(HELP) Swollen Nodes

[and-drew]

Hello all,

New member here so please try and take it easy on me. I am a 19 year old male and suffer from health anxiety more than I should. Around Thanksgiving, I felt 2-3 lymph nodes in my groin area. I wasn't sure if they were swollen or not, but they were definitely noticeable. I am a relatively skinny guy but I did what any other person would do, I googled swollen lymph nodes and discovered the worst.

Fast forward a week or so later I went to the school doctor who assured me these groin nodes were 'shotty' and didn't see a cause for concern. I even had a blood test done which came back normal.

I mostly forgot about the issue until about month ago I found another single node in the left back of my neck, probably halfway down between my hairline and collarbone. My anxiety kicked into overdrive again and really began stressing, I never remembered this node before and this really set me off plus I can't feel any nodes as big as this on the other side.

This node isn't huge, haven't measured it though. It's kinda pea-shaped and if I put my fingers on the edges I can sort of shift it around. It doesn't feel that hard but I'm not sure how to scale hardness. I don't remember it getting that much bigger over the period my discovery of it to now, but I feel like my anxiety is making me feel like it's getting bigger and more noticeable.

Not sure what to think really, really worried would probably describe it, it's bugging me to no end and every day I think about it. Can anyone offer any ideas?

Thanks again!

[Mav]

Honestly, I'm 19 and have had 4 "lovely" months of lymphnode horror, exactly where yours is but on my right side.

I'm going to scream this at you, imagine me screaming this...STOP TOUCHING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I get it, you can't control it but you have to stop touching it for 3 reasons

1) You will make it swell, or remain the size it is. I know you don't believe this, I didn't either because cancer is making it swell right? WRONG. You are keeping it up even if you think you are not fiddling with it much (but you are).

I stopped touching mine 3 weeks ago, I give it an occasional prod here and there but it's gone down significantly, to the point where the ENT (last week) couldn't feel it. I was refered by my doc in january and she definately could feel it because I prodded the **** out of it and made it swell out of my neck where it was significantly visible.

2) You have to stop touching it because everytime you touch it, YOU SPIRAL! You know you do, I know you do..so stop. Pls, for your own sanity!

3) Someone on here gave me this motivation to stop touching it and it really, really helped, they told me a story about them getting their lymph node checked out and getting an ultrasound and they had prodded it so much that they destroyed the fatty helium in the node which made the node appear cancerous on the ultrasound even though it was a perfectly fine node. They left it alone for a while and the fatty helium grew back but you should use this as motivation to stop.

Now I don't know if your planning on getting it checked out, I mean, I wouldn't bother really if it's that tiny and your perfectly healthy and there are no signs of rapid growth or other symptoms but if for your peace of mind you do want to get it checked out, then go ahead, thats what I did.

But it's very unlikely for it to be serious. So relax!

[and-drew]

Hey, thank you so much for your reply. I have tried to let it go for a few weeks, only occasionally touching it once every 4 days at most. It still really hasn't gone down in size but of course my anxiety makes me think it has gotten bigger but not by a lot. I'm not sure if it's my anxiety or not but I am also having small abdominal pains near my ribs etc. which also, go figure, is a sign of something serious.

I actually went to a doctor but not because of that but because I bruised my elbow and needed an X-Ray. I brought this new node up with my doctor and she told me it really wasn't anything to worry about since I have no other symptoms and the node is relatively soft and movable.

Any further reassurance? Would really appreciate anybody's help with this. Thank you!

[Fishmanpa]

Any further reassurance?

Reassurance is just food for the dragon. 100 people could tell you that you're fine (and you are) and it won't help the underlying issue of your anxiety.

Positive thoughts