Swollen lymph thyroid nodes

I participated in the UCSF LIINC study today. For those unfamiliar with it, it’s a program at UCSF that studies patients with Long Covid. Specifically one thing they’re looking for is evidence of viral persistence.
They performed an FNA (fine needle aspiration) on my lymph node today which they plan to send to UPenn to analyze. The FNA procedure itself involves getting numbed in an area where a lymph node is and then they do a biopsy on it. It’s not as painful as it sounds actually. I didn’t really feel much except a couple of pricks from the Lidocaine they gave me. No other side effects really except for a sore neck.
One interesting thing the doctor who performed it said was that all the long covid patients he’s seen have had very small lymph nodes which he said is unusual if your body was fighting a viral infection. It kind of makes me wonder if viral persistence isn’t the cause of LC. They did find evidence of viral persistence in the gut though which is interesting. Maybe the immune system is being suppressed?

Hi guys
Sorry if this is a long post. I’ve not really been able to speak to anyone in my life about my experience and I have just hit a wall. I’ve been with my husband (34M) for 12 years. We got married in June and have a gorgeous one year old girl. He had a large lump on his neck for 6 months that he was continually told was nothing. He pushed and it was eventually biopsied and he was diagnosed very unexpectedly with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in November 2023 which had spread to lymph nodes in his neck bilaterally. There were many tests and procedures to get the full diagnosis and I am fairly confident that the primary tumour is more extensive than he understands based on some comments made by doctors. He wasn’t a candidate for surgery given the tumours locations, so he had six rounds of chemo to try to shrink the tumours before starting two months of daily radiation and weekly chemo. We are on week 7 of 8. I have taken most of the responsibility for parenting our daughter since she was born. I had to take a career break as we couldn’t get childcare for her (childcare in Ireland is horrific, it’s impossible to get). My background is a speech and language therapist and SLTs work in head and neck cancer. Although it’s not my area, I studied in it and did hospital rotations so had a good understanding of the effects of treatment for his cancer. Anyway, since his diagnosis I am full time caregiver to both my husband and daughter. We have no childcare so essentially I spend 17 hours or so a day caring for one or other of them. I’ve not had so much as an hour to myself since this began. I have had moments of overwhelm but keep trying to pick myself back up. My husband would be by nature quite an impatient person and can be quite insensitive. I have tried to stay empathetic, I know he is suffering and struggling but I am so tired of being snapped at, being spoken of poorly and there being no recognition of how difficult it has been to go through this while also raising our child alone. Our little girl is so sweet, for months I’ve talked to her about daddy being sick, his medicine, going to the doctor, blowing kisses when she’s been sick so as not to make him sick etc. He sees her for honestly no more than a few minutes a day which is really hard on her. Today she went to hug him and he said can you take her away, time goes too slow when she’s around and i want to ge left alone. Two days ago he bit my head off for “encouraging her” to come up to him (yet he will look for hugs etc when it suits him). I was frankly disgusted and reminded him she is a little girl and he’s her Dad, that there is a balance. He told me there is no balance and he doesn’t care about anyone else right now. I suggested a nebuliser for him with his care team today, which I sourced, organised a prescription for the saline, picked up, paid for and sterilised and set up for him this evening. After finishig, he really flew off the handle at me for suggesting he try a particular mouthwash again. He swore at me, told me I’ve been horrible to him, that I’m not even trying, and much worse. I am so worn down from how he is acting towards me. I promise this is not a situation whereby I am giving a skewed view - I know what he’s saying is untrue, im doing absolutely everything for him and my daughter to my on detriment. I just don’t know where to put all these feelings. Im petrified for him and I’m also tired of being the target of his outbursts. I know he fully believes what he says to me and that hurts the most, I know that no apology will come because he thinks I’m at fault. Im worried for our relationship. How have others got through the rage and blame? Does anyone else have young kids? I don’t want to speak to others in real life as I don’t want them to judge him afterwards, plus it’s hard to speak badly of someone going through gruelling cancer treatment. Apologies again for the long post, it’s the first time I’ve said any of this out loud

