i'm really starting to freak out now.... i went for a follow-up with my ENT today after i noticed an enlarged node following strep throat. ENT put me on antibiotics and steroid to reduce the swelling. the swelling wend down... but i can still feel the lymph node. When the ENT examined it, he said it is still slightly enlarged. he said he is not concerned about this being anything serious....BUT he said if it wold make me feel better, he can biopsy it. so that is what i decided to do. i am scheduled to have a biopsy next thursday.

i am devastated that this node is still here. i just want it to go away.... i have always been in perfect health and now i feel like my life is crashing. i never imagined going thru something like this at such a young age (i'm 27). i haven't even told my parents about this... and my husband just blows it off and sais that i will be fine and not to worry, he is sick of talking about it with me. i feel like i have nobody to turn to or to talk with.

i just want to thank those who have responded to my previous post with words of encouragement.... that meant alot. thank you!

I am sorry you are still so worried but the biopsy will give you the best idea what is going on. It may well be a reactive lymph node but you will not be convinced until the biopsy results are in. It is hard not to worry in the meantime but try to keep your mind occupied on good things!

Love and prayers,

Try not to worry about it, I know everything about stressing and worrying, as many of the people here know, I have been there and done that...Nonetheless I am sure if you continously focus and touch the node it will not properly heal...so just sit back and wait, keep positive thoughts and trust your doctor's, believe it or not they usually know what they are talking about...

Hello, I can totally relate to you. I have had a so called "swollen lymph node" for exaclty a year. When I first found it I saw three ER doctors (I was very sick at the time and I have anxiety), I also saw a gland specialist, and have since seen two seurgeons. The first suergeon told me it felt benign and that maybe at one time I had a infection and this particular node is like scar tissue and will never go away.The second seurgeon I saw said pretty much the same thing.At the same time it had been there 7 months and he felt the inside of my mouth.He sent me packing! Now, 5 months later I have had a new node pop up. The other side of my neck. It s alot smaller and is tender, also. I see the same head and neck sergeon on Tuesday 26th, to see what he thinks now? I am extremly worreid and have been crying for three days now. The good thing out of all this is, I don't night sweats, fevers, and Iam not overly exhausted. I had chest x-rays done on july 30th,2006 that were completly normal. I have also had three out of the four of my children that have had mono and strep in the last five months.I to don't have anyone to talk to. My husband also gets mad and doesn't want to talk about it. FRUSTRATING!!! Even my parents tell me not to worry. But, in all honesty I would rather be safe than sorry.I have four children that need me. I completly relate. Hang in there and definately get the biospy.I will be right in line behind you , I am sure. I will let you know what my resluts are with my appointment.Please let us know what your results are after the biopsy.You are in my thoughts and prayers.God Bless and God Speed.:angel:

thank you all for your kind words of encouragement... i am just hoping for the best at this point.
mirandarose.... you and i seem to have alot in common! i have also been extremely worried and going thru mood swings and thinking that my life is over. i also do not have any other symptoms... just the swollen lymph node. i am desperatley trying to find any information about the chance of this node being benign or malignant. the ENT that i have been seeing for this does not seem concerned. he pretty much gave me the choice of whether we want to "watch and wait" or do the biopsy. i chose the biopsy because at this point i am also sick and tired of worrying about it. i just want to know what it is so i can move on with my life.
i will also keep you in my thoughts and prayers. i know it is not easy to wait and worry. please let me know what comes of your doctor appointment next week. my biopsy is scheduled for thursday... but i know that it will take a few days to get the results back.
if anyone else has a similar situation... please post! i would like to hear about it. thanks!

I know exactly how you feel and I want to tell you to try your best not to worry. Last year I came down with some kind of virus and a node under my jaw became enlarged and did not go back down after I got better. I finally went to the doctor months later because I was starting to get worried. It hurt a little, but not too much. Anyways, saw an ENT she did a biopsy right away and the results were inconclusive..meaning it had to come out! Needless to say I was freaked out, not only bc it was my first surgery, but she said it could be lymphoma. It was not! No cancer, despite the doc telling me that it didnt look good when I was coming out of the anesthesia. Until the pathology report came back I was freaking out!!!
But all is well and it was just hyperplasia, or an overgrowth of cells...totally benign.
You are doing the right thing by getting it checked out, and I cant tell you not to worry bc i know you will. I am only 24, so I know how you feel! I hope that my experience can relieve at least some of your fears!
Good luck!!!!

