To take my 22year old dd to gp?

[SueDoeName]

My dd found a lump in her groin 18 months ago. She went to doctors and they said it was a swollen lymph node probably caused by infection.

She still has it 18 months later and it's got bigger.

She is always ill. Always got a cold or ulcers in her throat or throat infection. She loses weight despite eating really well. (More than me !)
She is always tired . Looks washed out . She is also anaemic . (Confirmed)
She's been back to the doctors twice - she is very sensible and grounded and has told me she's worried about lymphoma. The doctors dismissed her saying "google doesn't have a degree "
She is worried. I am now worried she has been referred for a scan but will take 4-6 weeks and then she has to await results before getting referred for biopsy.

I want to go to gp now with her and ask about a private referral and timescales. They aren't taking her seriously.

Aibu? I don't usually interfere but this seems like one time I need to. She needs someone a bit bolshy to fight her corner .

Here’s some information regarding blood tests:

labtestsonline.org/conditions/lymphoma

• platelet count and/or white blood cell count are low, which may indicate that lymphoma is present in the bone marrow and/or blood
• Serum creatinine – levels may be elevated if a kidney disease called nephrotic syndrome is associated with Hodgkin lymphoma

In my DM’s blood count test, she had unusual findings that prompted further investigation at haematology department.
What did they do about anaemia diagnosis? I’m asking because many of your DD’s symptoms sound typical of anaemia.

What you need to do is find a private consultant who also does NHS work in a hospital. (Many do both). Get a private appointment asap. If the tests they think you need will be prohibitively expensive for you, they can refer you to their NHS practice and you can have the tests done on the NHS.

Hi. She also needs an HIV test. Lymphadenopathy, recurrent infection, fatigue, anaemia. If you want this taking seriously all differential diagnoses need considering. So as already suggested, a sexual health clinic may be a way into the system.

I am slightly bemused by the private paediatric medical doctors diagnosing luekaemia. Never heard of that before. Interested as to how this came about, given that there is no private emergency care given to children in the uk.
Every case I have heard of comes through gp referrals to CAU or ED. I would be very very surprised about one that came through any other source.
GP’s are always incredibly wary about children, so I find this hard to believe. Yes, I have lived and worked in this sector for far too many years.

An initial private consultation here can be anything from £150 - £400. Then any blood tests or other investigations will be on top of that.

It used to be that a private consultant would just refer you back into the NHS after an initial consultation but I haven't experienced that for a good few years now. Once the insurance company has declined to.pay for further treatment the consultant has requested my GP refer me again within the NHS. You might need to speak to the consultant's secretary to discuss how they work.

I apis £250 for an appointment to investigate a lump. No tests were necessary, was diagnosed as a cyst almost immediately and the doctor drained it there and then.

She's doing her own research. Seems blood tests don't diagnose this one

My mum (ex medical professional) still comes to appointments with me sometimes when I need backup. I’m 40something!

It’s just sad that we need backup

I would definitely go with her to the doctors and get something done, it does sound like she is being fobbed off by the doctor. Good luck with everything xx

Write everything down before you go in.

Ask for a different gp and get a second opinion. If they fob you off, ask for it to be written on her notes that you are extremely concerned and want further tests.
Dont give up. Good luck.

Just go on the Bupa website, find a private consultant and call to make an appointment. It usually costs £100-200 but you will probably get seen within days

I’ve gone private twice. Consultation was £125. Ultrasound and biopsies with pathology came to £500.

As soon as phone lines are open, arrange a few different appointments. If money is the main concern, exhaust the NHS first.

So call your private consultant of choice and clarify potential fees, what information they need from your GP and their cancellation policy etc. Arrange for your private appointment to be on a date after your NHS appointment(s).

Book an appointment with your GP practice. Consider an appointment at a sexual health clinic too, but you can typically just walk in without an appointment at some of these so could even go over straight after the GP if they were unhelpful. Clinics will be able to take bloods such as HIV testing and can refer to specialists too.

@SueDoeName bloods don’t diagnose lymphoma but as a pp said, they are useful indicators

Go with her

As she's happy for you to go then definitely yes. Hope you manage to get her some help.

Please update us next week.

yeoldetrout I will do. Thanks everyone for the helpful advice.

