View Full Version : Swollen glands - Dr Google confident it's C
Hello
I have been suffering from Anxiety for atleast 6 years, I have only once visited the doctor and they referred me to see somebody once a week for 7 weeks who gave me all sorts of self-help pamphlets etc.
My anxiety ranges from issues at work, health and general anxiety worrying about 'the worst case scenario' all the time. Each episode I worry about does often pass and I now find that I forget what I was worried about last time, except for major ones.
The last fortnight I am having a very bad episode! I feel I should give a bit of medical background because it could be relevant!
5 weeks ago I came down with a dreadful sore throat and fever which resulted in 3 days off work. I was not right for about 2 and a half weeks. The illness settled on my chest but luckily cleared up. I did have antibiotics off the doctor but not sure if these helped.
2 days after all my symptoms disappeared I woke up with a stiff neck. The pain gets worst then better throughout the day and moves around my neck. After a week of prodding and googling, I went to see the doctor last wednesday.
He felt my neck and said my glands were up, gave me 'dr talk' about lymphatic system etc but I didnt really take it in cause I practically had a panic attack in the waiting room.
The doctor suggested it was inflammation of some sort because I described the pain moved around and said he thought it was settling down (how can he tell?) and should be gone in a few days.
He was about to send me packing but I then proceeded to tell him about my recent fever etc and wondered if it was related because this came on after that all finished. Then I get hmmm from the doctor and he says OK well if things dont improve by monday (yesterday) lets get you in for a blood test to check your immune system!!
I am terrified because he suddenly changed his tone and also whilst the pain had got better, today it has come back with a vengence! I have booked the blood test for Friday.
I have boiled it down to glandular fever or some blood cancer!!
Today I have even been reading 'real stories' on cancer charity websites etc making myself feel very sick.
Can ANYONE offer any rationale???
AllIhaveisme
21-05-13, 15:19
Me!!!!!! I could very much identify with your story. About 11 weeks ago I noticed a lump on the side of my neck, pretty good sized. My kids had started daycare and it seemed the sore throat kept coming back. So the Dr said its a lymph node, it'll go down. Fast forward and I'm not at almost 11 weeks and countless more lumps on my neck and groin. I do have the neck pain/stiffness and the sore throat keeps coming back. This has resulted in astronomical amounts of stress, panic attacks, etc. I'm also going through a divorce. I have had 3 blood test, chest xray and blood cell morphology and all has come back negative and normal except I'm anemic. I still have no answers and my neck is still stiff and sore at times. Please don't tell me what Dr Google tells you about that because I hard a lot of anxiety today and I can't afford a panic attack at work today. My drs really don't think I have cancer, but they don't know what is going on either. You are NOT alone.
---------- Post added at 07:19 ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 ----------
Btw: I think its a good sign you had fever, as your body is obviously reacting to something, likely a virus.
Uncertain27
21-05-13, 22:45
Me!!!!!! I could very much identify with your story. About 11 weeks ago I noticed a lump on the side of my neck, pretty good sized. My kids had started daycare and it seemed the sore throat kept coming back. So the Dr said its a lymph node, it'll go down. Fast forward and I'm not at almost 11 weeks and countless more lumps on my neck and groin. I do have the neck pain/stiffness and the sore throat keeps coming back. This has resulted in astronomical amounts of stress, panic attacks, etc. I'm also going through a divorce. I have had 3 blood test, chest xray and blood cell morphology and all has come back negative and normal except I'm anemic. I still have no answers and my neck is still stiff and sore at times. Please don't tell me what Dr Google tells you about that because I hard a lot of anxiety today and I can't afford a panic attack at work today. My drs really don't think I have cancer, but they don't know what is going on either. You are NOT alone.
---------- Post added at 07:19 ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 ----------
Btw: I think its a good sign you had fever, as your body is obviously reacting to something, likely a virus.
I have looked up the symptoms of lymphoma several times recently and I'm pretty sure a stiff neck is not one of them. :)
AllIhaveisme
21-05-13, 22:50
I have looked up the symptoms of lymphoma several times recently and I'm pretty sure a stiff neck is not one of them. :)
Haha, thanks!
Yesterday i managed to go most of the day without touching the right side of my neck which was the most painful side. However i touched the left side loads.
Today the pain has switched around!!!
My eyes are also burning so I am starting to think something is taking hold of me!!
Jon Dimond
22-05-13, 18:21
I know it's really hard, but try not to stress. I developed a huge lump (it's the size of a satsuma) on the right side of my neck a few weeks ago, was hugely worried about it, even after a biopsy revealed it was a benign cyst. Had an MRI which I found out today confirmed that it's a branchial cyst.