All of us who have had biopsies for this know exactly how you feel. Waiting and freaking out before knowing for sure, was definitely the worst time for me. Believe it or not, after being diagnosed with non hodgkins lymphoma, it got easier and less stressful. We all understand that anxiety. It was the worst time of my life. I had all those same thoughts too, thinking my life would completely change, maybe shorten at least. Believe it or not, I'm not stressed a bit at this stage. You learn to accept things for what they are, and to enjoy life more than ever.

Karolina,
thanks for the invitation of posting if anyone else has been thru your similarity.

I have too. back in 1997. I had four young children at the time and I was a nervous wreck. I had no strep or mono to make the gland swell up. it jsut swelled up. I had to wait to see if it would go away.
eveytime I touched it, it seemed to get larger. even when my ENT out of the clear blue sky said to me " now don't be touching it all the time" I was shocked. how the heck did he know I did that?
I guess we all do. we're scared.
I did research on the internet looking up everything I could get my hands on for that topic. I don't suggest you do this. it will only make you panic further.
you can't rush what already is being handled.
maybe a dr can give you a small sedative in the waiting process?
IF and I say IF it is a form of lymphoma, it is treatable thank GOD.
it doesn't mean it's the end of life but new doors open up and changes begin to take place. it's not a death sentance is what I'm saying.

lymph nodes that enlarge react to different stimuli in our enviroment.
it's doing it's job of collecting all the bad stuff. when a lymphoma forms, the cells have over multiplied and instead of shedding old cells, they continue growing out of whack.
ENT's and special drs can actually FEEL which ones to be mostly worried about, but the only way to truely know is from a biopsy. and get a full excisional, don't get a fine needle biopsy because it can miss the bad cells if there are any.
My lymph node removal was easy. same day procedure. bandage on the neck, little discomfort turning the neck. Mine happened to be sitting on the carotid artery which most drs won't touch, but my ENT did a perfect job.

mine measured 4 x 6 cm large and was diagnosed as " Atypical follicular lymhoid hyperplasia" and they sent me to a disease specialtist who ran a test and I never went back. my dr even sent it to TWO seperate labs just to make sure the 1st pathologist didn't make a mistake on the reading.
they say to always get a 2nd seperate lab for another opinion. some forms of lymphomas are hard to detect. no one has any idea about the work that the pathologist has to be trained in to read these biopsies. our lives are really in their hands, not just the surgeon.
my ent kept calling me and callling me to let me know the results STILL weren't back and not to be nervous. I'll never forget how long the wait was. it seemed two weeks or so.
when he finally called me to tell me it was benign, he told me he really thought it was cancerous and that's why he sent it out to another lab.
makes me feel sort of nervous by hearing that.
I figured if it's benign, all is well. but now it's back.
he supposebly removed the entire node but there are other nodes along that chain.
waiting is the hardest thing to do. there is a low grade form that they don't even treat and they do a watch and wait for yrs. meanwhile the patient knows they have a form of cancer forming yet no treatment in the world will erradicate it at such an early stage so they wait till it becomes more aggresive and if the patient starts feeling symtoms.
there were lymphomas at once that they thought weren't lymphoma's but by continuing studies of this determined it was an actual form of lymphoma and now treat it like it is.
so they're constantly finding out newer things by their continuous studies thanks to our diligent team of scientists and doctors.
I can't tell you NOT to worry because that's almost an impossibitly to you get the biopsy.
I wish you the best outcome at this fearful time in your life and I think anyone who had a lump growing on them that's not supposed to be there would be fearful. it's normal to be afraid.

keep youself occupied until then.
I hope you let us know how the biopsy went after thursday. I send you warm wishes.

Linda