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Stiff neck, lymph node
by Insina, Jun 15, 2008 11:05AM
It's just 1.5 weeks left until my 6 months test. The last test I did was after 6 weeks and came out negative.
I am obviously quite anxiety driven and the closer the final test gets, the worse gets my anxiety. And I know that your mind is powerful and can make you feel symptoms which are actually not there.
But what I feel for the last 1-2 weeks is a swollen lymph node in my left neck, must be the posterior cervial node. It's about pea size, non-tender and quite soft. It seems to be larger when I am tired ( morning and late evening).
For 3 months already I suffer from a stiff neck. Sometimes it seems almost gone, but then it comes back. It's located behind my head but also at both sides of my neck, sometimes accompanied by a slight burning. Sometimes it also feel a slight pain in my ears.
The first time when it was almost gone, approx. 4 months after exposure, and felt quite normal again I suddenly suffered from a sudden hearing loss. Doctors supposed that it is caused by eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD).
Anyhow, 3 weeks later I had gained my full hearing again and life went back to normal. But then, a few weeks later, my neck started to hurt again.
And now, over 5 months after exposure I have a swollen lymph node for the first time, well, one that I can feel.
My concern is that all these symptoms - stiff neck, burning sensations, hearing loss - could have been caused by swollen glands (hearing loss = ETD = swollen adenoids) which were just not palpable (to deep under the skin) except the one that appeared 1-2 weeks ago.
I am not talking about the ARS lymph nodes. But could chronic HIV related lymph nodes appear 3 months after exposure? Would they cause neck pain that comes and goes? Would the symptoms caused by swollen lymph nodes be fluctuating?
I am obviously quite anxiety driven and the closer the final test gets, the worse gets my anxiety. And I know that your mind is powerful and can make you feel symptoms which are actually not there.
But what I feel for the last 1-2 weeks is a swollen lymph node in my left neck, must be the posterior cervial node. It's about pea size, non-tender and quite soft. It seems to be larger when I am tired ( morning and late evening).
For 3 months already I suffer from a stiff neck. Sometimes it seems almost gone, but then it comes back. It's located behind my head but also at both sides of my neck, sometimes accompanied by a slight burning. Sometimes it also feel a slight pain in my ears.
The first time when it was almost gone, approx. 4 months after exposure, and felt quite normal again I suddenly suffered from a sudden hearing loss. Doctors supposed that it is caused by eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD).
Anyhow, 3 weeks later I had gained my full hearing again and life went back to normal. But then, a few weeks later, my neck started to hurt again.
And now, over 5 months after exposure I have a swollen lymph node for the first time, well, one that I can feel.
My concern is that all these symptoms - stiff neck, burning sensations, hearing loss - could have been caused by swollen glands (hearing loss = ETD = swollen adenoids) which were just not palpable (to deep under the skin) except the one that appeared 1-2 weeks ago.
I am not talking about the ARS lymph nodes. But could chronic HIV related lymph nodes appear 3 months after exposure? Would they cause neck pain that comes and goes? Would the symptoms caused by swollen lymph nodes be fluctuating?
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IF you had antibiotics as a proactive prophylaxis against the bacterial STIs they can account for minor ear infections and hearing loss. Antibiotics are Ototoxic, particularly the ~mycins (in fact they use the stronger ones to kill the hearing to treat Menieres Syndrome) .
A lump in the neck isn't necessarily ominous - I've had a lump in the left of my neck (on an off, particularly after a heavy weekend) since before my risk. It's a muscle.
@Frank: I didn't take any antibiotics since exposure. The only medicine I took was anti-inflammatory for my knee pain before I got finally diagnosed with a teared meniscus.
@all: Thanks for your replies. Always very much appreciated.