Are painless/non-tender englarged lymph nodes always bad?

[bebe1005]

I had a lymph node swell up randomly behind my right ear over 3 years ago, its now much smaller (probably 1 cm or less). I had it checked out recently and the nurse practitioner said it was normal size and probably just never completely went away. I never had any pain with it that I can remember and I don't remember it lasting very long. Maybe a few days to a week. I was not sick at the time that it popped up, so I'm not sure what caused it.

I just want to know if anyone else has ever had lymph nodes swell up with no pain and it ended up being nothing? I have a huge HIV fear, even though my partner and I have both been tested twice (this was way after the lymph node came and shrunk back down). And I always hear that HIV causes painless lymph nodes.

Also, my partner has a pretty decent size hard lump behind his left ear that I'm concerned about. I'm not sure what his is though. He says he's had it since elementary school (he's 24 now) and he's not concerned at all.

[darksideofthemoon]

I have the same thing. Mine has been like this for a couple years. When I bring it up on a visit to the doctor he just says it's normal. Nothing to woory about. But as usual I go home and worry I have cancer or some other dreaded life threatening illness.

After a couple days I'll forget about it and then I'll look in the mirror when I'm having a rough day and off I go - start focusing on it and rubbing it thinking all kinds of dreaded illnesses I may have.

It's insane some of the things that are going around in my mind. I wouldn't worry to much the more you worry the worse you get trust me on this as I am always worrying about something bad.

[Breezay]

It can be completely normal. As a child, mine were always enlarged. I had nothing wrong with me, other than a few bouts of tonsillitis a year :)