You know the swollen glands you get when you have tonsillitus - what exactly are they?

[KatyMac]

& can they become permanently swollen or alternately swollen and baggy (ie the same size but not full)

I have one you see & I'm not sure if it is worth seeing the GP about (I have been a few times this last couple of months)

the glands are part of the lymphatic system, the drainage system of your body if you like that is full of all the rubbish your immune system kills off in the blood etc. very rare for them to stay swollen unless you have a permanent infection in them or have certain medical conditions.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphatic_system

Thanks I googled a bit & if they don't go down in 2/3 weeks I should see the GP

Umm it's been about 8-9 months so it's time I went

It's just one gland & it i either swollen or tender and 'baggy' so I doubt it's anything terribly dubious

sounds as if you may have a blockage in one of the glands then, it can happen when the immune system is very active and dumping lots of crap waste into the system.
I would suggest you go see the GP as there can be complications if the gland remains blocked. when I am ill, especially head colds etc, I will gently massage the sides of my neck to get the lymphatic system moving as it relies on muscle movement for being pumped around rather than your heart like your blood system does. I doubt too anything untoward but best to get it checked

Katy - I've got one on my neck that never really goes down, been about 9 months for me too. Dr said it was a Lymp gland. I have read somewhere that they don't always go back flat again and so long as it's not getting bigger not too worry, so I don't I've had permanent mouth ulcers for months which I think may be linked?

Oh!

I get really bad mouth ulsas too plus I have had bad ear & tooth infections this year

Nice to know I'm not alone

I think I may go to the GP tomorrow as my ear infection is getting really bad

Let me know what he says then!! I suffered all last winter with really bad sinusitis that and just having had a baby don't think my immune system is coping very well.

katymac, in your last post you described a lymphatic blockage symptom list quite well!!

ab's plus exercise to get the lymphatic system moving!!

OK I will go

I just feel a bit needy as I have seen the GP three times in the last 4 weeks

I know how you feel Katy, I've got another 'lady' problem that I keep having to speak to my Dr about. I just phone her now and she calls herself Sue .

Before I had children I hardly ever went to the Dr's....God bless 'em

Misi - I've got a Lymphatic tonic that a dietician gave me, is this worth a go?

thats the trouble with lymphatic probs, they make you feel like crap rubbish and can also make you feel like a hypochondriac because the cause is not always obvious until the situation is quite bad.

cranberry, your sinuses are part of the lymphatic system too, and sinus probs are mostly a sign of a weak or over active/used immune system that is not coping. as your immune system was depressed during pregnancy, your lymphatic system can become a bit clogged, gentle exercise and face massage can be of help as can steam inhalation with essential oils to help clear the crap rubbish out

cranberry, whats in the tonic?

Gosh we are a right pair - I have cystitis too

Oh boy

that could be another problem katymac, but also it can be linked to your immunity problem of the lymph blockage, so hopefully clearing one will clear the other too?

I feel like I am letting this out in drips & drabs but I also have ME & IBS, a partial prolapse & a bladder repair

I just didn't expect it all to be connected to the gland

I had a cold, then 2 lots of AB for a chest infection (I was ill for 5 weeks) so I was trying to avoid the Dr

ah, yes, parts falling into place now!!
ME and IBS will be straining your immune system and possibly causing a yeast/candida overgrowth. bladder repair can certainly help along cystitis probs for quite some time after being done. the partial prolapse? if of the bowel, then the elimination side of your bodily processes will not be working right, the lymph system partially dumps into the bowel and if it is not eliminated quickly through pooing, then the rubbish the lymph system dumped can be re absorbed and so ''poison'' your system with stuff already got out once! if the prolapse was of the bladder, then that is a bit trickier as the bladder walls have a tendency to be a bad repairer of itself, once stretched it rarely goes back so you find your bladder ''grows'' bigger therefore causing you to retain more urine in between wee's giving any bugs a chance to hang on and flourish (urine is usually sterile but holding onto to excessive water can help bugs to establish). all this strains your lymph system and all of these together, no wonder you have been ill!!
one of the things I always suggest to people with lymphatic problems is to take up yoga, the gentle exercise works wonders.

can I suggest, in conjunction with your GP, that you consider seeing a herbalist?
we have many things up our sleeves whereby we can stimulate, modulate or calm down immune systems and we also have things to help stimulate the lymphatic system too. with all the other probs, I will not even suggest things to help as you really need to have someone take your full med history and work out what is best for you.

