Can lymphoma be mistaken for a virus? Very worried

[Hammy01]

hi ladies.. Just wondering if it's possible that anyone out there has been in the same boat as my ds?
Tuesday he was really Ill with severe tonsillitis and unable to breathe properly because of swollen tonsils. His neck glands were grossly swollen and a&e docs said he had swollen spleen so he was given ct scan of chest and neck and various blood tests.
That evening we were told that the scans showed our ds who is 5 has some form of lymphoma. We were then transferred to royal mars den on Wednesday where he was on iv antibiotics, fluids and fri he had bone marrow and biopsies taken from his neck lymph glands.
They've ruled out glandular fever and leukaemia from blood tests but we're waiting for results end of next week to confirm biopsy / marrow results.
Ds health has improved since having iv antibiotics, his tonsils are still grossly swollen but not pusy and his neck glands are not as swollen as they were.
As u can imagine my mind is going into overdrive and I'm swinging from acceptance that it could be a possibilty of lymphoma to thinking that they've got it wrong.
I know we won't know conclusively to results come back but could a virus really get specialised oncologists concerned?
Going to go crazy by end of week. But just wanted to hear if anyone else had been in this situation? Surely many different doctors wouldn't mistakenly diagnose possible lymphoma?
I feel so out of control of our ds future and how we will cope as a family and want to know If doctors can mistakenly frighten the shit out of parents?
To look at ds now he seems ok, tired, not eating as much as usual but cancer?
Please help or bump for urgent advice

:-( So sorry, hope the doc's are wrong ((hugs))

I'm sorry I have no advice, but bumping to keep your thread in 'Active'.

I really hope that you are the world's most relieved Mom by this time next week x

No advice sorry, but just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you and bumping for you.

What did the Royal Marsden doctors say? Did they suggest this could be a virus? Doctors are generally pretty straight with parents about what is going on. Understandably you are in shock and trying to process all of this bewildering information.
I am so so very sorry you and your family are going through this, I can only imagine the terror you are experiencing. I am not religious but will pray for you and your family. I hope things turn out well.

Hammy, I can't answer your questions, but I understand what you are going through. Be strong for your boy, stay positive and know that you could not be in a better place than the Marsden to find out what's going on. Are you still there now?

Come to the Children with Cancer thread in Childrens Health for more support if you need it.

Thank you all for responding so quick!
The rm said they're 90% sure it's a lymphoma so...will have to wait.
Keep searching Internet for advice or answers but I know we're just going to have to wait
I will look on children with cancer thread thank you stinky feet once I get ds asleep.

I hope they have got it wrong. Will be praying for your DS.

Good luck.

How can they be sure it's lymphoma other than from a biopsy? was he in good health before the tonsillitis kicked in?

My DS has been referred to paeds before now due to an enlarged node in his neck..well 2 in fact..paed wasn't concerned about first one, still waiting to go about the one he has right now!

I know they felt his spleen and liver and asked if he'd had any night sweats, weight loss or fatigue

I hope they've got it wrong too...but IF he has lymphoma the prognosis is excellent i've read (have spent quite a bit of time reading up on his due to DS's lumps :O )

It is certainly possible that it's something else. When my DD (who is the same age as your DS) was diagnosed with leukaemia we were told instantly it was that even before the biopsy. They won't be telling you there's a chance it's not cancer if there isn't. Take some deep breaths and take it minute by minute if you can. We have friends from our hospital whose little boy is just over a year older than your DS, he did really well, just finished his treatment last autumn, they have been told it is very unlikely to come back. This is the usual outcome for kids this age. I really hope you're one of the false alarms, but if you're not, please join the rest of us parents dealing with childhood cancer on this thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childrens_health/1368190-Children-with-cancer

and feel free to pm me any time for advice. Treatment for leukaemia and lymphoma is similar in a lot of ways - the best way being there are great success rates now. Massive hugs, the waiting is true torture.

