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Swollen lymph node

Worried1
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Hi everyone,

A week ago i was rubbing my neck and felt what i thought was a spot, it was sore and red.  I noticed it didnt seem to have any kind of head on it to be a spot and it seemed to be coming more from underneath the skin, so i stupidely looked it up online i saw a lot of stuff about cancer!!! I got an appointment at the doctors and he checked all over my head and neck and could only feel the one lymph node swollen, he asked me a number of questions such as was i feeling ill? did i have night sweats? history of family cancer, etc, all of which i answered no to.  He took my blood pressure and weight which were all fine, he asked if i had been ill recently and i said ive had cough and cold on and off since decemeber but has gone now so he has put the swollen lymph node down to this and said he wasnt worried but  told me if it gets any bigger or is there after 2-4 weeks i should return..

It has now been a week and i can still feel the node, it is no longer sore and red this went after 3 days.  I am so worried that i can feel it, its smaller than a pea and is just there! I dont want it there and dont know why it is there,  this is what is bothering me so much is not knowing why it has all of a sudden popped up out of nowhere and also what the hell will happen if it is still there after two weeks! 

This is making me very anxious, and i hate feeling this way, its mostly the not knowing why it is there and is it something sinister! Dont know what to do, not sure what it is im asking here, think i just need some reassurances im going to be ok as i have two young children :( 

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    Hello Worried1 I am going through something a little similar at the moment. I have had a niggly cough for a few months, no other symptoms other than recently a bit of chest pain. I went to the doctor and had blood tests, all fine, and a chest X-ray, not fine - currently waiting on a CT scan and the title of my letter says ‘Suspected lung cancer’ so I am bricking it. I can sleep and eat but my anxiety is not good and I’m feeling symptoms now which I can’t determine whether they are actual symptoms or brought on by anxiety. My partner has not left my side and has been so supportive so this has helped with my anxiety. Making sure you keep yourself busy - be it seeing friends or with the kids. Doing overtime at work has helped me as well. The NHS have been good so far. You must keep an eye on it and go back if anything changes as per the doctor advice. Don’t bury your head in the sand like I did... if you need help, be it for real symptoms or anxiety, then persist with the doctor. I’m around and I’m sure others are if you need to vent. Bella
  • Offline in reply to bellapenguin
    I was feeling so positive as lymph node had started going down in size but now I have found another on the other side of neck and this one is same as the first one with the redness and soreness :( so back to the doctors I go. I haven’t had any other symptoms just stupid anxiety and I don’t know if that is what is bringing these nodes up
  • Offline in reply to Worried1
    I called the doctors today no appointments until 20th February!!! Was offered a call from a doctor so accepted that, generally ask you to come in if they feel there is a need. So I have to wait and see now.
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    Hi Worried1. Welcome to the forum.

    Apart from the nurses, we're not medically qualified here. We're mainly cancer patients/survivors and carers for cancer patients.

    Although I'm not a doctor, it does seem that your doctor has asked all the right questions and you gave reassuring answers.  Lymph nodes to swell and subside in response to infections - that's their job and most of the time it happens without us noticing. Then one day, one node is a little bigger and more painful than normal, and we notice it and start wondering what's going on.

    These days, we're all cancer aware, and if you ever Google your symptoms then the result is usually scary.  Last time I Googled my symptoms, it turned out I needed to have a hysterectomy - and I'm a bloke!

    You are right to talk to your doctor for reassurance, but in all likelihood this lymph node is doing its job of protecting your body from an infection that you're not even aware you have.

  • Offline in reply to telemando
    Hi telemando, thank you for you reply. I’m a bit annoyed with the doctors, I called them again because I hadn’t received a call back in 3 hours from the doctor and the receptionist told me my name wasn’t even on his call list even though I called at 9 this morning! I feel so annoyed! I explained I have health anxiety and this is important and I need a call back so she said doc will call shortly But I’m still waiting argh! I don’t know if my anxiety has brought these swellings up! They are really small, smaller than a pea I would say I just need some reassurance.
  • Offline in reply to Worried1
    Finally received a call back from the doctor, I explained about the new node popping up, its basically exactly the same as the other one that popped up. He asked me if i had fever, sweating at night or weight loss which i don't have i literally feel normal apart from the anxiety of course. He said the size and location are not concerning, and that i should just check them every few days to make sure not getting bigger. My first one has decreased in size so i am hoping this one goes down as well. If they are still there in 2 weeks then i go back to the doctors to get them checked again but he said he is not concerned about them. Should i be reassured by this?
  • Offline in reply to Worried1

    Hi Worried1.

    I'm not a doctor, but in your situation I would be completely reassured by this.

    Night sweats are a classic symptom of lymphoma (although there are PLENTY of other reasons that can cause them, most of them benign). So is weight loss (with again the same proviso).  You have neither, so this is a case where no news is definitely good news.  Your doctor has asked all the right questions and you don't appear to have anything to suggest that these nodes are sinister (in my non-qualified opinion). 

    You doctor is correct in advising you to monitor the nodes, but I suggest you don't become obsessive about it.  See what they're like in 7 and 14 days time from now, and decide then whether you need to go back. 

    Your doctor sounds to me to be completely on the ball. I think you've got a good one there! He might almost be as good as my doctor, who is just brilliant! 

  • Offline in reply to bellapenguin

    Hi bellapenguin. Welcome to our forum. 

    You don't mention whether or not you're a smoker. 

    I'm afraid I know very little about lung cancer, but I do have a good news story to tell.  A few months ago one of my friends (in her 60s) told us that she'd got lung cancer, and of course she was terribly upset. However, a week later and after further testing, the shadow turned out to be some benign and harmless feature in her lungs, and she didn't have cancer after all. I could never establish whether she'd been officially told by an oncologist that she had lung cancer, or whether it was an erroneous conclusion she'd drawn. 

    My father had TB in the late 1940s when he was in his 30s. He was cured with the then new antibiotics, but had regular chest X rays for many years thereafter.  On more than one occasion, the X ray showed a "shadow" on his lung, which later proved to be nothing to worry about.  If this had happened today, then he would have been rapidly put on the two week pathway with a report labelled "Suspected lung cancer". 

    In practice only 1 in 10 people who are sent on any of the two week "suspected" cancer pathways actually turn out to have cancer, once all the tests have been completed. 

    It's a worrying time, but until all the tests are in, it's best to keep optimistic and hope for the best. And remember, ALL the tests have to be done before anyone can be sure it's cancer. Don't go jumping the gun. 

     

  • Offline in reply to telemando
    Hi Telemando. Thanks for the welcome! I like the odd social smoke, a glass of wine and a smoke for me goes in hand in hand but it's only when I am with certain friends and not all the time. I have certainly learned from this experience to knock that habit on the head. It is easy to draw that conclusion as the letter for me says suspected lung cancer. I know that this is to get me seen rapidly but it has shaken me up. However, I will remain optimistic and having supportive people around certainly helps. Thanks for your cheery message of good stories, it's little things like that which make a difference in worrying times.
  • Offline in reply to bellapenguin

    Hi bellapenguin. I think it's almost certain that they will ask how much you smoke, so it might be best to count up your daily average so you have an answer ready. It sound like no more than 1-2 ciggies a day, which is far from excessive. 

    Good luck with the next step in the process and let us know how you get on. 

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