i keep prodding my glands out of anxiety now i hurt

[ManinThai]

I have been feeling and prodding my glands in my groin to see if they are swollen. Now they or the ligament down the groin has been hurting. Has anyone else done this out of anxiety? I also did it in my neck and i think one neck muscle hurts slightly. the glands are normal size I think.

Would I know if the glands were swollen? I can see any "bumps" anywhere or feel anything really big.

[mystruggle]

actually i was talking to the original poster, but it seems the words might help you too and me! haha

[Raine9]

Can we focus on the poster and not ME!  (LOL)

Yes, I know I worry more than the average person but I have it under control.  I don't worry nearly as much as I used to.  I fully accept that I will never be completely cured of my health anxiety. I just need to deal with it the best I can.

And I didn't "pester" the docs, at least not that time... (LOL)  

[mystruggle]

with your anxiety, what "probably" happened is you pestered the docs so much about it that they did every test imaginalbe for you. we all do this. anxiety is tough think, when we get something in our mind, it stays with us for awhile until we eventually rule it out. but what you need to do is break this unhealthy habit. that's what it is, a habit you have created ot of worrying about a worst case scenerio and you are catastrophizing. i'm pretty sure you are going to be ok. but to change the habit, every single time you goto "prod your glands" do a complete body relaxation. start  with you feet, clinch them and let loost, then your legs, stomach, fists, arms, back, chest mustcles, shoulders next and even facial muscles. them move on with your day. doing this every time will allevie tension and lesson anxiety some. then after the muscle relaxtion a few minutes of a breathing exercise would help too.

break the habit buddy. it takes work. but isn't that hard.

good luck.

[Raine9]

The MRI revealed two other enlarged lymphnodes that I could not feel.  There was no diagnosis.  The doctors said maybe it was some sort of reaction to medication I was taking the month prior.  I didn't have an infection of any kind so that wasn't it.  I know that sometimes doctors will order unnecessary tests.  Maybe the MRI was unnecessary but I was getting a lot of dizzy spells and headaches, and just didn't feel right at the time.  Thus, the MRI.  They monitored me and the nodes for several months to see if they would get bigger or become hard and immovable.  Luckily, they didn't and eventually the dizzy spells and headaches went away.        

And YES, I am STILL "playing" with them.  (lol)  My doctor told me to just feel it from time to time to make sure it doesn't become hard and immovable.  It's not an obsession and I'm not worried about them anymore.  I don't think the poster has to worry about his situation either, eventhough I know what it's like to worry about some aspect of your health.    


Take care

[RubyWitch]

So, what DID the MRI show? What was the eventual diagnosis? What treatment was there?
You say the node has since shrunk down and you can barely feel it.........does this mean you are STILL playing with it? Stop it.
Nice to meet another bleeding heart tree hugging liberal.........there can never be too many of us!
Actually, my wine "snobbery" is pretty much defined by the creedo that "as long as it has a cork, it's excellent!"
Guess I'll never be a sommelier, eh?
Oh well..............
Peace
Greenlydia

[Raine9]

Well, when I wrote that I was on the phone.  I...err..left out a few details. I'm not good at "multi-tasking".  He didn't exactly think it was nothing serious.  He said that it was most likely nothing serious but.... blah, blah, blah...the MRI.  Anyway, that was 4 years ago.  The lymphnode has since shrunk down in size and I can barely feel it now.    

Maybe it's better if we just forget I ever responded to this post!  (LOL)

BTW: I, also, am a bleeding heart liberal, a tree hugger and love things that pertain to Native Americans.  Never been called a wine snob because I don't know enough about it.  I just drink it!!!  Yum!  :)

Take care

[spade22]

Your absolutely right - in some cases the fact a node is swollen is clearly detectable (and this is typically the case if someone has an infection, for example).  However, if a person wanted to see if they had a swollen node and just started to "probe" around they would not have the training to determine if it was swollen or not due to natural size variance - I suspect this is the case here.   Also, as amish states, probing nodes can cause them to swell which leads to a viscous circle.

[RubyWitch]

Sorry, but I just can't NOT comment on this one. Your ENT thought it was "nothing serious" so he sent you in for a massively expensive MRI? Assuming this test came back negative, I would change doctors so bloody fast it would make your head spin! But before I left his practice, I'd find out how much stock he owned in the MRI company!
I do hope all was well.
Peace
Greenlydia

[Raine9]

You're right but sometimes the person can tell.  It depends on where the gland is located.  Believe me, the gland on my neck was so large, it was unmistakable.  My doctor was able to tell it was swollen just by feeling it.  It wasn't like that just the day before.  My doctor referred me to an ENT who was also able to determine that the gland was swollen just by feeling it.  He didn't think it was serious but had me do an MRI just to make sure.    

Yes, it's always good to check with a doctor.        

[spade22]

YOU wont be able to tell if your glands are swollen - only a medical professional can determine that (glands can very in size, shape etc).

[Raine9]

Stop it! Stop it! Just stop it!  (Just kidding)

Having said that, I know how you feel.  Ever since the media announced that Patrick Swayze has Pancreatic Cancer, I keep checking the whites of my eyes to see if they are yellow!  (LOL)  I guess it's good that I can laugh at myself...

Moreover, you would know if your glands were swollen.  You would be able to feel it.  About 4 years ago, one of the lymphnodes in my neck swelled up.  It turned out to be nothing but my doctor told me to stop feeling it or she would slap me in the head!  NO, she didn't say that.  She said that if I kept feeling it, I would only make it worse.    Sometimes your lymphnodes swell up.  It doesn't necessarily mean that you have some terminal disease.  You might just have a simple infection.  

I think that you might be obsessing.  It's common for people who suffer from health anxiety (if that's what you are suffering from) to do this.

Good luck and hope you feel better.  :)  

[amish1979]

Prodding your lymphnodes over and over again can cause them to become swollen as well, you aren't helping yourself at all.