Author: Belinda (---.dsl.rcsntx.swbell.net)
Date: 03-17-05 09:37
Linda,
You can get a better understanding of this biopsy description if you pull up a medical dictionary on your desktop, such as this one. Simply look up each word or phrase to see what it means. Hyalinized, for example, means "clear, transparent" and AFB is an acronym for "acid-fast bacilli."
You wrote in your earlier post,
"Pet scan impression: Abnormal whole body demonstrating multiple hypermetabolic foci in the neck, axillary regions, mediastinum and hilum consistent with malignancy and possibly metastatic disease to the left adrenal gland. Also, I had cellulitis of my left arm with underlying Sq. C.C. a month ago of which I took Biaxin for 10 days. Cellulitis cleared up and Sq. C.C. was cut out. Now, I'm having a mediastinoscopy next Frid. to sample the nodes on biopsy. I do not have any s & s of sarc., and a breast cancer survivor X's 2, since 1987 & 1991. My Dad died of lymphoma, mom had Ca and also grandparents. To me, it's looking like Ca, what do you think?"
Your physicians should be able to guide you through these diagnostic tests and answer all your questions, but your instincts are obviously telling you to consider sarcoidosis as one possibility. Many of us (with a sarcoidosis diagnosis) were told we likely had cancer as we were going through the diagnostic tests, prior to a final diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Perhaps it would be wise to search this website and review the symptoms of sarcoidosis, just so you have all the information. Here is some information I have shared before:
Since sarcoidosis is a systemic disease, there are a wide variety of symptoms. The symptoms are logical and easy to understand once you understand the disease is chronic, long-term inflammation due to occult bacteria. One of the most troublesome symptoms is fatigue and a general feeling of "not being well." Some of the most common sarcoidosis symptoms listed by the Cleveland Clinic are:
* Tender reddish bumps or patches on the skin
* Red and teary eyes or blurred vision
* Swollen and painful joints
* Enlarged and tender lymph glands in the neck, armpits and groin.
* Enlarged lymph glands in the chest and around the lungs
* Nasal stuffiness and/or hoarse voice
* Pain in the hands, feet or other bony areas
* Kidney stone formation
* Enlarged liver (or spleen)
* Development of abnormal or missed beats (arrhythmias), inflammation of the covering of the heart (pericarditis) or heart failure
* Nervous system effects, including hearing loss, meningitis, seizures or psychiatric disorders (for example, dementia, depression, psychosis)
There are many other symptoms that may be due to sarcoidosis, as it can damage or affect the function of any body organ.
There are a lot of things that are taken into consideration in diagnosing sarcoidosis. Here is a review of how physicians assess just one of our symptoms, lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes). You should read the posts on our topic Cancer Diagnosis in Sarcoidosis Patients. Please let us know if you have any specific questions, but our best advice is to get your serum vitamin D metabolites tested.
Best wishes,
Belinda
*MODERATOR* Dx: FM 80's, sarcoidosis '01; Lung, skin, spleen, liver and neuro. Refused Prednisone. 7/02 1,25-D 61.1, 25-D 14.3. MP since '02 PhaseIII with symptoms gone, slight Herx. Improved PFTs, CTs, X-ray, energy and stamina. I walk 3-4 mi daily now
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