I suspect that yours is swollen nodes due to a minor throat infection and that you're aggrevating them by prodding. The blood tests are standard and probably just to put your mind at rest.
Well today i have been for the blood test. Tried not to look at the blood form because i'd rather not know what the doctor was looking for.
Hoping this is one of those unexplained virus's that GP's keep going on about and will disappear!
Pain has got worst of the last 24 hours, burning like hell!
panicperson
12-06-13, 22:53
How did u get on x
Sounds to me like your GP suspects an infection, not a cancer.
aggiecuttler
13-06-13, 12:10
google has alot to answer for, i google so much and then regret it when i get down, i am sure they are probably testing to see if you have infection so dont panic blessings
hello
the blood test a couple of weeks ago reveal only a high iron level.
i have a repeat test tomorrow to check again. grrr.
panicperson
27-06-13, 09:43
How you got on?
I've now developed 3 groin lumps and I itch. Going GP again today.
She advised me to wait 3 weeks but now another 2 have developed I just cant��
Hope pray I'm ok x
Hi Hun
Things are much the same for me since this all started except less pain.
My neck is nowhere near as stiff but it just isn't right. Im also worried about a lump above collarbone but the last doctor said its on the opposite side too but i can't find it.
Sorry to hear you are also being made to wait.
I have lost weight which has made me book another appointment tomorrow - i wasnt supposed to go until middle of july. Im also taking this opportunity to see a different doctor.
I'm calmer than I have been but its just nagging in my mind and i want it over and just go away!
its affecting all aspects of my life. work performance is terrible, my partner and family are all sick of me. its easy for people to say its nothing to worry about but something is going on in my body and nobody is telling me what.
'Something is going on in my body and no one is telling me what', is exactly how I feel right now. I've been to the doctors so many times in the last few months about my mouth and tongue convinced it's the C word, courtesy of Dr Google obviously. My doctor said I'm not denying there's stuff happening in your mouth, ie inflammation, but it's not cancer. But this isn't enough! I need a definitive answer as to why 'stuff' is happening. Until I get it I don't think I'll rest and continue to believe there's something major happening. But that seems to be a theme I've noticed with so many posts. We're all wanting a definite answer as to why something is happening. I'm trying to tell myself now that maybe stuff just happens to our body sometimes. It's just our over awareness of it driving us mad! X
panicperson
27-06-13, 11:09
Yeah I do agree as sometimes things happen to our body's, we don't know why, then it goes!
I am having some CBT and they said that even if I had cancer, reassurance wouldn't cure it. Therefore meaning that seeking reassurance does not help. I totally get him, but I'm still seeking it!!!!
Doctors I worry about as I think they think I'm a big idiot wasting their busy time. But on the other hand I think "I pay NI contributions so I have a right!!!" Lol.
Anyway, I'm still convinced its Lymphoma, and u til they do the tests that prove otherwise, I won't believe them!!!
Hi LF87
Sounds very similar to me - the doctor isn't denying there is something going on but can't say what. He has even said if things are the same in 3 weeks time they still won't do anything.
He has told me there is nothing to biopsy and really I think that's the only next step that would help me.
One thing I cannot seem to do is stop touching my neck glands. I have read that palpatating them constantly will keep them active but i just cant stop myself for more than 24 hours to give it a chance!
i really understand what you are going through not having answers. what is wrong with your tongue?
---------- Post added at 11:21 ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 ----------
Yeah I do agree as sometimes things happen to our body's, we don't know why, then it goes!
I am having some CBT and they said that even if I had cancer, reassurance wouldn't cure it. Therefore meaning that seeking reassurance does not help. I totally get him, but I'm still seeking it!!!!
Doctors I worry about as I think they think I'm a big idiot wasting their busy time. But on the other hand I think "I pay NI contributions so I have a right!!!" Lol.
Anyway, I'm still convinced its Lymphoma, and u til they do the tests that prove otherwise, I won't believe them!!!
i suppose you are right! reassurance wouldn't cure it!
I remember i had a chest infection back in august for nearly 3 months. I was convinced i had a lung problem. I kept huffing out air at high speed to 'test' my lungs all the time....things didnt get better til i stopped doing that...
Ah it's a long story! Basically started with a sore throat and tongue, to which I got the torch on my phone involved, noticed some raised bumps on one side of my tongue and scared the hell out of myself by googling. Saw my doctor who said it was nothing to worry about, but referred me to an ENT specialist because I was so freaked. He said it was nothing to worry about too.
