View Full Version : Worried about Lymph Nodes...help please
Hello! I'm a 29 year old female. I've been in an HA spiral for the past few months and am slowly pulling myself out of it, but still have bad days. I'll preface this by saying that I do not have infections in this area that I am aware of and I had basic bloodwork done within the past month and everything was perfect. Anyway...I am worried about a few of my inguinal lymph nodes (groin). I can feel 3 of them VERY easily and I think some tiny little round ones if I dig for them. Of the 3 that I can feel: There are 2 on the left, 1 on the right. One of the left nodes feels more round than the other 2, and seems to doesn't really feel round, it might be kidney shaped but it feels more like a section of a bulging vein if that makes sense...in that it seems to be larger in the middle and then taper off on both ends and seems to disappear. I really hope this makes sense. The size seems to be about 0.5 in/12.7 mm. Neither are painful. On the right side, there is one that is 0.5in/12.7 mm. This one feels kidney bean-shaped. It is not tender either. Also I read that good bloodwork doesn't mean anything when it comes to lymphoma...
I have been able to feel nodes (which is what I'm guessing they all are?) for awhile now, but I only recently started paying attention to them, so I have NO idea whether or not they were always this large. I am worried because a lot of guidance on the internet says larger than 1 cm is abnormal and since all 3 of them are over 1 cm (they measure 1.27 cm or almost 1.27 cm), I am worried that it's cancer since I don't have an infection...I know that several people on here say that if it's something to worry about you're DEFINITELY know because they'll be more obvious than mine are (I'm guessing) but then you read about lymphoma cases where it wasn't obvious, and that the size of the lymph nodes were only slightly larger than what's "normal".
I also made the mistake of Googling :doh: I found this medical journal entry that was about this 54 year old woman who was getting a well woman exam and only complained of fatigue but didn't report any weight loss or other symptoms. She had 5 larger nodes in her groin area and they were over 1 cm and they were biopsied and turns out she had lymphoma! And then she was treated for it and it went away. Three months later she goes back complaining of post nasal drip and neck "fullness" and turns out she had lymphoma of some node in her neck or something! This sent me into a spin because I have been having throat issues (post nasal drip, feeling like something is stuck there, it feels tight sometimes). I know those are symptoms of anxiety too, I am just worried with the lymph nodes that this is lymphoma! I also am tired a lot. :weep:
If it is worrying you, go get it checked out. I had a lymph node scare and no joke, I went to 6 doctors. Don't be like me. Go get a first maybe second opinion and if they all believe it's nothing, move on. Doctors can apparently tell the difference between a normal shotty node and a cancerous one. Took me a while to figure that one out and I still worry I have been misdiagnosed. There are so many stories online, try to avoid those. I once spent hours watching Youtube videos about people getting diagnosed and it only made me worry more and spend unnecessary time at these doctor's appointments. I wish I was joking when I say I have asked my regular doctor about my nodes at least 3-4 times. He is sick of hearing about them. Go get a blood test and examination and put your mind at ease
If it is worrying you, go get it checked out. I had a lymph node scare and no joke, I went to 6 doctors. Don't be like me. Go get a first maybe second opinion and if they all believe it's nothing, move on. Doctors can apparently tell the difference between a normal shotty node and a cancerous one. Took me a while to figure that one out and I still worry I have been misdiagnosed. There are so many stories online, try to avoid those. I once spent hours watching Youtube videos about people getting diagnosed and it only made me worry more and spend unnecessary time at these doctor's appointments. I wish I was joking when I say I have asked my regular doctor about my nodes at least 3-4 times. He is sick of hearing about them. Go get a blood test and examination and put your mind at ease
I plan to get them checked out but in the mean time I am going to be a basket case and I don’t know how to deal with the worrying :weep:
Go get a blood test and examination and put your mind at ease
That's just paid reassurance and will not address the real problem.
What I read is normal, normal, normal. You feel fine, blood work is normal. You've always had nodes, we all do, we all can feel them to one degree or another etc. etc. etc. Ohhh, that blood work thing? True that blood work won't show all types of cancer but certain readings will be off which would be a red flag to test further.
I'm a survivor. I know nodes. What you describe is like every other node fear post on the forum. getting help so you're not self examining and googling to feed the dragon is the solution.
Positive thoughts
That's just paid reassurance and will not address the real problem.