The ct scan showed mass (enlarged lymph nodes or glands I think...so much has been said over the last few days it's gotten confusing) in ds chest and neck.
He has developed a wheeze in the last month or so but gp put this down to the aftermath of a chest infection he had just before Xmas.
Ds is one of those kids that seem to roll from one cold/ear /chest infection to the next...I'm always getting told it's 'viral' when no infection is present.
Ds has been sweating at night the last few days but that could be the tonsillitis ,..he may have been sweating previous to this week but I've nit noticed.
He has had tonsil tis 3times in the last 6 months, he has tired quicker than normal recently and not sleeping well, but we put that down to him grieving after we lost his nana end of nov 2011, also from cancer.
Not sure if he has lost weight tbh but he has been looking awfully pale for a while but again we put this down to grief and lack of quality sleep.
I don't know, I guess I just want to know the answers so I can at least know what we're dealing with and try to plan.
But like u said paddy clamp prognosis for lymphoma is excellent what scares me shitless is thinking if he has got it it will need treating and all that ds will go thru. I've seen the children the last few days going thru treatment for various cancers and it's so scary.
My poor boy has already had needles, iv and scans done these past few days and has developed a healthy fear and mistrust of us and nurses / doctors, becoming hysterical at times.
Feel so helpless and scared

Hopefully you'll not, but just in case, do not feel bad about missing symptoms in the last couple of months, leukaemia and lymphoma are normally diagnosed after symptoms have been going on a while because they mimic all sorts of benign illnesses which are much more common. It's incredibly rare to catch them earlier except by chance.

I'm so sorry for how scared and powerless you're feeling and anxious about possible treatment ahead. Chemo and surgery are very tough as you know, but I promise you that if you have to go down this road you will be amazed at how tough you are and how tough he is. I know loads of kids who have had treatment for cancer now and they are all without exception the most amazing children I have ever known. It takes them a while to get into their stride but they do and they are an inspiration to everyone. I can't tell you how proud I am of my DD and how in awe of her and all her new friends I am. I hope you get to walk away from this, but remember that if not, you are not alone. There are 10,000 children and teenagers currently going through cancer treatment in the UK and there are other parents and charity organisations who will be there for you when you need a shoulder to cry on. Nobody wants to join this club, I know, but hold on and take it minute by minute. Keep as busy as you can until you know the answers and then you'll feel at least a little more in control and be able to get more into fighting mode if you have to. In the mean time I'll keep my fingers crossed you get a completely different answer.

Hi Hammy01,

I really feel for you as we have been in exactly the same situation. My daughter has Lymphoma diagnosed by biopsy after an MRI scan just over 12 months ago. The shock and fear is overwhelming. How could our perfect child have cancer? My husband and I kept bursting into tears, but what the doctors kept repeating to us is that it is treatable and in the vast majority of cases completely curable. There are several different types though and the treatment varies.
I really hope for you that this is not the diagnosis. But if it is, the doctors and nurses at the Royal Marsden are fantastic and treat all the children as old friends and individuals and the new wing is brilliant. My Dd was 16 when diagnosed and the beginning is undoubtedly the worst, but the children are amazingly resilient. There is so much information for you to absorb. Start a file to keep everything together. And take a bag of treats and snacks to the Marsden for appointments, as unfortunately they are incredibly busy and waiting times can be long and frustrating.
I hope for the best for you and your Ds.

Thank you For your support it really is helping.
The rm allowed us to go home this afternoon as ds is able to breathe a whole lot better while we wait for results to come through.
We've got antibiotic from rm so keep going with that, just sitting here while everyones asleep trying to convince myself that whatever the outcome we'll be ok. I know we will and like you all advise take it minute by minute.
Just feels like such a roller coaster as our local hospital initially diagnosed the lymphoma, then when he had the biopsy at the hospital in st georges one of the many doctors we saw mentioned ebv but rm had already tested for glandular fever which was negative. I guess any news you glean from doctors you focus and devour eh?
Tbh the support we've had from family and friends has been amazing but the parents at mars den were brilliant...watching them with their kids going through treatment reassured me that we'd have a strong network of support there too.
Thanks for the tip of snacks for appointments tho! Am going to keep busy like u say and have an emergency 2 night stay bag ready this week in case we get a call previous to week Monday's appointment with slippers!

Hammy, how is your ds?

Hi Hammy sorry to hear about ds. It sounds like they found a lot of abnormally enlarged lymph nodes on the CT which raised the suspicion of lymphoma. An infection would only cause some increased swelling of the nodes in the neck, for example, not inside the chest itself.
I hope you get a definitive biopsy result, or as I see the date on the thread now is old, you may already have the result.

i think i read on here that Hammy had good news :)

That's great!