Swelling in neck

[PeachyBlossom]

As you can see in the picture my neck has swollen up a lot since the beginning of February!

The first picture was taken in January, the second picture was taken 2 weeks ago and the third picture was taken just then.

As you can see from the first picture you could see my jawline then in the last 2 you can’t see it at all! Also you can see that under my chin has swollen up so much since the first picture!

The swelling isn’t very sore (maybe a bit tender if you press on it but nothing drastic) it just mainly feels very uncomfortable! The only thing that makes the swelling go down is warm compresses but it doesn’t stay away forever it comes back after about 3-5 days.

My doctors are telling me my lymph nodes aren’t swollen so it can’t be that. They also said that they “think” that I have tonsillitis. But I’m leaning more towards thyroid problems because of the symptoms I’m getting.

Do you reckon this looks like swelling from tonsil problems or thyroid?

Plz someone let me know.

[OR4377]

Hi, new here so my apologies if I’ve missed anything. Tonsillitis would probably be causing more pain.

Has your healthcare provider done any swabs for other things or a thyroid profile? Change in foods?

I’m not a medical professional. I ask a lot of questions though🙂🌻

[PeachyBlossom in reply to OR4377]

Hello! Yeah I’m not experiencing hardly any pain at all. I mentioned in a previous post in this group that I have pus on my tonsils and they look slightly red but my doctor told me that the tonsils themselves aren’t swollen and I also don’t have a sore throat. My GP has done a swab for strep bacteria but it came back negative. They also thought it could have been mono so I got a blood test done but that came back negative too. She hasn’t done a thyroid check yet but I might be going in to see her on Thursday to mention my thyroid so I hope they’ll do a test then. My doctor wants me to get my tonsils out but I don’t want to do that if it’s not necessary! I mean she doesn’t even know 100% if I do have tonsillitis or not. So if it turns out I don’t have it then taking my tonsils out would be for nothing!

There’s also been no change in my diet. Although I did just come off birth control like a month or 2 before this all happened so I don’t know if that could have something to do with it?

Thank you so much for your reply! I feel like this app helps me more then my doctors tbh haha 😂

[OR4377 in reply to PeachyBlossom]

Yeah no worries! I’m going to try and be consistent on here. It helping to get me out of my own head lol.

Drs are seeming to be hesitant to remove tonsils as they did in the past. I did meet a lady in her late 50s that got hers out because she stayed sick (I don’t know the details). She said it helped her tremendously when she got them removed.

What about tonsil stones? Do you eat a lot of dairy?

Birth control is a tricky one because of the hormones involved it seems hard to pin point if that contributes to anything. You think your body may be adjusting since you discontinued the birth control?

[PeachyBlossom in reply to OR4377]

This doctor didn’t seem hesitant at all! She just said to me I think you have tonsillitis so I think it’s best that you just get them out then she gave a form to my mum to give to the hospital to be put on a waiting list to get them removed.

The main thing I’m worried about is getting them removed then finding out it had nothing to do with my tonsils lol.

I thought the white patches may have been tonsil stones at first but it turns out it was pus. But I do eat quite a lot of dairy.

Birth control caused a huge amount of problems for me. I only went on them in the first place because when I first go my periods they were very irregular! They were heavy and lasted months at a time so I went on the pill to make them regular. It worked in that regard and I ended up staying on them for over 2 years but they caused awful diarrhoea. I was going 2-3 times a day for 2 years and it made me put on so much weight around the area where my intestines are. So I decided to go off them! my diarrhoea improved a bit but I still get a flare up every few weeks and my stomach hasn’t gone down I feel like I’ve put on more weight in that area actually! I was told once that I might have endometriosis but I never got tested for it. I really regret going on the pills in the first place they ruined my life in my opinion!

[OR4377 in reply to PeachyBlossom]

Didn’t forget about you, I’m catching up.

I can understand not wanting unnecessary surgery. Is the doctor willing to check other things out before moving forward with that?

