Swollen Neck Glands - Is This An Allergy? - Allergies Message Board

Mike2003 · 11-03-2003, 03:14 PM

I am a 29 year old male and have always been in perfect health. I’m a non-smoker. About 11 months ago I started to have the following symptoms.

The large glands on each side of my neck feel swollen and the back of my throat can feel very dry. Those these symptoms virtually always happen during the night, about 1 hour after going to bed.

At it’s worst the glands feel to be pressing in on my windpipe, though I find that leaving the window open at night helps a little. So it is interfering with my sleep. Over the 11 months I have not had any colds/flu and I have not had a sore or hoarse throat. The symptoms have not interfered with my speech.

When I wake up in the morning, just sometimes (not always) my eyes feel quite dry. My eyes never had this sensation before 11 months ago. Sometimes I also feel a little warm in the face.

The symptoms were much worse in the summer, and I’m sure higher temperatures had something to do with the condition. Maybe it is some form of allergy

I have gone to a general practitioner who didn’t do any tests (other than looking into my mouth). They didn’t seem to know what might be causing it, though they said it was probably nothing to worry about, and would probably go of it’s own accord.

Though I’m not looking forward to the summer again, as I’m sure this condition will become worse again.

Do these symptoms sound familiar to anyone?

Chrislynn · 11-04-2003, 09:05 PM

Hi Mike,

Yes I can relate somewhat. I too have swollen glands or lymph nodes in my neck but only on the right side. This is due to the irritation from the severe post nasal drip which has been going on for many months now which is allergy related.

I am just starting to feel a little better because the weather is cooling down somewhat where I live. I find the colder weather helps me to feel better and therefore, my swollen glands/nodes seem to go down quite a bit. But since the PND has not completely stopped, I still have a little swelling.

I do not experience the dry eyes but that could just be from the cold air (you said you leave your window open) and the warmth on your face could be due to an allergy. Sometimes, I feel flush and warm in the face and my eyes burn when my allergies are really acting up.

I am not a medical doctor so I do not intend to diagnose your condition but from what you have described, it very well could be some type of allergy. Do you have any other allergy symptoms, like, sneezing, runny nose, cough, etc?

I am dreading the next summer too...I always feel worse in the hot weather!

Mike2003 · 11-05-2003, 03:16 AM

Thanks Chrislynn,

it's the two large muscle/glands (one on each side of the neck which start from behind the ear and go downwards in the direction of the shoulder) - apologies for not knowing the correct terminology!

No, I have no other allergy symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose or a cough. In fact, I never feel "under the weather".

Is it possible for someone to develop an allergy or allergies at my age (29), as I have never had any of these symptoms before 1 year ago?

Chrislynn · 11-05-2003, 06:26 PM

Sure a person can develop allergies or asthma at any age. It could even be a reaction to a particular food you are eating.

As long as you don't feel sick and the doctor did not seem concerned, then I personally probably would not be concerned either. I have read a lot posts about people having swollen glands. It actually seems quite common.

Maybe think about what you eat on a daily basis, or if there are new plants or trees that you are exposed to or even pet dander or house dust or mold. There are so many variables as you can see. Something is obviously causing an irritation.

Hope this helps.
take care-

Mike2003 · 11-06-2003, 04:20 PM

Thanks again Chrislynn,

I'll have to have a think about what's different in my environment, and if I'm doing/eating anything different than previously. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out what might be causing the problem.

Thanks very much again for the info!