I think that if your daughter wants you to go to the GP with her, you should go and I can totally understand why you are both worried.

Lymphoma is certainly a possibility and does need to be ruled out, but to reassure you a little (hopefully), the chances are that this will turn out not to be anything serious. Iron deficiency anaemia is very common in this age group - usually caused by a combination of heavy periods and poor diet. There is also a possibility of coeliac disease causing anaemia, so that should also be ruled out.

Reactive lymph nodes are also very common and can persist for months after an infection (or more commonly don't go down properly before another virus causes them to go up again). I'm not saying this to minimise your concerns, just to hopefully reassure you that it hopefully won't be anything serious, but I totally understand your concerns and agree that lymphoma needs to be ruled out.

Good luck to you and your daughter

Good luck with seeing a new GP. Don’t back down, sometimes doctors can and do miss things and get things wrong. Blood cancer is notoriously tricky to diagnose and people can end up seeing a doctor 3 times or more to get the referral they need.

Be assertive ‘She’s has XYZ symptoms for X time. We are worried about lymphoma, and would like a referral to urgently rule this out.’ Someone mentioned Bloodwise above, they’re great and have some good information on the symptoms and a helpline to talk to someone.

Wishing you and your daughter lots of luck

It's good you are going with her, she should have a full blood count as well as a referral under the 2 week wait if cancer maybe a possibility.

My dd had Hodgkin's lymphoma, she had no symptoms at all other than a lump.
She was quickly fast tracked tracked to a consultant and she had first an ultrasound and fine needle biopsy. When these showed abnormalities she had CT scan, excisional biopsy and PET scan after.

Her bloods didn't show much except slightly raised white blood cells and slightly raised ESR, however it had already spread. So bloods are not an indication of whether or not lymphoma is present.

I'm not saying that she has lymphoma at all, just that you're right to push it further.
Good luck

Yes, take her. Be there with her. I am in my 20's, but if I was feeling overwhelmed, I would ask my mom or someone else close to me to come with me and fight my corner for me.

Sometimes, when you are feeling ill, you cannot muster up enough strength to fight your own corner. So you need someone! Perfectly acceptable!

Go, and be stern!!

Oh and actually, the same thing happened to me recently. I had a swollen lymph node in my groin. I had to go to the doctor twice. My doctor (female) was fairly certain it was just a bacterial infection, but she still took swabs and sent them off!

I had developed such a large cyst (I think?) that I was in agonizing pain, so she was able to drain it for me.

Then, she also gave me the option of starting a course of antibiotics straight away, which I agreed to.

A few days later she rang me to confirm my results, to say I had 2 bacterial infections. In this phone call, she offered for me to come back in to get another course of antibiotics. As I was feeling a bit better at this stage, she agreed that I could hold off taking the second antibiotic and see how I feel in another few days. Turns out, I got worse again. The cyst grew again. So I booked a doctors appointment, as I needed it drained as it was agony! However, it burst naturally before the appointment. But i kept the appointment so that I could still get it looked at again. And this time I took the second course of antibiotics , along with a repeat prescription of the first.

The doctor explained to me that the reason the cyst filled again was because she had only left a small incision. And she thinks it healed over too quickly, therefore not allowing it to drain.

I also developed a slight yeast infection due to side effects of the antibiotics. My doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics for the yeast infection as well.

As I mentioned previously, I am only in my 20's. And this is the first time I've ever had to "get naked" in front of my doctor. I was a little nervous, but I was in so so much pain that I got over it. Turned out, my doctor was so lovely, and I really trust her now! I think I'm on to a good one! She always has my best interests at heart! And she thinks ahead when it comes to, for example, prescribing antibiotics for yeast infection, just because she knows a yeast infection is a common side effect to other antibiotics. She also offered to do swabs to confirm yeast infection, but I, and her, both felt comfortable enough that that is what it was, so I said no to those swabs.

Basically, I was lucky that I had a very hands on doctor. I didn't feel the need to have extra support. BUT if I had a different doctor, chances are I would have asked someone else to come with me, as I felt so ill and so vulnerable.

Please go with her and advocate for her, if that is what it takes for someone to take it seriously. My lymphoma took 5 GP visits to diagnose, during which time it was written off as hypochondria etc