Suggest Treatment For Night Sweats, Headaches And Skin Infection

Posted on Wed, 2 Nov 2016

Question: I have night sweats that leave my hair and clothes damp. it's getting worse and has been going on for 2 years. My doctor said he didn't know why. I have an egg shape lump on the inside of my elbow that has been growing for 2 years. The doctor said that was the way I was made. I asked for blood work to check for lymphoma but he declined, said I didn't need it. My brother has lymphoma and a lump on inside of his elbow. Three weeks ago, I got a blister on my chest. Overnight it became very red, hot to the touch, clear liquid coming out of it, very itchy and bigger than size of my hand . He said it was a skin infection and put me on Bactrim for 10 days. I've had a constant headache for 3 weeks. I've lost 7 pounds in 3 weeks. Loss of appetite with vomiting when I eat but I don't feel nauseous. The red rash is gone but the center of it is still there and itches. I live in a very rural area and see a local doctor. I tire very easily. I had a hysterectomy, 27 years ago.

Answered by Dr. Shailja Puri (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
TB is a possibility,primary skin lesion & aspiration of elbow lump sugested

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query on HealthcareMagic.

Your query shows that there are many health issues which are bothering you.
I'll talk about each one by one.
Firstly, night sweats with loss and decreased appetite suggest tuberculosis (TB). However, tuberculosis is just one of the possibilities but we need to rule it out before looking for something else.
I suggest you to get a blood work up which includes complete blood count and ESR.

Inorder to know the nature of lump on the elbow, an aspiration cytology needs to be done. Aspiration cytology is an office procedure wherein cells are aspirated from the lump and seen under microscope to know its character.

An itchy blister on chest associated with decreased appetite and vomiting may be due primary lesion other than infection and its association with gastrointestinal tract like dermatitis herpetiformis. I suggest you to consult a dermatologist again. Since, the skin lesion is not being treated with antibiotics, possibility of infection is low.

Lymphome is usually accompanied by enlarged lymph nodes and enlarged organs like liver and spleen.
A general physical examination will rule out enlargement of lymph nodes, liver and spleen.

If you more queries, I will be glad to answer.

Thanks
Dr Shailja Puri

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad