Lymph nodes - Please help

[sunflower7]

I have 2 lymph nodes in my neck that I can feel. One is about half way up on the right side and the other is at the base of my neck where my shoulder meets my neck. I am so worried about about them. I keep checking them and the one halfway up seems to have got bigger. I can feel a small bump when I brush my finger down my neck that I could not feel before :weep:. I have been checking it everyday for a couple of weeks and am really scared. Everything on the net tells you its cancer and I am really anxious. I am 23 weeks pregnant and know its not good for the baby. I keep getting thoughts about not being here for my Husband and baby :weep:. I have had a full blood count and its normal but know that cancer does not always show up in blood tests. Please can ANYONE help me.

[bloxy]

So sorry that you are worrying over this:hugs:

Speaking from experience, the more you mess with lymph nodes the more you will be able to feel them. They can take ages to go down and even touching them just once a day can keep up. So best advice is to not touch them for a couple of weeks.

Remember some nodes can remain palpable due to not ever going back down properly after an old infection, I believe these are called shotty nodes. If you've had a full blood count and your doctor hasn't seemed concerned, I would take some reassurance from this.

If you are concerned that one has become larger, maybe take another trip to the docs just to make sure, but they will probably advise you to stop touching them and give them chance to return to normal...remember touching them can irrate them.

Of course googling will come up with worst case scenarios, that is why it's so dangerous for HA sufferers to do. There are more NON serious reasons for being able to feel nodes than serious ones.

[sunflower7]

Thanks. I am so scared. Its difficult to stop touching them but I will do my best. Its confusing as some sites says its normal to be able to feel them and others say its not. I am a mess about it. Thanks again for your advice x

[HelenLouise]

Hi! I've been through this several times and am kind of having a panic about it again now.
I can feel three lymph nodes which have been there since I was 3 years old (i'm 20)
I am constantly worried about lymphoma even though I know that its unlikely as I have had them so long.

Sometimes though, lymph nodes swell due to a common infection and never return back to there original size.

I'm sure that that is all that has happened with you! I honestly wouldn't worry if all your bloods are fine :D!

xx

p.s there is a thread on page two or 3 of the health anxiety page asking how many people can feel lymph nodes. It's been going for years and if you look at how many responses it has you will see how many people can feel there nodes :)!

Try not to worry :)

[sunflower7]

Thank You also. I never even used to check for them and now my anxiety levels are sky high. I keep thinking its getting bigger on its own and so difficult not to touch it. Its a vicious circle but I need to stop checking them. I am so scared. I hope you get over your panic about them. I am sure yours are fine seeing as you have had them for so long. Thanks again x

[macc noodle]

I am pretty sure that if you had lymphoma then your full blood count would not have come back as OK - there would more than likely have been an indicator in levels which would have prompted further testing.

It is more than likely that your body is just fighting a virus and you need not worry.

But, please if you are still worried, go back to the GP and explain why you are worried and see if they can put your mind at ease once and for all.

:hugs:

Jan
x

[Theskyisalwaysblue]

Hey there,,,

lymph nodes can also come up due to having an auto immune disease - relax they are NOT fatal! there are 86 types all together and can easioly be monitored with steriods - trust me - i know this from a long history of it! :) its going to be ok! :) x

[Razorleech]

Heya, real sorry to hear that you are suffering. But I too recently spent about a year prodding and poking my lymph nodes in my neck, believe me, after going to the doctors to get it checked out which was insanely hard for me to do, turns out it was fine, what I didnt know, is that it is perfectly normal for lymph nodes on one side to be really swollen...cheers internet for not telling me this.
I spent about a year thinking that I had throat cancer. I am sure you will be fine, remember look at the symptoms you dont have instead of the ones you do :) and try not to google anymore, prodding and poking just makes your nodes bigger trust me, I just got out of a cycle of doing this

Best of luck with everything

[london]

if you had a blood count your fine if there was some thing bad your lymph count would be high dont worry your fine god bless

[sunflower7]

Thanks for your help. I am really trying not to prod myself but its so hard. I keep thinking the one higher up is getting bigger :weep: I went to my Doctor and they could see how anxious I am so have agreed to send me for an ultrasound on my neck. I am so scared. Dont know how long I will have to wait for the appointment

[london]

thay can be as big as any thing dont meen a thing but if you had any thing the blood test would show it ,,,,,,you got no worrys god bless

[london]

if its just ultrasound thay are not looking or thinking its any thing bad

[Thelegend27]

I know this is an old thread, but I am also going through the lymph node worries, it's been around 7 months of this constant worry. Mine are near the base of the neck, my doctor said that they arent the supraclavicular lymph nodes, i had a clear ultrasound and complete blood count she told me not to worry and to stop poking them and stop googling it. I really hope you reply, you never posted after you said you were going for a ultrasound so I assume you got good news.

