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Swollen Lymph Nodes in Neck
I am 43yo male, and recently had US and CT scan of the neck to investigate two swollen lymph nodes which were present for longer than a year in my left neck. Several nodes were found on the jugular(mid) chain, many sub-centimeter and 5 >= 1 CM the largest ones were 2.26, 1.65 and 1.55 CM. They are on both sides of the neck and under my chin as well. Nothing else was found in CTs of abdomen and groin. I have a biopsy scheduled for next month, but have read myself into anxiety attacks. I have read that anything above 1 CM is abnormal. I have no pain in the nodes themselves but have developed pain in the neck which seems like a stiff neck, and pain exists with any pressure from straining or lifting, also movement related pain in neck, chest and spine in the same region. No signs of infection at all, but do have extreme fatigue, back pain, some weight loss, among other varied symptoms. My Primary Dr said since no other enlarged nodes were found in other regions, he is not concerned about lymphoma.
Are there other conditions that could cause lymph nodes to be swollen for this length of time? Should I be as concerned as I feel about this, or is it more likely not related to something serious? Is it possible to have lymphoma without nodes in other regions showing signs? Are biopsies only done when cancer is suspected? Any other info or suggestions are welcomed, I am not usually one to worry about such things, but for whatever reason this has me having some anxiety waiting for the biopsy.
Are there other conditions that could cause lymph nodes to be swollen for this length of time? Should I be as concerned as I feel about this, or is it more likely not related to something serious? Is it possible to have lymphoma without nodes in other regions showing signs? Are biopsies only done when cancer is suspected? Any other info or suggestions are welcomed, I am not usually one to worry about such things, but for whatever reason this has me having some anxiety waiting for the biopsy.
i have had lymph nodes on the right side of my neck for about 3 months now. During those 3 months i have gotta 2 needle biopsy done and 1 ultrasound. The 1st biopsy results were not cancerous but ultrasound showed that i have several lymph nodes. Just yesterday i had my 2nd biopsy done and I am still waiting for the results to see if it's anything major. My specialist said that after this biopsy , if it is still not enough information he will need to do a open biopsy on me. That means having to make a small cut on my neck to take one of the lymph nodes out and examine it for clearer results. I am very scared of surgeries. My specialist told me that i will be awake so he will numb the area while have surgery. I totally freaked out. I am just wondering if anyone has had an open biopsy done on their neck and can someone please tell me what happens during the surgery? will I feel pain during the surgery? will they give me pills to take? because I don't know how to swollow pills and i freak out about that too. Please inform me about the whole procedure and also about the sewing up on the skin.
From: Yikes.
From: Yikes.
Hi all!
All of your symptoms sound all too familiar.
Around 2 years ago, I had a large posterior lymph node show up very painful and swollen with a high fever of 103-104 and would not go away until 3 antibiotics tried. They tried to biopsy it when it was very swollen but did not get anything and the "node" eventually went down to a smaller size but remains there hard and just to the right of C5-6. I have a lot of neck/back problems from MVA and work accidents so I have had spinal pain and muscle pain from fibromyalgia as well, so it is hard to figure out what is going on in my body sometimes.
After my lymph node went down, I continued to have a continuous low grade fever (normally 97.4 was 99.5) that would increase in the evening. The area to the left of the lymph node (other side of the spine) started to have burning pain and had recurring sore throat and teeth problems (MVA caused left back teeth to crack and had repaired).
The doctor who WAS my PCP was very dismissive and did only the minimum or what I pressured him to do, causing a lot of pain and anxiety for me. I was caring for my mom, who had a lot of medical problems, and am a nurse who has taken care of many different types of patients but especially oncology and metabolic disorder patients so the different symptoms were of concern to me. It has been a long road since and there is not enough space for me to even begin to share what I have experienced due to the dismissiveness of doctors, the medical healthcare system which only gives doctors 15 minutes to analyze your condition, a "give a med" mentality of the doctors because they aren't sure what else to do, and sometimes the rarity of the disorders we have.
In the meantime, I took matters in my own hands and started a long search (internet, medical books, fellow nurses and professional medical friends) and put some of the pieces together.
My advice to anyone who has a condition or concern in their head....like "Is this lymphoma?" to express it directly and have the doctor either give you direct evidence of why it is not, or order more tests and have them LOOK AT THE SCANS THEMSELVES, instead of relying on reports. There are many things that the specialists can see instead of a general radiologist reading, especially if it is something that wasn't requested...ex. MRI soft tissue neck, evaluate for lymph nodes. And, if possible, go online and learn how to read the scans yourself..or at least look at them. It is because of this that my diagnosis was finally made.
