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enlarged lymph nodes - worried!

SunshineEm
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Hi all! Sorry if this is slightly long to read.

I'm 21, and female. In november, I noticed one of my lymph nodes in my neck was enlarged, without any other signs of illness. Shortly after my groin swelled up, and then I noticed another in my neck was enlarged too. The groin 'swelling' seemed to go down, I occasionally worried about the ones in my neck, but didn't do anything about it. Since november, I have been getting increasingly tired, however this comes and goes. Some days I am fine, other days I am exhausted, and it is completely unrelated to how much sleep i've got! One in particular on my neck seemed to be growing larger, and I then noticed I could actually still feel the one in my groin. I've also seemed to have slightly tender side of my breast, on one particular side, which comes and goes too. I don't know if this is related.

I finally went to my GP on monday, and she examined me and found some more  - another in my neck, one above my collar bone, and another in the other side of my groin. So in total I have 6, that I know of. I'm also convinced another one has swelled up in my armpit since I saw her, but I don't know if this is stress related? The day it felt swollen, the side of my breast on that side was also tender to touch (the opposite to where it has previously been sore). I've also seemed to have developed a 'tight chest' feeling and a chesty cough when I breathe in deeply since seeing her, after she pressed down on my stomach and told me to inhale/exhale, but then again, maybe its always been there/ is stress related? I'm just noticing it now?
I had a chest x-ray this morning, have a CT scan on my neck in just under 2 weeks, and blood tests in about 3 weeks. I feel a bit confused to be honest, I know they're testing 'to rule out' cancer, but what does this actually mean? a specific type of cancer? any cancer? I don't really understand the stages of diagnosis, and how likely really is this to be cancer? I don't think I've had any significant weight loss, and I definitely have not had night sweats to the point I've drenched the sheets, i've woken up hotter than usual some nights but that could be a whole range of things.

 I know lymphoma can cause enlarged lymph nodes - does anyone know if 6 palpable nodes is a bad sign? The one in my neck that I had originally noticed seems to feel quite hard and doesn't move, but my GP did say the ones in my groin area are movable and so that is more 'promising'. I'm trying to stay positive but the worry is really eating away at me, at a time where i'm trying to write my university dissertation too!

Any kind of insight/opinion would be really helpful/appreciated, its driving me crazy!

 

EDIT: I also had glandular fever 2 years ago, so we know it isn't this. 

 

  • Offline in reply to WhoopieMonster

    Hi WhoopieMonster

     

    Yeah my doctor told me lymph nodes can swell up for no reason whatsoever. She's been a doctor for years so I should trust her but everyone on this thread seems to have had tests to confirm their lumps are benign. I also struggle with anxiety so that's why I need more reassurance sometimes.
     

    If it helps, the chances are your nodes are nothing to worry about! I've had them swell up before for a few days at a time but this time was a lot longer which is why I worried. Apparently nothing to worry about! So try and focus on that :happy:

  • Offline in reply to Bec1999

    Hi guys all your posts reassured me a lot that other people have had similar experiences. I have had 2 'enlarged' lymph nodes one on the right side of my neck and the left side of my groin, got bloods done and they were normal and ultrasound came back normal aswell. Doctor just told me that on slightly skinny people they are often easy to feel and  as long as they feel like you can wiggle them and not much larger than a pea then they are normal and even bigger than that only means enlarged and not really a massive indicator of anything sinister

    hope this helps anyone

  • Offline in reply to VictoriaE99

    Hi I'm so so happy to find this post , thank you !

     

    im 37 and prob about 3-5 years ago noticed a small Hardish Bump like a small pea between my chin and neck, I asked a gp about it  quickly once a good few years ago and she said it was nothing to worry about so I put it out of my head but for some reason I'm focusing on it again lately , not sure if it's slightly bigger or I'm just focusing more on it . I went to gp yday who could feel it and sending for ultrasound although he said he wasn't overly concerned as blood count fine and didn't have symptoms . I'm catostrophosing that the only reason I have  swollen lymph nodes  for some long is cancer or that they've got bigger due to progression- I find I can concentrate on anything else and just worry so much about my young kids 

     

    thanks for reading xxx

  • Offline in reply to Sugarbruns

    Hi again! 

    try not to stress about it too much because the lady who did my ultrasound said they weren't even that big and that I was lucky to even find them so if you have no other symptoms and they are a small pea size everytbing should be fine and no other tests need to be done, they should just be reactive and something you live with I guess!xx

  • Offline in reply to VictoriaE99

    Thank you , worry is so pointless but so addictive , think I almost feel safer fearing the worst rather than hoping , going to try and work on changing that mindset xxx

  • Offline in reply to Sugarbruns

    Hi, I am just jumping on the post. I have read so many of them as my anxiety is at an all-time high! 

