in this nasty rash all over my body, and I'm getting these occasional bouts of dizziness. I can't tell if it's the rash, just general dry skin (which I've dealt with forever), or something else entirely.

Then, get this—I went back for more blood work the other day, and to my total shock, my lymphocyte count actually dropped down to 3.00, which is right within the normal range. The doctor was obviously thrilled, acting all smug like, "See? You're wasting your time coming in, you're fine..." But look, I'm still dealing with the fatigue, pale skin, and those random aches in my muscles and bones. I still feel weak, so I'm not about to just drop it and say everything is perfect.

Long story short, I'm ready to go full throttle with more testing. Is it smarter for someone in my situation to see an immunologist or a hematologist? I think I'm going to just book a private appointment since I have zero patience for waiting months for a referral or an opening in the public system.

Maria Fisher46 said:Look,

It’s getting pretty hard to hash this out on a forum. Honestly, I think you need a real, comprehensive medical review to figure out what the hell is actually going on. When you take all your posts here and look at them together, a pattern starts to emerge: changes in your salivary glands (inhomogeneous echostructure) which might even be enlarged, dry mouth, a coated tongue, seborrheic dermatitis, plus you mentioned feeling exhausted—like you're constantly fighting off some viral bug—digestive issues, and swollen lymph nodes in your neck...

The differential diagnosis for these symptoms is massive. It could be "everything" or it could be "nothing." A few things jump to mind, but without seeing your actual labs, I don't want to throw out guesses and just mess with your head even more.

Two things are likely linked—the seborrheic dermatitis and the dry eyes. The dryness is probably because the quality of your tear film is messed up due to the oil glands being affected.

Infectious mononucleosis (especially the kind caused by Epstein-Barr Virus) usually doesn't cause such long-lasting issues unless there have been complications.

As for Candida, or a systemic Candida infection, I don't see that being the culprit for what you're describing.

Normally, we try to bundle different symptoms under one single diagnosis whenever possible. But sometimes, you really are dealing with several different issues hitting you all at once. Without an in-person exam, it's nearly impossible to tell which is which.

Since internists usually provide the most thorough evaluations—especially if they actually take the time to dig in—getting a solid internal medicine consult would be the best move. They can go over everything you've done so far and decide on next steps, provided you get some fresh labs done: CBC, CRP, AST, ALT, GGT, bilirubin, ALP, LDH, CK, glucose, maybe even a serum protein electrophoresis and a peripheral blood smear.

Thanks for the detailed breakdown. The issue is my primary care doctor thinks absolutely nothing is wrong with me and she refuses to give me any referrals. I'm stuck because I don't know how to move forward without her help.

Also, with stuff like this, I'm obviously terrified about more serious diseases related to elevated lymphocytes and swollen lymph nodes. So, I wanted to ask: to rule those scary scenarios out, does it make sense to get a lymph node biopsy to check things out?

Joseph Taylor3 said:I had my first neck ultrasound done after I felt two little "lumps" under my jawline on both sides and assumed they were lymph nodes. Turns out, after booking the scan, it wasn't actually the lymph nodes causing the issue—those were just inflamed and reactive—but rather my salivary glands that were being problematic.

I really need to point out that my whole string of health issues started spiraling right after I finished a triple-antibiotic course for H. pylori about two years ago. This current mess, plus all the digestive issues, skin problems (got diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis), white coating on my tongue, and even occasional dry mouth and watery, red eyes (probably from dryness) all started then.

Man, based on everything I’ve been reading, since I didn't take any probiotics during or after that month-long antibiotic grind (my doctor didn't even bother mentioning them), there's a good chance I wiped out all the good bacteria in my gut and totally wrecked my system. I keep seeing the term Candida pop up in these "investigations," and honestly, it's wild how much the symptoms of a Candida infection line up with how I'm feeling right now. I brought this up to my doctor, and she just waved me off like I was talking nonsense. 🤔

Update—on my latest blood work, my lymphocyte count is still climbing, sitting at 3.95... My doctor acts like it's nothing. In my last four tests, the lymphocytes have been steadily rising, and the last two were actually above the reference range. Combine that with my swollen lymph nodes, and she still insists everything is fine and won't send me for any follow-up testing. 🙄

Maria Fisher46 said:So why did they run that first neck ultrasound focusing specifically on the salivary glands?

