But then I have had this lump in the upper left back of my neck for 3 years or more. I'm 28 years old now, young enough that my body should be able to heal quickly. I know you're not a doctor, but shouldn't the problem have cleared up by now, and the node go back to normal size? Just curious to see if you have any thoughts on this point.
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people suffering without a diagnosis
- Thread starter VALORIS
- Start date
i can't say why it's been enlarged for so long. i would say, though, that you should tell your doctor it all started with one node and then you started noticing other lumps and you are concerned that they are all related. a chest x-ray would probably confirm or deny your suspicions.. i do know that lymph nodes can swell up from a single cause and remain swollen for many years after. can you recall ever having had a dermal infection or using creams that caused a reaction? a case of mono can cause permanent enlarged nodes in the neck as well... i also have heard that permanent swollen nodes are more common in men due to the fact that they shave their faces regularly. any disturbance to natures intentions can cause the nodes to act up in the first place, and often times they remain enlarged thereafter.
i think if i were your i'd ask for a chest x-ray, blood work including an ebstein-barr test and mono test (they might even be the same test, not too sure), and a recommendation as to whether antibiotics might help. there are a whole kamut of long-term bacterial and viral illness that can sneak around undetected in your body for years. most of them aren't very serious and generally only cause minor symptoms.
if you are also feeling fatigued and have any constant or periodic shortness of breath or chest sensations, then i'd make an appointment. otherwise i'd say that waiting wouldn't be unreasonable. a friend of mine had the flu and lumps for a year before he decided to see a doc. turned out he was in the late stages of hodgkins disease and he still was cured of it in 8 months.
but honestly as someone hearing your symptoms, i think that you're one of those people like myself who has so many symptoms that they can't possibly be ALL related to a single cause.
maybe the lump in the chest is due to stress-related hormones and the lump in your neck is a permanently enlarged node in response to a previous infection...
i'd say that it's too complex for us to make a definite judgement. you should at least call a nurses' helpline and ask questions. they will spend hours on the phone with you and answer any and every question you have. they go through a database with facts about every symptom. i'm in canada so i don't know whether you have a similar phone number to call where you are. you could always just call or visit your doc for an opinion. if you really want, i can find out the 1 800 number for the nurses line here in canada but they take your phone number and im not sure if they'd accept your call from another country??? which lump appeared first? how long after did you notice another lump? are you unsure if they/some of them are even nodes?
i think if i were your i'd ask for a chest x-ray, blood work including an ebstein-barr test and mono test (they might even be the same test, not too sure), and a recommendation as to whether antibiotics might help. there are a whole kamut of long-term bacterial and viral illness that can sneak around undetected in your body for years. most of them aren't very serious and generally only cause minor symptoms.
if you are also feeling fatigued and have any constant or periodic shortness of breath or chest sensations, then i'd make an appointment. otherwise i'd say that waiting wouldn't be unreasonable. a friend of mine had the flu and lumps for a year before he decided to see a doc. turned out he was in the late stages of hodgkins disease and he still was cured of it in 8 months.
but honestly as someone hearing your symptoms, i think that you're one of those people like myself who has so many symptoms that they can't possibly be ALL related to a single cause.
maybe the lump in the chest is due to stress-related hormones and the lump in your neck is a permanently enlarged node in response to a previous infection...
i'd say that it's too complex for us to make a definite judgement. you should at least call a nurses' helpline and ask questions. they will spend hours on the phone with you and answer any and every question you have. they go through a database with facts about every symptom. i'm in canada so i don't know whether you have a similar phone number to call where you are. you could always just call or visit your doc for an opinion. if you really want, i can find out the 1 800 number for the nurses line here in canada but they take your phone number and im not sure if they'd accept your call from another country??? which lump appeared first? how long after did you notice another lump? are you unsure if they/some of them are even nodes?
