What do night sweats feel like with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

You may wake feeling unusually hot, damp or chilled after sweating. The moisture can affect your chest, neck and back, or spread across your body. The room may be cool, yet your clothes or sheets feel wet enough to change. Lymphoma can also cause painless swollen glands, ongoing tiredness, itching, fever or unplanned weight loss. These symptoms have many possible explanations, so night sweats alone cannot identify the cause.

Keep a brief record of when the sweating happens, whether it soaks clothing or bedding, and any fever, cough, itching or swollen areas. Arrange a medical appointment if the episodes keep returning or come with other persistent symptoms. A clinician may examine your lymph nodes and ask about your general health before deciding whether tests are needed. Do not stop prescribed treatment without medical advice.

Seek prompt medical advice for repeated drenching sweats, a persistent fever, unexplained weight loss, a new painless lump, or marked weakness. Seek urgent help for severe breathing difficulty, fainting, confusion, or sudden deterioration. If you have been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, tell your treatment team about a new or worsening pattern.

Ask whether the pattern could relate to lymphoma or another condition, what examinations may help, and which changes should be reported quickly. You can also ask how to manage damp bedding, itching or fever while your assessment is arranged.