Node Worries

[Takos]

Hi everyone, I'm new here, been anxious for a few days so I thought I'd give an anxiety forum a shot, looks like this site gets a lot of node posts so sadly I get to add to it..

I'm eighteen years old, no history of drugs, smoking, etc.. I've had a swollen gland for about a year, got it checked when they popped up and they were felt and I got an all clear by two different docs so I was fine up until recently, I've started having trouble breathing and another one popped up. So at this point, I'm starting to feel uneasy. I'm not consulting Dr. Google, got an appointment with my GP first week of June, only family history of any deadly diseases is COPD and H&N, think I might just be a lil' young for both of those, but lord if I haven't kept telling myself I'm gonna die by something tomorrow, I know you all can't diagnose me, this is more of a vent, would love to know ways people use to cope with their anxiety, should I consider therapy, or just wait to see if my anxiety persists after I visit my GP?

Sorry about the long string of text, it's an embarrassing story to share..

[mdel]

Most people would say don't worry unless you notice a node above 1.5cm, specially if it's not submandibular since they can enlarge a lot even for poor teeth health.

I'm having HA about my lymph nodes too but I have a lot of them (2 in neck, 1 under my chin, some under my jaw and 1 in my high back that is tiny) that have been there for like 4-5 years and didn't cause me any other symphtoms and didn't grow or dissapear either. So I'm gradually forgeting about that since probably I'll die by aging instead of those stupid nodes xD. I visited 5 doctors and all agree I'm fine.

I've been told by some doctors and other sources of information that having enlarged nodes for over 1 year without size changes or other symphtoms is probably due to an old infection or disease that made them grow (those nodes are called shotty nodes because they never go down) but NOT cancer or stuff like that. Other doctors told me that I'm skinny and that's why I'm able to touch my nodes.

Also I'd like to add that your symphtoms are due to health anxiety... that's why we are here. When you think something serious is happening, your body reacts to an inexistent enemy. Oh, and also don't think you are the only one, according to investigations around 30% or more of patients that went to doctor did for medically unexplained symphtoms.

Enjoy life! Don't let HA manage our lives, we can do it :)

[Takos]

Thanks for the reply, just thought I'd do an update since everything's going downhill.

Just got back from vacation, out of nowhere on the last day before driving home I ended up getting a pressure feeling on the right side below-ish my chest, right under the ribs, it hasn't stopped for the three days it's been happening, glands are still there and slightly bigger than a pea, about the size and shape of a bean, very, very moveable. I'm starting to worry, the area of my chest is tender to touch and it just feels, uncomfortable, really, really, uncomfortable. My breathing has been on and off, from feeling good to feeling meh depending on how I sit or stand, I fear that the year of ignoring a simple node has caused me too much, my appointment with my GP had to be postponed, so I'm constantly thinking if I'm just gonna take a sudden turn for the worse, I don't know whats wrong with me, I need to find ways to keep calm, and try and ignore the feelings..

[Thelegend27]

I've had many fears since my health anxiety has started, but my lymph node obsession is by far the worst anxiety I've dealt with.

This will drive you crazy if you continue messing with them and thinking about them.

I too got the all clear after getting an ultrasound, complete blood count, and a physical examination, but I still continue to worry, even 8 months later I'm still worried, always convincing myself that I have cancer, but in reality I don't likely have cancer, but my anxiety feeds my mind alot of scary things.

I'm telling you this because you need to see how bad it will get if you keep stressing about it.

Characteristics of a suspicious node would be, hard, cannot move as if it's attached to the underlying tissues or muscles, and consistently growing. Imagine having a marble under your skin on your neck and imagine how hard a marble feels well imagine having that on your neck and you cannot move it at all, that would be a worrisome node.

Just try to get out of this nightmare before you get in too deep, because it's hard to turn back once you've traveled down this road.

[lofwyr]

Aside from the nodes themselves--which are in no way abnormally sized (I went through an ordeal with nodes when my son was 10 which I will explain later)--everything you described is how my anxiety first really physically showed itself to me when I was 22. I had always had anxiety, but at that age, it really blossomed, so to speak.

I had so many tests of my breathing, my lung capacity, my O2 saturation. So many tests, all normal. I smoked then, and it drove me to quit, so that was a silver lining.

Additionally, I know a man who (in his 50s) developed cancer in a node in his jaw. By the time they removed it, it was huge, I mean, like the size of a baseball. It grew fast, and there was no mistaking that something was very, very wrong. Incidentally, that was over ten years ago and he has been cancer free for most of that, is now, and is fine.

When I brought my son to an ENT doctor for his chain of nodes on the back of his neck (5 of them had swollen and stayed that way for a year by the time I got this referral at my insistence) the doctor was kind of an ass and asked which physician gave the referral because he was "surprised anyone wanted to waste time on this." An ass, as I said, but also, he was right. Swollen glands are almost always nothing, and while I am no doctor, your glands sound a lot like my son's.