Nodes in the Neck

The last Oncologist visit I had with the Brilliant Dr. Kosinski resulted in him finding a swollen lymph node on the right side of my neck (my right, as the side my right hand would be). It is called a Cervical Lymph Gland. Of course, everything that happens to a Cancer patient seems Cancer related. We can’t help that. There have been several times when I have had an ache or a pain and my wife has asked me if I thought it was from the Cancer. I cannot even count the times when I felt a twinge, or had a fever, or even was sweating a little, and thought it was from the Cancer. Now, lymph nodes can swell as a result of just about anything that is virus related – a cold, a virus, the flu. The Oncologist helped me feel the swollen node so that I could remember where it was and be able to tell if there would be any growth over the next few months until my next doctor’s visit.

Note where the Cervical Lymph Glands are. (click on to enlarge)

The next day after my Oncologist visit I caught a cold. I had not had a cold in several years it seemed. Now I caught one. So, I thought it might be cold related. At least, I hoped it was cold related. I knew the CT Scans had shown swollen nodes in the groin (inguinal) area, on either side of my esophagus (paratrachial), and one node under my left arm (axillary). If this is a “new” swelling, and on the side of the throat, then logically that is not good. That would mean the Cancer is still spreading throughout my body in spite of the diet I am on. However, the cold lasted a couple of weeks.

The day after my cold was completely over, I noticed a bump on my head in the morning. A red mark right where my hair started on my forehead. It was a little raised bump. My “spider bite” I called it. In 1998, when I went to Zambia, I stayed in a missionary’s house who had been on furlough for a year. I assumed when I woke up the next morning and saw two tiny holes right at that place on my forehead, that I had been bitten by a spider. At that time, my head started breaking out and my face was numbing on the left side. It started on my forehead, and worked its way down my left ear and into my neck. I found out later that it was following my facial nerves, and could have paralyzed my face if it continued. When I went to a Zambian clinic, the doctor thought it might have been a sting from a wasp that caused it. He prescribed an antibiotic, which I started taking right away, and within a week the sores and redness were gone.

Simplex 1 Virus follows the Facial Nerves

That same bump had come back again. Now, it was not the first time it came back, and this had come about three times since 1998. Each time, I would go to the doctor and explain my “spider bite,” and they would prescribe medication for it and it would go away in a few days. When I had it checed out this time, my family doctor stated that I had caught it within 48 hours of when it started, so treatment would be positive and quick. However, my “spider bite” seems to either have caused, or it is a Herpes Simplex I Virus, or as most of us know it, a Cold Sore. At least now I know what it is. But this time, it was not the sun (UV lights) that caused it. The catalyst was my cold. Aha! Now I have another reason my lymph node is swollen.

Alternate View of Lymph Glands of the Head Area

The problem is that I have found two more swollen lymph nodes in my neck. Another is exactly on the other side of the first, but a little lower toward the clavicle. It is also in the Cervical Lymph Gland area. The third is right under my chin where the lower part of the tongue is located that curls underneath the chin area. This area is known as the Submental Lymph Glands.

Find the Submental Lymph Glands under the chin.

Now I’m watching three lymph nodes in my neck area that are swollen. Pray with me about these. I know the Cancer treatment can put these into remission also for a while. I simply do not want the Cancer to have spread this far “north” on my body. Yes, this is something to be in prayer for. Also, if my blog can help someone else with Lymphoma, that would be a blessing to me. I know literally hundreds of people have found this blog by searching the “search engines” for lymphoma-related articles and pictures. Several hundred have found this blog and have been reading the Cancer columns. That is a definite blessing to me.

Still another diagram of Lymph Nodes in the Neck area

So, is the swollenness of these glands from the cold, the virus, or is it Cancer related? I’ll keep everyone posted if they go down in size or if they increase in size. Still, your prayers for the Cancer progress to be slowed or stopped would be appreciated. Thanks for reading. Thank you more for praying.