I asked about the dairy because I have found when I eat a lot of dairy my mucus does change. Maybe you can check out a food group here or someone who is knowledgeable about that. Just a thought. I love cheeeese! Dairy in general, anything buttery or creamy lol. I think I could give up meat before dairy😩

[OR4377 in reply to PeachyBlossom]

Having a heavy menses is no fun. Anemia exacerbates not feeling good in general. Check in with what your mom’s thoughts are and keep digging...I’m grateful for healthcare professionals-many times they are trying to figure it out with you🌻

[PeachyBlossom in reply to OR4377]

It’s all good 🥰

My GP is great because she’s willing to do other tests but when I went to a ears, nose and throat doctor all she did was feel my lymph nodes and said they weren’t swollen, she looked in my mouth and said I have pus on the tonsils and then she put a camera through my nose and down the back of my throat and said that all looked fine. Then That’s when she said I “think” you have tonsillitis and that it’s time to get your tonsils out without even suggesting to do other tests. I was literally in there for 10 mins and she hardly did anything and charged my mum $120 for it 😓

Haha yeah I looove dairy I don’t think I could ever give that up haha 😂 although if that is causing the problems I may have to dial it back a bit!

And actually I’ve been told already by my GP that one of my blood tests said that I’m anaemic although I’m not taking supplements or anything cause I don’t know if it’s that bad that I should start taking them or not? Or if I should just start eating more red meat and that it’ll improve on its own?

I’m super grateful for my gp but i felt like that ENT specialist just rushed me in and out without a proper conclusion 😓😓

[bantam12]

Thyroid is at the base of the neck so any swelling wouldn't be around jawline and chin, it wouldn't cause pus on tonsils, sounds more like a chronic infection around tonsils/throat.

[PeachyBlossom in reply to bantam12]

You can’t really notice in pictures but I have like a small swollen ball like lump at the bottom of my neck which appeared only after all this started. I can feel it each time I run my fingers over it.

Also a question about tonsillitis and strep throat. Can I have either one but experience no sore throat? Cause my throat hasn’t been sore the whole time I’ve had this.

Also when I had a blood test done to check for mono I was told I have an infection in my body because I had a high white blood cell count. But when I got a blood test done over a year ago for something different they told me I had an infection then too but no further testing was done so I have no idea if it’s the same infection or a different one this time round.

[Hidden]

My husband, and other I know have thyroid problems which is Graves’ disease not one to kill you, but medication, But all the people I know that have that never had swelling like that, maybe a lump, or eyes popping out, or high energy, or low energy gains weight. Where do you live?

[PeachyBlossom in reply to Hidden]

Hello! I live in Australia!

I don’t think I have Graves’ disease. I reckon I have either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism? Idk which is which I get them confused. But that’s why I don’t know what it could be I’ve never seen swelling like it before and I don’t think tonsillitis would cause that type of swelling? But I feel like since it’s happened I have pretty low energy, a faster heart rate, my anxiety levels have gone up, my depression has gotten worse , I feel like I have trouble breathing though my nose and I have trouble falling asleep. I’ve also been getting little red pimple like things on my arms, top of legs and stomach so idk if that has anything to do with it or not. And I’ve also been feeling a bit dizzy but that’s probably from being anaemic since my doctor said I was in my last test.

[Hidden]

Dear those are Graves’ disease which you mention, one is very low, and one is high, it not deadly just a pill, but no one I know has those kind of symptoms. Have you gone to an ear, noise, and throat specialist, that’s who you need to see. ENT they are called?

[PeachyBlossom in reply to Hidden]

Yeah I’ve been to an ENT. All she did was feel around my jaw and said my lymph nodes weren’t swollen and that they felt normal. Then she took a look in my mouth and said there’s a bit of pus on my tonsils then she stuck a camera up my nose and down my throat and said that it all looked fine. She said she isn’t 100% certain but she thinks it’s tonsillitis and that she reckons it’s time I have my tonsils out and she gave my mum a form to take to the hospital to be put on a waiting list for a tonsillectomy. My main concern is that I get my tonsils taken out and the problem still doesn’t go away and that it turns out to be something else that’s causing the swelling and then the surgery would have been for nothing.

[PeachyBlossom in reply to Hidden]

I’m not experiencing hardly any throat pain either. Everyone I know who’s had tonsillitis has had a very sore throat. And apart from pus and slight redness I’m not experiencing any other symptoms of tonsillitis.

[Hidden]

You must go to more then one dr. I usually take my family to 3 dr. Then you will see two will say the same thing, one will not, so you go with the two that say the same thing. Then you know what going on ,and what to do. My daughter had strep throat a lot so that’s what I did . Two out of three say don’t take the tonsils out. So we didn’t!

[PeachyBlossom in reply to Hidden]

thanks so much for your advice I may still go get my thyroid checked just to rule it out but I’ll definitely get a few more opinions from other ENT specialists as well!

And also since your daughter had strep May I ask if she had a lot of neck swelling?

