Swollen Lymph Node??

[audiojunky]

Hi all. I haven't been on this board in a long time, but it is good to be here since I'm focusing a lot on my health this summer. I'm a teacher... and for those of you who do teach know how easy it is to ignore our bodies until we have too much time on our hands.

 

Anyways, I have had a string of horrible colds turned into sinus infections lately. I see an ENT who gives me strategies to keep infections out of my ear, and I regularly have a problem with that. This week I went to him for a check up because I had some pain in my throat. He said my ears were fine, but that I had a very swollen lymph node on the right side of my neck near my tonsil. He didn't feel comfortable not prescribing some antibiotics in case that it was a bacterial infection aggravating my lymph node, so he gave me some Avalox 400mg once a day. (allergic to penicillin and sulfa here!)

 

Just to prelude all of this:

1- I happened to get a physical last week and all my blood results came back normal with a negative hiv result. (Blood was drawn one day before pain started..)

2- I had a chest x-ray done a week ago because I've tested positive for TB before, but my chest x-rays came back clear.

 

I'm pretty sure that my sinus infection has cleared up, but this lymph node pain is starting to really bug and worry me. It hurts the most when I do something like clear my throat... and within the last day it feels like the pain shoots from the lymph gland in my throat up into my head.. or sinuses.. not sure.

 

The pain started around last Friday... the day after I went to the dentist (no cavities or problems there either!)... I didn't really notice the pain so much until the evening after I went to a Dodger game with my dad. (I'm not sure if yelling loudly can make your lymph gland swollen? )

 

Anyways, I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and has some advice to offer? If the pain persists through the weekend and doesn't get better I might revisit my ENT... but I'm not sure at this point what the next step would be.

 

Thanks for your time..

A

[Jilly Bean]

Sounds like you don't have a lot of faith in your ENT. Perhaps time to see another doc?

 

Swollen lymph nodes can indicate a PLETHORA of conditions. If you don't have confidence that he is treating you properly, then definitely go see someone else.

 

Hope you feel better!

[quankanne]

def get a second opinion. And don't stop bugging them until they're able to help get the swelling down – you may be told it's a shoddy lymph node, but if there's any kind of pain or sensitivity, you still have an infection that hasn't been wiped out