lymph nodes everywhere

chd guy

New member
Hello. Every couple of months I start to get nervous about my health, and usually it involves my lymph nodes. I have a ton swollen throughout my body: neck, armpits, groin... even some on my arms. I have a couple on my neck which have been swollen for about 7 years, since I was 11... but most popped up within the last couple of years. Once they swell up they stay swollen. I've seen 2 doctors, had blood tests, and everything has come back normal. One doctor said that they might swell easily due to infection and stay that way due to scar tissue. He described them as "shotty" lymph nodes, but it just doesn't seem right to me. How do 20-30 lymph nodes stay swollen for so long? It makes me nervous. I haven't been able to find any other documented cases like this.
 
Lymph glands are designed to gather the toxins in your body and remove them. It does take time for the swelling to go down once they are swollen. As they destroy the nasties that they have gathered, they will eventually go down. You have lots and lots of lymph nodes in your body, with each one defending a certain area.


are you a bit of a hypochondriac? If your doctor isn't worried about it, I wouldn't be either. As long as you are healthy, don't sweat it. If you are seriously ill, then that is another subject. But it doesn't sound like your doctor is concerned about it. Most doctors aren't about swollen glands. They do go down in size eventually after they have destroyed the gunk....
 
You can have shotty nodes, it's actually pretty common, but that's a crappy way for him to describe it to you. The insensitivity of doctors never ceases to amaze me. You have over 300 nodes in your head and neck area alone. 20 or 30 calcified/scarred nodes won't do you or your immune system any harm.

If you've always been super prone to ear, sinus, skin or lung bacterial/viral illnesses (two or more per year, lasting longer and harder to treat than most) you may want to get tested for Selective IgA Deficency. It's the most common form of primary immunodeficiency disease, where a part of the immune system is missing. It's often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Like a missing link in a chain, one small part can make a big difference.

Autoimmune diseases can cause multiple lymphadenopathy that comes and goes but you'd have symptoms of the AI disease - like rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis or lupus.

Anxiety or agitation that's cyclical in nature could be bipolar 2 disorder or cyclothymia, both are easily treated through medication, diet and/or behavioral therapies.
 
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