Painful Lymph Nodes

In humans, lymph nodes are used to filter bacteria and viruses out of the body body. These lymph nodes are located throughout your body. However, the largest lymph nodes in your body are those that are located underneath of your arms, in your neck and in your groin area.

If you happen to discover that your lymph nodes are painful, then you should know that this is a sign that there is some type of infection in your body that your lymph nodes are trying to fight off. Of course, it depends upon the type and severity of the infection, as well as what symptoms you have accompanying these painful lymph nodes as to whether or not you need to see a doctor and when.

There are some steps that you can take in order to know when painful lymph nodes do not require you to see a doctor. These include:

1. Check to see if the lymphs nodes in your neck, just beneath the bottom of your jaw bone in the back of your mouth, are swollen. These are the lymph nodes that are the closest to the surface and thus the most prominent. They should be less than 1 inch in size when functioning properly.
2. Make a mental note as to whether or not your lymph node pain appeared suddenly. If it did, then it is probably caused by a bump to that area of your body and thus does not indicate a serious illness.
3. Take a look at your recent medical records. There are some medications that may cause you to have painful, swollen lymph nodes. For instance, the vaccine for typhoid fever and the anti-epilepsy drug Phenytoin can cause this type of pain in your lymph nodes.

Sometimes swollen lymph nodes can be a sign that you have a serious illness. Here is how you can know whether or not this is an issue for you:

1. Feel your painful lymph nodes to see whether they are soft (they will give when touched) or hard. If they are not soft, then your lymph nodes are losing a battle with some type of an infection and thus you should consult your doctor.
2. If you take a rough measurement of your painful lymph nodes and discover that they are swollen beyond about 1 inch in size, then this could signal a serious infection that your body is unable to effectively fight off.
3. Look at the color of your skin above the lymph nodes that are located in your neck. If there is either a pink or a red discoloration, this indicates an infection that is not under control and thus you should see your doctor.
4. Other symptoms that you should be on the lookout for include fever, weight loss, tiredness and night sweats. If any of these symptoms accompany your painful lymph nodes, then you may have a very serious condition. These conditions can include such things as lymphoma and cat-scratch fever. In such cases, you really need to let your doctor know immediately.

Swollen Lymph Node

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