Lymphoma/throat infection/health anxiety

If you can move the node around it's usually infection. A lump caused by cancer is usually hard, irregularly shaped, and firmly fixed under the skin or deep in tissue and usually not painful, though sometimes it can be. Also, lymphoma or Hodgkins usually causes extreme tirdness, sudden weight loss and sweats (though an infection can cause sweats or chills). Did the lump in your breast eventually go away? There are all kinds of weird skin infections, so try not to worry if the doctors aren't alarmed. (Though I know how difficult that is).

Hi Amymay,

i can can tell from your post that you are getting quite distressed and I do think that counselling might be a good course of action. I don't want to belittle you in any way but I think sometimes we can self diagnose ourselves far and above our true ailment, at times I have convinced myself that I have had this and that, two months ago I was in A&E convinced I was having a heart attack!. Whilst I know doctors are not infallible after 24 visits to be given the same diagnosis I think you may have scared yourself and are have an anxiety response. Please don't think I don't feel for you because I do but sometimes it's best to keep an open mind that some of your symptoms may be psychosomatic and work on calming your mind. 

Please keep me updated on your progress

Hi Amy, I understand how concerned you are, and you wanting to get to the very bottom of what is going on with your body, and know how we want to self diagnose, not having complete trust in those diagnosing us..and how much anxiety this causes.. I think anytime we arent absolutely sure of something, outside our comfort zone of familiarity, we definitely have the potential to stretch this out into all the perimeters, and the information and anxiety alone with our imagination can create symptoms..the power of the mind (our wishes as well as fears) can work for us or against us we learned this early in life.. Often times starting with religion.. I have a tendency to do as you are doing, thinking i must know now what my body is saying to me and to interpret this before something fesrful happens and we arent prepared, we tell ourselves. The information on the internet is open to interpretations, as details can be so easily overlooked, or vague, or mimic other conditions as well. From my experience professionally and personally, your dore throat and dwillen lymph nodes are not uncommon and are symbilic if your body fighting an infection, with possibly a lowered immune system. It can take a veryong time for lymph nodes to go down, even after antibiotics. Our immune system can be compromised by anything from to little sleep, a stressful lifestyle, not absorbing vitamins and nutrients priperly due to an imbalance un certain vitamins like B complex (stress vitamins that need to be replaced every day, as they are water soluable and the body doesnt store these) to Magnesium (magnesium glycinate is the one the body absorbs well) to calcium as well as d3, which must all be taken in the right deniminations to work and be absorbed. Most people are low in these vitamins, as magnesium is never emphasized or much included in multi vitamins, and this is national cause of many more serious health and immune system problems, in a direction traditional doc dont look much into due to their training. Calcium carbonate is needed with magnesium glycinate in a 1:1 ratio with 2000 mg D3 in order for any of them to be priperly absorbed. B cimplex can definitely be added for thise who are low in B vitamins and have higher stress levels ( anxiety being one cause of much higher stress). Your lump on your neck would not be cancerous as it is not rock hard, and would not be painful around it. Doctors know this and if serious, would be honest and direct with you. Most often if not serious, they may not think to tell you excessive information such as i just did about the criteria for cancer, triggering fear possibly and imagination, and many expect you trust their diagnosis and nit become to anxious about it. Yes, 24 times in 2 months does point to mental health concerns regarding extreme and excessive anxiety, and would alarm them of something wrong that needs to seriously addressed. The average number of times when having trust in your doctors profession and knowledge would prob be twice in 2 months, and if more was needed, he would be the first to tell you.

Thank you all so much for your replies, they are really helpful. I've never experienced a throat infection like this before. My throat isn't sore as such, I can still eat and drink perfectly fine. It's more that my neck is painful with the swollen lymph nodes and it radiates into my chest, shoulder and arms. I feel tired most of the time anyway so that isn't really anything new. I know I should trust my doctor and up until recently I never questioned their diagnosis. I just don't know what's real or not anymore with my symptoms.