www.NIMH.org.uk will give you a page to enter your details and find a herbalist near to you

Prolapse of uterus plus rectocele

ME has been in remission for years (thank god)

Bladder repair was a lovely little doo-hickey with supports the uerthra rather than anything more aggressive (again Thank God)

The other stuff makes sense - but yoga didn't agree with my arthritus (lower back, hips ) or the unrepaired bladder (last time I tried) Mind you my repair is about 5 yrs old now & doing well

I have weekly reflexology & my IBS has been under control by diet (reduce/eliminate artificials & bought bread)

But if things don't settle down I may see a herbalist

can I suggest this too then katymac?

www.wellbeing-uk.com/Maxicol.aspx?jse=true

all my clients with IBS when they first come to me get told to take this for a month and then come back to tell me how much better they feel!! the friendly bugs also are a major line of defence for your immune system and so could help on that side too

I think you have recommended this before

I have it bookmarked and am discussing it with my Therapist - she is having a look this week

Thanks so much for your help - I guess it makes sense that it is all connected

yes, thought I had but couldn't find the thread!!

good luck, let us know how you go?

Sorry for the delay am meant to be working...hahahaha!!

I went to see a dietician...wait for my ailmets ..... for Severe Candida! I've have had and now back again Chronic thrush and now severe inflammation and pain of lady bits Also had oral thrush when I went on the anti-candida diet. I've been a bad girl as got very very thin so started back on biscuits and hey preston, thrush( I think)! I also have IBS but have recently cut out chocolate and things have improved although had it years and years and different things effect at differnent time, even a tiny cookie would have ne running to the loo! I've also got two small anul fissures do heal but itch like crazy.

What a pair we are KatyMac....

Misi - forgot to say the product is called Lymph-Tone II made by energetix. It's got a lot of things in it says it's for 'drainage & tonification'. She gave me this plus some anti-fungals that I didn't take because I did weekly dose of Fluconozale instead which did the trick but things are not so good again now

ah, thats a homeopathic remedy. not my field or something I am totally convinced about I am afraid.
I rely more on herbs and mechanical remedies!!

candida does need as least 3 months of treatment to really give your gut a chance. you often get relief after a week or more usually 2 weeks, but although you have killed of the candida, the freinly bugs take longer to come back, so the void is taken up by more candida!!

I am a bit wary of anti fungals whether natural of drug based as when you kill off the yeast, you can often get ''die off'' syndrome, which is where the dying fungi release endotoxins that poison your system and overloads your liver making you fell like crap. I have had fantastic results with a product called ''candigest'' where this dissolves the fungus and so die off syndrome is not a problem (no endotoxins produced). you should really take a powerful friendly bug preparation to when on an anti candida push, as the new bugs will fill in the ''gaps'' that the dead yeasts leave and so helps to keep the rest in check.

what you have cranberry is called systemic (chronic) candida infection if that helps. this will take months of work I am afraid, and 1 week or 2 on anti fungals will no way work except for minor relief. the interesting (or not!) fact of candida infection is that as friendly bugs love alkaline environments, yeasts/candida/thrush (whatever you like to call this) when it starts to overgrow, changes your pH chemistry to more acidic as it loves acidity rather than alkali, and it is the combo of more acid poo and the candida that causes the mad itching. anal fissures are often linked to systemic (chronic) canadida too as the delicate lining is ''cracked'' by the change in acidity

When I first went on the diet I had chronic oral thrush and mouth ulcers for two weeks, it was horrbile and although I did have a bout or Thrush at all until last month I'm still having problems. This month I have taken twice the dose of fluconozale and it's still taken a week to start to calm down.

I've cut all sugar again since last Wednesday and my mouth ulcers are coming back like last time but not as bad yet! I'll have a look at this 'candigest' because I really need to do something. I've got an appointment on Friday with a Demotologist just to make sure it's nothing else. I think to be honest it's over use of anti-fungal creams and a low immune after giving birth that has caused a lot of my problems.

Looks like I need to really get a hold of this.

Thank you Misi.

Sorry for hijacking your thread KatyMac but this could be interest to you too as ME can often be Candida realated,.....I believe?

Hijack away

yes, ME is very often linked to candida in the natural health profession, its a shame a lot of doctors still don't think of thrush as anything more than a mouth or vagina problem