Follicular lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that can cause a variety of symptoms in addition to fatigue. These symptoms can occasionally change the way you look. Some of these changes can be lasting, but most of them will go away when you start treatment for follicular lymphoma.

In addition, some treatments for follicular lymphoma have side effects that you can see. If you’re experiencing physical changes, it’s important to understand them so you can give yourself grace and understand why they’re happening. These symptoms can also motivate you to seek help from health care professionals, especially if you aren’t sure what is going on. Here’s what you need to know about physical changes and follicular lymphoma.

1. Weight Loss

Significant weight loss can be a common symptom of follicular lymphoma. Some experts note that it’s only a symptom when it happens without another explanation. Some people may lose 10 percent of their body weight in six months!

One member of MyLymphomaTeam shared, “I was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in 2021 and was symptom-free for two years. I then experienced day sweats, loss of weight, and itching.”

Significant weight loss can change your appearance quite a bit. You’ll notice that most parts of your body become slimmer and more defined. For some people, weight loss can noticeably change their facial appearance. Others might compliment you on the changes, not realizing that the weight loss was unintended and could indicate a health issue.

2. Sweating

Excessive sweating, including both day and night sweats, can be a symptom of follicular lymphoma. One MyLymphomaTeam member notes, “It is drenching sweats where you need to change your clothing.”

This is something that you and others will be able to see. If you’re sweating this much, your whole body will likely be wet or damp. You may have wet spots or stains on your clothes, or your clothing may simply look wet all the way through. Some people turn red when they sweat.

Excessive sweating may also make you cold. If you’re not in a warm environment, being that wet could cause chills. You may shake, shiver, rub your arms, or wear clothing that doesn’t match the weather.

3. Anemia

Some people diagnosed with follicular lymphoma will experience anemia. This condition develops when you don’t have enough hemoglobin, which carries the oxygen inside your red blood cells. Anemia can develop if follicular lymphoma affects your bone marrow or as a side effect of chemotherapy.

Most visible symptoms of anemia typically appear when the condition becomes moderate to severe. You may have pale skin, a bluish color in the whites of your eyes, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, and brittle fingernails and toenails.

Anemia will look different depending on how your body experiences it. Some people may have no visible symptoms, while others might experience all of the symptoms listed here and more. If you notice any of these follicular lymphoma symptoms, you should talk to your oncology team about how they might be associated with follicular lymphoma.

4. Thrombocytopenia

Thrombocytopenia can also be a symptom of follicular lymphoma, especially if the bone marrow is involved. It happens when you don’t have enough platelets in your bloodstream, so your blood can’t clot like it usually does.

Thrombocytopenia can cause many symptoms that you can see. You may get nosebleeds, or bleed easier and more than normal, even from small injuries. Your gums may bleed when you brush your teeth, and you might bruise easier than usual. You can also develop small patches that look purple or red on pale skin and like dark splotches on darker skin. These are called purpura or petechiae. If this happens under your fingernails, they may look dark or even black, depending on your skin tone.

If you think you’re bleeding more than normal or you see these symptoms on any part of your body, it might be a sign of follicular lymphoma. You can talk to your doctor to find out more.

Thrombocytopenia (low platelets) caused by lymphoma can result in skin changes like patches that look purple or red on pale skin and like dark splotches on darker skin.

5. Abdominal Changes

Sometimes, people diagnosed with follicular lymphoma get tumors of a significant size in their abdomen. While these may be painless swellings, they can be large enough to cause physical changes, or they can cause blockages in blood vessels, the urinary tract, or the digestive system.

A member who experienced follicular lymphoma in their abdomen shared, “I have follicular lymphoma. Mine started in my lower abdomen and has spread to all my lymph nodes.”

Follicular lymphoma tumors in the abdomen may cause physical changes and blockages in blood vessels, the urinary tract, or the digestive system.

The changes you see depend on how an abdominal tumor affects you. If the tumor is large enough, it may cause your stomach to push out, creating a lump or a bump or making you look bloated. If it puts pressure on a blood vessel, you may experience swelling in different locations, depending on the vessel involved. If the tumor puts pressure on the digestive tract, you may experience bloating for different reasons, especially if it becomes harder for your body to digest food.

6. Telangiectasias

Telangiectasia is a visible symptom that is a side effect of some follicular lymphoma treatment options. These are small blood vessels near the skin that become wider than normal. They can occur after radiation therapy and chemotherapy drugs.

When you look at these, you may be able to see the widened vessel, plus any smaller vessels that come off of it. They are often red on pale skin or like dark purple lines on darker skin. Sometimes, a whole area of your skin may simply look red, purple, or discolored until you look at it up close and see the spidery branching of the blood vessels.

7. Alopecia

Alopecia, or hair loss, is another possible side effect of the same follicular lymphoma treatments mentioned above. You may lose all of your body hair, including your eyebrows and the hair around your genitals, or you may only experience thinning hair.

Alopecia will look different depending on how extensively you experience it. If your hair only becomes thinner, other people may not notice it even if it’s very clear to you. If you lose all of your hair, it’s obviously more visible.

Many people choose to wear wigs, hats, or scarves to cover alopecia caused by cancer treatment. You can decide what makes you feel most comfortable, whether it’s covering up or not. It’s completely fine if you choose not to cover up.

Talk to Your Doctor

If you’re experiencing any new symptoms, whether they’re visible or not, follow up with your doctor right away. Because follicular lymphoma can be slow growing, more symptoms could indicate that your follicular lymphoma is progressing from an early stage to a more advanced stage.

New symptoms could also mean that your follicular lymphoma may be developing into another type of lymphoma, like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Your follicular lymphoma may also have relapsed, or you may be developing a complication. If it’s a side effect, you may need to modify your medication regimen. You and your doctor can figure out what’s going on and what course of treatment is best for you.

Find Your Team

On MyLymphomaTeam, the social network for people with lymphoma and their loved ones, more than 19,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with lymphoma.

How has follicular lymphoma changed your physical appearance? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.