Hi everyone,

This is my first time I've used a site like this but I'm desperate for info.
Just over 6months ago I was told I had CMV, this was diagnosed after becoming extremely ill (the worst ive ever felt). The thing that is scaring me is that ive had swollen glands - 1 under jaw, 1 under arm, 2 in groin for 6 months. The nodes are hard and are not going down. When ive explored the internet all the info says the glands should go back to normal after 4-6weeks.
I was sent sent to an hematologist 4 months ago because of the glands and my heamaglobin had gone down. But it was them who found I had cmv and said there was nothing else they could do.
Can anybody tell me if it is normal for these glands to still be up after all this time. It might sound silly but this has brought me to tears with worry and I havn't cried for over ten years (first time my wife's seen me cry)

Hi everyone,

This is my first time I've used a site like this but I'm desperate for info.
Just over 6months ago I was told I had CMV, this was diagnosed after becoming extremely ill (the worst ive ever felt). The thing that is scaring me is that ive had swollen glands - 1 under jaw, 1 under arm, 2 in groin for 6 months. The nodes are hard and are not going down. When ive explored the internet all the info says the glands should go back to normal after 4-6weeks.
I was sent sent to an hematologist 4 months ago because of the glands and my heamaglobin had gone down. But it was them who found I had cmv and said there was nothing else they could do.
Can anybody tell me if it is normal for these glands to still be up after all this time. It might sound silly but this has brought me to tears with worry and I havn't cried for over ten years (first time my wife's seen me cry)
After a CMV infection, the nodes are swollen because they have captured the infection and have it quarantined from the rest of the body. If you begin to have syptoms of your infection again, you will need to contact your doctor. Also if you are not satisfied with the medical treatment you received and want further answers you might try a specialist at a cancer treatment facility. Since I do not know your location, I would not be able to point you towards any particular place but would encourage you to browse for Cancer centers that specialize in treatments related to lymphomas and virology.

see next reply

CMV is pretty common and in healthy indivudals is not a place for concern because their immunse system keeps the virus on low profile preventing it from causing troubles. However, in people whose immune system does not function properly or is depressed (such as in HIV infected people), CMV can cause several serious illnesses.

The areas you claim to have enlarged nodes are relatively common. It would be more worrisome if you notice any enlargement in any of the nodes as time goes by rather than if they don't decrease in size. If they do continue to grow, it may be a sign of lymphoma, while if they don't it could imply a continued infection. I'm not sure if CMV causes enlarged nodes for a proglonged period of time, you should refer this question to a specialist. You did not mention the size of your nodes; you may actually be over-paranoid over their size (as many people are) whilst their size is in the normal range (any size <1cm is not a place for concern, unless they continue to grow). Another red light would be if you are experiencing any systematic symptoms (e.g. fever, night sweats, itching etc.).

In any event, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have one node biopsied, even if just for your peace of mind.

Good luck

The nodes dont get any larger but they aren't getting any smaller. Im also worried that I have'nt had typical cmv symptoms i.e sore throat, runny nose ect, At first I was just ill and very white with intense headaches for about 4 weeks. All that remaines are regular headaches and the swollen nodes. 1 doctor says the headaches are migraines and another says they aren't migraines they connected to CMV, this worries me about doctors judgements.