Going crazy over lymph nodes!

[carlysugar99]

So my fear began ever since I went to the doctors about 7 months ago for jaw pain. The cause of this was actually due to me clenching my jaw when anxious. However, she felt the lymph nodes in my neck and they were swollen. I didn't feel sick at all. The glands eventually went down, but ever since then I've been paranoid over them :unsure:

I've had a small, soft, not-protruding bump on the right side of my neck for 2 years, and I didn't think it was a lymph node. I went to my chiropractor about a month ago, and he pointed it out (which is weird because I've had this lump for a while yet he never said anything?) and told me it was a swollen gland, yet it doesn't hurt and it never has. I went into panic mode and visited my doctor who didn't seem to worry at all, so I guess it's normal? Is it even a node?

I just live with the worry now because I've visited the doctor countless times with my health anxiety and it never seems to be anything. But whenever I get pains around my underarms, collarbone and neck I panic. I thought I'd just mention that I haven't been sick since early last year, so I think i'm pretty healthy.

How do I get over this fear? I find myself constantly poking and prodding my lymph nodes everywhere (I heard this is a bad thing to do). This frightens me even more though because I keep finding more small, painless, palpable bumps. I'm currently focused on one that's towards the back of my neck, close to my head. It's pretty small but it's painful. I only found it today because I have a sore pimple next to the node. Could this cause the swelling?

I don't know what to do anymore. I've suffered with health anxiety my whole life. It's all I think about :weep:

[Mindprison]

Lymph nodes are a common complaint here on the health anxiety forums. I made a longer post all about them a while back but I'll summarise for you.

Lymph nodes are very sensitive. They swell when we are sick or when there's a problem close to the node that is swollen. Pimples can cause them to swell up too. They can also swell when you don't feel particularly unwell, viral infections are a probable cause for this.

Nodes can also become permanently swollen from a previous infection. For example the two under my jaw are slightly bigger due to having laryngitis when I was a teenager.

Poking and prodding will make them sore and can cause them to swell permanently, avoid touching them and they'll clear up on their own.

To put your mind at ease, out of the countless number of threads I've read about swollen lymph nodes I've never read one that turned out to be anything serious.

The lymph node rabbit hole is a bad one, don't let yourself fall down it!

[carlysugar99]

Lymph nodes are a common complaint here on the health anxiety forums. I made a longer post all about them a while back but I'll summarise for you.

Lymph nodes are very sensitive. They swell when we are sick or when there's a problem close to the node that is swollen. Pimples can cause them to swell up too. They can also swell when you don't feel particularly unwell, viral infections are a probable cause for this.

Nodes can also become permanently swollen from a previous infection. For example the two under my jaw are slightly bigger due to having laryngitis when I was a teenager.

Poking and prodding will make them sore and can cause them to swell permanently, avoid touching them and they'll clear up on their own.

To put your mind at ease, out of the countless number of threads I've read about swollen lymph nodes I've never read one that turned out to be anything serious.

The lymph node rabbit hole is a bad one, don't let yourself fall down it!

Thanks for replying.
The lymph node that was swollen isn't as tender today. As for the painless lymph node, it could be possible that it has remained slightly larger because of previous infections like you said. I got tonsillitis countless amount of times when I was younger (they are taken out now).

Lymph nodes are certainly a huge part of my health anxiety. I'm trying not to touch them to much.