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Dr Hive - extreme swollen lymph node - Updated 3/31

GoVanGogh

By GoVanGogh,
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Katy

Katy

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Make a paste of powdered ginger and water. Put it on your skin in the areas where you are swollen. Pour hot water over a washcloth or two, ring them out very well. Cover the ginger with it and with a dry hand towel. You’ll likely feel a mildly unpleasant stinging/drawing sensation. Leave it on for 20 minutes. You can repeat every few hours, IME the swelling & pain will go down a lot the first two times you do this, and 50% more each time. If it makes no difference after the first two times I probably wouldn’t try a third. 

The other thing that comes to mind….  Flax seed added to your diet, maybe in green smoothies. 
 

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MercyA

MercyA

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Please don't quote. I had a swollen lymph node in my groin area for over a year. It would get sore when I wore tight pants or hose and was definitely enlarged. I saw my PCP and my ob/gyn multiple times and no one could find any reason for it. I first noticed it after a particularly long and bad respiratory virus. After that, it would get sore whenever I was sick or even when someone in my household was sick. I took several rounds of heavy-duty antibiotics with no improvement.

The ONLY thing that finally worked and totally resolved the problem was jumping on a rebounder / mini-trampoline. I am not kidding. I got relief finally within *days* and any time it flared up, I just started jumping again and it went away until eventually it just stopped coming back. I would just do like 5 or 10 minutes several times a day. I deliberately came down on my feet hard, if that makes sense.

It has to do with the valves on lymph glands and how they open and close. It's actually the physical, mechanical motion of your body moving that keeps them flowing properly, so if there is a problem, sometimes jumping can help clear them out. 

I have no idea if this will work for your swollen gland, because I don't know if it's caused by the same type of (unidentified) problem mine was. But if you google rebounding and the lymphatic system, you'll find more information. I just wanted to mention it on the off-chance it might help you, too.

Edited by MercyA
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elegantlion

elegantlion

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Not quoting, and not to be alarmist, but have they checked you for any type of cancers, particularly hodgkin's lymphoma. My hodgkin's was discovered in a biopsy of a swollen lymph node in my neck. 

I still get some inflammed lymph nodes throughout my body and usually massage will alleviate them - blood levels are checked on a regular basis too. 

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GoVanGogh

GoVanGogh

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1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

Are you sure it's a lymph node? Could it be a salivary gland or parotid gland? Since you've got AI stuff going on I'm wondering about Sjogren's disease? It can also cause swollen glands. As you probably know, with AI diseases it can take a long time to get a correct diagnosis, and blood work doesn't always tell the tale.

I just had Sjogren’s test in Nov and it was negative. My rheumatologist said this doesn’t look like Sjogren’s or AI, so didn’t order new labs. I do love her, but the last time this happened my ENT said we needed “to strike when the fish are biting,” ie: test for everything when I am having a huge flare-up. That ENT has since moved out of state and I have a new one, but he was out on vacation when this came up last week. The whole area is swollen, so the rheumatologist said it is hard to say exactly where it originates. I was thinking lymph nodes because that was decision the last time this happened, but I guess it could be a gland. She ordered a ct scan and told me to get it done even if swelling goes down between now and appt. 

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Pawz4me

Pawz4me

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Just now, GoVanGogh said:

I just had Sjogren’s test in Nov and it was negative. My rheumatologist said this doesn’t look like Sjogren’s or AI, so didn’t order new labs. I do love her, but the last time this happened my ENT said we needed “to strike when the fish are biting,” ie: test for everything when I am having a huge flare-up. That ENT has since moved out of state and I have a new one, but he was out on vacation when this came up last week. The whole area is swollen, so the rheumatologist said it is hard to say exactly where it originates. I was thinking lymph nodes because that was decision the last time this happened, but I guess it could be a gland. She ordered a ct scan and told me to get it done even if swelling goes down between now and appt. 

From what I understand the truly definitive test for Sjogren's is a lip biopsy. Just like with RA and other AI diseases, a lot of Sjogren's patients are sero-negative so labs alone can't rule it out. According to this a salivary or parotid gland biopsy can also confirm or rule it out. 

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GoVanGogh

GoVanGogh

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I saw my ENT today. It is a parotid gland. As it is hard and not moveable, he is concerned it could be a tumor. My rheumatologist had already set up a ct scan for tomorrow, so the ENT said to keep that appointment and have the scans sent to his office to review. The pain has gone down considerably but the swelling has not improved at all. I can’t move my neck, eating is painful because it pulls on the area. I haven’t gone out of the house, except to the doctor’s office because - You know it’s bad when you unwrap the scarf and the doctor says OMG! ENT said to keep massaging the area, warm compresses, drink a lot of fluids, etc, on the chance it is a stone. (He said a stone would cause a soft area to form, not hard like this.) 

Thanks for the suggestions and esp information re: Sjogren’s. ENT and I talked again today about possibility of that. 

