2 Hard Lymph nodes in neck?!


Question: I have two very enlarged lymph nodes in my neck. They are about the size of grapes.

I went to the dr and had blood work done and he said he saw nothing in the results that would make him suspect cancer and that a biopsy is not necessary.

My grandmother had Hodgkins and im wondering if I should get a second opinion.

I asked the dr why the nodes would be swollen for 2 years and he said "oh no there is a reason they are swollen" so i said "why are they?" and he says "Its nothing to worry about."

Is my dr a psycho? should i get that second opinion?

and can hodgkins sometimes not show up in bloodwork even if you do in fact have hodgkins?


Answers: I have two very enlarged lymph nodes in my neck. They are about the size of grapes.

I went to the dr and had blood work done and he said he saw nothing in the results that would make him suspect cancer and that a biopsy is not necessary.

My grandmother had Hodgkins and im wondering if I should get a second opinion.

I asked the dr why the nodes would be swollen for 2 years and he said "oh no there is a reason they are swollen" so i said "why are they?" and he says "Its nothing to worry about."

Is my dr a psycho? should i get that second opinion?

and can hodgkins sometimes not show up in bloodwork even if you do in fact have hodgkins?

I am 25 yo and I also have an enlarged lymph node in my neck for well over a year. I finally seen a ENT guy. He took the same lax approach with me. It was like he was totally unaware of my concern. It seemed as though, what I thought was a very pressing issue, wasn't even worth his time.

Anyway, I had bloodwork done, which came back negative. A needle biopsy that came back inconclusive, which they usually do in this sort of scenario, because of the lack of fluid obtained. Finally he said that I can have it surgically removed and sent away for analysis for my peace of mind. I opted for the surgery. Results came back negative (thank God).

I was still somewhat worried. Ultimately, he said he's been in the field for over twenty years and in that time he's only had two or three cases where he's seen an enlarged lymph node turn out to be malignant in a young person, which in his opinion was someone in their twenties or thirties.

If you are seeking a definitive answer as to whether or not the lump in your neck is malignant there is only one was to obtain such as answer. When it comes down to it, my ENT guy said the only way to come to a 100% definitive answer as to whether the lump is malignant is if it is surgically removed it and sent away for analysis.

I meant ENT Report It


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  • mononucleosis. do you have fatigue

    Go for a second opinion

    I can't help you about what's going on with your lymph nodes, but I would consider getting another doctor, not just another opinion.

    I would have a hard time trusting someone who was so dismissive of my concerns ("It's nothing to worry about."). Find a doctor who can tell you WHY it is nothing to worry about.

    In my experience, woman doctors are more likely to spend the time discussing what's going on. If you can find one who accepts your insurance who is taking new patients, give her a try.

    I can speak from experience on this one. Don't take one opinion as the right one.

    My daughter got a bump on her collarbone...had two different biopsies which both came out "negative"...they thought she just had an infection. They gave her medication, and while her doctor was out of town, she broke out in a rash....and a fill in doctor very wisely said just to be sure "I want a surgical biopsy done in the hospital." It turned out to be Hodgkins Lymphoma...and very fast growing. She was already in stage four when they found it...and it had only been a month!

    So I would say...don't trust it....ask for a surgical biopsy...just to be sure. Just "watching it" is not good advice!

    We are a Christian family....and we know God just arranged for us to find it this way.....and there is another whole story how we prayed for healing and even though this cancer was already in her bone marrow, etc....it was never found again.The next time they tested her, it was gone!

    My daughter had chemo anyway, not sure how she got it....and it has never returned in 13 years.....but we learned some things through this. Don't take a chance....two biopsies done were wrong....do the surgical one because you need to know why you have those lumps....don't trust your life to such a casual doctor.

    And I don't know where you live....but the California State San Francisco hospital is one of the best there is on Lymphoma research...because every case is different.
    So if it turns out you had it...you might get advice from them

    And I can tell you....even though her doctor was testing her, it didn't show up until she did the hospital one....so I wouldn't trust anything else!\

    the most common cause of lymph node enlargement is infection. sometimes infection may leave calcification n the lymph node so it stays enlarged but its not painful. if you have no other symptoms of infection then most probably you are having a calcified lymph node which is totally benign and carries no risk at all.

    things that are against tumor are normal blood tests and absence of other lymph nodes enlargement.

    it is not wrong to have a second opinion if you are still worried.

    I have learned that the lymph system is something like the city sewer system, but for the body. It collects anyything and everything that is not removed as waste by any other means, such as the kidneys and liver. As such, it is exposed to all of the biological hazards which may be present in the body. As I understand it, hard lymph nodes are an indication of a problem with your immune system, that it is fighting off an attack of some kind. It may be under attack by a bacteria or the cast offs from a localized infection. Something IS causing the lymph system to respond in this manner. It could be a cancer. It could be biological germs. It could be from a local infection from something as small as a paper cut you ignored. It could be from certain chemicals in your environment. Until tests show something definitive, there is nothing to do except to monitor the condition of your lymph nodes to see if anything changes. Changes would point to repeating the previous tests or doing other tests. Just because the lymph system is responding to a perceived threat in this manner does NOT mean you are in any danger as such. Whether the threat is real or perceived, the system is responding as it was meant to do, rising to your immune defense. Your problem is in finding out if the threat it is responding to will do you real harm or is just a false alarm. The system is not perfect. It can and does make a mistake. Just look at HIV for a case on point.

    get a second opinion, your lymph nodes should not be swollen like that. I've dealt with too many idiotic docs and that one is a red flag doc to me. the truth is that your doc doesn't know whats wrong and is blowing you off.





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