stupidworries
29-05-14, 15:26
Okay, so 2 years ago I had about 7-8 bouts of tonsilitis in about a year, lead to a load of lymph nodes swelling in my neck (movable, totally like you'd expect from an infection) I panicked and went to the doctors several times about this, was told I was a hypochondriac, insisted to go to an ENT specialist who told me I was fine. A blood test for glandular fever also came back absolutely fine. Nodes are still there, still swollen but I don't mind at all as I know this can just happen sometimes.
2 years on... The one that haunts me is the one under my ear behind my jaw though. It's hard, immovable and feels like bone. It shrinks when I touch it and press on it and returns to normal size later of around 1cm give or take a little. It feels like there is a moveable lymph node on top of a harder more fixed structure that feels like bone. I'm not sure if it actually IS a small amount of bone with a lymph node over the top of it, with the bone just making the node feel rock solid and immovable at times depending on it's position. Although the hard bony part in the centre is sometimes the only thing present and sometimes is a fair bit bigger than it is at other times.
I've been rubbing it all morning which had made it shrink dramatically to probably half size.
I just need reassurance basically... I reasoned with myself that if I had Lymphoma (like I scare myself that I do) it wouldn't grow and shrink when touched and after 2 years there would be symptoms. I then read about "Indolent Lymphoma" which occurs in people who are usually aged at least 40-50 and can show no symptoms for years other than one rock hard fixed node which could grow and shrink which set my panicking right off again. I know this is stupid and I know I'm okay as I always have stupid irrational health worries I just can't shake this one no matter what I do. Whenever I google this it makes it sound like I'm completely screwed...
So I'm thinking:
1. If I had any reason to worry I'd have likely seen symptoms by now right?
2. It can be normal for a lymph node to be hard if fixed to a bone? I've read it can...
3. A rock hard gland isn't the death sentence google says it is?
I've read a few posts on here of people saying they had anxiety about a similar thing but it turned out alright... Any help is appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
---------- Post added at 14:26 ---------- Previous post was at 14:23 ----------
Other info: This is my final year exams before University so I'm very stressed at the minute, I do suffer from mild OCD and this is often where I get these thoughts from, everyone around me is reassuring me I'm okay.
2 years on... The one that haunts me is the one under my ear behind my jaw though. It's hard, immovable and feels like bone. It shrinks when I touch it and press on it and returns to normal size later of around 1cm give or take a little. It feels like there is a moveable lymph node on top of a harder more fixed structure that feels like bone. I'm not sure if it actually IS a small amount of bone with a lymph node over the top of it, with the bone just making the node feel rock solid and immovable at times depending on it's position. Although the hard bony part in the centre is sometimes the only thing present and sometimes is a fair bit bigger than it is at other times.
I've been rubbing it all morning which had made it shrink dramatically to probably half size.
I just need reassurance basically... I reasoned with myself that if I had Lymphoma (like I scare myself that I do) it wouldn't grow and shrink when touched and after 2 years there would be symptoms. I then read about "Indolent Lymphoma" which occurs in people who are usually aged at least 40-50 and can show no symptoms for years other than one rock hard fixed node which could grow and shrink which set my panicking right off again. I know this is stupid and I know I'm okay as I always have stupid irrational health worries I just can't shake this one no matter what I do. Whenever I google this it makes it sound like I'm completely screwed...
So I'm thinking:
1. If I had any reason to worry I'd have likely seen symptoms by now right?
2. It can be normal for a lymph node to be hard if fixed to a bone? I've read it can...
3. A rock hard gland isn't the death sentence google says it is?
I've read a few posts on here of people saying they had anxiety about a similar thing but it turned out alright... Any help is appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
---------- Post added at 14:26 ---------- Previous post was at 14:23 ----------
Other info: This is my final year exams before University so I'm very stressed at the minute, I do suffer from mild OCD and this is often where I get these thoughts from, everyone around me is reassuring me I'm okay.