Getting stressed about lumps in neck

[bells78]

Hi, I'm starting to get stressed again as i can feel lumps in ny neck. Two on the left side, one on the right and now i can feel a lump at the back of my neck where my head meets my neck.

Ive been to the doctors 5 times and now have seen 4 different doctors and they all have said they are small pea sized glands and it's normal to feel them once you know where to feel. They have never felt the need to carry out any tests.

Every time i go to the doctors i come out feeling happy and relaxed then after a few weeks i start poking my neck again and get really stressed. I actually poke my neck that much that it becomes sore and painfull.

It's now 5 months since i noticed these lumps, it all began because i overheard someone at work saying someone they knew had been diagnosed with hiv after they had big lumps/swollen glands on their neck. I'm a total worrier and started feeling my neck dialy for lumps, and since then i found these lumps. Before i heard this i had never felt my neck before or never had swollen glands.

i just wish i could forget about them, i've even had people at work and friends feeling my neck and they all think im getting wound up for no reason.

[Lou 1]

HI - I am in the same situation as you are right now and it's very fustrating,
I have two lumps one at the bottom left of my neck and one in the middle on the right
I've had them for around 6 years now and managed to forget about them but just recently rememberd they were there and have really set off my HA.
I constantly want to feel them and get my partner to feel them all of the time.
My doctor said they are lymph nodes and are normal at the size they are - i've seen 4 doctors and im still so worried.
I really sympathise with you as i know how worrying it can be! :( xx

[amandaj]

hi ive had a lump in my neck for many years now , only recently did i remeber it was there and started panicking even though ive seen lots of different drs about it, im sure it is glands im told mine is a cyst its quite big and i feel people staring at it ,im sure if it was anything sinister the dr would inestigets hope you feel better soon
amandaxx

[bells78]

thanks for your replies, the doctor told me that if they were anything sinister they wounldnt have stayed this size and would have got very large.

I just need to learn to forget about them and stop prodding (easier said than done)

i guess im just a total worrier and if it wasn't my neck it would be something else...lol

[jols007]

If you didn't have those lumps, then you should be worried. You know they are integral to your immune system, but yet you still worry. I know what it's like to have HA. Here's what you do.

1) Go to doctor and he/she will investigate anything out of the ordinary. You did this and doc said you are fine. Step 1 accomplished.

2) Document any changes in size, number, tenderness, etc of nodes over a course of 3 months. Don't monitor daily. Once a month is fine. Don't prod or poke, don't obsess. I know for a FACT that prodding makes them worse. I poked one of mine and it went from soft to semi-hard and got larger. I left it alone for a month and it returned to an even smaller size than when I first noticed it.

Odds are you will notice no difference. If you do notice a difference or are still concerned, get an ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration. Even they aren't 100% correct, so then what are you gonna do? Have it biopsied? Then what if that comes back clear? Do you think you'll stop there?

Say they remove and biopsy 1 of your 600 or so lymph nodes and it is clear, what about the other 599? How about the ones you can't see? I know someone who got the ultrasound for a small 5mm node only to find out that she had a bunch around 2cm in size. They were all fine, and 10 years later you know what, she's doing fine. The moral of the story is, if you are considered healthy, will it stop there?

Most people including myself didn't get health anxiety until their 20's or 30's, which means all these things we are feeling around our bodies for have been there most of our lives. Having HA, you are not the best judge of what is going on. A good doctor is your best bet.

I'm obviously not a doctor and you should only take my advice with a grain of salt. If you take anything away from what I say, let it be that you have to remain calm and not obsess over things. Easier said then done, I know, but I have been there before. It took me dozens of doctor's visits to realize that like a junkie, after this health obsession, I would probably just jump to some other part of my body or disease. I had to tell myself there is a difference between being health proactive and health obsessive.

[meg86]

Hello!

I to had this worry and obsession and overcame it.

Our bodies are filled with little glands which people without anxiety dont blink a eyelash at, i felt several little pea sized glands in my neck i was terrified went to the doctor who said they really are just glands and pea sized means its very normal to feel them.

I started checking my familys necks and they had lumps to!!

The more you poke on them the more they will play on your mind and fuel the anxious feelings, trust me TRUST THE DOCTOR AND LET IT GO!!!!!!!

and lastly STOP POKING AND TOUCHING!!! the longer you go without touching them and the first few days will be the hardest but after a few weeks the anxiety from the situation will vanish greatly.

A person without anxiety could have these glands they go to their doctor and they say they are glands, the person will walk away and say ok and not worry about it further.

Us with health anxiety cant accept that we are healthy, its why we have health anxiety, please trust the 4 doctors you have seen, everyone has these glands, not everyone can be felt so easily, relax and let this go its really nothing to worry about i promise!! xx

[worriedlikemad]

I've had this HIV anxiety, and I'm only 17.
Your best remedy is just to let go of the issue.
If you really are worried and nothing will get rid of it - just go to your local clinic and get a test. They are 100% accurate as of 12 weeks, so I'm sure it would show up anything that had gone on in recent years.

My advice would just be don't worry about it and stop poking around. The poking itself can also cause the lymph to swell a bit and become tender so if that happens don't suddenly make it another symptom like I did.

Hope this helps, chin up.

[ChrisK]

I'm not sure about " lumps " but I feel the pulsing points in my neck, whenever I place my head on a pillow, I feel the blood circulation, hence my insomnia. Nevertheless, it's nothing serious, I hope we all overcome this. Hugs.

[Gemma321]

I am having this righg now, i have had lots of little lumps checked and they have been little pea sized glands. I have been feeling unwell with hayfever sp my glands have swollen but i have noticed them barely moves like the others do so i am scared... Do all glands move around or do some stay still when feeling them??

[raggamuffin]

Glands, lymph nodes, cysts. I've had lumps come and go around my neck for over a decade and i'm still alive. It's pretty normal to get these and if you've sen multiple Dr's you need to stop trying to convince yourself it's something sinister. That'll only serve to make your anxiety worse. Remember, you don't have 5+ years of medical knowledge under your belt. You have anxiety - which leaves you paranoid and Google and or WebMD. You know you tend to feel a lot less ill when you stop consulting webMD :P

Ed