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Hello,
This may sound silly. I have these two hard lumps directly under my jaw about the size of large marbles (peach pits, but rounder). They have been like that for at least 6 months. I have also had my sinuses draining down the back of my throat constantly for over a year.
A few months ago I went to my Primary Care Dr to get it checked out. I was calling the knots under my jaw "lymph nodes"and I figured I had some kind of infection. I have always thought these were lymph nodes because they swell when I have a virus or cold, etc. To my surprise the Dr said they were not lymph nodes but salivary glands. Well, my status quo as of today is unchanged- still draining and still swollen.
My question(s) is/are - Are they salivary glands? If so, should they be this big? I mean, I don't even remember when I could not feel the lumps.
If they are lymph nodes- shouldn't they have gone back to normal by now?
The Doc didn't see a reason to take any action, and I feel really healthy except for the constant drainage, which is just annoying.
Thanks!
Make an appointment with another doctor. Get a second opinion.
If you have had them this long it sounds like it could be a sinus infection or sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses). I could be wrong, and I have been, but sounds more like lymph nodes to me considering your symptoms.
I had a similar problem with my lymph nodes when I was about 17 or 18, it was infectious mononucleosis, (Kissing disease), lymph nodes are under your armpits, in the groin area, under your jaw, I no MD but ask the Dr. if this has been looked at - it used to be difficult to diagnose.
I also have had swollen salivary glands for over a year. They were biopsied and showed no sign of cancer, etc. My ENT says there is nothing to worry about since biopsy was normal. Have you had yours biopsied and was your doctor an ENT specialist?
She was just my GP. She didn't biopsy because she thinks they are salivary glands, lol. I don't expect this to be cancer, either. I had to get extensive bloodwork recently for another health issue and everything came out perfectly normal. I would think that there would be an abnormality somewhere in the blood counts if I had something that serious. I am sure someone with medical training can say if that is true. I gave about 14 vials of blood after all the testing was done!
I don't even have fever, just annoying sinus drainage and the nodes. I probably have horrible breath- how nice!
Well, you are right in that abnormal blood counts would be indicative of cancer, but ONLY if those tests were ordered. If cancer screening tests were not ordered then it would not necessarily be detected.
I believe it is due to drainage of your sinuses into lymph nodes. But you have had it for so long you should probably consider a second opinion.
I've just had this develop myself, on one side. I first thought it was my lymph nodes, I read that when your body is fighting infection they can sometimes swell up, and eventually the swelling will go down within a few weeks. It's been more than a month, it is still swollen, and gets bigger when I eat something. I also read that your salivary glands can sometimes become blocked, and so I'm thinking this must be it. I am going to a doctor tomorrow to have it checked out. It's not exactly painful, but when I eat I can surely feel it more than when I'm not eating anything.
If I find out something, either way, I'll return with the answer.
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