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Original poster

lymph gland

28 replies

choclab · 16/02/2011 16:00

is it normal to be able to feel your lymph glands -under arm pit , i can on both sides but right slightly bigger (NOT ALOT )-

still soft and sqwidgy , small pea size , just thought id ask before rushing straight to docs in total panic.....

i suffer with HA so not sure if i am being silly again ....

many thanks ..

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SlightlyJaded · 16/02/2011 16:52

choc I can feel mine. Just before my period they feel quite tender and the lump gets a bit bigger. Also when I am a bit run down.

I think it's normal.

Having said that, I am no medical expert so someone may come along and tell us to get it checked out but mine have been like that for as long as i can remember.

Original poster
choclab · 16/02/2011 16:56

thanks , i have been poking to and checking daily and sometimes hourly , so no doubt making it seem bigger than is ....

slight pain on and off , nothing major , im thinking cos im thinking about it and been poking ALOT ..Hmm

i have examined my breasts and surrounding tissue , all seem as normal ...

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Imnotaslimjim · 16/02/2011 16:59

I can feel quite a lot of mine, had it al checked a few years ago and its all fine. There is one on each collar bone, one behind each ear and one near each hip too, just in case you feel any of those and start worrying

suzikettles · 16/02/2011 17:00

I had an enlarged lymph gland in my neck for years which I had biopsied in the end just to double check for any nasties (and it was fine).

Poking at it will definitely make it worse, but my doctor said at the time that they'd rather see you for this sort of thing than you just leave it.

Original poster
choclab · 16/02/2011 17:11

thank you ladies

its not huge or hard or rock like or anything , same as other ones , just bit bigger , ..

i have been anx last week so think that had set me off ...so will try to leave well alone for a while and check again in a week or so see if any change , if none ..im presuming its normal Hmm

i went to docs some time ago , about gland on my neck being bigger than other side , he said was fine and sometimes lymph glands come up and take longer to go down and sometimes never do go down ...
he said its the ones that grow quickly and feel different we worry about ...

that gland is still up on my neck , NO BIGGER same so maybe is same for this one to ...

thanks for listening

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Original poster
choclab · 02/03/2011 19:59

me again , still bit worried , its still there no bigger , (keep poking ) i have got on other side just not as big , im confused just how big a lymph gland should be ?

if i use one index finger right up in my armpit and i mean right up high , i can feel on both armpits , large node (not masive though ) , right side being slightly bigger , then a slightly smaller one on each armpit ...does this sound normal ? have any of you felt similar ...

hormonal and scared ...and keep poking and googling ...Sad

i have booked appt next tuesday to see lady nurse

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Original poster
choclab · 03/03/2011 07:24

bump

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Original poster
choclab · 03/03/2011 15:12

bump

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Original poster
choclab · 03/03/2011 19:39

went to docs this afternoon couldnt wait any longer ...got examined by male doctor , not seen him before ,
examined both said all felt normal ...i pointed out what i was feeling he said was ok , mumbled about pertulitory (cant spell ) glands and ribs ,

cross with myself , didnt ask what it was , was in a bit of a state with worry ...

worried now he got it right ? or is this me being over reactive again ....he had a good poke and feel so i hope if something was wrong would have said for sure right ????

sorry im a mess ...feel free to slap me ..

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Original poster
choclab · 03/03/2011 20:14

anyone

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kapok · 03/03/2011 20:19

I'm not medical Choc, but I feel your pain as they say!

I wind myself into a panic over stuff like this even when the Dr has said all is fine.

I had to go for a scan today (poss ovarian cyst); the lady doing it was really nice to me. I assumed it was because she could see I had very advanced hideous life threatening disease and felt sorry for meSmile.

Didin't occur to me til later that she might jsut be a very nice person!

winnybella · 03/03/2011 20:20

Hello choclab Smile

First of all, and I have it from doctors' mouth, lymph nodes can be slighlty different sizes and they also can be in different places relative to the other side iyswim.

I went to a doctor 2 or 3 times in my life wrt the lymph nodes that I thought were 'odd' ie bigger than on the other side or I only felt it on one side etc.

For the first one, doctor said it was fine, for the other two the gynecos told me to have an ultrasound-even though they were sure it wasn't anything serious, they weren't 100% sure it was a lymph node as they were quite low in the armpit.

