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 :( 

  • I do I took the bull by the horns and am currently waiting in a&e. Absolute nervous wreck but I’m here .

    prey for me! 

    and that’s for spurring me on 

  • Wow!

    Prayed for you yesterday and for you now. You're so brave going to A and E and I hope you don't have to wait too long.

    Let us know how it goes and remember I'm thinking of you x 

  • It wasn’t a long wait luckily. 

    was seen by a consultant she had a feel said the smaller lymph node was in range and about 7mm and the larger one was just under a cm which is what it was written down to be in January, so.. she isn’t concerned .. she said check my stomach and spleen and groin and said there was nothing present there that she was worried about either. She actually said she thinks my chances of having lymphoma are 1 in a million currently. 


    she said my anxiety is the thing I need to be working on and luckily I already have a cbt session for Friday booked. 

    soooo.. I suppose a little more relief but. No decimates, she said she had requested a blood test froM my local GP also for further reassurance 

    thanks for being so kind 

  • Phew! I'm so happy for you and I bet you can now get on with your life and put this behind you.

    Hope the CBT helps with the health anxiety. 

    Best wishes x

  • Well done for being so brave! What a relief for you. So pleased you had such a positive outcome.

    I called to chase up my referral today and they’ve given me my appointment for my tests this Saturday. Really nervous but hoping I come away with some relief. 

    it’s definitely nice chatting to people on here that are in similar situations and who you can let all your worries out to if you don’t want to worry your family and friends by having a negative outlook. Xx

  • 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 

  • Thanks I went to a&e earlier and she was quite reassuring. However less than 6 hours later a larger lump had now appeared on the back side of my neck :( honestly I cannot catch a break .. it feels like the other bit 3x as big. I just want to cry. This one can clearly be felt when I run my finger down unlike the others now I’m questioning if it was there before .. or not,, I’m sure I would have felt it.. and how has she not noticed it .. 

    2 steps forward 5 back

  • Good luck kel. I hope everything goes well and please keep us updated 

  • Is it visible if you take a photo of it? I know you don’t want to seem like the anxious person who keeps going back but I would definitely go back if it doesn’t go over the next couple of days xx

  • I think so slightly yea.. honestly o thought by going today all off this would be put to bed and now it’s just like 5x worse.. I can’t get a doctors appointment for 3 weeks and I can’t go back to a&e again.. maybe it’s prob just touching the are it’s swelled but it feels just like the other only bigger :(