Chronic Lymph Node Pain for over 18 months

H

hoosier1907

Messages
8
Dear Friends and Experts,

I really do not have much of the fatique which may be experienced with CFS but I have had this chronic lymph node problem for over 18 months now. The "soreness/discomfort" is mostly localized on both sides of my neck (where the neck muscle is - about two inches below the jaw, very close to where you feel your pulse). It is not intense but it is very annoying. I have persistent pain/discomfort in the lymph nodes in the neck area. And the dull soreness moves around. Sometimes the right side, sometimes the left side.

It is better at night or close to bed time, worse (more noticeable) in the afternoon. In the beginning of this 18 month period, the pain was more like an instant pinch/bug bite, but now it is mostly localized on two spots on the right and left side of the neck. The chronic pain is not severe but it creates discomfort and drives me crazy. I think this may be something serious. Never heard about lymph node pain this long. I also have sometimes the red/flushing face feeling. But no night sweats, weight loss etc. But I think I also have slightly swollen lymph nodes in the neck area.

When these symptoms first started, I have seen specialists but no one could find anything, all blood tests etc came back normal. So, for the last year I quit thinking about this. Tonight I saw this forum and wanted to get your input. My blood tests showed past EBV infection when the tests were done like 3 months after the symptoms started. But the doctor said it was not related to EBV.

What do you think this could be? Because of the localized lymph node pain, I think this is related to EBV somehow. I appreciate your comments.

Thanks!!

When this
 
Jody

Jody

Senior Member
Messages
4,636
Location
Canada
Hi hoosier,

I got your private message, so here I am.:Retro smile:

Welcome to the forums. I hope you find lots of helpful information and support here. I don't know if I can offer much on this. I also have had times of chronic swollen glands. I was put on natural anti-virals for some time which I think made a difference over time.

The other suggestion I can offer is, a cream called Lymphogen which is natural and helps move sluggish lymph. Not oily or sticky, smells ok, and no bad side effects. It can make a difference for some.

I'm sure you'll get lots of responses on this, I hope you can get some relief. Swollen glands are a nasty thing to live with and it can be quite worrisome.

Good luck!:Retro smile:
 
H

hoosier1907

Messages
8
ladybugmandy said:
hi hoosier..do you have CFS?


i think it could be a chronic infection....
Click to expand...


hi ladybugmandy,

I do not know if I have CFS. I saw tender lymph nodes as one of the symptoms of CFS. I do not know any other condition which would cause lymph node pain for so long. Does anyone else here experience lymph node discomfort. My nodes are not extremely swollen manybe only a few larger than 1.0 cm.
 
H

hoosier1907

Messages
8
Thank you, Jody!!

What are those natural anti-virals you used? Prescription medicine or something else? I am ordering the cream you mentioned now. Hope it helps.




Jody said:
Hi hoosier,

I got your private message, so here I am.:Retro smile:

Welcome to the forums. I hope you find lots of helpful information and support here. I don't know if I can offer much on this. I also have had times of chronic swollen glands. I was put on natural anti-virals for some time which I think made a difference over time.

The other suggestion I can offer is, a cream called Lymphogen which is natural and helps move sluggish lymph. Not oily or sticky, smells ok, and no bad side effects. It can make a difference for some.

I'm sure you'll get lots of responses on this, I hope you can get some relief. Swollen glands are a nasty thing to live with and it can be quite worrisome.

Good luck!:Retro smile:
Click to expand...
 
H

hoosier1907

Messages
8
Not yet but before becoming a member I saw your topic about sore lymph nodes and the cream you mentioned. I will order it as soon as possible. Do you still have tender lymph nodes?



Jody said:
Hoosier,

Already ordered the Lymphogen? You are fast.:D

Simplest way to tell you about the antivirals would be to check this article, I itemize the ingredients of a tincture my naturopath had me on for 2 yrs or so, and that I credit with making real progress for me.

http://www.ncubator.ca/Dr_Upcott_Deep_Immune.html
Click to expand...
 
Jody

Jody

Senior Member
Messages
4,636
Location
Canada
I rarely will have a brief flareup. But it is no longer chronic and hasn't been for some time now.
 