    My child (15) has 6/7 swollen nodes on the back of their head, neck, in front of the ear and collar bone. (All on one side) Had them for probably 3/4 months (ish) the largest being around 3cm (that was the size the GP confirmed) and very noticeable. Some are movable and rubbery, some are solid. I think the largest node has reduced slightly, I feel like one of them has grown, although that may be me being paranoid. Had some night sweats, where the bed sheets are soaked through, not every night and child confirmed that this happens a few times a month for the last 6 months (ish) quite sweaty through the day on a daily basis. Otherwise very fit, active and healthy, no weight loss (eats well) or fatigue (not the best sleeping pattern, typical teenager). Blood tests are clear and so was the chest X-Ray they had. The hospital has performed further blood tests to look for underlying infection?! Does anyone have any thoughts on this?? They had really long names and I was in that much of a state that I can’t remember the names, I was told that the results would take about a week to come back, I was also told that as there are many possible infections it is a possibility that the results would come back clear, which is not uncommon. There have been no obvious signs of infection, no ill health at all. We go for the results this week.

    I have search Google (my worst enemy at the moment) and it says that nodes from infections should reduce in size after a few weeks? It also says that cancerous nodes can reduce in size when the cancer cells die?  Does anyone have any experiences that they can share because I need to stop using Google!! I am terrified!!!

  • Offline in reply to Shineystar

    Update I had ultra sound today I was ridiculously nervous , my jaw and neck are aching from being so tense these last few days. He said most of the nodes I was worried about were so tiny , he said there was one slightly bigger but nothing to be concerned he said something like 10mm by 8mm ? I wish to took notes , he said we could either check it in 6 weeks or request fna, we went for fna, he said he didn't think it was anything to worry about it but of course I'm freaking - does the worrying ever end?

     

    [@Shineystar]‍  that must be so worrying for you ! I'm not surprised you want to him getting check but hopefully all ok, would they do an ultrasound on his neck? Xxx

  • Offline in reply to Sugarbruns

    Hi, 

    Glad to hear the Doctor said nothing to worry about, it is nice to hear positive news!

     

    The appointment that we had arranged was cancelled last week because it had been put in the wrong clinic, i was so angry/upset/stressed. New appointment next week. I did request to speak to tge consultant over the phone who confirmed that infection blood tests are clear so still no further forward. I am going to request as much as possible next week! 
     

    I have now noticed red, dry, scaley skin around the area that some if the swollen lymph nodes are, only a small patch, but now i am worried that it is connected. I am a paranoid wreck. 
     

    thank you 

     

    x
     

  • Offline in reply to Shineystar

    Hi, im so glad I have found this post as its recently active and my anxiety at the moment is really high! 
     

    Basically im 16 years old and I found a lump above my left collarbone like 6 months ago (the start of lockdown so its all i have been thinking about!) im guessing the lump is a lymph node. The lump feels hard and immovable and it feels larger than deemed "normal" (1cm). I have also noticed a lympth node in on the left side of my neck is enlarged, however this one is pea sized and moveable. I think the lumps havent grown any bigger since march.
     

    I have had no symptoms and I feel healthy and good in myself generally, except this constant anxiety! 
     

    Ive looked online quite a bit and everything I have read so far has not been good news thatI want to hear. I dont really fancy having lymphoma to be honest so im really hoping its not! Especially as I have just started my alevels and im a competitive athlete!

     

    Im just hoping there is someone that has had a similar experience to me and can soothe my anxiety down abit while im waiting for my consultation. 
     

    Best wishes 

    K 

  • Offline in reply to YoungK

    Hi there, I can't offer any advice but just wanted to add my story that had a positive outcome, just for anyone who has something similar. I wanted to say thank you to all the contributors on this forum who respond to people's worries in such a calm and measured way - in particular I found posts by Jolamine and Telemando to be especially calming! You don't know how much your posts helped to calm my anxiety and keep things in perspective!

    Basically I've had a fatty lump under my left armpit for several years - my GP said it was nothing to worry about and likely to be a lipoma. A couple of months ago I found a swollen lymph node next to it (sort of lower armpit, a little nearer to my back than my breast). Obviously I went into full on panic mode, as when you google lymph nodes the absolute worst case scenarios are shown in the results! I've basically had two months of self inflicted worry and stress, as I have other symptoms which made me feel like it must be metastatic breast cancer or lymphoma, it has been horrendous.

    I finally had my appt at the breast clinic yesterday and fortunately got the all clear after both a mammogram and ultrasound. The consultant could barely find the node, which I had been convinced was enormous! She said because I'm quite slim it's often easy to find them if you're really searching (I could feel others in my neck and other armpit). The radiographer then said the so called lipoma was muscle, so definitely not anything to worry about, and the lymph nodes were slightly enlarged but benign and again nothing to worry about.

    I don't want to give a false sense of all being fine with underarm lumps etc, as I know there are many people who don't get such positive outcomes. But I just hope my post helps people to feel a bit calmer about finding a swollen lymph node! It's made me realise how important it is to keep checking for lumps and bumps and any changes, and act quickly to save additional waiting time stress.

    Also, not sure if I can post links but this lady nails so many of the potential stresses and reasons why nodes may be swollen, I found this to be a very calming influence as well! She's called Cherelle Thinks on YouTube.

    www.youtube.com/watch

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