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Ultrasound for swollen lymph node - what should I expect?

poppy602
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Hi all,

I've been referred for an ultrasound in my local hospital to look at a swollen lymph node on my neck which has been around for quite a while. Everything has dragged on a little bit because of covid but I finally have a date and am going for the scan in a few weeks.

I'm quite nervous not just about the results of the scan but also about potential timeframes for additional scan or biopsy referrals if the scan looks abnormal. Would I be able to ask the nurses or doctors for their interpretation of my scan in the appointment? And if they do think it looks abnormal would I be sent for a biopsy immediately or would it be a separate referral and waiting process? Realistically, if it is something more than a reactive lymph node how much longer will I have to play the waiting game before I get a diagnosis?

Feeling very in the dark right now as my GP gave me little information about the process and so anyones knowledge or advice about this would be amazing :)

Parents
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    Hello,

    My son had a ultrasound this week for 2 swollen lumps in his neck that came up with tonsillitis and never went back down. I was so worried. The Dr checked them there and then and just said theyre reactive nodes. They're nothing to worry about. Sometimes after an Infection they just don't go back down.

    I have one personally behind my ear. It's been a year and came up after I had a terrible infection in my chest and then for some reason my ear blocked for 3 weeks. My Dr isn't concerned but wants me to have a chest x ray as a precaution. She also said if your bloods and scan is clear then all it is, is a reactive node that never went back down. It happens.

    Obviously we should never ignore a lump, or a swollen lymph node. I'm also a bit nervous about my chest x ray just in case they find more there however I usually suffer from extreme health anxiety and the big C being mostly the cause of it I am a lot more relaxed about it. I really trust my Dr and she also said sometimes they just don't go back down and they don't know why.

    I hope everything comes back

    clear for you 

Reply
  • Offline

    Hello,

    My son had a ultrasound this week for 2 swollen lumps in his neck that came up with tonsillitis and never went back down. I was so worried. The Dr checked them there and then and just said theyre reactive nodes. They're nothing to worry about. Sometimes after an Infection they just don't go back down.

    I have one personally behind my ear. It's been a year and came up after I had a terrible infection in my chest and then for some reason my ear blocked for 3 weeks. My Dr isn't concerned but wants me to have a chest x ray as a precaution. She also said if your bloods and scan is clear then all it is, is a reactive node that never went back down. It happens.

    Obviously we should never ignore a lump, or a swollen lymph node. I'm also a bit nervous about my chest x ray just in case they find more there however I usually suffer from extreme health anxiety and the big C being mostly the cause of it I am a lot more relaxed about it. I really trust my Dr and she also said sometimes they just don't go back down and they don't know why.

    I hope everything comes back

    clear for you 

Children
  • Offline in reply to Mumof3boys84

    Hi,

    I'm glad your son is okay and I hope your scans come back clear as well! Yeah, I'm quite comforted by the fact that swollen lymph nodes are very, very rarely cancer and so I'm hopeful that that's the case for me. This is probably all just precaution as I think the NHS has a rule that they need to fully investigate unexplainable lumps just in case it is something like cancer although they often aren't. Thank you for the response and fingers crossed everything works out for you. 

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