When you go to the doctor, go with a list of what you want to know....what your symptoms are and what makes them better or worse, and also what you think (because all of us have done our own share of research by the time we see a specialist) may be a possible diagnosis or disease, also take a list of tests and other diagnostics that have been done before, although sometimes if it is overwhelming (as in my case) it can confuse the doctor, so perhaps only take the tests with abnormal findings or things that are directly related to what the doctor is seeing you for. If you have multiple body symptoms, list your past medical history by body category for the doctor to see ex. GI reflux disease, gastroparesis (by scintography on 5/08), post lap choly 2000, and start to keep a diary of symptoms and how they are treated if you are seeing multiple specialists to eliminate trying to remember when you had that fever, and what meds did/didn't work.....another thing to do is take the list of symptoms from the diseases you suspect, and what tests to order ...he might not know all the new technology especially if a GP, but present it as informational in case their ego gets in the way of them looking at it positively. = )
In my case, I had to do something I don't recommend....look at my own scans...acknowledge that the doctor wasn't going to agree with me, and check off the tests to be done on the lab sheet with the general bloodwork he ordered because he didn't think I was right. The tests I checked came back positive! After 3 years, I know that the Lord allowed a way for this to occur, because my diagnosis is rare, and it might have never been found.
I was diagnosed with antibodies to ACTH, which causes Myasthenia Gravis, and in a lot of cases, is caused by a Thymoma...diagnosed by a chest CT....along with a paraneoplastic panel which came back negative (I requested it from my list of tests on the informational disease page I brought with me for him). In August, CT was positive and I was sent to a thoracic surgeon for removal of what could be cancer....I was very scared but determined to be well.
In September I had a bronchoscopy, an endoscopy, and surgery for removal of the thymus gland and right lower lobe wedge resection for 2 nodules that showed up on a previous CT scan. Thankfully the pathology so far has been thymic hyperplasia. The specimen says that is was not the cells suspected for Myasthenia Gravis, but doesn't say what they were. I am thankful that it seems that I don't have thymic carcinoma but after all I have been through, and a talk with an oncologist friend, I am pursuing the pathology further because only microscopic testing was done (again information I learned about the disease prior to my surgery), and more staining and chemical testing could have been done considering my lymph nodes, and myasthenia antibodies. My inner voice is telling me to go further and I have learned to listen. I am going to see the oncology specialist in 2 weeks, even if it only quells my anxiety, so that I can relax and revel in a benign diagnosis with this surgery. I still face tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy, tooth extractions, and possible lymph node biopsies, but I can feel assured of a correct diagnosis after I see the oncologist.
What all of this is telling you is that your body was created by God in His image, and He gave you the "knowing" inside you to create an alarm within your spirit to know that something is going on....it may be just an infection or virus....but if you aren't getting the answers you need and still have that feeling that something is going on, go ahead and face the "looks" of the doctors (I even confronted a doctor when he rolled his eyes at me last year), and don't stop until you feel comfortable that your body is feeling in balance and whole, especially if you are still having symptoms that are making you have pain or feel ill.
By the way, I have been told that I my diagnosis was anxiety, post infection syndrome, depression, fibromyalgia, postherpetic neuralgia, familial tremor, anorexia due to stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, central pain syndrome, and everything from allergies to a virus that is lingering....
I would love to hear from you with your personal stories of past medical histories, your symptoms, how and if you were diagnosed, treatments you have tried, and tests/diagnostics done. We need to stick together, and this seems like a good group of support.
I pray all of you will be well and healthy in the near future...
Momonamission
.
All of your symptoms sound all too familiar.
Around 2 years ago, I had a large posterior lymph node show up very painful and swollen with a high fever of 103-104 and would not go away until 3 antibiotics tried. They tried to biopsy it when it was very swollen but did not get anything and the "node" eventually went down to a smaller size but remains there hard and just to the right of C5-6. I have a lot of neck/back problems from MVA and work accidents so I have had spinal pain and muscle pain from fibromyalgia as well, so it is hard to figure out what is going on in my body sometimes.
After my lymph node went down, I continued to have a continuous low grade fever (normally 97.4 was 99.5) that would increase in the evening. The area to the left of the lymph node (other side of the spine) started to have burning pain and had recurring sore throat and teeth problems (MVA caused left back teeth to crack and had repaired).
The doctor who WAS my PCP was very dismissive and did only the minimum or what I pressured him to do, causing a lot of pain and anxiety for me. I was caring for my mom, who had a lot of medical problems, and am a nurse who has taken care of many different types of patients but especially oncology and metabolic disorder patients so the different symptoms were of concern to me. It has been a long road since and there is not enough space for me to even begin to share what I have experienced due to the dismissiveness of doctors, the medical healthcare system which only gives doctors 15 minutes to analyze your condition, a "give a med" mentality of the doctors because they aren't sure what else to do, and sometimes the rarity of the disorders we have.
In the meantime, I took matters in my own hands and started a long search (internet, medical books, fellow nurses and professional medical friends) and put some of the pieces together.