[Hidden]

No but she did with mononucleosis, it’s called the kissing disease, which can take many months to go away. One daughter had it for three months, the other two weeks. Hope that helps. Still go to a few dr., it’s the best thing to do.❤️

[PeachyBlossom in reply to Hidden]

Yeah my GP thought I had mono at first so I got checked for it but it came back negative. 💞

[Hidden in reply to PeachyBlossom]

Looks like you looking for the answers, great. I took care many people in my life time, including my parents. You just have to think, and keep looking for the real answer, good luck, stay, safe, and well ❤️

[PeachyBlossom in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much! 💞

[jxedc]

Hey!

I have this and the swelling gets so bad that I look completely different and look like I don’t have a jaw at all. I look like a bullfrog!

After an ultrasound and them thinking lymph nodes and malignancies etc etc I had an MRI and they found my lingual tonsils were full of reactive lymphocytes. I didn’t even know we had lingual tonsils... But apparently we do. I don’t have “regular” tonsils or adenoids because I’ve struggled with them so bad so I knew it weren’t any of those. It aches when it comes up, tender to touch as you said, but annoying more than anything. It’s pretty much looks exactly the same.

It might be worth talking to your dr about. Not many people know about lingual tonsils because from what I’ve heard they don’t cause many problems... I don’t know why mine swell as much as they do or cause the problems they do but they really are a pain in the ass!

[jxedc in reply to jxedc]

I also get the swollen ball just off centre right at the bottom of my neck above where my collar bone would be, and loads of other weird lumps (which I presume is either just the shape of my neck or other small lymph nodes that pop up and down when my lingual tonsils are up). I had an ultrasound, an ENT Dr look over everything, a camera up my nose, blood tests, everything. The only thing that finally picked it up was an MRI and it took 22 months!

[PeachyBlossom in reply to jxedc]

Wow! Thank you so much for commenting 🥰 I’ll definitely bring that up with my doctor when I see her cause if it didn’t end up being my thyroid or normal tonsils I wouldn’t have known what else to look up and I probably would have just gotten a tonsillectomy! But That does sound almost the exact same as what I’m going through!

Can you get lingual tonsils removed? Or can you get medication to make them feel better??

[jxedc in reply to PeachyBlossom]

No worries! For nearly two years I was going out of my mind because it was so annoying and got quite sore, but it’s worrying too when you don’t know what it was and people were like “hey your necks quite swollen” and I was like “uh, I know 🙄” 😂 I cant even attach a photo to show you but it’s exactly the same and it’s the same side too. A tonsillectomy might not be a bad idea but if they’re not overly swollen and causing you pain (because if they’re the culprits they’d be mega sore I should think) then I’d leave them, because tonsillectomies in adults are painful!

If I’m being entirely honest, I’m in the U.K. (I’m not sure where you are) and they’re pretty useless here, and they sort of diagnosed me and left me. It’s been 10 months now and they said “yeah your lingual tonsils are constantly swollen and full of lymphocytes and we don’t know why” and they’ve never helped since. They’ve got bigger, and I’m having some problems swallowing (it’s been 32 months now!) but from good ol’ Dr Google and speaking to my GP, I think they can be removed but I’m not too sure on the medication front. Speak to your Dr and see what she says, she’ll know more and will be able to help and prescribe if there is anything... And let me know too! That way I can ask mine 😂

[PeachyBlossom in reply to jxedc]

I’m so sorry you’ve been going through this for 2 years I can’t imagine. Just going through it for the past 3 months has been absolutely awful.

I’m going to get a second and maybe even a third opinion from different ENT specialists to see if they reckon I should get my tonsils out.

I’m going to my GP tomorrow to get a thyroid test done so I’ll definitely mention the lingual tonsils to her and see what she says.

I’m in Australia so hopefully the doctors can actually do something about it here haha

I’ll definitely keep you updated!!! Again thank you so much for telling me all this information! Hopefully it’ll finally help me figure out what is wrong!! 😂💞

[PeachyBlossom in reply to jxedc]

Turns out you can have them removed and apparently it’s less painful then getting your regular tonsils removed!

Here’s a website on lingual tonsillectomy if you haven’t read it yet breathefreely.com/education...

[PeachyBlossom in reply to jxedc]

Also one more question is the inside of your mouth swollen I just noticed when I was brushing my teeth then that the the inside of my cheek is quite swollen it’s actually touching my teeth! I showed my mum and she could see it too! I honestly don’t know what’s going on I’m only 17 and it’s making me really scarred!