What I read is normal, normal, normal. You feel fine, blood work is normal. You've always had nodes, we all do, we all can feel them to one degree or another etc. etc. etc. Ohhh, that blood work thing? True that blood work won't show all types of cancer but certain readings will be off which would be a red flag to test further.
I'm a survivor. I know nodes. What you describe is like every other node fear post on the forum. getting help so you're not self examining and googling to feed the dragon is the solution.
Positive thoughts
Thank you...so Even though they’re larger than 1 cm and almost 2 cm? Because the internet of course says greater than 1 cm is abnormal...and the rest of my nodes aren’t like that ? ugh :doh:
Unless a medical professional has measured, that is a perceived size. Also, you've been poking and prodding which causes them to react.
Just sayin' :winks:
Positive thoughts
Unless a medical professional has measured, that is a perceived size. Also, you've been poking and prodding which causes them to react.
Just sayin' :winks:
Positive thoughts
Yes this is true...is this something that you’ve heard about from people on here? They think it’s a larger size but it ends up being smaller?
---------- Post added at 14:50 ---------- Previous post was at 14:40 ----------
Unless a medical professional has measured, that is a perceived size. Also, you've been poking and prodding which causes them to react.
Just sayin' :winks:
Positive thoughts
Also I do have a node I can feel right under my chin but I don’t know the size, maybe 1 cm, I don’t think it’s as large as the groin nodes but two ENTs felt it and said it was nothing. But they didn’t do an ultrasound or anything...
is this something that you’ve heard about from people on here? They think it’s a larger size but it ends up being smaller?
People here tend to use words like "swollen" to affirm their irrational thoughts when in fact it's not swollen at all. They also claim outrageous things about size and location. They often poke and prod until they're bruised and irritate them until they become shotty. A layman cannot accurately measure a node. You're not trained to know what to do :shrug: A medical professional will be more accurate based on their experience. Like I said, I know nodes. I'm a survivor. There's no mistaking when something is truly off.
Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.
Do what you feel you need to do. I'll have the "Told ya so gang" on standby ;)
Positive thoughts
People here tend to use words like "swollen" to affirm their irrational thoughts when in fact it's not swollen at all. They also claim outrageous things about size and location. They often poke and prod until they're bruised and irritate them until they become shotty. A layman cannot accurately measure a node. You're not trained to know what to do :shrug: A medical professional will be more accurate based on their experience. Like I said, I know nodes. I'm a survivor. There's no mistaking when something is truly off.
Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.
Do what you feel you need to do. I'll have the "Told ya so gang" on standby ;)
Positive thoughts
Fishmanpa,
I will try to tell myself this constantly. It’s the slow growing cancers that I’m worried I’d miss...
I read a couple of your posts and know that you aren’t on here because of your health anxiety because you don’t have health anxiety, but because you want to help people on this board. I just want to say thank you so much for constantly reminding us HA sufferers of what anxiety is and how it behaves and how cancer behaves.:hugs:
---------- Post added at 22:18 ---------- Previous post was at 20:01 ----------
People here tend to use words like "swollen" to affirm their irrational thoughts when in fact it's not swollen at all. They also claim outrageous things about size and location. They often poke and prod until they're bruised and irritate them until they become shotty. A layman cannot accurately measure a node. You're not trained to know what to do :shrug: A medical professional will be more accurate based on their experience. Like I said, I know nodes. I'm a survivor. There's no mistaking when something is truly off.
Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.
Do what you feel you need to do. I'll have the "Told ya so gang" on standby ;)
Positive thoughts
One more question Fishmanpa...
I figured I'd ask since you said you know a lot about nodes and had head and neck cancer. I have a node under my chin that I can feel that I think is 1 cm or smaller but I'm not sure. I've never noticed it before, then again I don't remember if I ever felt around my chin much before. Two ENTs felt it and said that it's a node and shrugged it off but didn't do an ultrasound. How would I know if it is something to worry about then? Do they not think the node is enlarged then?
Why can some people feel their nodes and others can't? I tried feeling for my husband's sub-mental node (under the chin) and I don't feel anything...why can I feel something on me?
I'm sorry CG... I've given you solid information and that information along with what two ENTs said is all the reassurance you need. I would suggest getting help with your anxiety to help quell the need to self check and worry.
Positive thoughts
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