Hi I'm new here and looking for some advice. The last few months I've experience shortness of breath that comes out of no where. It only lasts about a minute but Its scary never the less. Theres no pain involved just a quick moment of feeling like i'm suffocating. And most of the time it happens when I'm doing absolutely nothing so i know its not from excertion. I've been to the doctors once and they've done and ekg which came back normal and that was it. It doesnt happen everyday only about 4 times a month so I dont have a clue to whats going on.
Also on another note does anyone know how to start a new post, I cant figure it out thats why I posted this as a reply to a thread. Thanks for your time
Also on another note does anyone know how to start a new post, I cant figure it out thats why I posted this as a reply to a thread. Thanks for your time
janelle,
i have had a similar experience. i don't have an answer for you but i have had this happen several times over the last year and it has slowly stopped happening. i think the last time it happened was about 2 months ago. the first few months i was having shortness of breath, it was coming almost every day. i stopped worrying about it after i became used to it and eventually it just happened less and less. i honestly believe this is another anxiety-related illness. it sounds to me like you are in a state of stress which causes you to breath more shallow during the day without you realizing it. your body is probably having moments of catching up where it decides you need to take in more air. i also took up breathing exercises, since i know that improper breathing can lead to low oxygen saturation which is the perfect environment for cancer and other illnesses to thrive.
imagine a square. as you visualize one corner of the square, begin inhaling, counting to four, and imagining your gaze going across the top side of the square. at the next corner, exhale slowly while counting to six and imagining your gaze reaching the bottom corner of the square. now inhale again while counting to 4 and gazing along the bottom edge of the square.
imagining the square helps you to see a start and end point to each breath as it cycles, and the counting helps you to retain a relative image with two identical inhales and exhales. just spend a few minutes each day doing this and make a point to breathe more effectively throughout your day.
i wouldn't consider periodic shortness of breathe to be an indicator of anything. unless it's constant and getting worse over time with pain or other symptoms, rest easy and don't get to overwhelmed by the sensation. don't wait for it to happen or try to prepare for it, but if it does happen, then lay down, put one hand on your stomach, and one on your chest, and feel the air going in and out as you practice the breathing exercise.
best of luck.
take care
-destiny
ps. i think you have to select a health issues category first, and then there should be a blue "start a thread" button up near the top left of the page. if that's not right, it might say "post a question" near the same area of the page???
i have had a similar experience. i don't have an answer for you but i have had this happen several times over the last year and it has slowly stopped happening. i think the last time it happened was about 2 months ago. the first few months i was having shortness of breath, it was coming almost every day. i stopped worrying about it after i became used to it and eventually it just happened less and less. i honestly believe this is another anxiety-related illness. it sounds to me like you are in a state of stress which causes you to breath more shallow during the day without you realizing it. your body is probably having moments of catching up where it decides you need to take in more air. i also took up breathing exercises, since i know that improper breathing can lead to low oxygen saturation which is the perfect environment for cancer and other illnesses to thrive.
imagine a square. as you visualize one corner of the square, begin inhaling, counting to four, and imagining your gaze going across the top side of the square. at the next corner, exhale slowly while counting to six and imagining your gaze reaching the bottom corner of the square. now inhale again while counting to 4 and gazing along the bottom edge of the square.
imagining the square helps you to see a start and end point to each breath as it cycles, and the counting helps you to retain a relative image with two identical inhales and exhales. just spend a few minutes each day doing this and make a point to breathe more effectively throughout your day.
i wouldn't consider periodic shortness of breathe to be an indicator of anything. unless it's constant and getting worse over time with pain or other symptoms, rest easy and don't get to overwhelmed by the sensation. don't wait for it to happen or try to prepare for it, but if it does happen, then lay down, put one hand on your stomach, and one on your chest, and feel the air going in and out as you practice the breathing exercise.
best of luck.
take care
-destiny
ps. i think you have to select a health issues category first, and then there should be a blue "start a thread" button up near the top left of the page. if that's not right, it might say "post a question" near the same area of the page???