› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Falling often and walking into things..
- This topic has 24 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 6 months ago by
KnowThyself.
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- October 2, 2013 at 1:42 pm
Melanoma started on ear… level II stage 1A…after 4 surgeries, finally got clear margins… however..ive had a swollen node on that side of my neck ever since, its about the size of a kidney bean, rock hard, no pain associated with it…. Ive been to the doc, (my primary doc, ive never seen a melanoma specialist through any of this..) he assured me it was my carotid artery, nothing to worry about…I disagree… I do feel the pulse of the carotid artery next to/near it, but I think it's just not extremely big and is being hidden..It's definitely there though.. NOW, recently, its still there, and prominent, hasnt gone down, (and no, i havent been playing with it)…. but Im experiencing other worrisome symptoms as well… My head has been foggy, complete lack of concentration, I forget what Im doing momentarily (making coffee, I put sugar in the basket instead of grounds, etc) and more than anything, Ive been falling (particularly UP the stairs, numerous times, any stairs) and ive been running into everything… and sometimes ill just be standing there, and start to walk and feel like im going to fall over…My personality has also been changing, wild mood swings, im still pretty happy overall, but sometimes i find myself snapping momentarily, over nothing…And also, SEVERE headaches. EVERY day… Right behind my eyes, ive never had a problem with headaches before, just the occasional one here or there…Sooo….my first thought: Brain mets.. 🙁
Thoughts?
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- October 2, 2013 at 1:45 pm
…And the only depth I ever got was after the THIRD excision, a depth of .8mm….so almost 1mm but not enough to warrant anything besides surgery… Could it have started out thicker, and they just got the reminants of what was left after they excised it twice? Could having numerous surgeries on that same spot caused surgical enduced spreading?
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- October 2, 2013 at 1:45 pm
…And the only depth I ever got was after the THIRD excision, a depth of .8mm….so almost 1mm but not enough to warrant anything besides surgery… Could it have started out thicker, and they just got the reminants of what was left after they excised it twice? Could having numerous surgeries on that same spot caused surgical enduced spreading?
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- October 3, 2013 at 4:48 pm
I am also having a slight problem with a lymph node near my corated (SP?) artery. I am monitoring this with my primary care provider. He was the doctor who caught my recurrence in 2006. If you are physically okay…. Maybe walking into things and mood swings…maybe you are depressed? People hate to think this, but it can sneak up on you. It happend to me. I think most cancer paitients go through this. Just a thought.
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- October 3, 2013 at 4:48 pm
I am also having a slight problem with a lymph node near my corated (SP?) artery. I am monitoring this with my primary care provider. He was the doctor who caught my recurrence in 2006. If you are physically okay…. Maybe walking into things and mood swings…maybe you are depressed? People hate to think this, but it can sneak up on you. It happend to me. I think most cancer paitients go through this. Just a thought.
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- October 3, 2013 at 5:47 pm
Thank you for your reply. I really dont believe I am depressed, I have the average stressors and things that go wrong on a day-to-day basis, but I certainly dont dwell on them any longer than necessary. And once I feel myself starting to get agitated, I can quickly correct it, but whats different for me is, I am getting annoyed at things that are just silly… Reflecting on them after I realize the silliness of it and work to simmer down going forward, but Ive never had a problem with feeling before thinking until now… This however is a minor detail of the big picture, it's the complete loss of coordination thats really trowing me off, depth perception, tripping going up stairs, walking into things, feeling like just falling over… The node is a minor thing too, but still on the list of worries because I know this is likely the first place it would spread, and though mine was relatively thin and 'cured' with surgery, I cant help but feel in my gut that something is lingering… And I have too much to live for, and i need to be here as long as possible, so if I get called paraniod a few times in the process, it's worth it to me 🙂 Good luck to you too, keep monitoring that node, and be your own advocate, you know your body better than anyone else.
