Hey everyone. I had my surgery on Friday, and it seemed to go well. The surgeon told my husband that he removed a cluster of lymph nodes (2-3)instead of the one, and that granules (?) were present in them. He didn't say a whole lot except that the surgery went well, and he would give us a full pathology report on Thursday when he removes the stitches. He said he thought everything would be okay, but the pathology report would give us a definite answer. What does it mean when granules are present? Is that usually an indicator of something good? My husband didn't ask a whole lot of questions as he was a little surprised that the doctor removed more than one node. He said he just didn't think at the time to ask a whole lot. I'm still banking on everything turning out well, and the doctor seems to be positive also. But, I'm just asking for information only. I know that each case is different, but I just wanted to know if granules were normal. Also, I am numb from my ear lobe to my shoulder on the side the surgery was done. I was told by friends that it was normal for that to happen and that the feeling would eventually return. Hope someone can share some info with me. Thanks, TGF

Glad to hear from you TGF,

I do not know what he means by "granules" since that term was not used for me in my treatment maybe that is a good thing? (darn doctors for not explaining)

As to the numbness that should go away over time but nerves grow back at a pretty slow rate so it may take a while.

Take care and let us know when the pathology report comes back.

Good news! The results were benign. The doctor stated that they turned out not to be lymph nodes but were benign B-B like tumors (numerous ones) that had engulfed one of the major nerves in my neck. He stated that he did not tell my husband a lot after surgery because he was not sure what he had removed. He said he had never seen anything similar - that they appeared to be dried up lymph nodes but were wrapped like a fist around one of the major nerves on the right side of my neck. He said that we had a double blessing because if the tumors had not been removed, they would have continued to multiply and would have caused permanent damage to that nerve. He also said that he had to cut the muscle to remove a couple of more tumors located under the fatty tissue under the muscle. He is sending the results to my immunologist in Chapel Hill as they think it is related to my Behcet's disease. He said the numbness covers a large area because they had to manipulate the nerve so much, but assured me that the feeling would eventually return in several months to a year. I am so pleased and want to let you all know how much I appreciate your input and advice. If it had not been for you all encouraging me to have it biopsied or removed, it could have caused irreparable damage to the nerve and paralysis to some extent. Brian was right. Anything that shows itself that has not been there should definitely not be dismissed. Thanks for all your help and I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers daily. TGF

Hey guys-if you go to the active topics for today, I went to the docs and got a few answers. It is under "My diagnosis....not!" I am just looking for a few opinions, besides telling me that I am getting the run around, I feel like I am finally heading in the right direction, even though it is towards the big "C", but in the right direction none the less. Thanks guys
Desiree'

TGF, That Is GREAT news! It makes my day!

I'm sure you can relate to what meaning a "new day" has. You got pretty close to the fire emotionally, very fortunately you did not get burned. I am happy for you and your family.
I hope your recovery is going well.
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