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Kanin

Kanin

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Oh man! That sounds miserable. Was it a parotid gland the other times, too, maybe? If so, seems strange that it would be at tumor, since it's come and gone a couple times before.

Dr. Google says parotid tumors are usually benign, in case it's actually that. 

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Jaybee

Jaybee

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I had a benign tumor removed from the end of a salivary gland years ago, but it had grown slowly over the years and was not painful. I kept asking doctors about it for about 5 years, before I finally had one say, "Yes, we need to get that removed." But yours sounds different, in that it has grown fast and has also disappeared and reappeared. I hope you can get it taken care of quickly.

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  • GoVanGogh changed the title to Dr Hive - extreme swollen lymph node - Updated: mass in gland
GoVanGogh

GoVanGogh

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Small update: I had an MRI today to determine source of the mass. DH took the disc to ENT, to hopefully expedite results. It isn’t any better, possibly getting worse as it is now pulling under my chin area. 
Thanks for suggestions and kind words@, 

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GoVanGogh

GoVanGogh

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9 hours ago, Dianthus said:

I'm not reading all the replies, but have you used a warm compress?

Yes. Multiple times a day, plus standing in hot shower with water hitting the area and soaking in the tub with that side of face in the water. Nothing has helped. 😞 

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Harriet Vane

Harriet Vane

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1 hour ago, GoVanGogh said:

No. 🙁 Now I have to go through the weekend without knowing and still swollen and sore. 

I’m so sorry. How insensitive of them. 

I went through similar when my family learned we had been exposed to asbestos in our home. We had the X-rays done and received reports for my dh and dd and I but didn’t get results on my son, who was just a small child at the time. It turned out they simply wanted a pediatric specialist to look at the scans, but it took more than a week for them to get organized to make it happen. The whole time the office staff kept giving me vague messages that only served to inflame our worries. Finally I gently forced the issue with one of the staff, just confiding in her how worried we were about our little boy. As a parent she understood. She got the wheels moving properly to get the scans in front of the correct person and give us results. 

I wonder if it might take a similar approach to get them to deal with this for you. The medical complex sometimes forgets the legitimate real concerns and feelings and fears of the patient while the wheels of bureaucracy turn.

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  • GoVanGogh changed the title to Dr Hive - extreme swollen lymph node - Updated 3/27 biopsy
GoVanGogh

GoVanGogh

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On 3/24/2023 at 7:38 PM, Harriet Vane said:

I’m so sorry. How insensitive of them. 

I went through similar when my family learned we had been exposed to asbestos in our home. We had the X-rays done and received reports for my dh and dd and I but didn’t get results on my son, who was just a small child at the time. It turned out they simply wanted a pediatric specialist to look at the scans, but it took more than a week for them to get organized to make it happen. The whole time the office staff kept giving me vague messages that only served to inflame our worries. Finally I gently forced the issue with one of the staff, just confiding in her how worried we were about our little boy. As a parent she understood. She got the wheels moving properly to get the scans in front of the correct person and give us results. 

I wonder if it might take a similar approach to get them to deal with this for you. The medical complex sometimes forgets the legitimate real concerns and feelings and fears of the patient while the wheels of bureaucracy turn.

Oh, no. I am so sorry for your experience. That is horrible. 

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GoVanGogh

GoVanGogh

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I was called in for a biopsy today. Waiting on results, but it sounds like I will be having surgery in the next week. They wanted biopsy first so they know what they are dealing with prior to going in and to know how long to schedule for. 
Thanks again! 

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prairiewindmomma

prairiewindmomma

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1 minute ago, GoVanGogh said:

I was called in for a biopsy today. Waiting on results, but it sounds like I will be having surgery in the next week. They wanted biopsy first so they know what they are dealing with prior to going in and to know how long to schedule for. 
Thanks again! 

I'm so glad they are moving quickly now. Best wishes!

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GoVanGogh

GoVanGogh

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I feel like I am back to square one. On the plus, the biopsy was negative for cancer. Obviously major relief there. It did show a lot of infection, so Dr wants me to try yet another antibiotic, which I started tonight. (3rd antibiotic in 2 weeks. My poor tummy.) Drs still don’t want to specifically test for autoimmune, which I just don’t understand. I am frustrated and upset. I feel like I have been fighting so hard for my health and just can’t catch a break. 

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Kanin

Kanin

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10 hours ago, GoVanGogh said:

I feel like I am back to square one. On the plus, the biopsy was negative for cancer. Obviously major relief there. It did show a lot of infection, so Dr wants me to try yet another antibiotic, which I started tonight. (3rd antibiotic in 2 weeks. My poor tummy.) Drs still don’t want to specifically test for autoimmune, which I just don’t understand. I am frustrated and upset. I feel like I have been fighting so hard for my health and just can’t catch a break. 

That's great it's not cancer. Phew!! Major relief. Still, you're feeling horrible. Why oh why won't they test for autoimmune? That seems crazy.  I hope the new antibiotic helps soon...

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