Hi All,
It’s been a while since I’ve been here. Nice to be back!
I’ve had Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia ('CLL') for 12 years, still on watch and worry (!). I’m 49.
Last year I had a biopsy of swollen lymph nodes in my groin, they turned out to be Small lymphocytic lymphoma ('SLL'). A few weeks later they disappeared. I recently had my usual 6 monthly blood tests and hematology appointment, all was fine. But on Saturday a new swollen lymph node appeared under my jaw. I messaged my haem nurse who advised my to go to the GP. My GP examined it today and said it’s pretty big (I can see that!), I’ve to go back for more bloods if it’s not gone in 2 weeks.
My question is this: can anybody recommend anything to ease the discomfort of swollen lymph nodes? Do over the counter painkillers help (my GP said I can try them) or is there anything else anyone can suggest? I’m finding it hard to sleep with the discomfort. Of course I’m a bit worried about it, too, even though I hope it will disappear of its own volition like the ones last year. And it looks awful but I’m going to have to get over that part of it! Just as well it’s almost scarf weather again!
Any advice gratefully received.
Thank you,
Firefly
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Hi @Firefly, welcome back! It’s lovely to see you here again, though I’m sorry it’s a painful lymph node that’s brought you back.
It sounds like you’ve done all the right things so far by messaging your haem nurse and getting it checked by your GP.
I can’t advise on pain relief for this specific issue myself, so I’m going to bring in our nurses, who’ll be much better placed to help with this - @BloodCancerUK_Nurses. In the meantime, if anything changes before your two weeks are up, do get back in touch with your haem nurse rather than waiting.
I’m hoping some of our other members with Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia ('CLL') or Small lymphocytic lymphoma ('SLL') will see this and share what’s helped them. There’s also an older thread where members talked about sore and swollen lymph nodes on watch and wait, which might be worth a look: Inflamed lymph nodes.
If you’d like to speak to one of our nurses, you can call our Support Line on 0808 2080 888. We’ve temporarily switched to a call back service while we upgrade our phone system, so please leave your name, number and a short message, and a nurse will call you back within one working day. You can also email the team at support@bloodcancer.org.uk. They’ll return to answering calls live as soon as the system is fixed.
Take care,
Ceri - Blood Cancer UK
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Dear @Firefly
Sorry to hear about your swollen lymph node and the discomfort it is causing you. Its no wonder you are worried and the lack of sleep will not help. Is the area red or tender? In the first instance, I would suggest taking regular paracetamol as this can be very effective.
Like @Ceri_BloodCancerUK if the node has not gone down in 2 weeks time or is getting bigger, I would suggest contacting your haem nurse again rather than the GP.
Kind regards
Fiona (support service nurse)
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Hi @Firefly, just popping back to see how you’re getting on. Has the node settled down at all, and have you managed to get a bit more sleep?
If you’d like to talk anything through in the meantime, our Support Line is on 0808 2080 888 (option 1), or you can email support@bloodcancer.org.uk. At the moment it’s a call back service, so leave your name, number and a short message and a nurse will ring you back within one working day.
Take care,
Ceri - Blood Cancer UK Support Services
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