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Apparently have 'reactive lymph nodes'?

lumpyneck
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I have swollen lymph nodes that have not gone down and have been present for over a year. I haven't been ill, maybe a little sniffly rarely, but no root cause I know of.

 

I am relatively young and I haven't had night sweats and they could find swollen nodes anywhere else. I don't think I've lost weight - I don't track it though. I have been feeling really tired for a while but I didn't mention it as I wasn't asked. But I don't always get the recommended sleep, sometimes it's a few hours below. But other times I will and still feel tired, and I feel like I can take a nap at any time spontaneously, and if I don't have an alarm sometimes I can sleep for a loooong time. A few years ago I never napped at all nor needed to. I can't always tell if I'm just unmotivated or am drained.

 

I had an ultrasound and blood tests. The ultrasound lady said they looked fine on the spot. For some reason I was disappointed as though I wanted them to say something else, and I guess it's because I can't explain these nodes and I want to understand and know why they are there so I don't need to worry. They have grown since they first developed but now seem constant enough.

 

Should I worry? Should I say I think I should get a biopsy? My GP said I'd be getting both an ultrasound and biopsy. While a biopsy doesn't appeal and I have 0 idea how bad it is (I've never had anything like that done), answers would be nice.

 

Thank you :)

Hope you all are doing good.

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    Hi lumpyneck.  Welcome to the forum.

     

    I must start out by saying that I'm not a doctor and I have medical qualifications.

     

    It is not unheard of for lymph nodes to remain swollen even after they've cleared out an infection.  I'm not sure that anyone knows why this happens.  Nodes which have swollen in response to an infection are called "reactive", and this is generally good news.

     

    Ultrasound is the standard first line test for identifying reactive nodes, and we should expect the sonographer to have the training and experience to make an accurate assessment. Since the sonographer was confident in her assessment there was probably no need to take a biopsy.  Quite possibly, the images were reviewed by another person at a later date, and if that person hadn't agreed then you'd know about it.

     

    You don't have night sweats and weight loss, and although you do have tiredness, that is a common symptom with many possible explanations.

     

    If I were in your shoes, I would be reassured that these nodes are harmless, and I would put them out of my mind.  Of course, should I get night sweats or unexplained weight loss at some future time then I'd be back to the GP like a shot, but otherwise I'd just move on.

     

    I hope this reassures you.

     

     

     

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    Hey 

    I have a similar case to yours. Just wanted to ask how big are you lymph nodes and where are they located?

     

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    Hi, just wanted an update. How are you doing now?

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