So i shared som pics on Reddit earlier asking if anyone Could se any swelling (got like one comment and the person said he/she Could def see it). At that point the swelling felt like it was deep down behind the muscle. I sent the pics to My doc she said i looked fine so i trusted that. Today a week later 2 tiny things have popped up on the place i «imagine» im swollen. Can only see them When turning My head, they Are very small (or i dont know normal size of lymphs actually, never seen one, if thats what it even is tho haha) and not painfull or anything.
1-2 pic is the tiny stuff 3pic 1week ago relaxed looking fwd 4pic 1week ago looking to the sides
Btw, ive been on sick leave for some weeks already because of so much pain in My body and rheumatic bloodwork just came back negative. I dont want to bother My doc again, so i’ll try here hehe

Hi all! Was diagnosed with angiosarcoma, stage 3 at 19 years old at the beginning of the year. The initial plan was to have surgery and radiation first, then chemo since it’s an aggressive type of tumor. Suddenly they decided to put everything in reverse and put me on 5 rounds of chemo first due to the concern of the cancer possibly metastasizing while planning everything out with radiation and surgery.
So far i’ve finished 5/7 rounds of chemo, completed ~24(?) rounds of proton radiation last month and now have a mastectomy scheduled for tomorrow. The plan is to get a skin graph done 4 weeks post surgery.
The surgeon will preform a total mastectomy on my left breast and left axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy. Possible left axillary lymph node dissection.
The plastic surgeon will be present to use Kerecis for wound closure and placement of wound VAC
Has anyone else had Kerecis for their skin substitute? Did your body reject it?
Unfortunately I was told to wait a year until reconstruction (or to get my other breast removed due to personal preference.) I was curious if anyone else had to wait so long for reconstruction? First I was quoted ~6 months if I wanted the other side removed and suddenly it jumped to a year. So i’m feeling a little discouraged.
Aside from all this, I was looking to see if anyone had personal advice/life hacks that helped after your procedure! Is there anything I should avoid? What made things easier for you? Although i’m not worried for surgery i’m a little scared for recovery.
TYIA! 💖

Recently 42 years old diagnosed with IDC EPR+ and HER2 Negative. Stage 2 in my right breast Non-Amplified. My mind is going crazy not only with the diagnose but from the decisions that I have to make. My original plan was a lumpectomy and radiation. But recently I had a MRI that reveal two spots in my left breast. So I had to get a ultrasound guided biopsy on the left breast to rule out any cancer. One spot came out as a benign tumor and now I have to get a MRI guided biopsy on the other spot this Monday. I was hoping to take the less invasive surgery-lumpectomy because I just want to get this cancer out and didn't want alot of downtime. Well, now my dr says that the right breast mass is bigger than expect and now she can't save my nipple and recommends a single mastectomy. I wasn't expecting this at all!
Sigh...I went to the plastic surgeon for consultation and of course he recommends expanders than implants because I have to get radiation and my breasts are an A cup so not much tissue. I haven't got a second opinion from another breast specialist because everywhere I go, I'm told that I'm going to the best doctor for breast cancer. Now rethinking getting a second opinion? But is it too late?
I was hoping that I don't have to lose a breast but I may be facing that situation.
As of right now, neither lymph nodes on either side seems not to be involved. Dr still hasn't took chemo off the table because I hadn't had surgery yet to test the onocotype. I know that I will be on Tamoxifen for 5 to 10 years after treatment.
This whole cancer dx and situation is driving me insane! I was hoping not to have a major surgery because when I was younger I had scoliosis and had to have major surgery. It pretty much traumatized me. So I'm terrified on having surgery again especially if I have to lose one or two breasts! I truly was hoping to get a lumpectomy instead for an easier recovery and get radiation behind me while my son is out for the summer. I'm blessed to have a supportive husband and family. But I don't think they truly understand the stress I'm going through.
Any guidance, helpful hints, encouragement will be much appreciated. Anyone who had a lumpectomy and lost a nipple? How did you make your decision on which route to take? Anyone who went flat on one breast and kept the healthy breast? Anyone who had bilateral mastectomy and went flat? Or had tissue expanders above the muscle with radiation, then implants later?? Any response will ease my mind.
Sorry for the long post-

