Collarbone lymph nodes

[jen-kh]

Hello everyone. I’m planning to see a doctor about this in a week or so but I can’t be seen straight away and need to hear some logical thoughts from others until then.

I had my second COVID vaccine (Pfizer) just over a week ago and generally felt OK after it, just a little fever. I also had some pain under my armpit which has gone away.

My main worry is about 3 lymph nodes that I noticed 2 days after the vaccine. They are in the small triangle region at the end of the collarbone just before where the neck starts. On the same side as I received the vaccine. They vary in size with one being similar to a grain of rice to pea/bean sized. They are moveable and somewhat squishy. They aren’t visible at all and I actually have to be feeling them from the side with my fingers or lying down, you can’t feel them from the front with the pads of your fingers.

I am trying to leave them alone and rationalize that
1. I had a blood test for my annual checkup just a week before my second vaccine, the results were fine. Anything really serious would have shown up.
2. Many other people have had lymph nodes show up in the collar bone area after the vaccine.
3. They are not large or hard and can be moved around. They aren’t even really palpable if you are doing the proper technique to feel for nodes.
4. Anything more serious would be very rare for my age (29)

Unfortunately my ‘what-if’ brain is also worried that maybe they were there before the vaccine and I just didn’t notice, as well as the location of them is scary. I don’t have any I can feel on the other side.

Just looking for a bit of advice and others experiences to help me get my logical brain back 😅

[Careful1]

You answered your own question 😊 stop touching them, you’re gonna cause them to react and may even risk them becoming shotty.
Their presence is no doubt due to the vaccine, it happens.
We honestly don’t need to periodically check our lymphnodes for any reason. They make themselves known when there is a problem especially if it’s sinister, they become quite large.

[jen-kh]

Thank you for your comment! It was really helpful to set my brain straight again.
I went to see my doctor today and she felt the area and said they are normal sized and to come back if they get bigger and to only check once a month (any more is going to aggravate them as you mentioned). She mentioned they are mobile and this isn’t a sign for malignancy. She said that around 2% of people who get the Pfizer vaccine get swollen lymph nodes, which was interesting. My anxious brain is still a bit worried but I will do my best to leave them alone and maybe follow up in my next check-up in a few months.