They were just lymph nodes. Last one was supposedly a bit inflamed, but it's been over a year ago and it's still the same size.

And yes, I can feel several lymph nodes under both armpits and they don't exactly correspond iyswim.

winnybella · 03/03/2011 20:23

Ah, I see you went to the doctor already. If he had found something odd he would have mentioned it and referred you.

Original poster
choclab · 03/03/2011 20:30

thank you ladies ...your very kind ..

winnybella -i never knew each side could be different ...in the shower when all soapy i can feel them on both sides , clearly and the right is slightly bigger , but i guess thinking about it they can be , just like your breast tissue is (well mine is )

its just he was a locome doctor not seen before , and was a bit worried so the whole thing was horrid ...

he did have good feel , and i said several times it all feels normal right ?? he said yes .

iv also googled and googled so really worried ...

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winnybella · 03/03/2011 20:33

Nah. Do you want me to poke myself for you? Grin

Wait.

Original poster
choclab · 03/03/2011 20:36

thanks Grin

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winnybella · 03/03/2011 20:38

Right. A biggish on deep inside each armpit but on the right side I have 2 or 3 smaller ones as well, lower down.

And according to the mammography and the ultrasound I had last year, all was fine.

winnybella · 03/03/2011 20:39

Oh, and the bigger ones seem to be about 2 or 3 finger widths, don't feel exactly the same either- but also it's hard to tell with all the tissue around iswim.

Original poster
choclab · 03/03/2011 20:42

thanks Grin

your very kind ,(((hug))) that sounds like i have , biggish ones on each pit , right up high in arch bit , followed by little ones ,
do u think the biggish one is lymph node or muscle ?

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winnybella · 03/03/2011 20:51

I think it's a lumph node, we have lots of them in the armpits, around the breasts (although I don't think I can feel those) and above your collar bones.

I also remember that DD had one random one on the side of her neck, but none on the other side- paediatrician said as well that they are not always a mirror image iyswim.

Also, all lymph nodes are very easily inflamed-so even shaving or waxing can cause one to swell up.

I always get the tiny ones on the side of the neck swollen a bit whenever I get a cold. And now I have a sore gum over one tooth( prob gingivitis or similar, it's been going on for a while intermittently) and presto, I can feel the nodes on that side of the neck are a bit sore.

So just relax. Go to the doctor if you notice something out of ordinary- like a totally new swelling, or if one node is really bigger than the other one.

Original poster
choclab · 03/03/2011 21:04

thanks again - i have also felt the same on neck last year when i got a bad cold ..
i have had infection in my root canal for prob months , just had treatment for that a week ago ..ouch ...

i am quite anx at moment , other things going on in my life to and always my HA gets worse ...

but i def feel in shower like i said , and doc did have good feel and i pointed him directly to the area of concern ..
so i hope if he was at all concerned would refure me or at the least tell me to come back in a month to see if amy change ??

glad all went well for you last year and your mamagram [smile ]x

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winnybella · 03/03/2011 21:29

Well, all you said described sounds totally normal and a doctor said it felt normal, so I really wouldn't worry.

Also, I remember reading an article about how we all have lots of lumps/cysts etc in our bodies so if you try hard enough you'll always find something to worry about.

For example, I've had a small cyst in each of my cheeks for years and years now. Cysts/bumps on the bone behind one ear. Bump-or maybe a node- on one side of the spine below the hair line. All this for years.

So first of all you need to stop catastrophising, and unless it's something that we know we need to get checked out for ie a new lump in breast(although that always perplexes me- I have so many of those I can never tell which one is which iyswim), any worrying symptoms like night sweats, sudden changes in bowel movements etc etc- I'm sure you know the drill Grin- and even then most of the time it will not be cancer etc- you just need to relax. I understand it's easier said than done, though.

Anyway, hope that helped a bit Smile

winnybella · 03/03/2011 21:30

sadi or decribed, not both

winnybella · 03/03/2011 21:30

or said or described, fgs Grin

Original poster
choclab · 03/03/2011 21:37

you have been very helpful winnybella -thank you so much for your help and good advice Smile going to bed a bit calmer tonight ..Grin

i will keep an eye on it ...(although not poke daily...leave a while )

and yes if any drastic changes i will go back ..

right off to dig my head in my book in bed now ...try to think of something els ..

thanks again for everything will pop back tomorrow xx

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