[Saodadon]

Hi I am a 15 year old guy who has had a swollen lymph ode on my left Side of the neck for about two years and it's been about the same size(a little bigger than a pea) and has not gone down. It is easily moveable and decently soft but not tender and I have had a physical about 2 weeks ago with my pedatrition and i told her where it was and she felt it is benign and not to worry it's nothing.i also got my blood drawn that day and my blood results came back perfect accept that I have low potassium and a fast metabolism...also I have about 3 to four lymph nodes I can feel on my groin area which are smaller than peas or a little bigger keep in mind I'm muscular but slim I weigh 114 at 5,5

[Careful1]

I know this is an old thread, but I am also going through the lymph node worries, it's been around 7 months of this constant worry. Mine are near the base of the neck, my doctor said that they arent the supraclavicular lymph nodes, i had a clear ultrasound and complete blood count she told me not to worry and to stop poking them and stop googling it. I really hope you reply, you never posted after you said you were going for a ultrasound so I assume you got good news.

Yes your doctor gave you great advice, you need to stop poking them or you are going to cause them to react and once they do and you keep poking them there will be a chance that they never go back down. Your ultrasound was clear, your labs were clear and your doctor told you that you had no reason to concern yourself.... You are fine and do not have lymphoma.

So you know lymphoma is actually pretty rare when compared to other types of cancer. There are fewer then 200,000 here in the US annually. Lymph nodes are not cancer detectors. They have a job to do and react when there is something to react to most of the times infections or a virus and rarely cancer. We dont need to periodically check on them to see how they are doing. When lymph nodes react, they will make their presence known. Seriously, a lymph node would need to be pretty big in size to get a doctor excited about them..

Do not worry, dont allow anxiety to steal away your happiness.

---------- Post added at 14:18 ---------- Previous post was at 14:17 ----------

Oh and stop googling... This is seriously the worst thing someone with anxiety can do. Google can convince someone they are about to die from a stubbed toe.

---------- Post added at 14:22 ---------- Previous post was at 14:18 ----------


Hi I am a 15 year old guy who has had a swollen lymph ode on my left Side of the neck for about two years and it's been about the same size(a little bigger than a pea) and has not gone down. It is easily moveable and decently soft but not tender and I have had a physical about 2 weeks ago with my pedatrition and i told her where it was and she felt it is benign and not to worry it's nothing.i also got my blood drawn that day and my blood results came back perfect accept that I have low potassium and a fast metabolism...also I have about 3 to four lymph nodes I can feel on my groin area which are smaller than peas or a little bigger keep in mind I'm muscular but slim I weigh 114 at 5,5

Pea sized lymph nodes are nothing to concern yourself over... Stop touching them!!!!

[Saodadon]

I understand but is it normal that the one on my left Side seems bigger than others by a little and also the fact that now if I burp or swallow I feel a pain in my chest and around my lymphn9de area on my neck(idk if it's from poking at it or not I'm lost)

[Thelegend27]

I can assure you that finding some palpable nodes means very little, I found 4 small palpable nodes in my neck in 2016 and spent the whole next year worrying myself sick. it's not worth the stress, please see a doctor and get this sorted out so you can put it to rest as soon as possible.

[Bastett]

I am pregnant too. I too have nodes in my neck. Also 2 in the back of my neck! I was worried sick this whole month I discovered them. Poked and prodded them so much. Despite 4 doctors said they were fine, I didn't believe them. Today I went for an ultrasound and doctor told me that I am fine. The BIGGEST of them was 0.5 cm short axis! 0.5 cm! When it is normal to have nodes up to 1 - 1.5 cm. The one I was specifically worried was on the back of my neck and measured 0.3 cm! She said all my nodes were benign and certainly did not have any signs of malignancy.

And I was worrying this whole month about lymphoma. I kept thinking how they are going to tell me this and that chemo would be necessary during the second trimester of pregnancy or premature birth, etc. I kept visualizing people I know without hair and eyebrows - I had scenes in my mind before sleep. I couldn't think ANY happy thought because all this terrible stuff would follow immediately after.

And doctor told me NOT TO POKE AND PROD it as it irritates it more. And that nodes on the back side of the neck have a long time to going down if it has risen. I will not worry anymore! I just accept that I am an health obsessed idiot but my baby should not suffer from my actions! And yours shouldn't either!

I hope you can get your ultrasound soon because it really is life changing. Very big relief.

[Bittersweet05]

Thank you so much. I had a tooth ache a couple weeks ago and now swollen on left side. I too am constantly poking at it. I found a ginger oil that you massage and actually helping. I deal with constant post nasal drip as well. I feel better regarding all you comments. Thank you.