Hyperplastic lymph nodes? - Lymphomas Message Board

Yzll · 10-25-2006, 09:27 AM

Hi everyone! I'm a newbie. I'm a 28 year old female, single mother of a beautiful 4 year old. This is my story. Back in August I noticed a lump on the left side of my neck. I later discovered that I had two swollen lymph nodes one next to the other. They are 1cm each or less. I wasn't worried at first I thought it was just an infection or so people kept telling it was just that. I went to the emergency room and they tested me for all sorts of things including mono and all came back negative. My blood work is normal, my chest x-rays are normal, everything appeared to be normal. They put me on antibiotics for 3 weeks, clindamicin, nothing nodes still there. From the hospital they refered me to an ENT Doctor because at the hospital they told me that there was a very little possibility of it being a tumor. When I went to my ENT Doctor he told me it was nothing! He told me that I was going crazy over nothing that it was just a reactive lymph node! He did a FNA and turned out to be a reactive lymph node! Well I was happy for a couple of days but still worried because they wouldn't go away. I decided to go and get a second opinion. The second ENT Dr. sent me for a CTScan and it turns out that I have four other small swollen lymph nodes, I don't know exactly where and I forgot to ask him when he called. He told me that it all made sense, that they are hyperplastic lymph nodes because the FNA biopsy said it was not cancerous. I don't know what to believe anymore. Should I insist on an exicional biopsy? I know that FNA are not realiable, but do I have hope? Please anybody with a familiar case. Any comments? I've had very ugly anxiety attacks thinking that I'm going to die of a lymphoma!

Thanks and God Bless You All... you all with lymphomas are in my prayers...

Karolina810 · 10-25-2006, 09:38 AM

unless you are having other symptoms... i would just let it go. trust me! i have been going thru a similar situation... i have a swollen lymph node under my jaw on the right hand side of my neck. in june i had really bad strep throat and the lymph node never went away... to make a long story short, last month i had an FNA that came back as a reactive node. i had terrible anxiety over this. the ENT assured me (even before the FNA) that this was not cancerous. i have just decided to not worry about it unless i am having other symptoms or more nodes swelling. it is not worth the anxiety. i also found out that my mother in law has a swollen node in her neck that she had biopsied 18 years ago and it is not cancerous and it is still there. i guess this type of thing is more common than i thought!

Yzll · 10-25-2006, 02:20 PM

Hi there!! Thanks for your reply! I know, I just worry too much. I called my ENT doctor this morning and he told me not to worry. I have a follow up appointment Dec 19. You are very right, I shouldn't worry until they actually tell me otherwise, God willing they never will. Till now I don't have anything according to 4 doctors that I've seen in the ER and ENTs. I really don't have any symptoms. No nausea, no night sweats no nada other than the swollen lymph nodes! Thank you again. God Bless you and take care!