Lymph Node Pain

[BridgetR]

I'm a 46 year old female who started experiencing neck pain and extreme vertigo about 4 months ago.  The vertigo is better, but I now have lymph node pain in my ankles, knees, armpits, back of thighs, abdomen and chest.  (At least I think it is lymph node pain.)  My primary says that it could be neuropathy.  Two previous blood tests show nothing unusual.  I've had MRIs of my head, neck and spine (still waiting for results from the neurologist).  Xray of my chest which showed a very small nodule (calcified node?) and enlarged lymph node.  My primary just put me on an antibiotic today in case of infection and drew some more blood.  The pain and discomfort seem to be worse at the end of the day.  At night I have awful night sweats, but during the day I can't get warm (it doesn't help that I live in the Northeast).  What will they looking for in this round of bloodwork to make sure it is not cancer, etc?  What other issues -- environmental, allergy -- could be causing this problem?  Please help me understand what is going on!

[BridgetR]

Well, things started happening pretty quickly the beginning of the week.  My primary called my gastroenterologist and they scheduled and performed an endoscopy this morning.  Results were as follows:  Normal mucosa in the antrum (biopsied), irregular z-line in the gastroesophageal junction (biopsied), otherwise noral EGD to the third part of the duodenum.  Checking for h pylori and barrett's esophagus.  As usual, I broke the commandment of "though shalt not know too much" and researched Barrett's.  Wrong thing to do.  Outcome sounds kind of bleak if it is diagnosed as such.  Wonder if I'm in a cancer stage, whether that could cause lymph pain.  I'm experiencing more pain in my abdominal area (feels like in the skin, not in the abdominal cavity or organs?) and right above my hips.

[BridgetR]

Thanks so much for your reply.  I really hope after yesterday's visit my doctor takes me more seriously.  (I had a mini breakdown in her office!).  I'm assuming that bloodwork would show if there was a cancer or other disease.  We'll wait and see...

Thank you.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Lymph nodes are small (1-2cm) and bean-shaped nodes. they are very important to your body keeping you healthy. Lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes) is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Other causes include allergic reactions, arthritis, cancer, metabolic diseases, and an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism).

Treatment for inflamed, swollen lymph nodes, also known as lymphadenitis, depends on the cause. In some cases, over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers and warm compresses may be all you need. For more serious cases, treatment of swollen lymph nodes involves treating the underlying cause.In your case,as you are having pain,lymph adenoapthy and night sweats,so the possibilities of malignancy and infectious diseases need special evaluation.Pls discuss these options with your doctor.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted about the lab results or if you have any additional queries. Kind regards.