Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Justjules on October 09, 2016, 06:48:22 AM
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Had a bit of a sore gland in right side of neck a couple of weeks ago but couldn't feel it swollen or a lump, then got intermittent sore throats but now mainly down right side right at back. Well looked around throat with a torch and could see a creamy white patch the size of an ulcer on the fold just behind tonsils.....feel a bit rubbish with it on and off and it comes and goes but neck can be achey with it......well, you know what I am thinking!!! If it was just a sore throat I could understand but 'patches' in throat and with pain spells 'something nasty' as oral cancer doesn't present with symptoms until advanced.....panic, panic!!! Just as the head whooshes and fainty feelings have stopped here we go again but this time with evidence.... :'(
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Oh sweetheart, don't be alarmed, there are loads of really nasty bugs going around at the moment!!
I'm very rarely ill, rarely pick up colds etc BUT my weakness is my throat. I've had this many times and always get it after long haul flights. It can be many things but most likely a streptococcal infection. If you are feeling peaky and your glands feel swollen or tight, it sounds as if your immune system is fighting it.
My first point of call is always salt water gargles but if it continues and your body is not winning the battle, a quick visit to the GP will get it sorted. My plan of attack is always; salt water gargles, sliced lemons and honey in hot water with a lemsip thrown in for good measure, hot nourishing foods like soups and casseroles and most importantly, lots of rest!
Tuck yourself up on the sofa under a throw with a hot tea and a good book; ride the storm!
I wish you well x
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Poor you, you sound so frightened so hopefully I can alleviate some of your fear, along with Elizabethrose's post.
It does indeed sound like a bacterial throat infection, (a kind of tonsillitis) my son had a nasty dose of this this back in the late spring and a course of antibiotics cleared it up. Pop to the doctor in the morning if you can, just to get checked over as these things can get very painful .
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Thanks ladies. I hope it's viral but had sore throats and tonsillitis in the past but it never made my neck hurt or ache plus it comes and goes which is worrying and lasting over two to three weeks? I am terrified of going to Drs.
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Did it hurt in and around your neck Sparkle? This patch is just behind tonsil area....I have to look at it with a torch to see it properly. My mum saw it yesterday. It seems to travel right down to my collarbone a bit too....God, I hate this worry all the time!!
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My son's pain travelled from his neck to his collarbone and even up the side of his face JustJules, it was all one sided too. He had previously suffered bouts of tonsillitis but nothing as severe as this one and the doctor said there were different strains.
Yours could well be viral and your immune system could be struggling to fight it off but you're best letting a doctor check you out, then at least you'll know
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Mine get larger and larger and can start to merge, they can also creep down my throat. It sounds as if you may need ABs, sometimes you can get away with it but other times it's best to see a GP.
When I'm fighting anything, the pea size glands under my left armpit swell and become painful. My husband can be ravaged with the dreaded lurgy for weeks on end and I just have swollen glands. Our immune systems are a powerful force! (May the force be with you!! x)
When you're feeling poorly, it's far too easy to become anxious. See your GP and put your mind at rest.
I hope you feel better soon Justjules x
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It's definitely nothing to do with tonsils as they look fine and I know how bad tonsillitis feels so not that. Nothing looks red or inflamed either. I have had a boil in an awkward place recently and a big angry spot on my forehead, which I never get, plus a cold sore!! Wondered if it was all connected somehow. X
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Down there won't be oral cancer anyway ::)
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Thanks for that reassurance CKLD!!! ::)
Why can't I be a grown up about this and just go and get it checked out instead of worrying myself senseless and jumping ahead to all the possible treatment scenarios???!!!
I did say that it was right side but don't know why, as it's the left (not that it makes any difference really!). Not had the sore throat for a few days now but still got painful achey neck but gland isn't up as far as I can feel and isn't painful to touch like it was but it's still not 'normal' is it for it to be hanging around this long, plus not complying with the usual symptoms of a sore throat or infection i.e. no temp or redness I can see, just this worrying 'creamy white patch' less than the size of a 5p piece and the neck discomfort...... apparently most cancers present like this and not redness as people think - yes, I've googled but on the no more panic site to see if anybody else had something similar so saw the explanation from an ex-nurse - never learn do we? x
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Oh Justjules, I feel so sorry for you. What you are putting yourself through is far far worse than visiting your GP. The trouble is at this age there are so many things that are aching (or just downright falling off), that there is always something new to worry about.