Based on what you wrote, it sounds like there might be an inflammatory focus somewhere—maybe around the tonsils—that's causing reactive lymph node hyperplasia. That explanation feels more plausible to me, so I'd say just follow whatever the ENT recommended.

Also, are you dealing with any issues regarding saliva, tearing, or dryness in your mouth or eyes?

I actually had that first neck ultrasound because I felt two little "lumps" under my jawline on both sides and figured they were lymph nodes. I booked the scan, only to find out those weren't the main issue—it was actually the salivary glands that were acting up, while the lymph nodes were just showing reactive inflammation.

I really have to point out that my whole string of health issues started spiraling right after I finished a triple-antibiotic cocktail for H. pylori about two years ago. This current mess, the digestive stuff, skin problems (diagnosed as seborrheic dermatitis), white coating on my tongue, and even the occasional dry mouth and watery, red eyes (which I assume is just the eyes reacting to being dry).

Man, from everything I've been reading, since I didn't take any probiotics during or after that month-long antibiotic grind (my doctor never even brought it up), it’s totally possible I wiped out all the good bacteria in my gut and completely wrecked my system. I keep seeing the term Candida pop up in all these "research" threads, and honestly, it's wild how much the symptoms of a Candida infection line up with exactly what I'm going through. I mentioned this to my doctor, but she just brushed me off and told me to stop talking nonsense. 🤔

Maria Fisher46 said:We’re missing some huge pieces of the puzzle here regarding exactly how long these nodes have been enlarged—saying "for a long time" is super vague. Are we talking three months, six months, a year, or even longer? Also, is the size actually increasing? We really need a comparison between two different ultrasound results.

Another doc suggested running serology to check for mononucleosis causes—which honestly might be worth doing anyway, since having lymph nodes stay swollen for months on end due to mono seems pretty unlikely.

Just so you know, ultrasound sensitivity for spotting malignant changes in lymph nodes is around 95%, while specificity is about 80%. This means no single ultrasound can rule out malignancy with 100% certainty.

I'd say the nodes have been swollen for the last 7 or 8 months. Regarding the size, when I first saw the specialist back in May, he was mostly focused on my salivary glands because they were being "problematic," and his report just briefly mentioned that there were some enlarged reactive lymph nodes present. As for the salivary glands, they show an inhomogeneous structure on both sides, so a biopsy was done, and it came back totally clear with no pathological changes.

At the second visit in November, I told the new specialist all about the salivary gland issues as well as the nodes. After the exam, he said the gland is still inhomogeneous but there's no need to redo the biopsy (the first specialist had told me to get another ultrasound in four months), but regarding the lymph nodes, he noted there are no morphologic changes and they appear to be purely reactive.

Honestly, I’m really hoping they’re just reacting to that gland issue, especially since the doctor recommended seeing an ENT to investigate possible inflammation in the gland. It's also worth mentioning that I've been dealing with a lot of skin issues lately—diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis—so that might be linked too. When I saw the ENT back in May, the doctor told me to get an ASO test because he noticed some "chronic changes in the tonsils," so strep could be another potential culprit. (I haven't done the test yet since I spent the whole summer traveling outside of the US).

My doctor told me yesterday to repeat a CBC to check my lymphocyte levels. You’re suggesting I should go ahead and test for mono?

Joseph Taylor3 said:Can someone please explain this? I'm lost.

So, here’s the deal: I’ve been dealing with these swollen lymph nodes in my neck for quite a while now. Back in May, I went in for an ultrasound, and the doctor basically told me not to sweat it—he didn't think it was anything major and suggested I just come back in October to check again. Well, fast forward to October, and I went back for another neck ultrasound a few weeks ago. This time, I saw a different doctor, and he gave me the same old story: yeah, the nodes are enlarged, but everything looks fine, so there's no need for any extra tests or follow-ups. Everything's "okay," apparently.