[jxedc in reply to PeachyBlossom]

I’ve got family in Australia (my great great uncle lives moved out there in the 60’s and has had his family out in Queensland, I’ve been out a few times, last time was September just gone!) and I know that his granddaughter gets better healthcare out there than we do here, so I can imagine you’ll get further than I did! Definitely get some different opinions, you’ve got nothing to lose. Lingual tonsils aren’t exactly common knowledge and definitely won’t be the first thing in most physicians minds so to be able to ask them outright it even just rules them out as a possibility... But if they’ve already ruled most things out anyway, then they’re likely not to think about lingual tonsils and it’s going to be a long drawn out thing!

I couldn’t just read your post and run when it looks so similar to mine and I spent ages not knowing and worrying. It’s terrifying! And because it’s such a weird thing that nobody ever picked up on too...

Thank you so much for the link, I’ll definitely be having a look!!

Yeah my cheek swelled, I noticed it more when I smiled and could feel it. Not only that I noticed when I was brushing it felt more tender... They asked a lot whether it was my teeth that was causing it but my teeth weren’t painful and it went to the dentist like every two months and my teeth were always fine! X

[jxedc in reply to jxedc]

I really feel for you honey 😔 to be 17 too and not have a clue what’s going on is horrible. I’m 26, have loads of different bits going on so it’s a bit easier for me to just roll my eyes and go “uh something else” and just get on with it but this really is annoying and hard to live with. Not only that because it’s your neck and there is so many lymph nodes and you have no idea what it is, it’s terrifying! I hope they can sort it out soon and get to the bottom of it. You’re the biggest advocate for you and only you know what you feel and when something isn’t right, so if someone isn’t listening and you don’t feel comfortable with a dr then find another Dr. It’s your right to be listened to and have your concerns taken seriously. And not only that it’s obvious something isn’t right, that swelling clearly shows there’s an issue going on! X

[PeachyBlossom in reply to jxedc]

Thank you so much for your kind words they are really helping to keep me calm during this hard and confusing time! 💞

[PeachyBlossom in reply to jxedc]

Hopefully that’s a good sign that I’ll be able to get faster treatment here in Australia then (I’m in Sydney)! Hopefully you’ll be able to get treatment soon as well!

I feel like all this first started happening when I went off birth control pills in late January so I’m also wondering if it could have anything to do with that as well? Since I just read up on hormonal imbalances and a lot of the symptoms are freakishly similar to what’s going on with me too (especially the symptom that said you could get a fatty hump between the shoulders)! Here’s that website: healthline.com/health/hormo...

And no problem! Like I said just dealing with this for 3 months has been torture so I couldn’t imagine living with it for 2 years! I want to help in any way I can!

I’ve noticed all day today that it felt like a weird pressure on the inside of my cheeks and idk why but I just brushed it off! Then when I started brushing my teeth tonight I noticed how swollen the insides of my cheeks looked! I’d never seen anything like it! It made me super worried!! I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with my teeth since I’m getting no pain in any of the gums around my teeth.

It sounds silly but I feel like I’m preparing for the worse case scenario 😓

[jxedc in reply to PeachyBlossom]

The hormonal imbalances disorder that you’re talking about is Cushings Disease, that’s normally I think from the pituitary gland or the adrenal gland so it could be, I’d need to know more about your symptoms but you obviously do t have to tell me them and I wouldn’t expect you to! And I think you’d only ever really find out with lab work. It could be hormonal imbalances - the things with hormone pills is it can take a while for your hormones to settle down after. For instance, with woman wanting to concieve after, they say allow at least 6 months for your body to adjust and settle because your hormones are all out of whack due to being on synthetic hormones for so long so it could be your body finding its natural rhythm again... But it could be something else too.

My biggest advice to you (I have thirteen diagnosed conditions, from heart conditions to neurological conditions that need surgery & leave me temporarily paralysed!) is to just not worry. Sometimes your brain can overplay things and whilst it could be something serious it could also be something very simply sorted, like your lingual tonsils or your thyroid that can be treated with medications. Whatever it is you can’t change... You can, however, make yourself more poorly though and right now the best thing you can do for your body is make sure you’re looking after it and your mind the best you can!! Believe me I know it’s tough. But I know you’ll find a dr who’ll listen to your concerns and worries and will do all they can and you’ll get the answers you need!

I’ve messaged you honey x