Jody

Jody

Senior Member
Messages
4,636
Location
Canada
Nah, you're not asking too much.:Retro smile:

I'd had them off and on since I first got cfs 18 yrs ago.

I couldn't say whether there was a pattern as to what time of day they might have been better or worse as in your situation but otherwise yeah, my experience was pretty much the same as yours. Sometimes milder and sometimes more severe, but overall, much like yours.
 
Kati

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
I have been asked to replied since I have sore lymph nodes.

I disagree with any kind of lymphatic drainage or massage- especially if tender and swollen lymph nodes have not been biopsied.

I still have sore lymph nodes especially when I overdo it. I am still awaiting proper testing and diagnosis.
 
Frickly

Frickly

Senior Member
Messages
1,049
Location
Texas
Hi hoosier, swollen lymph nodes were my first symptom, about 10 years ago. I would not dismiss chronic EBV and the flushing in the face would also indicate this. I beleive my swollen lymph nodes are due to EBV. I would recommend "insisting" on an MRI to make sure there is not something more serious going on. If all looks well I would agree with Jody, that natural antivirals and lymphatic dranage would help.

My lymph area tends to get an infection if I am ill so I think massaging this area would be helpful. My doctor started me on a natural antiviral injection that really helped my EBV symptoms (derived from black licorice). I only swell on one side of my neck and on rare occassions, under my right arm. This swelling was my main complaint for years, before the CFS hit me hard, but doctors dismissed me entirely until I became very firm and insisted on xrays.

Hope this helps a little. Good luck to you,

FYI: My insurance company made me have a sonagram first, this test is useless and will not tell you anything. Even the tech who did the sonagram told me this was not the best test for this purpose.
 
H

hoosier1907

Messages
8
Kati and Frickly, thank you for your responses!!

Kati said:
I have been asked to replied since I have sore lymph nodes.

I disagree with any kind of lymphatic drainage or massage- especially if tender and swollen lymph nodes have not been biopsied.

I still have sore lymph nodes especially when I overdo it. I am still awaiting proper testing and diagnosis.
Click to expand...

Frickly said:
Hi hoosier, swollen lymph nodes were my first symptom, about 10 years ago. I would not dismiss chronic EBV and the flushing in the face would also indicate this. I beleive my swollen lymph nodes are due to EBV. I would recommend "insisting" on an MRI to make sure there is not something more serious going on. If all looks well I would agree with Jody, that natural antivirals and lymphatic dranage would help.

My lymph area tends to get an infection if I am ill so I think massaging this area would be helpful. My doctor started me on a natural antiviral injection that really helped my EBV symptoms (derived from black licorice). I only swell on one side of my neck and on rare occassions, under my right arm. This swelling was my main complaint for years, before the CFS hit me hard, but doctors dismissed me entirely until I became very firm and insisted on xrays.

Hope this helps a little. Good luck to you,

FYI: My insurance company made me have a sonagram first, this test is useless and will not tell you anything. Even the tech who did the sonagram told me this was not the best test for this purpose.
Click to expand...
 
Sunday

Sunday

Senior Member
Messages
733
Wow, there are a lot of people who know a lot about lymph nodes! I don't know much about why they swell and get sore, but I do know something about getting them to NOT be sore.

My lymph nodes swell up off and on, kind of in spells of days or weeks at a time. Mostly under my armpits, but my neck is so stiff the lymph nodes there could be in spasm and I would never know it. I agree that massage is good because it gets your lymph circulating; painful lymph nodes are a sign of congested lymph, to my understanding. With lymph, you always want to massage toward the heart.

Other things that help are Tuei Na massage (acupressure), other massages by people who know about lymph; lemon oil (if you're tolerant to it) taken internally; Chinese herbs; acupuncture. There are also exercises specifically for pumping lymph, and essential oils which can be applied topically. I can use the self-help thing with some success if I get it before the nodes really flare up badly, but once they're at Really Painful it's hard to get complete relief except by Tuei Na and acupuncture. If I can exercise, that can help. Lymph gets congested when the body doesn't move, and of course for us that's an issue. It's possible that some of the Taoist and yoga exercises I do (can do at least a little on all but my worst days) help with the lymph thing, too. I hadn't really thought about it. I'll try to pay better attention, and see if I can notice any patterns.

