Diagnosis

Five weeks ago I found a large lump just above my left collar bone. It was hard, fixed and painless. When I found it I instantly checked my right side to make sure it was normal - it wasn't. So I headed off to the hospital walk in centre for them to check me over. The Dr told me to have blood tests and await the result. 

My bloods came back normal and so I was referred to an ENT specialist. On the 17th December I went to my first ENT appointment and the surgeon took a fine needle aspiration from my lump (which my friend named Jeremy). I then had to wait for the FNA results. These came through three days later and were inconclusive. 

A further appointment was then made for me to have Jeremy removed. This was to happen on the 27th December (something to look forward to over christmas). My lump was removed under general anaesthetic and took two hours (due to the nerves in the area etc making it risky). It was slightly larger than a golf ball and was a swollen node.

I then waited, whilst feeling slightly pathetic because I couldn't use my left arm for a bit ;), for my biopsy results. On the 7th January I was told that I have nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

ENT have now handed me over to haematology and I'm just awaiting for my appointment dates for staging and further scans. Once these are done I will be starting chemotherapy. I'm a bit scared about having chemotherapy but I know I will get through it all and be a better person for it. I just want to get on with it now.

Whilst I'm waiting I'm going to re-decorate so that everything is really clean for when my immune system is lowered. 

I have attached some photos of my lump to this post, so that it may help others in the same situation. 

I am 24, female and had no other symptoms other than fatigue.