I went back to the doctor's with my throat still being sore, which turned out to be strep/tonsillitis. Which has probably caused the bumps on the side of my tongue because that tonsil is more swollen than the other from the tonsillitis. Went back AGAIN, with my focus well and truly on my mouth. Every little thing I notice, like an ulcer, or anything, is like the end of the world. Anyway, been told in the region of four to five times it's nothing to worry about. But to me, it looks and feels weird, and there's something lurking that they're missing. I've convinced myself that there's a new 'bump' developed that the ENT wouldn't have seen. And that my doctor missed it the other day, even though I told her the exact location. And yes, I thought I had lymphoma too, because of the swollen tonsil. But none of the doctors are bothered. So I guess they're looking for something specific. Or we'd all have been rushed somewhere by now. It's just the most annoying and time consuming thing I've ever dealt with. I've had anxiety before, I used to be obsessed with the idea I was going to be sick, to the point where I wouldn't go out of the house. That was bad, but I got over it. But this! It's like you can't be comfortable in your own skin. Every little twinge in my mouth sends me straight to the mirror. You said you kept prodding your neck, we're making it so easy for our body to get confused! I keep poking my tongue and bending it to angles it probably shouldn't be bent to...and then wonder why it feels tender or weird. It's probably similar with your glands! We aren't supposed to prod ourselves this much, haha. Sorry for the essay, clearly was in need of a vent!
Ah it's a long story! Basically started with a sore throat and tongue, to which I got the torch on my phone involved, noticed some raised bumps on one side of my tongue and scared the hell out of myself by googling. Saw my doctor who said it was nothing to worry about, but referred me to an ENT specialist because I was so freaked. He said it was nothing to worry about too.
I went back to the doctor's with my throat still being sore, which turned out to be strep/tonsillitis. Which has probably caused the bumps on the side of my tongue because that tonsil is more swollen than the other from the tonsillitis. Went back AGAIN, with my focus well and truly on my mouth. Every little thing I notice, like an ulcer, or anything, is like the end of the world. Anyway, been told in the region of four to five times it's nothing to worry about. But to me, it looks and feels weird, and there's something lurking that they're missing. I've convinced myself that there's a new 'bump' developed that the ENT wouldn't have seen. And that my doctor missed it the other day, even though I told her the exact location. And yes, I thought I had lymphoma too, because of the swollen tonsil. But none of the doctors are bothered. So I guess they're looking for something specific. Or we'd all have been rushed somewhere by now. It's just the most annoying and time consuming thing I've ever dealt with. I've had anxiety before, I used to be obsessed with the idea I was going to be sick, to the point where I wouldn't go out of the house. That was bad, but I got over it. But this! It's like you can't be comfortable in your own skin. Every little twinge in my mouth sends me straight to the mirror. You said you kept prodding your neck, we're making it so easy for our body to get confused! I keep poking my tongue and bending it to angles it probably shouldn't be bent to...and then wonder why it feels tender or weird. It's probably similar with your glands! We aren't supposed to prod ourselves this much, haha. Sorry for the essay, clearly was in need of a vent!
Hi LF87
thanks for the story! its good to hear what other people go through with HA!
I have to say, without being rude, it was funny to read because it sounded just like a hypocondriac! I probably sound the same!
I think the fact is, these doctors KNOW what they are looking for - WE dont!!
Haha! Oh yes, it's classic hypochondria. I know this in my sensible normal rational head. But it's the little goblin health anxiety that likes to take the spotlight. Hopefully I'll be able to stop myself going back to the doctors and take her word. With the gland touching thing, try to allow yourself just twice a day to look at it or feel it. I've been trying to master this. We need discipline our brains!
panicperson
28-06-13, 18:42
My GP said she thinks these lymph nodes are fine. She thinks its because I'm slim that I feel them. I try not to touch them but easier said.
I'm convinced she's wrong but what do u do!?!
She said that GPs have a safety net, and if they were concerned re the lump they would refer on. She said she does not need to do this :-/
I went to the doctor with swollen glands in my neck when I was 13. They are still there. I'm 53 in August.
Just saying. :)
You do talk to your doctor about the HA (Health Anxiety) don't you? They are usually really helpful if you go in and say you just need reassurance...
panicperson
28-06-13, 22:37
That's reassuring. I just find it strange that a few weeks ago they want there, now they are, they haven't gone but are apparently just normal.
What makes it hard is that prior to the lump I was convinced I had lymphoma. This just was the icing on the cake.
They are fully aware I have HA. That's why I think they don't look into things x
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