My 31 yo husband has been experiencing night sweats for a year now. They started about once a month for six months. In the
past six months they have gotten worse over time exponentially. The more time passes, the faster his symptoms worsen. He is
now having severe, debilitating night sweats at least every other night, sometimes 2-3 times per night. Also, he stopped
working (due to isthmic spondylolisthesis) in December. Despite his decrease in activities/exercise from working in a
factory, his weight dropped to 153 after 2 months although his intake remains the same (he is 5'11" and his avg weight is
between 165/175). He is also easily fatigued, which is getting worse as the weeks pass.
He takes no medication for anything at all, though for about 3 weeks now I have been giving him one-a-day vitamins and B12
(1000mcg) supplements in an attempt to do SOMETHING for him. Also, he has no history of drug use and only socially drinks a
few glasses of wine about every other month or so. He had smoked for about 15 years before quitting about 3 weeks ago when
this all came to light.
During a c-spine MRI 30 Jan 08, a mass measuring 2.3 x 1.3 cm was found just anterior to the left sternocleidomastoid muscle,
while a CT scan done 03 Apr 08 showed a "structure" measuring 8 mm, and just superficial to this region "some soft tissue
which is somewhat indeterminate in nature", both at the superolateral aspect of the left submandibular gland.
Our follow-up visit to the gen surgeon last week was frustrating. He suggested that since it appeared to have reduced in
size, wait 3 months and perform another CT scan. He also called our local small-town cancer specialist who suggested he also
perform an ECG to rule out endocarditis (although the CT scan showed all thoracic and abdominal organs as completely normal),
and a thyroid function test. He has no other symptoms for these two conditions.
Last night when he woke up to use the bathroom, he had three night sweats in rapid succession. He had to crawl back into our
room, as he didn't even have the strength to call me loud enough to wake me (my bathroom is only about 15 feet away). When I
woke and the hall light was reflecting on him, he was so drenched that it looked like someone basted him in baby oil. I had
to sponge him down with a wet wash cloth for about 15 minutes before he could gain the strength to get back into bed. He said
the three episodes felt as if he was on fire for about a minute or so, then he was immediately drenched with sweat.
He is getting much worse very quickly. Do I wait three months or get a second opinion now?