Enlarged lymph node in neck - to worry or not to worry?

[GlazedOwl]

Baltasar: yeah that's the thing, the constant proding has now become a reflexive habbit of sorts! Sometimes I wish I could just chop my fingers off just to get rid of it! But I can bet even then I'd still find a way to do it lol
I do have plans. I have lovely plans for the end of the week but what scares me is my plans for the future - I'm just scared I don't have one anymore!

Lu: A full body MRI would solve pretty much everything in one go haha but I guess it's a pretty long and expensive procedure so docs don't just hand them out left and right. I understand that, but what's more expensive, 1 MRI or 1 year in the psycho ward? Hmm.

I don't think the ibuprofen will help, BUT. I have a question now. Mr lovely google had two completely different opinions about this so. I was at a friends place yesterday for a few hours, and usually, I'm a person who gets really cold EVERYWHERE and just wear a big hoodie, wool gloves/socks on lol I asked them whether they had the heating on? No they didn't. My face was flushed with red again, like the day before I got the first big node. And then I swear for the whole time my nose and face was blocked like mad, for the first time in my life my eyes were so watery you'd think I was crying. It's basically what I had a day before the lymph nodes, just x10.

My friend said I could've developed an allergy. They do have a furry dog, but there's dust everywhere anyway. I was told to pick up some anti-allergy pills (going to go through the ibuprofen first). Throughout that night, a new node swelled up, it's almost on the same spot as my first big one, just on the other side. My question is, can allergies actually make lymph nodes swell?? Even I'm reluctant to believe cancer would spread IN A FEW HOURS, if so, I'm pretty dead in a few days. Google is split about the allergy stuff 50/50, half of them say NO, no allergies can make lymph nodes swell, half of them say yes, it's part of the immune system and various allergies can make some people's lymph nodes react.

edit. I also think I have nodes swollen on both sides of my jaw joints now, darn this!

---------- Post added at 10:23 ---------- Previous post was at 09:37 ----------

Oh good lord, now more lymph nodes are swollen up under my jawline and I don't get whether there's multiples stuck together or just one in a weird shape - yep feels like I'm dying now

[Strawberry_3]

Hiya,

I've had an enlarged, more prominent lymph node in my neck for *counts* 9 years. I went to the GP about it when I first noticed it and was told that it was fine, just happens. So 9 years down the line and I'm still fine (apart from my anxiety and hypochondria...)

Pop to the GP to have it looked at, but it's most likely 'just one of those things', or you're fighting off a virus If you're really worried, they could refer you for an ultrasound x

[GlazedOwl]

I think I wouldn't be AS worried if it was only 1 node - but I keep getting more of them! I think I have 6 or 7 nodes in various spots now Don't think an ultrasound would do much though, apparently even a thing like needle biopsies often come back false negative.

Ibuprofen doesn't seem to be doing anything, considering I've had new ones pop up and flame up within a day. My nose was irritated at work again, and I had a red patch on my wrist, have no idea whether that could be an allergy thing as well. I have a growing node under my left jawline and the whole area feels weird, as if it's a bit enlarged? I'm going to the clinic first thing in the morning tomorrow, but all of this is just driving me bonkers

[Fishmanpa]

Don't think an ultrasound would do much though, apparently even a thing like needle biopsies often come back false negative.

Not true... been there done that!

You're in quite a spiral and I wish there were words that can help.

Good luck and positive thoughts

[GlazedOwl]

Fishmanpa, I am in quite a spiral I admit! I take no pride in that

But. I came to a new revelation today. I noticed one more red patch on my right wrist at work. Left work, and then noticed a few tiny tiny pink spots on my left wrist, they weren't itchy but I scratched them anyway, to see if they would suddenly itch.

BOOM, red patch. Scratch a line along arm, same thing. This must be some allergy thing, no?? I've found one or two conditions with this on the net, but my skin thankfully isn't raised, it only turns red.

Though I just read those conditions are a first sign of dysautonomia or whatever that's called, and apparently that does not signal a nice life :(

[GlazedOwl]

Went into the clinic and one of the docs just called me up, said my symptoms were a bit odd, but his voice didn't seem too worried. Told me to come in for a checkup in a couple of hours, so hopefully maybe I can get some tests done soon. In the mean time I could probably write a book on my arm now haha

---------- Post added at 12:26 ---------- Previous post was at 09:28 ----------

Well, just went to the doctor and showed what's up, he checked my ear temperature and apparently it was 37.3, but when I came back home and used a good old underarm thermometer, it showed 36.3, I'll assume I'll trust the doctor's one? Anyway, he scheduled me for allergy blood tests next week, so waiting for that now...

[GlazedOwl]

Ah, this is such a vicious cycle now :( The lymph nodes are going nowhere, and that squishy formation under my left jaw is literally making me shake. I keep thinking that the soft ball on the right side of my neck is not a lipoma as I suspected, but something sinister and now it's spread around my neck. And to top that off, I read a lovely article about a man finding out he had terminal cancer after googling his symptoms!

Does anyone know how to cope with anxiety like this?? I highly doubt any doctors will send me for imaging tests to make sure nothing's wrong, and I'm simply brushing my own life away at this rate :(

[ashurrutia]

I have had a swollen lymph node on the lower bottom part of my right side of the neck since at least May 2012. I had an ultrasound in March 2013 and it measured 1.2x1.0cmx0.3 cm. They couldn't find anything else on that side of the neck so they called it reactive. Since I have notice that another lymph node popped up mid neck on the left side just in front of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, this little fellow popped up in November of 2013 when I got a pretty bad cold and just decided to stay. Finally around August of 2014 I noticed a smaller lymph node right next to the one that is 1.2 cm. My experience has been that they appear, they oscillate in size when I get a cold or sick, but they do not seem to grow. I feel pretty good physically, get an annual check up, which includes Complete Blood Count, etc. I could get a fine needle biopsy, but I don't think that it would give me 100% reassurance since they aren't 100% effective which to an OCD mind is just not good enough. So I take a different approach I check it from time to time notice that it goes from ~1 cm to 1.5 cm back down to ~1 cm, so as long as it doesn't grow I don't need to live my life thinking I might have hodkings lymphoma or any sort of cancer. The best reassurance one can have is to have a positive mind that no matter what life throws at you, you are strong enough to beat it.

[GlazedOwl]

I think my slight OCD may have a hand in this as well. But how can one have a positive mindset when in many many cases cancer is still a death sentance? :(

My neck is not getting better. The weird dermatographism thing is not going. Loads of mucus or maybe post nasal drip. I just blew out my nose after an embarrasing crying scene and it was mainly clear with a few yellow bits. I also started getting pinpointed chest pains which is nice.

I'm at a complete dead end, I keep trying to glue these bits together and they're only glueing into the bloody C word. And to make it worse it seems like no one under the sun cares, the doctors surely don't :(

[Fishmanpa]

And to make it worse it seems like no one under the sun cares, the doctors surely don't :(

Medical Doctors treat physical issues. Mental health professionals treat mental issues. The medical doctors care. They just can't treat what's really wrong with you. I suggest you see the right kind of doctor.

Positive thoughts