I've got tick bite fever!

I have found out why I feel so awful and why my lymph glands are so swollen and sore: I have tickbite fever. To be honest, I am relieved although reading up about it now, I realise how dangerous it can be. I have been told I don't have to go to bed so guess I have it mildly but am surprised that the doctor I just saw now didn't tell me not to exercise - asked my biokineticist and she said I cannot - and what it certainly proves is that oncologists, or at least the oncology centre I go to, are brilliant at treating cancer but certainly don't adopt an holistic approach.
They were very quick to tell me they were not one bit worried, great, and I am more than delighted that I don't have cancer but, as the multitude of swollen lymph nodes in my neck was evidence of an infection, I think they should have said that if I start feeling ill, I should see my GP.
Tick bite fever can be bloody serious, for example, and I was prancing around wondering for how long I had to walk around like this.
Anyway, it was The Yoga Man who insisted: don't take your car to the garage today (the front bumper was loose); go to a doctor; your health is more important than your car which did kind of piss me off as I always do prioritise my health more than anything else.
If you don't have cancer, the oncologists don't have time to deal with you. So you need to take action.
But I did listen. Cancelled the garage and then set my alarm for 2pm to see how I felt. I did feel better today than I felt last night. But when a friend at work told me I look terrible (I had also thought my eyes looked funny this morning and I was thinking I should maybe wear some eye-liner), I decided: that's it and phoned the oncology centre.
Joyce, I said to the nurse, I know I am annoying you but I need to ask you two quick things. The left side and the right side of my neck were scanned, but not the back 'cos it was not sore (and remember I had one swelling on one side when I went to the centre on Tuesday where the oncologist then found more lumps and the radiologist even more)....So, I said to Joyce, I now have a large bump on my head which is bloody sore and lots of bumps at the back of my neck. Now is this a problem? Should I be worried that they have not been scanned?
Also, I said, I don't feel good. At all. Should I go see my GP? Yes, she said, maybe you should and then if he is worried at all, he can phone The Tango Man and he will take the call.
So I phoned the doctor who was able to see me straight away. Brilliant. So off I raced and within one minute of being in his rooms, he looked behind my ears and told me I had tick bite fever. Now, I have no idea how I got it. But I am totally relieved that I now know why I have so many swollen lymph glands in my neck area. And I feel good to think that my body is healthy and fighting this infection and that I am not collapsing but am bearing up pretty well.
Of course, now I am worried that a bite on the left side of my body is threatening to my borderline lymphedema, and just to top it all: the bumper of my car came loose, became tangled below my car, I paid a  carguard at the centre where I went to the pharmacy to get the medication R10 to take it off (it took one second) and now it's a crumpled heap on the back seat of my car, which means I not only have to have it attached properly to my car, I have to get a new bumper!
But it sure beats having cancer!!
Oh, read more about tick bite fever in south africa

"he is not one bit worried"

Got a call from the oncology centre today. Not unexpected, considering I had a scan yesterday.
"He (The Tango Man) is not one bit worried," the main nurse Joyce said. "Yes, but the lumps (in my neck) are getting bigger, you can now see one or two just by looking and....." I responded.
"You could just see them yesterday too," she said.
"Anyway, he said I must tell you that he is not one bit worried."
And by implication, she was saying: don't worry either.
He said he knew you would be ok, she said. And then I realised he would not have left the centre before getting the report if he was concerned about my scan.
But I only found out this morning from my biokineticist that the big lump at the back of my head is probably also a swollen lymph gland, and that wasn't examined or scanned.
And my lumps are getting bigger all the time. Could feel them when I put cream on my neck this morning. And the ones on my head and the back of my neck make me feel slightly nauseous at times, at other times they burn. I wonder where the infection is that they are reacting to. I wonder if my haircut/highlights caused it. The Tango Man did say that anything can set this off - and mentioned a haircut. (He could see my hair was different.)
But again today Joyce said he thinks it was caused from The Lymph Lady's lymph drainage massages. I wonder if he knows that I also do it for about an hour a day. Every day, except for Fridays when I only do it for about 30 minutes. Mmm.... gonna phone the centre tomorrow to find out what I can do re this discomfort and burning.Wouldn't want it to last for weeks.

another emergency scan

My beck has been sore since about Sunday. Cannot remember when it started but by Monday night the muscles were so raised that I phoned the physio to make an appointment. Today my neck was fine and I cancelled tomorrow's appointment.
Not sure if that is related to this but anyway, neck was in spasm on Monday so asked The Yoga Man to massage it. "What's this?" he said, as he rubbed the left side of my neck. "What do you mean 'what's this'?" I responded. What is that? Is it a lump?
It was decided that I would ask The Lymph Lady when I saw her later that day. She said it was either a lymph node or vascular, nothing to worry about and we'd keep a check on it.
But it got worse, more pronounced, as the day went on.
So today, after a meeting at work, I got into my car and drove to the oncology centre. I have given up on phoning them. Not that they don't answer the phone, they do, but they tend to dismiss things. If I am there in person, they are forced to confront me.
I am here for three things, I said to Joyce: to get the blood tests I must have before my next appointment, for you to make a muga scan appointment for, and cos I got a lump on my neck.
She examined my neck, then went to call the doctor. He said there were lots of lymph nodes in my neck. We need to keep a check on this, he said, or something to that effect. I want you to go for a scan, he said.
Oh my God, I said, or something to that effect. Really? Well, you came here cos you felt something was wrong.... anyway, they phoned for an appointment and off I left.
Sitting there for the scan was the one of the few times since I was diagnosed that I felt total despair. I felt that if the cancer has come back, only months after finishing herceptin, it is too soon, too soon, and I would be doomed.
Anyway, the radiographer and radiologist did the scan (first one, then the other). Fine, fine, fine, said the radiographer but "it's so unusual to have all these enlarged lymph nodes" she kept saying, as she found one after the other and on both sides of my neck.
Anyway, happy to report that there is no malignancy. Everything fine according to the report, which I read a few times, although one node is 7.5mm and another on the right 12mm which seems pretty pronounced.
The doctor was not there when I went to take the results so not sure what happens next. The one person who did the scan, cannot remember which one now, said that my doctor, The Tango Man, might want a rescan at some point.
I felt pretty anxious. Almost burst into tears afterwards but ok now. Although it's a stress I find hard to handle.
But why all these enlarged lymph nodes? They're reactive, not malignant, said the radiologist. But why?
The Lymph Lady has now advised no further manual lymph drainage massage for now. "If there is an infection we need to wait," she said in her sms. 
The Tango Man had said earlier that her treatment with me might have moved the lymph to my neck but dunno if that's possible.
For now, am totally relieved that there is no malignancy.