My advice to anyone who has a condition or concern in their head....like "Is this lymphoma?" to express it directly and have the doctor either give you direct evidence of why it is not, or order more tests and have them LOOK AT THE SCANS THEMSELVES, instead of relying on reports. There are many things that the specialists can see instead of a general radiologist reading, especially if it is something that wasn't requested...ex. MRI soft tissue neck, evaluate for lymph nodes. And, if possible, go online and learn how to read the scans yourself..or at least look at them. It is because of this that my diagnosis was finally made.
When you go to the doctor, go with a list of what you want to know....what your symptoms are and what makes them better or worse, and also what you think (because all of us have done our own share of research by the time we see a specialist) may be a possible diagnosis or disease, also take a list of tests and other diagnostics that have been done before, although sometimes if it is overwhelming (as in my case) it can confuse the doctor, so perhaps only take the tests with abnormal findings or things that are directly related to what the doctor is seeing you for. If you have multiple body symptoms, list your past medical history by body category for the doctor to see ex. GI reflux disease, gastroparesis (by scintography on 5/08), post lap choly 2000, and start to keep a diary of symptoms and how they are treated if you are seeing multiple specialists to eliminate trying to remember when you had that fever, and what meds did/didn't work.....another thing to do is take the list of symptoms from the diseases you suspect, and what tests to order ...he might not know all the new technology especially if a GP, but present it as informational in case their ego gets in the way of them looking at it positively. = )
In my case, I had to do something I don't recommend....look at my own scans...acknowledge that the doctor wasn't going to agree with me, and check off the tests to be done on the lab sheet with the general bloodwork he ordered because he didn't think I was right. The tests I checked came back positive! After 3 years, I know that the Lord allowed a way for this to occur, because my diagnosis is rare, and it might have never been found.
I was diagnosed with antibodies to ACTH, which causes Myasthenia Gravis, and in a lot of cases, is caused by a Thymoma...diagnosed by a chest CT....along with a paraneoplastic panel which came back negative (I requested it from my list of tests on the informational disease page I brought with me for him). In August, CT was positive and I was sent to a thoracic surgeon for removal of what could be cancer....I was very scared but determined to be well.
In September I had a bronchoscopy, an endoscopy, and surgery for removal of the thymus gland and right lower lobe wedge resection for 2 nodules that showed up on a previous CT scan. Thankfully the pathology so far has been thymic hyperplasia. The specimen says that is was not the cells suspected for Myasthenia Gravis, but doesn't say what they were. I am thankful that it seems that I don't have thymic carcinoma but after all I have been through, and a talk with an oncologist friend, I am pursuing the pathology further because only microscopic testing was done (again information I learned about the disease prior to my surgery), and more staining and chemical testing could have been done considering my lymph nodes, and myasthenia antibodies. My inner voice is telling me to go further and I have learned to listen. I am going to see the oncology specialist in 2 weeks, even if it only quells my anxiety, so that I can relax and revel in a benign diagnosis with this surgery. I still face tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy, tooth extractions, and possible lymph node biopsies, but I can feel assured of a correct diagnosis after I see the oncologist.
What all of this is telling you is that your body was created by God in His image, and He gave you the "knowing" inside you to create an alarm within your spirit to know that something is going on....it may be just an infection or virus....but if you aren't getting the answers you need and still have that feeling that something is going on, go ahead and face the "looks" of the doctors (I even confronted a doctor when he rolled his eyes at me last year), and don't stop until you feel comfortable that your body is feeling in balance and whole, especially if you are still having symptoms that are making you have pain or feel ill.
By the way, I have been told that I my diagnosis was anxiety, post infection syndrome, depression, fibromyalgia, postherpetic neuralgia, familial tremor, anorexia due to stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, central pain syndrome, and everything from allergies to a virus that is lingering....
I would love to hear from you with your personal stories of past medical histories, your symptoms, how and if you were diagnosed, treatments you have tried, and tests/diagnostics done. We need to stick together, and this seems like a good group of support.
I pray all of you will be well and healthy in the near future...
Momonamission
.
I am a 43 year old female with sudden swelling in both of my breasts my lymph nodes in my neck and armpits are all swollen and painful, I am itching all over. I am not pregnant, I have been told I am in menopause state, have not had a period for a year and a half. I am worried that this may be lymphoma?
Have any of you heard of Epstein Barr Virus?? Or been tested?? I mean I have that and had all of your symptoms....Viruses usually stay with you and can cause reoccurring symptoms...Check it out. Best of luck "J"
hey, i have same node like ur's deb i think, ive written before here, and i got realy helped, 2 months ago i had thiroyd infection and i didnt treat for that, then a lymph node on my neck under my ear appeard, now after a while, i feel it decreased, but not to its original size, i can feel it only when i put my hand, plus im thin, 60kg, i did CBC test every thing was god, and made microscopy test also every thing is good, and the node can be seen when i turn my head to the maxxx degree to the left, it appears like a smal bump, but its so small approximatly, 0.5 cm, and never increased, and never give pain or change in texture, so deb, will it take a long time to disapper, or it might not, like some doctors tol me?
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