Worried...

[heroyaldog]

Hi, I am a 22 year old male. I have had swollen lymph nodes for about 2 months, 3 in my neck(one under my jaw, one under my left ear, and one in the back of my neck by the hair line), 1 under my armpit, and two in my groin one on either side. I had a couple CBCs done by an ENT and had a low white blood cell count (around 3.4). I was referred to a hematologist who looked me over, checked by hand for a swollen spleen, and did some more blood tests(a blood chemistry, another CBC, and a couple others that I don't know about). I was put on an antibiotic to try to get the swelling down, can't remember the name. I'm not showing any other symptoms except some abdominal discomfort. The CBC I had done showed my WBC going back up, and a second done a week later was showing a normal count of around 5.5. The other blood tests he said came back fine. The lymph node under my ear has gone away completely, but the others still persist. He told me that I had probly gotten a random virus and that is what had caused my lymph nodes to swell. It has been three weeks since my last visit and the swollen lymph nodes still persist and haven't really shown any sign of getting smaller. Is it common for swollen nodes to decrease in size one node at a time? How long should it take swollen lymph nodes to go back to normal and should I be worried about lymphoma still? Should I get a second opinion?

[PaulMD]

HI there.

Viral and bacterial infections can indeed present with symptoms like yours.  Treatment for such would usually result in resolution of the lymph node swelling but for some, there can be residual enlargement.  Other conditions that can present with these are chronic diseases such as Tuberculosis (if endemic in your area) and of course, lymphoma.  A second opinion will be welcomed, and possibly consider a biopsy procedure of the lymph nodes involved.  This way, the nature of the disease process can be fully ascertained.  Regards.