A few months ago I went to the emergency room because I was short of breath and had been hyperventalating for 4 days, and the doctor diagnosed it as anxiety. That same night I went in again when my neck started hurting, I noticed a small lump on the right side of my neck, below my jaw. He said it was a swollen gland, and that I was over-anxious but didn't look into it much- he just kind of assumed that's what it was. During a follow- up with my real doctor, she said it was probably a swollen gland, but didn't chek it out much either. It's kind of weird because it's like a small, pea-sized lump kind of portruding from under my lymphnodes right under my jaw. It really isn't soft or anything, and it moves a round a little. It's just kind of there, and since I have anxiety of course my first thought is, "It's cancer! it's a tumor!" I tell myself it's probably not, but it's been there a while. I've heard that it can take many, many months for a swollen gland to return to normal- maybe I've just always had it and never noticed it. I'm addicted to gum and have been chewing gum for about 2 years now ALMOST constantly (except at night) maybe it's a slivary gland? Whatever it is, it's annyoing me, and causing a lot of anxiety! I'd like to know what it is, and what I should do about it! Any and all answers are apprieciated!

I get lumps and bumps all over the place from time to time, jaime, and I don't obsess about them and then one day they aren't there anymore. Maybe you should accept the doctors' diangnoses and just get it off your mind and you know what, you will totally forget about them, and one morning you will wake up and lumps are history. I have lumps in my legs that if I really wanted to worry would be bugging my doctor incessantly, but that's not me. Could be your gum chewing. Have you stopped chewing ? Thank god it wasn't chewing tobaccy LOL, then you would really have some lumps (in your mouth) to worry about.

Okay, not making light of your situation but there is a drop off point to worrying about these things and you just have to get a grip. If it doesn't hurt, swell, get red, and purple, don't worry about it.

Ms tickle

Thanks, that relieves my anxiety a little, but sometimes it does hurt, I was told it could be a cyst- my dad had a cyst in his neck when he was younger as well.

Hi, jaime90!

I've been in the emergency room a couple of times in recent months for anxiety related issues. There are definitely some other physical things going on with me though, that the doctors didn't address, nor recommend any sort of treatment. One finally did. But, that was after I insisted that I would appreciate something being recommend for the treatment of it.

Sometimes we have to insist that doctors do look carefully at whatever else might be going on with us. They might not really know what's going on, unless we really point out the things to them.

I do know what it's like to obsess about things. Many times, I do obsess over things that aren't really things about which I should be obsessing.

Do you live alone?

Thanks!

My fiancé usually stays with me all day, and sometimes he stays the night at his buddy's house- but he is in the Marine Corps, and is gone at least one weekend a month. So, I sort of live alone, but I sort of don't.

Hi again, jaime90!

So, is there anything going on with you physically about which you're concerned now, please?

Thanks!

Nope, I have anxiety, and I've been having sleeping problems because of it-but I've almost always had problems sleeping. And then this swollen gland, or whatever it may be. I've had it for many months now. My fiancé says that if it was anything it would've gotten really big by now. You can't see it or anything, you can just feel it in the side of my neck. It annoys me so much!

Swollen glands can be caused by many things, even a simple cold, allergies or sinuses can cause swollen glands. It can take several months for them to go away.