View Full Version : Left supraclavicular lymph node swelling and flu shot?
Hey everyone,
I got my flu shot two days on my left arm. Yesterday I noticed that I had a painful lump above my collarbone very close to my shoulder. It is on the left (same side as flu shot). This is a tender lump that’s painful when touched. However, I can’t tell if it’s movable or not. It also feels semi-firm, not completely hard or soft. This is also known as a Virchows node or Troisiers sign. Trying to keep things in perspective but I’m sure most of you can relate to the obsessive thinking that the node very well could be malignant. I’m scared obviously but don’t want to run to the docs just yet. Any experiences with this?
The point of the flu shot is to produce an immune response in your body, so I'm sure it would make sense that some of your nodes might react. Also, the flu shot can cause some inflammation in your arm muscles all the way up to your neck, so could just be an inflammatory response.
I am now better able to feel it - it’s the largest lymph node I’ve ever felt on my body (and I have felt loads). It’s bean shaped and very movable. However, it is firm. I don’t know if it is actually from the flu shot of if it has been there for a while. But I did notice it the day after the shot so I’m hoping that’s all it is plus it was reallyyyyy sore that day too. It’s not sore anymore.
Has anyone here been able to feel their supraclavicular nodes and been alright?
NotDeadYet
02-01-20, 22:08
My response to one of your posts a few months ago.
Katniss
I'm not a doctor so obviously I can't diagnose you but once I had a freakout over a lymph node on my neck (not supraclavicular). I went to the docs and he said it was fine but checked all of my nodes. He put his finger on a node in my supraclavicular area and said, "oh I can feel one here. See you have nodes throughout your body that you can feel. You're fine." My point being, you can feel a supraclavicular node and be OK.
Best Wishes
Tender lymphnodes are a sign of infection and not cancer. Cancerous lymphnodes are unlikely to cause pain.
A token reassurance reply.... It's 100% normal to have a reaction to the flu shot. It let's you know it's actually working ;)
Positive thoughts
Thank you for the reassurances everyone. I ended up lifting my arm to feel it better and it’s a lot larger than I originally thought - it’s almost 2cm. And it’s a left supraclavicular node. It is no longer tender either. I actually don’t even know if it’s linked to the flu shot anymore or if it was slowly growing all this time without me knowing. It feels firm and rubbery just as a Hodgkins lymph node is supposed to feel. I feel light headed. I am 32 with two small children. The tears are almost frozen. I’ve been on this site for years and usually I have a little voice in my head telling me I’m being irrational but this time I’m trying to find that little voice. I can’t rationalize. I’m shaken to the core and feeling such a profound sadness. I guess as hypochondriacs we always jump to the worst conclusion in a way of protecting ourselves, but inside we know we are being silly. This time I simply cannot rationalize a huge lymph node in my supraclavicular fossa. An area that according to all my readings is NOT an area where you want to find a lymph node.
This is why people with health anxiety shouldn't read up on these things.
I know.. I wish I hadn’t read such things. Wish I was strong enough to resist the temptation to google. But now I’m stuck and don’t know what to do. I run to the docs for everything
Either visit the doctor to get help for your anxiety, or if you think you're strong enough to manage alone, accept that your health isn't in imminent danger and move on.
Thank you for responding Blue. Be completely honest with me, is this really what you would do if you found a swollen lymph node above your collarbone? I really feel like enjoying the remainder of my holidays before I go back to work Monday and this whole thing has just been such a bummer. Now that little voice is telling me to stop being silly and accept that our bodies aren’t perfect and maybe this isn’t as bad as I’m making it out to be.
If I had a lymph node come up after a flu shot, I'd assume the two were connected and go about my business, yes.
Does that help at all?
Today has been so difficult. I keep going from “it’s normal”, “it’s from the flu shot” to “I have had this slow growing lymph node for a while and just noticed now and it could be cancer”.. Googling supraclavicular lymph nodes is a terror and only brings up malignancies. I feel like smacking those authors in the face because there is absolutely NOTHING else that this can be according to them. Either it’s metastatic or it’s lymphoma.
Honestly, I’ve been pouring through some of the past threads on this forum and have found some people with supraclavicular nodes. Has anyone’s ever been almost 2cm long? It is certainly oval and not the dreaded “rounded” shape. It very very very mobile. So mobile that I can’t even measure it properly. However it is NOT squishy or soft. It is VERY FIRM. The firmness, size and location scare me. Please please please help
glassgirlw
03-01-20, 23:35
It sounds like you have no symptoms other than a swollen node. My sis in law was just diagnosed with non Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was really, really sick. Many many other symptoms. Not going to list them here, but she definitely wouldn’t be typing on an HA forum about them. I would wage that yours is a reaction to your shot.
Are you 100% sure it's even a lymph node? I am a frequent body checker, and one xmas I noticed a moveable lump in the right supraclavicular area, and immediately started planning my funeral. Went to the doc who examined it, pushed it around a bit, and said "this isn't a lymph node, this is a lipoma".
This was exactly in the spot you'd find a supraclavicular node, and had the exact same texture and characteristics you're describing.
My point is, you don't know what is going on because you aren't a doctor. I was convinced I was going to die, but turned out to be nothing. You should go get reassurance from your doc about the lump, just to put your mind at ease, because you can measure and prod at it for ages, but it won't bring you any closer to finding out what is actually happening. Just know that there are more outcomes than "cancer" and "not cancer".
Thanks for the response!
Mine feels like a long thin tube.. almost like a skinny jelly bean. Very elongated but it’s definitely 2cm. I did consider a lipoma but I wasn’t sure what those feel like. I am a lumpy bumpy person though and I’m skinny so I can feel things easily on myself. Really hope it’s benign
Just wanted to do a quick update in case anyone is going through the same thing. I stopped touching my node and the size went down and it’s quite squishy now. This was reassuring enough for me and I’m going to leave it alone. Just goes to show that perhaps some info on Google really is either outdated, too alarmist or only applicable in clinical settings and not to the average lay-person.
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