Swollen Glands

[Canders6]

Hello,

I am a 23 year old female with swollen glands... I have had swollen glands for about 3 years now. Occasionally some of them will decrease in swelling, but they will swell up again and the majority of the time are swollen. I had my tonsils out in July of 2009 because the Doctor thought I was having infections and that was the cause of the swollen glands... but they are still swollen. I have one under my left clavicle. I have a few above and under my sternoclidomastoid of my left and right sides of my neck. Occasionally my occipital glands will swell and be painful. Recently, the glands under my ear, next to my mastoid process are swollen and painful. I have no drainage in my ears. I went to a hematologist/oncologist who sent me for blood work and CT scans. I had mono in 2006, and sometimes it shows up in my blood work again and again; however, my blood work this time is all normal. My CT showed that I do have enlarged lymph nodes in my neck, but the hematologist/oncologist doesn't seem to think it is lymphoma. I am meeting with an ENT on Tuesday. I feel like I should get a biopsy, I just don't understand why I have swollen lymph nodes all the time and I'm only 23! I'm looking for advice, please help!

[Ken_PA]

Hi, the immune system can act in unusual and mysterious ways. Your response is not the average response to some infection, but it's not unheard of.

My guesses:

I'd bet the ENT finds nothing remarkable, then it's up to you to press the hema for a biopsy, if that's what you want. There also has to be sufficient reason that satisfies the insurance company. Btw, lts of people have the opposite inclination and want to avoid a biopsy.

Keep in mind that needle biopsies are known for false negatives, because they hit only a very small area of the mass being investigated. Also note that the CT would/could have found evidence of advanced cancer in the scanned node(s), if any such evidence was present. Lymphoma will change the structure of the inside of the node, and a CT would show that - if the lymphoma was not just beginning.

Good luck.

[Canders6]

I also forgot to mention that I have started having pain on the upper left side of my neck. It started shortly after the glands under my ears became swollen and painful. I think they must be related in someway...but it still doesn't explain the lymph nodes I have that are painless and constantly swollen...