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I Am 34 Years Old. I Have Health Anxiety Along
Question: I am 34 years old. I have health anxiety along with acid reflux. I’ve been smoking and drinking since 19. I recently quote drinking a month ago. I usually drank about 6 beers a day roughly 3-5 times a week. As, far as smoking it was usually a pick a day. I quite in total of smoking on and off for about 2-3 years so all and all I’ve been smoking for about 11-12 years. Recently, I have a bad cough and runny nose along with a headache. When I coughed my whole chest hurt, it felt like the flue minus the fever, I never had a fever. It last about 4 days and for the past two days I feel better but I do still have a slight cough and my nose still feels a bit stuffy. I have no other symptoms no fever, no night sweats, no chills and no weight loss. Being that I have health anxiety I’m always feeling about my body for bumps or lymph nodes. So two days ago I felt on top of my right collarbone a very small pea shape (lymph node) at least that is what I XXXXXXX be it is. It’s very small the size of a pea if not a tad bit smaller, it’s soft, rubbery, moveable and it’s tender (painful) when I press or play with it. I’m wondering what this can mean. Since, I have health anxiety I’m always reading things online and usually online it’s always bad news for everything you type in. I’m wondering can that area swoll from an infection or in your opinion with everything I’ve told you along with my age can this be cancer? Not saying that you are at all but I’m not looking for a generic answer I’m emote looking for an honest educated opinion. If you were me would you be worried?
Brief Answer:
I would not be worried.
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. I understand your concern about cancer or something else serious, but I do not believe you have anything to worry about. All the symptoms that you describe, including the cough, runny nose, and headache, along with the chest pain, sound like a fairly typical viral upper respiratory infection, that possibly moved down into your bronchi, causing a bronchitis. With these infections, it would not be unusually to have some enlarged lymph nodes, though if it were only the size of a pea, it would not be considered very enlarged (normally lymph nodes are less than 1 centimeter). The lump that you feel could be from the infection, or it could just be a regular lymph node that you happened to notice now, but either way it wouldn't be anything to worry about.
Especially at your age, there is nothing that you've described that makes me concerned for cancer. I would give it another week or two for this infection to clear and see how you feel then. If the lump you feel continues to grow, then I would see a doctor to get it examined, but I expect it will either decrease in size or stay the same, in either case you wouldn't need to do anything about it.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
I would not be worried.
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. I understand your concern about cancer or something else serious, but I do not believe you have anything to worry about. All the symptoms that you describe, including the cough, runny nose, and headache, along with the chest pain, sound like a fairly typical viral upper respiratory infection, that possibly moved down into your bronchi, causing a bronchitis. With these infections, it would not be unusually to have some enlarged lymph nodes, though if it were only the size of a pea, it would not be considered very enlarged (normally lymph nodes are less than 1 centimeter). The lump that you feel could be from the infection, or it could just be a regular lymph node that you happened to notice now, but either way it wouldn't be anything to worry about.
Especially at your age, there is nothing that you've described that makes me concerned for cancer. I would give it another week or two for this infection to clear and see how you feel then. If the lump you feel continues to grow, then I would see a doctor to get it examined, but I expect it will either decrease in size or stay the same, in either case you wouldn't need to do anything about it.
I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Ok thank you for your feedback. Is it normal to get a swollen lymph node above your right collarbone though? Is it normal for a lymph node to be painful when fighting an infection? Again, I know googling things is the worst thing to do because usually no matter what you type in it says you are dying but a lot of times it says it’s not normal for the right collarbone nodes to swell. I’m just confused and want to be education. I know you said I have nothing to worry about but why do you say that? Is there anything that I should take? Antibiotics?
Brief Answer:
Please see below.
Detailed Answer:
You're welcome.
You have good questions, and I'll try to answer them pointwise.
It is not really normal for patients to notice an enlarged lymph node above the right collarbone, but your description of it as pea-sized would not be concerning to me at all, as this would be quite small and may be considered normal.
I also suspect you are being more vigilant about it than most patients would be. I also would not be surprised if that lymph node swelled a little bit because it drains the lungs, where it sounds like you are fighting off an infection. The cases in which an enlarged lymph node above the right collarbone would be concerning would be if it progressively grows, becomes hard, non-tender, and doesn't move.
All these features that you describe are typical for a reactive lymph node to an infection, so I don't think there is anything to worry about.
As I said, it sounds like you have a viral upper respiratory infection, and especially without any fevers, I don't believe antibiotics would help at all. An antihistamine-decongestant combination like Claritin-D may help with the nasal congestion and cough, but otherwise, you will just have to wait for your body to clear the virus, which should happen in the next week or two.
I hope that answers your questions...
If you still have any concerns please feel free to let me know, I'll do my best to help.
Regards
Please see below.
Detailed Answer:
You're welcome.
You have good questions, and I'll try to answer them pointwise.
It is not really normal for patients to notice an enlarged lymph node above the right collarbone, but your description of it as pea-sized would not be concerning to me at all, as this would be quite small and may be considered normal.
I also suspect you are being more vigilant about it than most patients would be. I also would not be surprised if that lymph node swelled a little bit because it drains the lungs, where it sounds like you are fighting off an infection. The cases in which an enlarged lymph node above the right collarbone would be concerning would be if it progressively grows, becomes hard, non-tender, and doesn't move.
All these features that you describe are typical for a reactive lymph node to an infection, so I don't think there is anything to worry about.
As I said, it sounds like you have a viral upper respiratory infection, and especially without any fevers, I don't believe antibiotics would help at all. An antihistamine-decongestant combination like Claritin-D may help with the nasal congestion and cough, but otherwise, you will just have to wait for your body to clear the virus, which should happen in the next week or two.
I hope that answers your questions...
If you still have any concerns please feel free to let me know, I'll do my best to help.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
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