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- October 3, 2013 at 5:47 pm
Thank you for your reply. I really dont believe I am depressed, I have the average stressors and things that go wrong on a day-to-day basis, but I certainly dont dwell on them any longer than necessary. And once I feel myself starting to get agitated, I can quickly correct it, but whats different for me is, I am getting annoyed at things that are just silly… Reflecting on them after I realize the silliness of it and work to simmer down going forward, but Ive never had a problem with feeling before thinking until now… This however is a minor detail of the big picture, it's the complete loss of coordination thats really trowing me off, depth perception, tripping going up stairs, walking into things, feeling like just falling over… The node is a minor thing too, but still on the list of worries because I know this is likely the first place it would spread, and though mine was relatively thin and 'cured' with surgery, I cant help but feel in my gut that something is lingering… And I have too much to live for, and i need to be here as long as possible, so if I get called paraniod a few times in the process, it's worth it to me 🙂 Good luck to you too, keep monitoring that node, and be your own advocate, you know your body better than anyone else.
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- October 3, 2013 at 5:47 pm
Thank you for your reply. I really dont believe I am depressed, I have the average stressors and things that go wrong on a day-to-day basis, but I certainly dont dwell on them any longer than necessary. And once I feel myself starting to get agitated, I can quickly correct it, but whats different for me is, I am getting annoyed at things that are just silly… Reflecting on them after I realize the silliness of it and work to simmer down going forward, but Ive never had a problem with feeling before thinking until now… This however is a minor detail of the big picture, it's the complete loss of coordination thats really trowing me off, depth perception, tripping going up stairs, walking into things, feeling like just falling over… The node is a minor thing too, but still on the list of worries because I know this is likely the first place it would spread, and though mine was relatively thin and 'cured' with surgery, I cant help but feel in my gut that something is lingering… And I have too much to live for, and i need to be here as long as possible, so if I get called paraniod a few times in the process, it's worth it to me 🙂 Good luck to you too, keep monitoring that node, and be your own advocate, you know your body better than anyone else.
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- October 3, 2013 at 4:48 pm
I am also having a slight problem with a lymph node near my corated (SP?) artery. I am monitoring this with my primary care provider. He was the doctor who caught my recurrence in 2006. If you are physically okay…. Maybe walking into things and mood swings…maybe you are depressed? People hate to think this, but it can sneak up on you. It happend to me. I think most cancer paitients go through this. Just a thought.
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- October 2, 2013 at 1:45 pm
…And the only depth I ever got was after the THIRD excision, a depth of .8mm….so almost 1mm but not enough to warrant anything besides surgery… Could it have started out thicker, and they just got the reminants of what was left after they excised it twice? Could having numerous surgeries on that same spot caused surgical enduced spreading?
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- October 2, 2013 at 4:06 pm
Talk to your primary care physician either in person or by phone. You are having many symptoms and suffering from severe headaches everyday. You should be checked to get to the root of the problem.
Best wishes.
Julie
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- October 2, 2013 at 4:06 pm
Talk to your primary care physician either in person or by phone. You are having many symptoms and suffering from severe headaches everyday. You should be checked to get to the root of the problem.
Best wishes.
Julie
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- October 2, 2013 at 4:06 pm
Talk to your primary care physician either in person or by phone. You are having many symptoms and suffering from severe headaches everyday. You should be checked to get to the root of the problem.
Best wishes.
Julie
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- October 2, 2013 at 5:33 pm
Hello there. Sounds like you’ve got some serious things going on there. They may be related to melanoma and again they may not be. I think you need to go to a cancer Dr. Preferably one that specializes in your type of cancer. If you trust your primary Dr, then go see him first. Something is definitely going on and it needs to be checked out. You will need an mri on your brain. Where are you located? -
- October 2, 2013 at 5:33 pm
Hello there. Sounds like you’ve got some serious things going on there. They may be related to melanoma and again they may not be. I think you need to go to a cancer Dr. Preferably one that specializes in your type of cancer. If you trust your primary Dr, then go see him first. Something is definitely going on and it needs to be checked out. You will need an mri on your brain. Where are you located? -
- October 2, 2013 at 5:33 pm
Hello there. Sounds like you’ve got some serious things going on there. They may be related to melanoma and again they may not be. I think you need to go to a cancer Dr. Preferably one that specializes in your type of cancer. If you trust your primary Dr, then go see him first. Something is definitely going on and it needs to be checked out. You will need an mri on your brain. Where are you located? -
- October 2, 2013 at 5:52 pm
I'm going to bring up the possiblilty of something as simple as an ear infection. That can cause balance and pain issues. I'm not saying you shouldn't check things out because you should. A lymph node that doesn't go down could easily be a "reactive" node – one that stays enlarged for no reason. Common and doesn't have to be cancer. And again, there could be other reasons for balance issues. Ask questions, document all your issues and if your PCP blows you off, you can always go to an oncologist or an ENT doc. Don't jump to conclusions, but also don't ignore things that are "different" for you.