I wish I could offer some advice on how to deal with HA, but I can't. I've never suffered with it and have no experience of it BUT can you 'change places'? Can you imagine that your child is struggling with what you're experiencing at the moment. What would you advise them to do? I bet you'd say, 'right come on let's get to the GPs, get this sorted, let's put your mind at rest'. I bet you'd stuff them in the car and set off immediately!
Forgive me if I sound preachy. I know that you are a bright, intelligent woman, that you know you are causing yourself greater hardship just worrying about this instead of going to the GP. It is almost 100% likely to be something minor and benign, you will skip home afterwards, with the weight of the world lifted from your shoulders. If it did turn out to be a nasty, well it would be far worse ignoring it anyway, far better to catch something early and get it treated!.
Now you can tell me to clear off and stop preaching! ;) xx
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Do you think you have mouth cancer or throat cancer? I know two people who had throat cancer. They both had extremely hoarse voices that they kept losing before diagnosis (and both recovered from the cancer by the way). Mouth cancer, you could get a mouth ulcer but it would last weeks. Do you smoke? Mouth cancer is mainly in smokers. Out of curiosity, I just googled mouth cancer symptoms and I have loads of those symptoms including the loose tooth! I always have a sore tongue with red patches etc. I don't think googling is the answer. You can easily convince yourself you have those symptoms and I imagine if you have health anxiety, that would cause your mind to experience the symptoms? If you don't want to go to the Dr, book a Dentist appointment and most dentists nowadays check in the mouth for mouth cancer symptoms.
I still think you had some kind or virus which is possibly now on its way out hence why your sore throat has disappeared. Please don't worry it's anything untoward.
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I don't know Megamind, I always have to jump to the worst possible scenario and catastrophise everything unfortunately. I looked at 'head and neck cancer' as well. I've never smoked but my parents did heavily until they gave it up in their 60s as both started to suffer with respiratory problems. My lovely Nan died with cancer of the tongue which was dreadful, but she was 98! Loads of people I know have had the throat and cold virus going around but typical, I never seem to get the ordinary run of the mill stuff like just a cough or cold so that's why I think mine is going to be different to everyone else and be terminal all the time!!!
Elizabethrose, you're not being preachy at all - I need it sometimes! I try to imagine what other people would do in this situation and then think right, I will do the same but then I chicken out with the fear ::) x
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I often get a soreness down one or both sides of my throat 'cos I sleeps with my gob wide open: apparently ::). I snore too: apparently ……..
How is the sensation today? Our bodies dry out as oestrogen levels drop ………
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It's an ache and some discomfort tonight CKLD but I've been feeling and prodding a bit lately and contorting my mouth looking deep into it so it won't be helping! ::)
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If it ain't got worse in recent days ………….. ???
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Sparkle, it's the next 'fold' that sticks out after your tonsils when you stretch your mouth and throat out....it feels a bit raw from the base where my ear and throat connect if that makes sense.... it's a creamy colour like some of the other areas around your mouth but seems an actual round shape whereas the others areas seem to blend back into the rest of the skin colour..... x
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Hi Justjules,
Could it be a bit of oral thrush? You have me sympathies. I've always got a sore throat, ear neck. Always only on the right side. My doctor always says it's the glands in the neck that are swollen but don't hurt are the ones to keep a careful eye on.
I hope you resolve this soon. Health anxiety is a living nightmare xxx
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It can take over - feeling, prodding, poking, worrying …….. any improvement?
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Well probably a little less through the day but worse at night and first thing which is often the case....
Hasty, no, nothing related to tonsils - have had the tonsil stone thingys years ago....yukky things.
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Maybe sleep on your side so that your jaw doesn't drop open = dryness ? :-\ ?
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JustJules, I just wanted to say I completely understand where you are coming from as I am exactly the same.I don't get ill very often but when I do in my mind it can never be a normal illness but has to be something sinister.Like you I cant help myself and have to google then wish I hadn't.When I am going through something like this I try and put my sensible head on and give myself a stiff talking to ...mind over matter but it's not easy. If you can bring yourself to make a doctors appointment you will feel so much better.My last scare was skin cancer and I was petrified but I nearly skipped home when the doctor gave me the all clear x
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Lesh1, I know, we're our own worst enemies aren't we? I know that we can't always expect to be well, especially as we age but I wish I could just become more accepting of things like illness as part of life but I can't. There has been one thing on top of another lately in the family to deal with so that makes me even more anxious about anything I may or may not have.