But here’s what’s actually tripping me out. I've been looking at my CBC trends, and the numbers are creeping up way faster than I'd like. A year ago, my absolute lymphocyte count was sitting at 2.4 (with a relative count of 30%). Six months ago, it bumped up to 2.9 (relative 36%). And now, looking at today's results? It's jumped to 3.7 absolute and 43% relative. For context, the standard upper limit for absolute lymphocytes is supposed to be 3.35, and the relative cap is 46%. It feels like I'm steadily climbing toward that ceiling, and honestly, it's starting to get under my skin.

So, my doctor finally went over today’s lab results, and she’s basically telling me everything looks totally fine. Honestly? I’m not buying it. It feels way too convenient that this unknown change popped up at the exact same time my lymph nodes started swelling—the same damn thing the doctors told me not to worry about. Like, seriously? Give me a break. On top of all that nonsense, I’m still dealing with constant fatigue, these lightheaded spells, and this nagging feeling like I’m coming down with some random flu every other day. It’s exhausting.

Joseph Taylor3 said:That’s pretty much my main question right here. Does having "non-suspicious" nodes actually mean you can rule out those diseases entirely? Or is it possible to just have enlarged, non-suspicious nodes hanging around for a long time and still end up dealing with one of those nasty illnesses anyway? 😁

Honestly, I don't even care that my lymphocyte count has been steadily climbing lately—I'm way more concerned about the fact that I'm dealing with a whole laundry list of symptoms right now. It’s just one thing after another, unfortunately.

Joseph Taylor3 said:Kaze: "Both sides of the neck in regions II and III show several reactive lymph nodes, measuring up to 18 mm in diameter. No pathologically altered lymph nodes were found."

Look, I know I’m probably going to be incredibly annoying and tedious by asking this one more time, but here we go. Honestly, it's mostly because my relationship with my doctor isn't exactly great right now, and I just know she’s going to roll her eyes and dismiss me the second I start explaining what's going on. But hey, health is health, right? I just want some clarity. I need to figure out if I should be pushing for more testing, or if I should just take the specialists at their word—they said my lymph nodes look totally normal—and finally stop obsessing over this. I'd love to just move on and stop thinking about it. Thanks.

Zachary Kern6 said:Get a cytological puncture of the lymph nodes in the neck.

I actually thought of the exact same thing, but I honestly don't get why neither of those two specialists—I had ultrasounds done at two different private clinics—didn't suggest it?

Sandra Vaughn50 said:You can't rule out mono without specific lab work.
Are there enlarged lymph nodes in any areas besides the neck? And how big is the largest one?

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.

He says: "Both sides of the neck in regions II and III have several reactive-looking lymph nodes, some up to 18 mm in diameter. No pathologically abnormal lymph nodes were found.

There's a small subcutaneous node about 5 mm on the right side of the back of the neck.
And a submental node about 4 mm."

As for other lymph nodes, I haven't personally noticed or felt any others.

Sandra Vaughn50 said:Absolute lymphocytosis up to 5 is totally fine and doesn't require extra hematology workups.
It’s most likely just reactive lymph nodes, which clearly don't look suspicious on an ultrasound, so that's why they didn't bother with a biopsy.

My question is: can we rule out mono?

That’s basically my main concern too—does having "non-suspicious" nodes actually mean you can rule those diseases out? Or is it possible to have enlarged, non-suspicious nodes for a long time and still end up dealing with one of these nasty illnesses? 😁

Because what's really messing with my head is that my lymphocyte count has been steadily climbing over a longer period, and unfortunately, I've been dealing with all sorts of symptoms.

My doctor hasn't sent me for any more tests, and as far as mono goes, I haven't had any massive fevers or anything that would have completely wiped me out for weeks.

And thanks for the reply 🙂