Hi all,

I recently came down with a fever (the theory is glandular fever, but no blood test results yet), and as a result the "glands" (lymph nodes) in my neck have become slightly swollen. But I have also noticed a similar raised and tender area just behind my right ear. My mother suggested that it was another inflamed gland, but as far as I can tell, there aren't any glands, nodes or anything similar located behind the ear.
Any ideas?

Kal

drhani

hi friend,there are many lymph nodes in our body,when we have some infection they become swollen Any swollen lymph nodes that don't go away or return to normal size over about a month should be checked by your health professional.
those u noticed were auricular lymph nodes,so u just don worry,,,,

J_9

Sorry it took me so long to respond to your post.

Hun, you have hundreds of lymph nodes in your body. Most times you don't feel them unless they become inflamed with some sort of infection, whether it be bacterial or viral.

Would you believe you even have lymph nodes in the anterior aspect of your elbow? True story. I even debated that with a doctor prior to my entering nursing school. He stated "well, ya learn something new every day." You can believe I never went back to that doctor.

KeepItSimpleStupid

It may not be a lymph node, but a salivary gland:

Parotid gland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

KalFour

Thanks guys. I'm used to some glands doing weird things, but one behind my ear... it just seemed weird.

Turns out I have glandular fever... so I now have to debate whether or not to defer uni. My degree involves a lot of physical activity - working with big machines and the like. I keep hearing horror stories about people getting chronic fatigue after glandular fever, and being constantly weak and exhausted for months (or even longer)... and I'm hoping I'll only stay like that for a couple of weeks.
Would I be better to just put off uni for a semester? Am I likely to seriously damage my health if I try to keep going?