Lymph nodes and Salivary glands [Archive]

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riversidewalking

10-04-17, 17:45

ScaredLizard

10-04-17, 18:05

I've had some slightly enlarged in my armpit for 18 months now. They haven't changed and haven't gone down. The drs aren't worried at all. On some people they are just there and you can feel them.

riversidewalking

10-04-17, 18:16

Thank you.
Size wise, how big do you reckon they are on average?

And what about the salivary glands? can you feel them under your chin? If yes, how big?

I know that it is not common usually to feel the lymph nodes, but I feel quite a few and they don't go down for months :( What about the salivary glands on the other hand? is it also abnormal to feel them?

ScaredLizard

10-04-17, 18:18

I'm not sure about salivary glands. I've had almost all my lymph nodes around my face swell up because I get bad acne. A few months ago I have one behind my ear swell up pretty good and stay that way for 3 weeks before going away.

bin tenn

10-04-17, 23:44

Who says it's not common to be able to feel lymph nodes? I bet a lot of people actually could feel them if they tried. More people than you would think. Shoddy nodes are common, yes, and sometimes they may return to normal; sometimes not. What you feel/don't feel is not a "rule". There is no real "usual" because everyone's body is different.

GlassPinata

11-04-17, 00:57

Dear community,

I have two questions to which I appreciate some feedback:

* I read that some lymph nodes can stay permanently enlarged. But did anyone on this forum have his/her nodes go back to normal after an extended period of enlargement? If so, how long did they take?

* Besides lymph nodes, is it normal to palpate submandibular salivary glands? Most people I know cannot feel them, but a few others can.
If they are palpable, does it mean they are enlarged?

Thank you

My little boy had two lymph nodes in the back of his neck, about a year and a half ago, which were significantly enlarged. They were quite visible, and looked like two marbles sticking out of the back of his neck.
They did stay enlarged like that for several months- maybe three or four.
Of course I was frantic and took him to the doctor many times.
They never did figure out exactly what caused them to flare up like that, but after several months, they slowly began to go down, and within a few weeks they were gone, no longer visible or palpable. And they haven't come back, thank god.

I am told that when I was three or four years old, I developed an enlarged lymph node in the side of my neck which was "the size of a golf ball" (almost surely an exaggeration) and scared my family to death. Bloodwork showed nothing amiss, and the lymph node eventually subsided, but I'm not sure how long that took.

So, there's a couple of cases right there where lymph nodes can stay enlarged for awhile and eventually go away.

Nac6

11-04-17, 05:08

Lymph nodes are a mystery sometimes. I've had a posterior and lateral cervical lymphadenopathy due to a virus infection two months ago, they were pretty palpable and my posterior lymph nodes almost visible. They didn't hurt, wich made me go crazy thinking it was lymphoma or something terrible, but my GP's said that it doesn't matter because they doesn't looked or felt strange. The lymph nodes started to go down slowly and now they are almost normal and it's hard to feel them, wich made me feel more relaxed.

riversidewalking

11-04-17, 09:21

Thank you for your feedback all. Much appreciated.

What about salivary glands? Can you guys try to feel them under your chin and see if they are palpable?
The majority of people I asked can't feel them, besides a couple. Mine feel enlarged too. I don't see any salivary stones though to explain the palpability and enlargement.

bin tenn

11-04-17, 13:12

How do you know what salivary glands may feel like versus normal anatomical structures and/or lymph nodes?

Rhiannon.

11-04-17, 15:42

I don't know if they are salivary glands or lymph nodes but I have two lumps (about pea sized, maybe bigger?) under my jaw. They've always been there, one either side. They are pretty solid, not rock hard but not squishy. It's hard to tell because if I put pressure on them they move xD

Forest87

15-04-17, 19:17

In January my Submandibular glands were massively swollen. I had a hacking cough virus. Even my GP said they were very very swollen. She said it didn't concern her though as they were both raised together and the exact same size. After 3 weeks they shrank back down. I can still feel them now but they are within normal range according to my GP. They scared me that much when they were swollen that I decided to feel my families. I could feel my Husbands but not as big as mine and also my Mums. I couldn't feel my Sisters or my Dads though. So 3/5 of us could feel our Submandibular glands.

