First post... swollen lymph nodes and night sweats help!

[awkwardgawky]

So ironically, tomorrow I have my first bout of CBT for this health anxiety that's plagued me for years. But I've been having night sweats and just found a swollen small lymph node in my neck - at least that's what I've persuaded myself it is, I can only feel it when I dig down.

I got diagnosed with health anxiety a while back when I rushed to A&E with chest pains certain I was about to have a heart attack. As soon as they told me I was fine, the chest pains went away.

But the anxiety was back bigger than ever today at work whilst I was Googling away my symptoms, obviously resulting in cancer. My point is, can swollen lymph nodes be a sign of anxiety? As I've had symptoms before just by worrying about them, could this be one?

Please someone help!

[Fishmanpa]

Welcome. There are a lot of great resources here that can be helpful.

I've found that "swollen" to an HA sufferer is more perception than clinical fact. What someone perceives as swollen is often in fact normal.

We have over 600 nodes in our bodies ranging from a few mm to 2cm in size. Poking and prodding can and does cause swelling and someone under an extreme amount of stress could have a physical reaction resulting in a swollen node(s).

Night sweats as a result of something sinister are "drenching" in nature head to toe, resulting in having to change the sheets and dry out your mattress. Also, stress biology can cause increased sweating in general as well as it's a side effect of some meds.

Positive thoughts

[awkwardgawky]

Thank you so much!
I do wonder if its just tissue and not a node because I've never really felt my neck before but it's lumpy with muscle tissue anway so I don't really know how to tell the difference. Can you usually see swollen lymph nodes without having to find them?

In terms of my night sweats, I never wake up drenched I just know I sweat because of my boyfriend who says I burn up and my back sweats, but I cool down before waking up apparently and never wake up during the night or with my clothes even smelling its weird. Would you say this isn't actual night sweats?

[Fishmanpa]

I'm a head and neck cancer survivor. Real swollen nodes are unmistakable and obvious. You're not describing night sweats in the least.

Positive thoughts