So 8 days ago I met up with a man at a hotel. The agreement was that he would let me stroke his cock to completion and I could go wherever.
I was straddling his legs naked. Stroking him. I eventually started frotting, rubbing our cocks together in hopes we would both cum. He took his fingers and had put them onto my asshole, which has an open cut from a blood clot procedure (got a blood clot from constipation issues which caused a small blood clot that needed to be cut lightly to be drained, right on my asshole) his fingers were wet, not sure if it was saliva or lube.. he had been stroking himself before. I dont think it was cum or precum, I hadnt seen any. He did have “BB” as one of his interest on his Grindr, and he was not on prep, said he was clean.
A few days later i developed horrible pain throughout my body, especially spine and neck. 8th day I developed chills and was throwing up, as well as some stomach issues. No swollen lymph nodes that I can find. But currently cannot get out of bed due to the shaky chill feeling and body aches.
I am not trying to offend anyone, nor want to piss anyone off so please be polite 🙏🏻 If you want to roll your eyes and have only negative things to say all you have to do is scroll past. Thank you.

We thought my mom had stage 1A breast cancer with only hormonal therapy will be the treatment. After her surgery we found out that the tumor is 2.8 and she has one positive lymph node that has microscopic cancer cells. The other lymph nodes came back negative.
Is this metastatic breast cancer? What are the survival rates and reoccurrence?
Can you give me some hopeful stories? We found out my brother has cancer this year as well so it’s been a hard year

Since I started my little journey in January, I have found myself surfing through reddit in search of stories like mine. It has been really helpful, so I have decided to document my journey so far. I hope that it can serve to anyone with a similar case.
- 49y female living in Virginia, US. Natural menopause; last period January 2022.
- 22 Jan 2024, regular mammogram: “asymmetry on left breast”. Lump wasn’t noticeable.
- 30 Jan 2024, ultrasound: “spiculated asymmetry”, “hypoechoic, antiparallel, shadowing mass with ill-defined margins”.
- 14 Feb 2024, biopsy left breast: “invasive ductal carcinoma”; ER (81-90%) positive; PR negative; HER2 negative; Ki-67 of 10%.
- 12 March 2024, biopsy of calcifications on right breast: negative.
- 17 April 2024, 4-hours outpatient surgery for a lumpectomy with reconstruction on left breast, and right mammoplasty for symmetry. Size of tumor: 1.3 cm. Clear margins.
- 1 of 5 lymph nodes positive.
- 26 April 2024: post-op visit. Drainage removed.
- 1 May 2024, Chest, abdomen and pelvis scan and bone scan: “suspicious metastasis on bones: T10 vertebra and calvarium”
- 10 May 2024, Head scan and spine MRI: minoirrelevant findings. Metastasis not confirmed.
- Oncotype, RS: 21; Distant recurrence 9 years: 18%; “chemotherapy benefit for this group cannot be excluded”
- 14 May 2024, proposed treatment: No chemo. Radiation (still to determine number of sessions) and Anastrozole for at least 7 years
Happy to share any details and respond to any questions.
Stay strong!

Hey guys, hope everyone is doing better than before!
Just tested negative today and I finished my treatment a month ago. However, I still experience some symptoms and not sure if they are related to this nasty bacteria. Basically, I still have more than usual burping, but definitely better than before. I started to experience muscle ache/soreness as well as joint pains. They are mostly around my shoulder and neck area which makes me suspect that my lymph nodes are swollen too. Has anyone experienced the same? Wondering if it's related to the bacteria/antibiotics or is it a function of mineral deficiencies. If so, any suggestion on how to improve? I will bring this up to my family doctor in two weeks. Will update when I hear what he suggest.

