could this be an auto immune condition?

[jinglebellmel]

Hi I have swollen glands in my neck, under jaw (v large, possibly salivary glands?) groin and a very small one above each collar bone - I noticed them in March but they could have been there longer. Obviously I’ve googled and am now pretty worried! My gp has booked me in for a full blood count (I had one in Feb for other issues and it was fine) and suggests if this comes back normal again then I should just ignore them.

Aside from the very scary options I’ve read that auto immune condition can cause swollen glands and wondered if anyone suffers with this or knows anything about it?

Throughout jan/Feb/March I suffered with horrible headaches, face and eye pain as well as muscle twitching. I also ache a lot (have done for years) and am now getting shooting pains in my finger and thumb joints. Do these symptoms sound familiar to anyone or just like a series of unrelated issues?

Also to mention, just incase it’s relevant - I have hypothyroidism which is controlled with medication and had 2 miscarriages between my 1st and 2nd child.

Hi jinglebellmel

You already have hypothyroidism which is very likely to be the autoimmune condition Hashimoto's (90% of people with hypo have this, it can be diagnosed by looking for TPO and TG antibodies, one or both may be raised). Unfortunately once you have one autoimmune condition you are more likely to get another.

I'd be unlikely to be able to ignore those symptoms, it does sound like something is amiss. I'm not medically qualified so I cannot say what those symptoms point to, but if your next blood test comes back clear, I'd be inclined to see another doctor.

Thanks Crunchycarrot, I think I will see a different gp if the results come back okay though, gp I’ve seen so far is lovely but I’m not sure I can just ignore it. I had thyroid antibodies checked when pregnant (I was diagnosed at the start of the pregnancy) and I’m sure they said no issue with anti bodies. I’m not sure what the actual results were though - having read the other causes of hypothyroidism none apply, so Hashimotos seemed likely. Much as I don’t want another condition I’m praying for something autoimmune as it’s better than the alternative causes of swollen lymph nodes

Request a printout of your results so you can see the actual figures. Also, antibodies can and do go up and down so you may have been tested when they were low, but they may be up now. Worth being re-tested.

Thanks Carrot. They don't have them apparently (they were done by another health board and are on my maternity notes not medical records or something). Blood tests came back normal so I've booked to see another GP in a couple of weeks.