Mcastellano

Hi everyone,

A little while ago, I posted in the cold/flu forum regarding severe fever, intermitten chills/sweating, extreme weakness, sore throat, coughing, the whole 9 yards, and received positive opinion that it was the flu. True to flu form, the symptoms left after awhile, leaving me with the cough, that websites say can last 3 or more weeks.

Well, I've only been coughing about once or twice per day. I have no other symtpoms that I've been having except for a headache, but I've been prone to them all my life. Plus, I work in a horrible job, so that is probably why I get them. Tylenol or Advil quickly takes them away 99% of the time.

My concern now is this: about halfway through my bout with the flu, I noticed my gland on the right side of my neck was swollen. I am prone to ear infections, between my headphones, long showers, and wanton Q-Tip use, it's surprising that I don't get more, I guess. Amoxicillin clears it up if I need to, but usually herbal ear drops do it faster and for less. Well, about a week ago, I noticed that my right gland is no longer swollen (at all), but it "transferred" (?) to my left ear, and is extremely swollen. The whole side of my neck is swollen. It's sore to touch but not painful otherwise.

I have little red bumps on the back of my tongue that look just like swollen tastebuds. These do not hurt, by themselves, either but my entire tongue is sensitive. My sense of taste was diminished during my flu but is back now. However, my cinnamon toothpaste kind of burns to use. But otherwise, not a problem.

Last, around the area of my swollen gland, on the inside, is a pain of some sort. It feels like a sore or something, but I don't feel anything when I put my finger where it feels like it is coming from, so it might just be pain from the swollen gland (it, too, is on the left side).

I am Queen Worrywart so naturally I am thinking of cancer and other serious diseases. I have no health insurance, or else I would have gone, but if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. My ear is not bothering me at all. My throat hurt during the flu but is gone now completely. If it were not for these oral symtpoms, I'd be feeling 100%.

Since I worry so much, my first thought was HIV/AIDS, but my dad caught this horrible disease some years back. The doctors think it was from a blood transfusion after a car accident. I remember clearly when he first got sick, and it was violent. Although I read that what I experienced can be signs of early infection, all of my flu-symtpoms lasted about 4 days, and happened during flu season, when people from my job had been ill and my area had experienced flu outbreaks. I have never put myself at risk for this disease.

If I had to rate the pain, it'd be a 1 or 2.

Any information is helpful, I am very worried.

Michele