Aa
Trying to decide if I need to see a doctor
A couple months ago I found what I suspect to be a lymph node enlarged in my elbow. It's on the inside, body side, immediately above the crease, and at the time was above as long as the first two joints of my index finger (5 cm) and about as big around as my finger. I can only see it when my arm is outstretched, I can neither see nor feel it when my arm is bent. It is painless, although when it is swollen there can be some general achiness in the area that I assume is due to the swelling. I noticed it because the swelling was great enough that it reflected sunlight in a strange manner when I was outside the first day of observation, but it may have been there longer.
I was very alarmed, did some internet research which indicated that elbow lymph node swelling is unusual and can be an indicator of lymphoma. However most doctors would suggest top wait a month first. So I decided to wait.The swelling remained the same for almost that entire month, but did not grow, and then it began to shrink. Now at two months out it is very much reduced and usually in the mornings when I awake it is not evident at all, but it does usually swell up again somewhat during the day. If it was lymphoma or a cancer metastasis it would not come and go like this, correct? I have searched my body - armpits, groin, back of neck - for other enlarged lymph nodes and can find nothing unusual. However the sides of my neck/glands under my jaw have recently begun to swell and ache a bit. I do have allergies, especially to cats, and I am a petsitter so I sneeze a lot some days. I also have an 'arthritis bump' on one joint in my left hand (the elbow swelling is on the right side) and I understand that arthritis flares can also cause some lymph node reactions, although I've have the arthritis bump for almost two years now and never noticed any trouble other than pain in it when the weather changes, etc. Otherwise I seem to be in good health, I'm not having any lymphoma symptoms like night sweats or fatigue or unexplained weight loss.
I do have one or two lymph nodes on the left side of my neck that have been mildly enlarged for at least 20 years. They blew up in the early 90's when I was drinking/smoking/not sleeping/chronic bronchitis, and never really went all the way back down. Doctors have always just felt them up every year to make sure they are not growing, but they have never been ultra-sounded or anything.
Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!
I was very alarmed, did some internet research which indicated that elbow lymph node swelling is unusual and can be an indicator of lymphoma. However most doctors would suggest top wait a month first. So I decided to wait.The swelling remained the same for almost that entire month, but did not grow, and then it began to shrink. Now at two months out it is very much reduced and usually in the mornings when I awake it is not evident at all, but it does usually swell up again somewhat during the day. If it was lymphoma or a cancer metastasis it would not come and go like this, correct? I have searched my body - armpits, groin, back of neck - for other enlarged lymph nodes and can find nothing unusual. However the sides of my neck/glands under my jaw have recently begun to swell and ache a bit. I do have allergies, especially to cats, and I am a petsitter so I sneeze a lot some days. I also have an 'arthritis bump' on one joint in my left hand (the elbow swelling is on the right side) and I understand that arthritis flares can also cause some lymph node reactions, although I've have the arthritis bump for almost two years now and never noticed any trouble other than pain in it when the weather changes, etc. Otherwise I seem to be in good health, I'm not having any lymphoma symptoms like night sweats or fatigue or unexplained weight loss.
I do have one or two lymph nodes on the left side of my neck that have been mildly enlarged for at least 20 years. They blew up in the early 90's when I was drinking/smoking/not sleeping/chronic bronchitis, and never really went all the way back down. Doctors have always just felt them up every year to make sure they are not growing, but they have never been ultra-sounded or anything.
Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!
I have never heard of a lymph node in the elbow. Reasonable workup includes imaging test such as MRI (which you did). Glad it turned out to be something benign!
1 Comments
I believe he means epitrochlear. When people websearch for that, they get the same dire warnings as for Virchow's node(s).
I know this was a post from several years ago, but I was curious to know if your swelling resolved and if you discovered the cause? I’m experiencing the EXACT same thing & my doctors are at a loss. I’ve had blood work, ultrasounds, X-rays and even a PET Scan...still no diagnosis. I would greatly appreciate any additional info you may have discovered! Thanks
1 Comments
Hi! I had an MRI of the lump sometime after posting this originally, and the finding was a benign fatty tumor, basically a lipoma. It has not changed at all since then and I don't even notice it anymore, unless, as just now, I examined it to answer your question. I did some research back then and found a case study of a woman in her early 50's (as I am also) who had this and there was a name for it, but I do not now recall what it was called. Hers was surgically reduced and as of the case study writing had not returned in 10 (I believe) years. Good luck to you and I hope you can find some answers for yourself!