Hi y'all, I (transfemme, 34) was just recently diagnosed with ssc after dealing with a painful tongue lesion since January of this year.
I know it's made it to the lymph nodes in my neck but nowhere else yet. I have a PET scan next week followed by an appointment with the surgeon and oncologist to get surgery and treatment scheduled.
In the meantime, I'm mostly mute for now because talking not only irritates my tongue but strains my jaw. Curious if folks have any recommendations for exercising and relieving jaw pain.
I've also started realizing how tight my jaw is when I yawn, which has become painful. 😞
Any recs would be great, or just empathy is great too.

63m; 3 chemo protocols; Dr said one more chemo protocol then SCT.
PET scan results synopsis:

1. No enlarged radiotracer avid lymph nodes. Lymphadenopathy in the neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis on CT 2/7/2024 has resolved.
2. Splenomegaly is decreased in size compared to CT 2/7/2024. No focal areas of increased radiotracer avidity in the spleen.
3. Stable left adrenal nodule measuring 3.3 cm demonstrating mild radiotracer uptake, indeterminate.

Me: radiotracer avidity = malignancy
Btw, doctor has declared me to be in remission.

My bi curiousity. Hiv risk?
Well. Here I am. My curiosity has brought on severe anxiety. HIV RISK?
So 8 days ago I met up with a man at a hotel. The agreement was that he would let me stroke his cock to completion and I could go wherever.
I was straddling his legs naked. Stroking him. I eventually started frotting, rubbing our cocks together in hopes we would both cum. He took his fingers and had put them onto my asshole, which has an open cut from a blood clot procedure (got a blood clot from constipation issues which caused a small blood clot that needed to be cut lightly to be drained, right on my asshole) his fingers were wet, not sure if it was saliva or lube.. he had been stroking himself before. I dont think it was cum or precum, I hadnt seen any. He did have “BB” as one of his interest on his Grindr, and he was not on prep, said he was clean.
A few days later i developed horrible pain throughout my body, especially spine and neck. 8th day I developed chills and was throwing up, as well as some stomach issues. No swollen lymph nodes that I can find. But currently cannot get out of bed due to the shaky chill feeling and body aches.
I am not trying to offend anyone, nor want to piss anyone off so please be polite 🙏🏻 If you want to roll your eyes and have only negative things to say all you have to do is scroll past. Thank you.

I (35f) started twitching badly all over my body 3 years ago after a stressful time in my life. I went completely bananas out of fear and I had it all: MRI, EMG, clinical exam, several blood work. All clean. It was a tough time, but I got over it and the twitching mostly resolved and came back in a hotspot whenever I was very stressed.
The twitching became worse again a few weeks ago. About a week and a half ago, my right leg began cramping. The left one followed hours later. I first thought it might be my thyroid, because my joints were sore and my knees seemed to be swollen. However, blood work came back normal.
I don’t present weakness, but the muscles in my leg are so stiff and crampy. They get better when I relax, but as soon as I walk too much, they cramp so hard that I limp.
When I’m about to fall asleep, my twitching becomes worse… like a clonus.
I think I would appreciate some reassurance that I’ll be fine… I’m feeling so anxious and worried.
Thank you in advance

Hey homies,
I saw my oncologist today for my PET scan results. After three rounds of double whammy imunotherapy, my liver tumor has vanished and my skin doesn't flash on the scan anymore either!
While this is brilliant, my lymph node in my neck has grown a bit (I can feel this one in my throat, very annoying) and the tumor on my spleen, which was tiny and not very active in January, is now 23 mm and very active... that's a huge growth.
The doc says I need a new PET scan in four weeks to see if it's not a fluke - apparently tumors can grow quickly and then shrink again. Has this happened to any of you?
I honestly thought I would get good news today. This spleen thing - even the doc though it was ignoreable. And now it is suddenly a real thing, although I was doing immunotherapy! Has this happened to you? Should I be worried? I still hope I will be healthy one day....

I had a biopsy of a mass and lymph node last Friday and got the dreaded call today. I am now waiting on FISH testing, which will be ready next week at my appointment with the surgeon. The lymph node biopsy was insufficient so additional testing will need to be done. I tried to prepare myself for this but still am in shock. I just started a new job working from home which is great considering but I’m so new I hope that things will work out.

