So please bare in mind that my insurance will not become active until March 1st, so this is all very preemptive for me. I have every plan to go to the doctor's once my insurance is effective, but until then, I'm sort of just curious.
I'm a 20 year old female, and generally healthy. I had mono about 3 years ago, but that has both come and gone, and I have been fine since then. In the past few months, I've noticed that my lymph node on the right side of my neck has enlarged to like...epic proportions. My left side is normal - i can feel it, and it is about the size of a pea, nothing out of the ordinary. However, the lymph node on the right is probably approaching 4 centimeres in width. It isn't visible, it does not seem to be growing 'out,' just ... getting wider. It is hard, but not cemented. It will move when pushed, but does not hurt at all.
That, along with the incessant itching of my legs - to the point where I draw blood, do it in my sleep, and have caused more scratches and sores than a 20 year old female EVER wants to see on her legs - makes me wonder if perhaps it is something serious. However, these things also seem to be symptoms of hyperthyroidism. I also have somewhat shaky hands for the past few months. I am not taking any medicine and have no other diagnosed illnesses.
Clearly, they are both fairly serious conditions, but hyperthyroidism seems to be the lesser of two evils. Any thoughts? I'm wanting to go with Occam's Razor, and believe that i am just being an extreme hypochondriac, making something out of nothing, and that it's probably just an infection. However, i have not been 'sick' (no flu symptoms or common cold or anything) in the past few months, and the swollen node does not hurt at all. It's just there. Being large.
Thoughts? Guesses? Misdiagnoses?
I will say that I'm pretty sure everyone will tell me to "go to the doctor ASAP" but i'm NOT going to go to the doctor without insurance with the off chance that I am diagnosed with something, will then have a pre-existing condition, and have to deal with that mess. Just saying :)
But thanks ahead of time!