Lymph node on jaw changing size. I'm terrified.

[jmphipps0428]

38 year old male. About a month and a half ago a lymph node on the left side of my face, on the jawline, swelled up and was painful to the touch. Went to the doctor, they poked at it, ran a blood test (clean) and sent me home. It took about a month until I couldn't feel it anymore. Now a little under two weeks later the same lymph node is swelling again. This time it's pretty much painless. I did exactly what I shouldn't have done and googled it. Now I'm in a tailspin of fear about lymphoma.

[Fishmanpa]

Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.

Positive thoughts

[Duchesskitty]

If it’s under your jaw, towards your ears it could indicate tonsil stones. They’re harmless but annoying!

[Mav]

38 year old male. About a month and a half ago a lymph node on the left side of my face, on the jawline, swelled up and was painful to the touch. Went to the doctor, they poked at it, ran a blood test (clean) and sent me home. It took about a month until I couldn't feel it anymore. Now a little under two weeks later the same lymph node is swelling again. This time it's pretty much painless. I did exactly what I shouldn't have done and googled it. Now I'm in a tailspin of fear about lymphoma.

A very very common fear on this site, and nobody ends up actually having lymphoma. I have been through my own lymphoma spiral in the past. One thing I learnt from my time with health anxiety about lymphoma is that cancers do not come and go, your lymphnode would not have decreased in size and popped up again if it was sinister. So that should help calm you, the best way to end this anxiety from experience, is to say "STOP" when your thoughts start spiralling out of control, and also ofcourse believe the doctor when he sends you home and says your results are clean. Wishing you the best with the anxiety, hope you feel better soon! :)

[jmphipps0428]

Thanks for the responses, all. I went back to a different doctor and she too had no concerns. She told me "if I suspected for a second there was a problem I'd be submitting you for testing. You need to trust me, ok? I think you have an infection, probably in the hair follicle here, and it's causing this one lymph node to swell." She put me on antibiotics and fifteen days later although you can still feel it, it's extremely small.