Help! Swollen lymph nodes advice needed

Hello. I have been a visitor to these pages a lot of the past 2 months but i thought I needed to post. 

almost 2 years ago I started to get anxiety symptoms, very generalised , just feeling ‘off’ these could present very mildly or escalate to panic attacks. dizziness etc. 

I quit drinking for 3 months as I thought this may help.. it didn’t. Although my anxiety is very generalised I think health anxiety has caused me to spiral into this, I have been scared of the doctor my whole life and had a through minor health issues such as asthma and chronic ideopathic urcataria, which are now both non symptomatic . 

In January I found two swollen lymph nodes in my neck, one lower down on the left quite small (less than a cm) and one on the right ( about 1.5cm longer and thinner) even though I was petrified I patiently waited 2-3 weeks then visited my new local GP. Told her I was very anxious (was mid panic attack when I was seen) and she had a feel. She said she could feel nothing. So I tried very hard to show her where the slightly bigger lump was. She eventually found it and said it was a muscle, I disagreed, she then said maybe a small swollen lymph node and she was not concerned at all 

may anxiety calmed and I went about my life for a few weeks until now.. they still havnt gone down. It’s been 7 weeks in total now nearly 8 I’m not sure if they have grown as sometimes I feel like they have but then the next day they feel back to how they were. 

My anxiety is ridiculous especially at work and I am in a constant loop of fight and flight. I had to leave today. I am convinced I have lymphoma. I’m scared for my children and my family. If I feel any slight itch I believe it’s an additional symptom. My neck has now been aching for about a week and I am not sure it’s from touching them so much or not.. I had one night that I woke up with a night sweat but again, this could have been panic. 

I am now absolutely petrified to go back to the doctor. 

please be kind :( 

Parents
  • Hi, I had a swollen lymph node in my neck last year. I went to the GP and got referred. I do have private health insurance so got in the following week. Saw an ENT consultant who had a look, he popped a camera in my throat and I also had an ultrasound of my full neck. Was given the all clear with no explanation as to why it was swollen. Just told it was one of those things. They did discover some cysts around my thyroid but they were all clear or anything nasty. 

    Please go back to your GP. It may be nothing at all like mine, and if it is you can get back to normal. Good luck 

Reply
  • Hi, I had a swollen lymph node in my neck last year. I went to the GP and got referred. I do have private health insurance so got in the following week. Saw an ENT consultant who had a look, he popped a camera in my throat and I also had an ultrasound of my full neck. Was given the all clear with no explanation as to why it was swollen. Just told it was one of those things. They did discover some cysts around my thyroid but they were all clear or anything nasty. 

    Please go back to your GP. It may be nothing at all like mine, and if it is you can get back to normal. Good luck 

Children