Thelegend27

16-04-17, 01:52

I can definitely feel my salivary glands, so can my sister and girlfriend. If you're slim with not much fat around your neck chin and jaw I dont see how you couldn't feel them. As for lymph nodes they can become permanently palpable, I've read that lymph nodes under 2 cm isn't any cause for concern unless they are rock hard and become fixed in place where you cannot move them at all. As for me I have 4 palpable small nodes at the base of the neck 2 on each side that sit side by side nearly symmetrical, they sit more towards the back of my neck on the side above the collarbone. These caused me great concern as I did not the difference between cancerous nodes and normal nodes, so I set up an appointment had a ultrasound and complete blood count which all came back normal and the doctors said don't worry and stop poking them. As you can tell I still worry but I am a hypochondriac so I am going to continue to worry. I was even turned down when I requested a biopsy. So as you can see palpable lymph nodes are rarely a sign of cancer, and when it is a sign of cancer the nodes will continue to get bigger and they will end up the side of a golf ball. I noticed mine 7 months ago and not much at all has changed and I haven't developed any symptoms of cancer so any normal person would have already forgotten about it but not me lol. Stay positive get a ultrasound and cbc to ease your mind. BTW my salivary gland was I think 1.9 cm .

riversidewalking

08-05-17, 18:12

I really am still confused about whether these are salivary glands or lymph nodes. They are big, on both sides. You cannot see them protruding, but they are very palpable, and I'd say at least 3cm each. I did find a couple people who had them in the same place I'm describing, but slightly smaller in size than mine.
A friend who's a dentist said salivary glands are probably closer to the middle of the jaw rather than on the side.
I don't know... I don't even know if I could feel them before or not.
Their shape is different than the lymph nodes I feel on the sides of my neck.

Fishmanpa

08-05-17, 18:17

The question is... Since you're not physically ill or are having any symptoms that would remotely suggest a problem, why is this important?

Take a read of THIS. (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=197713&highlight=nodes)

Positive thoughts

riversidewalking

08-05-17, 18:47

I'm sorry if I asked a lot of questions. The lymphatic system issues have been weighing down on me. Every week I find a new node in my body and I can count more than dozen in my neck and none is going down. I thought maybe if these are not lymph nodes, I can keep my focus on the rest.
I will go through the post you linked to. Thank you and sorry again.

Fishmanpa

08-05-17, 19:07

No need to apologize. You're obviously spiraling and sometimes a bit of reality is needed to get your feet back on solid ground :)

Positive thoughts

Bethel

26-12-17, 17:10

Hi Rhiannon, I'm having the same fears right now. I can feel two glands near my lower jawline closer to my ears, which I can put off to being anatomy.

Then I have this one gland on the right side that's about halfway between my chin and ears where it feels vaguely hard/soft, movable, but I DEFINITELY don't have this on the left side. Super worried. It's been like this for months. I can't tell if it's getting bigger, but I'd assume it'd be bigger than it is if it were cancer. I dunno. Could use some reassurance. My family officially thinks I'm nuts.

Careful1

27-12-17, 06:08

I know doctors can feel if one of the saliva glands are swollen although I dont know what the ones under the jaw would feel like if they were. I have had problems with my left paratiod gland before and it caused the entire left side of my face to swell, it was very noticeable. I think you would know if you had an issue with one. Not only is the swelling obvious but its pretty painful especially if you try to eat something.

If these pea sized lumps are on both sides in the same location then perhaps its normal? I personally would be more concerned if it was only on one side but thats just me.... I am sure you have nothing to worry about :) if your doctor has checked this out already and is not concerned easier said then done I know but try to put it out of your mind.

Thelegend27

28-12-17, 13:35

I can feel my salivary glands really well, I also have palpable nodes in the neck, I've seen many several doctors had 2 CBC done, ultrasound, and an examination by 2 or 3 doctors and all said it's nothing to worry about. I can feel my girlfriends salivary glands as well as my sisters, so those glands must be palpable to a lot of people so I wouldn't worry about that. as for the nodes, I had an infection from a wisdom tooth recently and it made my node under my chin swell up and hurt, so believe me if you have nodes that are swelling you will know because you won't have to feel around for them they will be obvious.