I have a small lump on my neck that has been there for months and keeps going down a bit then more raised for long periods of time.
Is this a lymph node? I only have it on one side

Hi all!
I recently posted about a 2cm lung nodule found during a CT scan as I have been having shortness of breath. I did the PET scan on Friday and today they called me and recommended a biopsy as there is activity in the lungs. He said that it doesnt necessarily mean cancer and that it could be an infection but especially since my Signatera results came in and they were positive I need to do a lung biopsy.
I just finished capecitabine in February.
Has anyone had to biopsy a lung nodule and have positive signatera results and it turn out to be benign? How is doing a lung biopsy?? I'm worried about the procedure.
I am very worried about the results. My Oncologist did say that there was nothing in my breasts or lymph nodes so that is a good thing.
Thank you!!

I was hoping to get some feedback from someone that has gone down a similar path.
54M - diagnosed with stage 3 NH-Nodal MZL on 1/31/2022
Year #1 - full of a lot of anxiety and worry - but after 6 rounds of Bendamustine/Rituximab (BR), I was "officially" in remission by October.... and relapsed in December when another CT/PET showed active / growing cancer.
Year #2 - less worry / anxiety (been down this road after all), 4 rounds of R-CHOP later, I was disappointed to hear that the cancer was still (very) active, but was smaller. Multiple options were discussed, including CAR-T, and full stem cell transplantation, but all the options were removed from the table after a little additional testing showed I was not a good candidate for any of them. Instead, my oncologists (I have 2 now) put me on a BTK blocker (Zanubrutinib).
Year #3 - 11 months after starting Zanubrutinib - a recent CT has showed recent growth of a particular lymph node, and other symptoms have led my oncologist to suggest that this is the early signs of "drug resistance". In short, the zanubrutinib is no longer effective, (although to be fair - it's still effective "enough" to keep taking it for now).
My oncologist is doing a few more tests just to be certain we've got all the i's dotted and t's crossed, but the feeling that I've gotten from him is that we need to start looking at clinical trials as my next option. (again to be fair - there maybe lots of clinical trials available, but that a "clinical trial" is my only "next option)
Just wondering if anyone else has or knows someone who has been in a similar situation, and has any experience(s) they would be willing to share.
--Linuxguru
NOTE: Already getting a 2nd opinion from oncologist #2, and we're looking at both the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute, and MD Anderson as potential sites for clinical trials.
X-Posted to: lymphoma

I've been lurking here for awhile... and was hoping to get some feedback from someone that has gone down a similar path.
54M - diagnosed with stage 3 NH-Nodal MZL on 1/31/2022
Year #1 - full of a lot of anxiety and worry - but after 6 rounds of Bendamustine/Rituximab (BR), I was "officially" in remission by October.... and relapsed in December when another CT/PET showed active / growing cancer.
Year #2 - less worry / anxiety (been down this road after all), 4 rounds of R-CHOP later, I was disappointed to hear that the cancer was still (very) active, but was smaller. Multiple options were discussed, including CAR-T, and full stem cell transplantation, but all the options were removed from the table after a little additional testing showed I was not a good candidate for any of them. Instead, my oncologists (I have 2 now) put me on a BTK blocker (Zanubrutinib).
Year #3 - 11 months after starting Zanubrutinib - a recent CT has showed recent growth of a particular lymph node, and other symptoms have led my oncologist to suggest that this is the early signs of "drug resistance". In short, the zanubrutinib is no longer effective, (although to be fair - it's still effective "enough" to keep taking it for now).
My oncologist is doing a few more tests just to be certain we've got all the i's dotted and t's crossed, but the feeling that I've gotten from him is that we need to start looking at clinical trials as my next option. (again to be fair - there maybe lots of clinical trials available, but that a "clinical trial" is my only "next option)
Just wondering if anyone else has or knows someone who has been in a similar situation, and has any experience(s) they would be willing to share.
--Linuxguru
NOTE: Already getting a 2nd opinion from oncologist #2, and we're looking at both the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute, and MD Anderson as potential sites for clinical trials.
X-Posted to: Lymphoma_MD_Answers