COMMUNITY LEADER
Anyway, while most of the alternative stuff is just hype, the anti-inflammatory approach is real. There can also be vicious cycles, autocrine effects, etc., in which even NSAIDS can have benefit, IMO.
Probably the same goes for anti-acidity in those (maybe a minor percentage of the population) that need it.
Probably the same goes for anti-acidity in those (maybe a minor percentage of the population) that need it.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Aha, that's interesting. If a person has to be injured, then an overuse injury is probably the best kind :)
By diet change, do you mean mainly eliminating arachidonic acid? Or one macro or the other?
I've also come to think that acidity is involved in inflammation, though that's not a commonly held medical belief as far as I know.
Immune signalling is so complex, probably with lots of redundancies, that nobody understands all of it - only scratching the surface.
Rethinking here: did you happen to have trauma or excess stress on the bad wrist before the node flared up? You know, even after ordinary exercise, neutrophils and macrophages enter the affected muscle from circulation. Macrophages do a lot of signalling, probably second only to Mast Cells. There has to be a reason why only that particular node now swelled.
By diet change, do you mean mainly eliminating arachidonic acid? Or one macro or the other?
I've also come to think that acidity is involved in inflammation, though that's not a commonly held medical belief as far as I know.
Immune signalling is so complex, probably with lots of redundancies, that nobody understands all of it - only scratching the surface.
Rethinking here: did you happen to have trauma or excess stress on the bad wrist before the node flared up? You know, even after ordinary exercise, neutrophils and macrophages enter the affected muscle from circulation. Macrophages do a lot of signalling, probably second only to Mast Cells. There has to be a reason why only that particular node now swelled.
Yes I have been researching anti-inflammatory foods and cleaning up my diet just recently, mainly due to the node swelling. I don't take any medications, OTC or otherwise, after reading some years ago how things like NSAIDs just caused worse pain with the rebounding actions, etc. I've had painful knees for a year+ after an over-use injury to both last summer, but suddenly now that I am starting to clean up my diet they are hardly hurting at all. I'm sure my body was in a highly acidic and inflamed state for years, so it's not surprising after all if my immune system should rebel. I just hadn't thought of it like that before a few days ago.
I appreciate your knowledge and sharing. Thanks again!
I appreciate your knowledge and sharing. Thanks again!
COMMUNITY LEADER
Well, I'd make the guess that inflammatory signalling biochemicals in the circulation caused the wrist to act up, not the other way around.
The size and shape of your suspected node would be worrying (long and thin), except it went down. It might have been a lipoma, except it went down. It might possibly been a cyst, except it went down.
Maybe you have a highly reactive immune system.
A node can enlarge from a direct blow, but that's not your case
"I do have one or two lymph nodes on the left side of my neck that have been mildly enlarged for at least 20 years."
That could be internal scarring/fibrosis - typical of cat scratch fever, btw.
You could try experimenting with turmeric or ginger to see what you can see, vis a vis inflammation.
The size and shape of your suspected node would be worrying (long and thin), except it went down. It might have been a lipoma, except it went down. It might possibly been a cyst, except it went down.
Maybe you have a highly reactive immune system.
A node can enlarge from a direct blow, but that's not your case
"I do have one or two lymph nodes on the left side of my neck that have been mildly enlarged for at least 20 years."
That could be internal scarring/fibrosis - typical of cat scratch fever, btw.
You could try experimenting with turmeric or ginger to see what you can see, vis a vis inflammation.
That's a relief, thanks Ken! I did not find any injury but I do have what they called 'surgical arthritis' in that wrist, from when I shattered the wrist and it was operated on 20+ years ago. That arthritis had been acting up for a couple weeks before I noticed the lump. Could be a cause?
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