Still worried about a swollen lymph node!

[Anonybrit]

I posted a few weeks ago about a swollen lymph node I found in my neck (in the posterior triangle to be exact). I poked and prodded it every day and say the doctor a few times who told me it was nothing to worry about.

A few days after that I came down with a strange kind of nasal flu - no cough or fever but lots of malaise, bunged up sinuses and a stuffy nose. This last about 4 days.

It's now 3 days since that subsided and all the other nodes that rose during the illness (all only on the right side of my neck interestingly) have returned to normal except the one which was raised before, which may actually be a mm larger or so (not sure).

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone could offer any insight or advice. I am terrible when it comes to being rational about my own health, and I am just worried that it may have grown slightly (cannot 100% tell) and certainly hasn't shrunk at all.

[majdle]

Hello, I believe it is quite common that while most of the nodes go down again, one can stay enlarged for a bit longer. They are actually supposed to grow bigger when you have some kind of an infection: and you had one. So they just did their job. Yes, I also get scared when this happens...first of all, poking and prodding will make matters worse. If it doesn´t go in two weeks, you might wanna see a doc for some peace of mind. But I am quite sure it´s nothing serious. Keeping my fingers crossed!

[salimali]

HI anonybrit,

We chatted about this before. Mine is the same as yours. Cervical posterior. Feels a bit like a grain of rice. Then sometimes when Ive been having poking sessions:ohmy: it gets bigger and more flat, like a soya bean. When I went to my gp, she said she was 95% sure it wasnt nasty, but she would arrange for it to be removed if I wanted as she didnt want me to worry. So I told her that I was worried sick, she said, Im 99% sure its nothing but if not gone away in a few weeks come back. I have been back since then, but time was all taken up talking about anxiety and my own issues. She didnt ask about the node, So I didnt bring it up either. In my mind I think that if she was at all concerned then she would have arranged a biopsy. The problem is, I dont belive her:wacko:
I do know where you are coming from hun, Im trying not to touch mine at the moment as im hoping it will go!! but its been there for a good few months now, so I dont think it will go. Some lymph nodes are just larger than others and maybe mine ( and urs) are just positioned above the muscle type thing so that they are more paliable. What do you think?? XX

[Anonybrit]

Ooh mine is definitely bigger than a soya bean, at all times, more like a lima bean! But it's soft and squidgy and completely mobile at least.

I know that chances are it's just a shotty node that's probably going to stay enlarged due to all my poking and prodding, and I have no idea how long it's been this large, I only noticed it after starting studying lymphoma at uni, but the problem is that theoretically it is an enlarged, isolated cervical lymph node and despite there being no real reason to suspect lymphoma, the fact that I can't quite rule it out means that I can't help but worrying about it again and again.

Maybe I should just get the thing biopsied..

[sammie23]

I have had a swolen lymph node in my groin for about 5 months. On the other side its tiny like a little ball, but the swollen one is more enlarged. One time i was lay in bed and could feel something pulsating. It was horrible. I looked down and i could see the node popping up then down. It was frightening. My point is 5 months down the line my node is still enlarged. Twice the size of the other. Iv been checked 3 times and was told its fine and that your nodes should never be any bigger than half the size of your thumb. Thats what my doctor said. I think you will be fine and that maybe these things never do actually shrink back to there normal size because mine sure as hell never has. Hope this helps xx

[salimali]

I was about to say, get it biopsied then, but then Ive just come 2, thats the thing with HA isnt it, its hard to do these things. I dont want to get mine biopsied cos I really, really do not want a 2 week panic, depression session:ohmy: What is a lima bean then?:huh: Im sure ur ok. My sister is a consulatnat and my other sister is a reg nurse and they say that GPs know when a lymph is bad. PM if u want, im worried as well XXXX

[Anonybrit]

I was about to say, get it biopsied then, but then Ive just come 2, thats the thing with HA isnt it, its hard to do these things. I dont want to get mine biopsied cos I really, really do not want a 2 week panic, depression session:ohmy: What is a lima bean then?:huh: Im sure ur ok. My sister is a consulatnat and my other sister is a reg nurse and they say that GPs know when a lymph is bad. PM if u want, im worried as well XXXX

I'm not sure how I'd be with waiting for the biopsy, maybe ok if I was the one that asked for it and the doctor hadn't actually suggested it, which she hasn't yet.

A lima bean is a bit bigger than a soya bean, I'd say my node is about 1 to 1.3cm long and about 6mm wide. So not huge, but it's easily 2x the volume of the node on the opposite side. None of the other nodes around it are enlarged though.

Must be nice to have a doctor and a nurse in the family! If they have checked it out, and your GP, I'm sure you're fine. I'm usually not happy till I have gotten a few opinions :(

[kat_orr101]

Hey guys,
ive had a swollen node in my neck for a while aswell. Went to the doc and he said if its only one swollen and you've had a cold or sinus infection then its nothing to worry about. Also, they can take ages to go down once they're up especially if they are prodded all the time! I can understand the worry, but ive read every piece of info i could on lymph nodes and serious conditions (totally freaked myself out in the process!) but if it was anything serious you'd have lots more symptoms.
Its also good to keep telling yourself anxiety lowers your immune system so your more likely to get colds etc and that will make the nodes swell.

I keep being told to just relax! i guess thats something we all need to work on.

Hope your worries ease, hugs x

[Anonybrit]

I've actually found another swollen node, maybe 50-75% larger that the equivalent on the opposite side. This one is right under my jaw at the angle of my jaw. I know these are the absolute cliché nodes to swell due to any kind of cold, flu, sore throat etc. but like I said it's just on the one side, the same side as the other and it's fairly hard but completely mobile.

The thing is, I didn't think it was particularly usual to get swollen nodes on just one side of the head/neck due to infection. The node on my neck will probably never go down now, I prodded so much that it's always going to be slightly raised.

But yeah, in combination with this slightly enlarged and seemingly quite hard node at the angle of my jaw makes me a bit worried. It's probably about the size of your little finger nail.

[BKF1515]

I hope your nodes have reduced in size or are at least not bothering you as much now. I wanted to tell you that I had the same concerns about my nodes (or one in particular) that I poked and prodded for about a year. Many on this forum told me and others to step away from our lymph nodes and the advice really helped me. I have since heard that nodes can go up and down all the time. They can also swell up and never completely return to normal, as I think mine haven't since I had pneumonia 1.5 yrs. ago. Anyway, I hope you are feeling much better. :)