Kati may have a point about the biopsy, I hadn't thought of that. But even if you're going that route, it seems to me that acupuncture would be benign. The acupuncturist would be reading your pulses, so if it was malignant, they would be addressing that, not doing something to spread it. Acupuncture really looks at the whole situation as it is in the moment. It works with subtle shifts that pharmaceutical medicine just can't imitate. (I'm not anti pharm meds, but they do a lot of harm from being overused or used in the wrong way or place. They're invaluable in crisis, but often problematic for chronic things.)
 
R

Robin

Guest
hoosier1907 said:
Dear Friends and Experts,

I really do not have much of the fatique which may be experienced with CFS but I have had this chronic lymph node problem for over 18 months now. The "soreness/discomfort" is mostly localized on both sides of my neck (where the neck muscle is - about two inches below the jaw, very close to where you feel your pulse). It is not intense but it is very annoying. I have persistent pain/discomfort in the lymph nodes in the neck area. And the dull soreness moves around. Sometimes the right side, sometimes the left side.

It is better at night or close to bed time, worse (more noticeable) in the afternoon. In the beginning of this 18 month period, the pain was more like an instant pinch/bug bite, but now it is mostly localized on two spots on the right and left side of the neck. The chronic pain is not severe but it creates discomfort and drives me crazy. I think this may be something serious. Never heard about lymph node pain this long. I also have sometimes the red/flushing face feeling. But no night sweats, weight loss etc. But I think I also have slightly swollen lymph nodes in the neck area.

When these symptoms first started, I have seen specialists but no one could find anything, all blood tests etc came back normal. So, for the last year I quit thinking about this. Tonight I saw this forum and wanted to get your input. My blood tests showed past EBV infection when the tests were done like 3 months after the symptoms started. But the doctor said it was not related to EBV.
Click to expand...

Hi Hoosier,

Lymph nodes swell for several reasons; the causes could be infection, systemic disorders, or cancer. It sounds like you've had a thorough work up and exam, and all of these things have been ruled out so that is a huge relief. A past EBV infection is nothing to really worry about, unless of course you are having other sorts of symptoms.

Painful lymph nodes, on the other hand, do not seem to be written about so much in medical literature! I have them, and when my CFS symptoms are bad they radiate pain all over: in my armpits, neck, chest, groin, even my knees. However, since you don't have any other symptoms of CFS I don't think you have to be concerned about that, either.

The neck has a lot of anatomy inside. It's possible that it's not your lymph nodes causing pain but maybe tendons or radiated pain from your jaw? Do NSAIDS give you relief (advil, alieve, etc.)? You could see an otolarynologist (ear nose and throat) -- they're experts in the neck area and might be able to help figure out what's causing your pain.

It really doesn't sound like you have to worry about. I would just monitor them for now, maybe try some of the above suggestions.

Good luck.
 
JAH

JAH

Senior Member
Messages
497
Location
Northern California
Hi Hoosier,

I have had problems with swollen lymph for almost 20 years-- after I had a severe bacterial infection (unrelated to cfs, which I had had for several years) that has left me with swollen lymph mainly on my right armpit. I also have a chronic "mystery pain" in my abdomen, basically where my appendix is, that I think is either a hardened lymph node or an adhesion. I have a doctor who had a severe medical problem, that resulted in chronic lymph pain, and he told me they can sometimes harden. I don't think that is the case with you-- definitely rule out infection. Wish you well and I hope you don't have CFS!
 
Mithriel

Mithriel

Senior Member
Messages
690
Location
Scotland
Swollen lymph nodes are a classic symptom of ME. I have had it for decades, it is often the first sign I have over done things.

Fatigue is not necessary for a diagnosis of ME. I rarely experience it even now and never complained about it to the doctor.

The cardinal symptom of ME is for symptoms to get worse with exertion. If you don't have that you don't have ME so you can decide for yourself.

A simple anti inflammatory like ibuprofen can help with lymph node pain. My GP checked to see if the glands got bigger because I get bad night sweats.

I get aromatherapy massage which is good for getting the lymph to move so it might help you.

I hope something helps,

Mithriel
 
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