can a matted lymph node be a shotty node?

[az200]

I’ve had an enlarged lymph node on the left side of my neck for 9 months.  It started out very small, and I wasn’t too worried.  Then it grew steadily for 9 weeks, becoming matted at the 9th week when another little lymph node next to it became enlarged.  I went back to the doctor’s at this point, and she thought it was all still fine but did a complete blood count and x-ray (I think just to humor me).  All came back normal, and she said I was fine and could stop worrying.

So I did stop worrying, but I kept getting colds – one a month since the beginning of the year, plus a bout of walking pneumonia.  It seems like I pick up everything that goes around.  When I get a cold, the lymph node doubles in size (and goes back down to its usual enlarged, matted self after the cold is over).  

In the past month, I’ve also started sweating at night and sometimes during the day.  I don’t think they’re night sweats, per say, because I don’t get the drenching night sweats I’ve read about.  I just wake up with my shirt and back of my hair damp.  I’ve also had a few incidents of chills – of the shivers, wrapped up in a coat and blankets and still can’t feel warm sort.  

I know all the scary possibilities this can be, and I have a doctor’s appointment coming up, but I just want to know what all the benign possibilities can be.  Can a matted lymph node ever be a shotty node, and what else can cause a matted node to stick around for this long?  

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

The lymph node enlargement could be due to repeated upper respiratory infections. But certain infections like tuberculosis can cause an evening rise of temperature and increased sweating. This also causes a loss of appetite; as such this is accompanied by weight loss. So, record your temperatures, on a two hourly basis to detect an evening rise of temperature.  Please check with your doctor to rule out this condition.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

The lymph node enlargement could be due to repeated upper respiratory infections. But certain infections like tuberculosis can cause an evening rise of temperature and increased sweating. This also causes a loss of appetite; as such this is accompanied by weight loss. So, record your temperatures, on a two hourly basis to detect an evening rise of temperature.  Please check with your doctor to rule out this condition.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.