swollen lymph node in throat for near an year now

Hi,i have a swollen lymph node on the outside of my throat about 2cm above and on the right side of my adams apple...it never goes away...the maximum it went was near 1.5 cm and right now it is around 1-1.5 mm,it fluctuates in size,sometimes gets big sometimes gets smaller...i have a same size lymph node on the left side of my neck some centimeter under the ear but it never grows it just stays 1mm in size...i showed it to my physician and he said that its nothing,my question is that why does it not go away...i have no lump inside my throat,im 21 male...although sometimes my voice gets hoarse and i do feel that something is growing in my throat,but when i swallow i feel nothing,i go to the doctor he looked inside till my adams apple and said its nothing...another weird thing is that when i make strong ginger honey liquid by boiling ginger in water for a while...the lymph node decreases in size...i went to two doctors they said its nothing ,you are very young and God forbid no chance of oral or throat cancer,i do have a history of moderate smoking and mild drinking...then what is it why does the lymph node not go away....

[human88]

sir,i was hoping you could answer this post of mine,i have gone to 2 doctors and 1 ENT specialist,they all said its nothing,many people have lymph nodes that fluctuate in size...i quit smoking 3 months ago,but even before it was always mild like 4-8 a day,im only 21,i am VERY scared about oral or throat cancer

[human88]

i do have a history of IBS  that is irritable bowel syndrome,and i am allergic to smells and perfumes and take cetirizine for it...just about 1 and a half week ago,the lymph node got veryyyyyy small,like ven less than a mm and i could hardly feel it,but now now it is again about 0.5-1 mm and i can move it and it is not firm or hard but very soft

[OHNS2010]

Hi,

I am extremely sorry for not answering your query. My question is, are you sure that the swelling is just a lymph node? If so, the first location of the swelling you quoted is in the pre-tracheal region which is rare to be seen. This usually develops when there is infection in the front of the neck. The second location you mentioned is the common site for the lymph nodes to get enlarged during throat infection.

The lymph nodes are the policemen of our body, they always indicate an ongoing infection.
I would also suggest you to get an ultrasound of the neck done so that any other cysts in the midline can be ruled out.

Any more doubts you are welcome.

Regards
OHNS2010

[human88]

Thanks alot for replying sir,if it is not a lymph node then what else can it be considering it changes size,...let me tell you the exact location again,it is approximately one and a half inch above my adams apple a little on the right side of my neck.i cannot feel any lump on the inside of my throat,please tell me that we can rule out any cancer considering my age,im only going to turn 22. i read that for a serious infection the lymph node grows alot in size not just one mm or one cm....if they are cysts then are they curable?

[human88]

And sir,should i get a neck x-ray or a neck ultrasound done?

[human88]

i can hardly feel it but when i harden my neck muscle then i feel it and i described it all to you above...sir i am very scared of head and neck cancer,i cannot sleep,ive become a hypochondriac,im tense all the time...i dont want to die and i dont want to lose my voice,i want to support my family,i want to start a family too...please help me sir,im very worried

[OHNS2010]

Hi,

Relax!!! Not all swellings in the throat turns out to be a cancer. There are lots of predisposing factors to cause it. Laryngeal malignancies are indeed uncommon in your age. A simple analogy, if there is a plane crash some where, there is no point in fearing to travel by plane or expect all the planes to crash. Just because you have come across some one who had a cancer it does not mean you should get one.

There are few mid line lesions you should be concerned about, one of the most common being thyroglossal cyst. This is one which fluctuates in size and shape. Others include enlargement of a lobe of thyroid or thyroid cyst. My advise to you would be to get a USG neck done.

Have faith in your doctors they will definitely help you out. All the best.

Regards
OHNS 2010

[human88]

Thanks,it helped i will surely get neck ultrasound done,and let you know the results,again thanks for your reassuring advice,in future kindly answer any questions i might have.
Best Regards

[human88]

Sir,i have got an appointment for an ultrasound of neck and it is for next week,till then to ease my concerns can you just answer one question that whenever i drink strong ginger liquid the lymph node or cyst as you suggested grows smaller,if it was Godforbid cancer of the throat or something like that, would it grow smaller by drinking ginger liquid and then grow big again...?

[OHNS2010]

Hi,

I am sorry, I have never heard anything of this sort. I would like to educate you regarding throat cancer. Once any cancer becomes noticed, it goes on increasing in the size but never decreases. It is also accompanied by constitutional symptoms like loss of weight, change in voice or difficulty in swallowing or breathing. Please do cheer up and get rid of the bug from your mind. Take care.

Regards
OHNS2010

[human88]

Alright thanks sir.

[human88]

Sir what is the normal size of the lymph nodes of the side of neck and the front of neck,i can feel two lymph nodes,one in front near the adams apple that is about 1 cm and the one on the left of neck where the jaw finishes is 1-1.5 cm,both are movable and very soft...

[human88]

I have another general question sir that:

my question is that i have extreme anxiety and depression,and unconsciously i used to bite the inside of my cheeks all the time,i quit an year ago after my anxiety calmed down,i dont know if i still do it while sleeping....one of my friends said that it can cause cancer,im very scared,their are two white lines on each of my cheeks,the place where i used to bite both my cheeks,i saw a dentist,he said nothing was wrong,but is my friend right,because what if i still unintentionally do it while sleeping,very confused ...

[OHNS2010]

Hi,

Answer to your first question - There is no strict rules regarding the size of the lymph nodes it varies from few millimeters to centimeters. The ones you have mentioned above is of a normal range and nothing to be feared.

Answer to your second question - What you are having is the teeth bite over the buccal mucosa on the either side. That is also very common to be noticed. Relax Dude!!! You do not have cancer, in fact your apprehension itself is the worst cancer for you. Please let me know who sowed the seeds of cancer in your brain, what makes you feel you are having cancer.

I feel you are perfectly normal like any other individual. Life is beautiful try to enjoy. Come over to Maldives, its a paradise on earth.

Regards
OHNS2010

[human88]

I have a problem of chronic anxiety,depression and mild psychosis since the age 0f 15,im 21 now and i am on multiple medicines,i have been a mild smoker and sometimes i drank a bit from normal to above normal...about 6 months ago my cousin got married,i went to his wedding and his mother in law in her 60s was suffering from cancer of the throat and tongue...i became a hypochondriac beig scared of hiv and cancer and death,i quit smoking and drinking because of seeing her condition but now im always scared about cancer and i am looking at the symptoms online and relating them to myself all the time...this is the reason sir

[human88]

i am also scared because i used to go to my village as a kid and eat cheap tamarind in a plastic wrap and i would chew on that plastic wrap and tamarind for hours and i used to do this for days in my  summer vacation,one scare i get is that this along with the moderate smoking and sometimes extra drinking that i did till my current age,im 21 now,will expose me to mouth or throat cancer in the nesr future...i ve become such a hypochondriac:(

[OHNS2010]

Hi,

You do not have to feel sorry for what ever has happened in the past, all these will not contribute for your cancer. Remember! your fear is the biggest cancer for you. "You should have fear in life but life should not become a fear".

Get a counselling done from a good psychiatrist. Stop worrying and comparing your symptoms with the worst things you come across. This will never let you live happily, you are very young, you should concentrate on building up of your career. You seem to be a healthy individual without any medical problem.

Go ahead! Enjoy your life, life is beautiful. Live as if there is not tomorrow.

Regards
OHNS2010

[human88]

Thanks sir,i feel much better now:D