Best wishes,
Janner
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- October 2, 2013 at 5:52 pm
I'm going to bring up the possiblilty of something as simple as an ear infection. That can cause balance and pain issues. I'm not saying you shouldn't check things out because you should. A lymph node that doesn't go down could easily be a "reactive" node – one that stays enlarged for no reason. Common and doesn't have to be cancer. And again, there could be other reasons for balance issues. Ask questions, document all your issues and if your PCP blows you off, you can always go to an oncologist or an ENT doc. Don't jump to conclusions, but also don't ignore things that are "different" for you.
Best wishes,
Janner
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- October 2, 2013 at 5:52 pm
I'm going to bring up the possiblilty of something as simple as an ear infection. That can cause balance and pain issues. I'm not saying you shouldn't check things out because you should. A lymph node that doesn't go down could easily be a "reactive" node – one that stays enlarged for no reason. Common and doesn't have to be cancer. And again, there could be other reasons for balance issues. Ask questions, document all your issues and if your PCP blows you off, you can always go to an oncologist or an ENT doc. Don't jump to conclusions, but also don't ignore things that are "different" for you.
Best wishes,
Janner
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- October 3, 2013 at 4:30 pm
I am in southern maine. I do agree with what you're saying Janner, I know the reactor nodes can sometimes flare up, and may not ever go back down to their original size. so the nodes are prob the least of my worries… The most of the worries are the falling down and loss of balance. I am a very healthy young woman otherwise, non smoker, and I take care of my body… Ive always had good eyesight, that was a thought, maybe my eyes are going, causing the daily headaches, but I dont believe so… Some days are worse than others, but I get at least a mild one every day, taking ibuprophin at minimum every other day, at most numerous times per day… My coordination and/or center of balance is completely off…
Anyway, thank you all for your kind words and advice. I do think its time to see my PCP and maybe even get an MRI (i just qualified for freecare till Feb 2014 too, so thats good timing)….. Best case, its all in my head…. unfortunately thats the worst case too.
:-/
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- October 3, 2013 at 4:30 pm
I am in southern maine. I do agree with what you're saying Janner, I know the reactor nodes can sometimes flare up, and may not ever go back down to their original size. so the nodes are prob the least of my worries… The most of the worries are the falling down and loss of balance. I am a very healthy young woman otherwise, non smoker, and I take care of my body… Ive always had good eyesight, that was a thought, maybe my eyes are going, causing the daily headaches, but I dont believe so… Some days are worse than others, but I get at least a mild one every day, taking ibuprophin at minimum every other day, at most numerous times per day… My coordination and/or center of balance is completely off…
Anyway, thank you all for your kind words and advice. I do think its time to see my PCP and maybe even get an MRI (i just qualified for freecare till Feb 2014 too, so thats good timing)….. Best case, its all in my head…. unfortunately thats the worst case too.
:-/
-
- October 3, 2013 at 4:30 pm
I am in southern maine. I do agree with what you're saying Janner, I know the reactor nodes can sometimes flare up, and may not ever go back down to their original size. so the nodes are prob the least of my worries… The most of the worries are the falling down and loss of balance. I am a very healthy young woman otherwise, non smoker, and I take care of my body… Ive always had good eyesight, that was a thought, maybe my eyes are going, causing the daily headaches, but I dont believe so… Some days are worse than others, but I get at least a mild one every day, taking ibuprophin at minimum every other day, at most numerous times per day… My coordination and/or center of balance is completely off…
Anyway, thank you all for your kind words and advice. I do think its time to see my PCP and maybe even get an MRI (i just qualified for freecare till Feb 2014 too, so thats good timing)….. Best case, its all in my head…. unfortunately thats the worst case too.
:-/
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