swollen lymph node in neck...

[manda95]

Hi again, everyone.

If I could just ask anyone who's interested in reading this to refer to my first and only post so far, to get a little more background info on what's been going on.. It's sort of a long post, so I apologize, but I would really appreciate full insight.

I ended up not being able to go to the ENT on Monday (3/14) as I so desperately waited for due to the office not accepting my insurance as a new patient...even after I called and double checked before I even booked an appointment. :weep: This caused SO much anxiety (5 panic attacks in 6 days) and made the wait unbearable, so being denied on the spot after so much anticipation was a horrible experience. Anyway, I couldn't just not go anywhere, but the closest ENT was about 40 miles away and I couldn't get an appointment in until late March/early April... so I opted for Urgent care, because I couldn't take waiting anymore.

Surprisingly, I tested positive for strep, although I had no symptoms that I would attribute to strep (again, please refer to my first post :)). I've had ongoing throat problems for about 2 1/2 years, so it was really hard for me to believe that I actually have strep. Could this really be the cause of my discomfort for so long? My symptoms have never once felt like strep, so it's really confusing. What's even more strange, is that my fiancé has never once caught strep or has ever had any throat issues this whole time. My symptoms usually come and go, but I've only been to the doctors twice over this and was prescribed antibiotics both times, but then again they never even tested me for strep so I don't even know if I really even had it then. All the other times my symptoms "come", I didn't go anywhere and let the symptoms go away on their own. I've been terrified of some form of cancer in my throat area for so long now, so I don't really know what to think. It just doesn't feel like strep to me at all but apparently right now I have it.

Now, moving on to the main thing. I found a painless, moveable lump in my neck about the size of a grape last Monday. This freaked me out entirely. I showed this to the NP who saw me at urgent care (same time I tested positive for strep) and she said it was a swollen lymph node probably due to strep. She also said it wasn't that big, and that it being painless is a GOOD thing... What do you mean??? I've only ever read that painless, swollen lymph nodes are a BAD sign...a very bad sign. So I've been terrified of that and so scared about lymphoma now or cancer spreading to my nodes! I've been doing so much research, which only ever turns out scary. People have found lymph nodes smaller than mine with NO OTHER SYMPTOMS (even a good blood test) and ended up having stage 4 cancer. People have also said they had to push and push their doctors and get multiple opinions before they were diagnosed, and that is terrifying. How can I trust what anyone says after I've read all that???

Anyway, she sent me for an ultrasound for my reassurance, which I had this morning. The ultrasound technician had a difficult time finding it on the ultrasound, despite me showing him where it was (not visible, but not super hard to find), so I don't know what to think, but I'm a mess. I'm so scared of the results (which I don't know when I'll be getting back - the technician wasn't much help). But even if the results come back okay or they can't find anything, I won't be convinced, because I FEEL it. I keep touching it obsessively to see if its gotten any bigger or smaller but it's so hard to tell. I know it's best to leave it alone but it's so hard when it's all I think about.

Question is, could I have a painless, large swollen lymph node due to my "strep" diagnoses? Pretty sure I've had strep before and I've had plenty of colds where my nodes swell..and they are always a little tender to touch.

I'm on 500mg of Amoxicillin for ten days I believe, started Monday afternoon.

So, so sorry for writing so much, my anxiety is going nuts right now and I don't want to leave a single detail out. What should I do? Should I get a second opinion? Beg for some other kind of scan? I just changed my primary care doctor but haven't filled out any paperwork yet, I plan on going there, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to get in..

Thank you so much and I really appreciate anyones time and insight...

[Fishmanpa]

"could I have a painless, large swollen lymph node due to my "strep" diagnoses?"

Absolutely! The fact that the ultrasound tech just affirms the medical professional's opinion and diagnosis.

Take your meds and feel better soon!

Positive thoughts

[manda95]

i would've thought swollen lymph nodes would be easy to spot on an ultrasound.. any idea why he couldn't find it? what exactly does that mean? the tech kept saying he "wasn't a doctor" so i feel quite unsettled about it, as i didn't get any answers... i know the radiologist is going to look at it, if he hasn't already, so i should expect to hear back from them at some point. what do you think i should expect? the more i touch it the bigger and less moveable it seems to be :weep:

[Fishmanpa]

the more i touch it the bigger and less moveable it seems to be :weep:

Poking and prodding will only irritate it and prohibit it from healing! STOP doing that! You can actually cause it to become shotty and permanently larger.

You're right "swollen" nodes are easy to spot. What does that tell you about yours?

Positive thoughts

[Catherine S]

Hi, when you say you didn't get any answers, I got the impression from your post that they actually did give you some answers, what was it you were waiting to hear? Swollen lymph nodes are simply the body's reaction to infection is all. The medic actually saw the lymph node you mentioned, felt it and told you not to worry about.

ISB x

[manda95]

you're absolutely right about poking and prodding... it's just so hard not to want to touch it, as if somehow it will change how i feel, when in fact, it really just makes everything worse. what exactly does "shotty" mean?

it's definitely quite swollen though, which is why it's hard for me to just let it go. i don't know much about the medical field at all, besides what i've read from forums/google, which is why this is so nerve racking. obviously this is the reason we have doctors, otherwise everyone would be diagnosing themselves with a horrible terminal illness... haha

i'm trying to find comfort in the fact that i was indeed diagnosed with strep (still so shocking to me), which could be a very explainable reason for the swollen lymph node. i just don't find comfort in the fact that the doctor i visited said that painless lymph nodes are a good thing, when i've only ever heard the opposite...

---------- Post added at 12:07 ---------- Previous post was at 12:02 ----------

Hi there, ISB!

the tech said i would have to wait for my ultrasound results after the radiologist looked over them. (my appointment was at 7am, the radiologist came in at 8am) the tech wasn't much help, and didn't offer any explanation for this lump, other than maybe being a muscle? which it definitely isn't, it's a very oval shaped lump, and the other side of my neck has nothing like it. plus, the doctor i visited prior did say it was a lymph node, hence the referral for an ultrasound. do you usually get ultrasound results right then and there? he just seemed clueless, and i've never had an ultrasound before so i didn't know what to expect

[Catherine S]

Hi manda, the process could be different here, but largely the scan technicians don't tell us anything much, they prefer us to hear the results from the docs, but they're aware that people are extremely anxious and will usually go as far as to say if it all looks normal, so I guess to have them say nothing much either way just makes it worse! To be honest, reading through your post again I would say your body is fighting the strep infection and that's all.

About a month ago I had to chane doctors as my old surgery closed. The nurse at the new surgery asked for a urine sample , just a routine part of the new patient 'welcome' procedure. She did the dip stick test and the colour was a fluorescent yellow, it almost lit up the room ! She was as surprised as I was because I had no symptoms apart from a little more frequency, but no pain or discomfort, yet I had a well established water infection and was given strong antibiotics to take. So I get that you're a bit shocked about the strep, but hey at least there's a reason now for the other stuff.

Take care
ISB x