Very worried - swollen lymph gland in neck

Hi,

Apologies for the long post.

For the past few months or so i keep getting  swollen and tender glands on the right side of my neck, just below my jaw. It is quite painful in that area if i move my head to the right. The tenderness usually lasts about a week or two and then seems to go away however my gland still remains abit enlarged. The soreness goes away but then reappears every few weeks  and this has been going on for a few months now so im very worried that something isn't right. I saw my Gp when it first happened and was told i was probably fighting off an infection somewhere (even though i had no obvious signs or symptoms of an infection) and not to worry. Today i visited the same GP who again told me that i probably have an infection somewhere. He checked me over and saw no signs of ear, throat infection and no high temperature. I generally feel fine, however I am feeling very fatigued but i am 19 weeks pregnant so this could be why. He looked through previous blood work i had done as part of my pregnancy and noticed that in one of them that my white blood count was slightly high. Two weeks ago i had a blood test carried out to look for infection as i was experiencing abdominal pain. I was told that everything was fine and that what i was experiencing was growing pains as a result of my pregnancy. I asked my GP why they said everything was fine if my white blood count was high. He informed me that it was only raised a trivial amount so they would have said it was normal. He therefore ordered me to have another blood test to see if anything has changed, and also wants to check my thyroid. I had this today and will get results back next week. This has my very worried and he even mentioned the word cancer, although he said he isnt concerned i have this. Ive since been looking online (which i know i shouldn't) and am now worried i could have cancer, leukaemia, lymphoma etc. My grandad died from leukaemia and i am petrified. I don't think the swollen gland has anything to do with my pregnancy as i was experiencing symptoms before i got pregnant. Im just so worried that something is wrong as there appears to be no reason why the gland is swollen, and my white blood count was slightly raised. Does anyone know if i should be concerned?

Thank you

  • I have exactly the same. But on my left side.

    What i would class as my normal gland, is permanently larger than the right hand side. Now and again it literally feels like it will burst, there is a smaller gland above which also swells up. Very painful to the touch, and you noticeably see big lumps in my neck.

    I had bloods taken, all good. Doc gave me antibiotics anyway but still the same. A couple of months ago i got an urgent referral to a specialist. A rang up today to chase it up. Another 2 months until my appointment!!

    Pretty scared about it now to be honest.

  • Hi Leggy928. Welcome to the forum. I am not a doctor. 

    Please try not to worry. 

    I understand that the lumps are worrying, but be reassured that Hodgkins lymphoma is a rare cancer, and non-Hodgkins is even more rare. You also don't mention the classic lymphoma symptoms of night sweats and itching, so the chances that your symptoms are caused by lymphoma are very low indeed.  On the other hand, lymph nodes can and do swell up painfully, and can stay swollen for long periods as part of a normal fight against infection.

    You could return to your GP, ask whether (while you're waiting) you could be referred for an ultrasound check of the swollen nodes, or maybe there's another hospital with a shorter waiting list. And of course, if anything changes, such as you getting night sweats or severe itching, then you must return to your GP.  

     

     

  • I will be going private on monday. Will keep you posted.

    Thanks for the reply.

  • Good luck. Please tell us how you get on. 

  • Hi, I'm having very similar symptoms. I've had them since Feb, 1 lymph node (I'm assuming) feels larger on my right side permanently (at least since I noticed it) but sometimes gets bigger and a bit achey. I also have 1 or 2 more enlarged nodes under my jaw and 1 on my cheek / jaw. I'm pretty worried but I've been very stressed and I think I had a viral infection, so I'm very much hoping it's just taking a long time to get over and related to hormones. My mum is coming to the end of treatment for breast cancer, so I've been to the doctor who did a breast exam and blood test, all were fine. But it's so uncomfortable at times and a massive worry. However reading all all these comments has made me feel a bit better. I really must go back to the doctors with my concerns though. I hope everything works out OK for you x

  • Hi Alt8,

    I hope your problem got solved by now and you got better!

    I am having somewhat similar symptoms, except i have flue like sumptoms that comes from time to time. Please update me with you findings, I am so worried though my ENT dotctor is telling me there is nothing to fear. Currently he is trying to cure me with different types of antibiotics, some of them have noticable effects on my soar throat and swollen lymph nodes, but still the sympost come back again after a while.

    Any deteails from your side will help me so much.

    Thank you

  • Hi Hamida,

    Sorry for the late reply. I didnt realise it was already a year ago since my first post. Just to update you i decided to see a private doctor at the time who assured me that he had no concerns. He didnt think i needed a scan but was given antibiotics as he said I may have a lingering infection, the antibiotics seemed to do the trick. I also restrained from prodding my gland (which i was doing a lot and was probably making it worse) and the pain went away so i kind of forgot about it and tried not to worry over it. I tend to worry a lot and think this amplifies any symptoms i have. My gland has not bothered me since, apart from this week where both sides are tender, but i have a sore throat and a cough as have caught my partners cold. Have your symptoms subsided?

  • Hi Claire87,

    Sounds similer to what i was experiencing. One gland in particular always seemed bigger and I would have periods where it become sore.  I saw the GP a few times over it and also saw a private doctor aswell as i just couldn't shake the fear that something was wrong. I kind of stopped worrying so much over it after they reassured me amd was given a course of antibiotics fot a suspected lingering infection. After that the pain improved, and I noticed that it stopped bothering so much. My right gland always seems slightly bigger than the left so maybe that's just me. Hope everything os om with you 

  • Hi leggy928, 

    Haven't been on here for a while. Hope everything turned out fine for you?

  • Hi Maggz,

     

    I haven't been on here for a while. Was everything ok after? Hope your doing well