Sparkle, I haven't but I've told myself that I will by the end of the week if it is no better - I'm such a scaredy cat! x
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Aaah thanks Sparkle, that's really nice of you.
To be honest, no better. Need to make a Drs appointment as I'm going to get myself in a state if I leave it much longer. Throat really sore yesterday and felt rubbish - not sore this morning but neck still sore! Trying to ignore it thinking it is just a virus and will go but it's not looking like it and I can't keep off the forums looking for similar stories and then scaring myself to death with the tests I will have to have etc! Damn HA. I have got an awful lot of stress on at the moment with one thing and another so that's not helping and because it's all been bad news lately, I'm convinced that this will be something bad on top of everything else!!! Oh how I wish I was a more positive person! :( xx
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So become more positive? Stop using the computer for 10 days …….. so you don't look at the various scare stories. I remember when we didn't have computers. We might have access to the Medical Dictionary in the Library but you had to be a certain age to access that!
Has the sensation become any worse since you began the topic? Do you sleep with Gob Wide Open which might account for the dry/sore throat? What is the worst that it could be?
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CKLD, it's one of those 'superstitious' things where I think if all of a sudden I think positive on this occasion, this is the one that will be bad - tried to address that at CBT but not worked! Ha, yes, no ipad or access at work would be good but I'm so weak, I give in as the anxiety gets the better of me. I'm making excuses I know.....
Remember having the good old medical encyclopaedia when I was a young girl - always sneaking it out to read up on some sort of illness (so you see, I started young!!).....er, throat cancer/head and neck cancer??? Yes, I do wake up now on my back with my mouth wide open - why all of a sudden I do that after being a front sleeper all my life I don't know! Been on and off really. Okay this afternoon but now hurting a bit on the other side of throat - very weird. :beat:
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I have reflux. Usually when I swallow my evening meds too close to laying down. As well as vicious reflux with a cold >:(. I can associate it with both the above so my brain doesn't worry. Nor does it worry when I get heartburn - because it's always at the same time of night and that can't possibly be a heart condition: can it :-\
Justjules - if it was serious, by now you would have more symptoms ;-). Go back to CBT? It's not about being weak, it's knowing that when you do a search any anxiety will lessen for a while.
Been reading about someone who went cold turkey - had 4 days at a retreat where there was NO Wifii etc..! I note that when I'm away doing other stuff I rarely need to look at my mobile or computer …….. chocolate, however :-\ ::).
I have the superstitious issue about flying - never ever having been to an airport nor set eyes on a plane close to, it would be my Luck that should I decide to fly ……… :-\
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Sparkle, yes I do have reflux but it is under control with lanzoprazole but if I forget to take it, boy do I know!
CLKD, yes, could do with going back to CBT as GP suggested but the waiting list is around 4 or 5 months. Oh the thought of a retreat :)
Megamind, I've got no adenoids but mouth not too dry just keep sleeping with it open lately even though nose is not blocked. The only other thing I've started with is like rhinitis which starts after I've brushed my teeth and then for about an hour I'm constantly clearing my throats and blowing my nose and it's really annoying!
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JustJules, I am the same on a morning. When I first wake up, I have a lot of mucus and a runny nose. I think it's allergy related. Try the anti histamine and see if it makes any difference. I don't think you need to worry it's anything more sinister as I agree with CLKD, your symptoms would have progressed and the two people I know who had throat cancer, their symptoms progressed quickly and they both could barely speak due to lost voice.
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Sparkle, I take 20mg every morning after breakfast. I have no gallbladder so I think I will always need to be on them.
Megamind, I hope so. Always have to jump to catastrophic possibility first!
X
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Yes, it is Sparkle!
Well, I've been to the Drs as I kept waking up last night absolutely boiling hot and heart racing so I thought I better go. Dr said even though there's nothing there for her to see, I've got a temperature apparently so she has swabbed my throat and will see what it reveals and sending me for a blood test to check white cell count. She said having a temp was a good sign as it just means fighting an infection so she wasn't too worried about nasties etc. but would refer me to ENT if it hasn't gone in a couple of weeks.
So.... in silly Julie's head,instead of just thinking great, getting it sorted, my mind is now worrying about results from white cell count in case they're too low and it is something horrible, and thinking if the infection isn't in my throat, where is it!!?? Oh God help me.....I feel like slapping myself!!! x
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The throat is often the first line of defence against 'bugs' i.e. it becomes sore when it is alerting the body to invaders. Will be interesting to see what the swab grows.
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Ha ha, that's some comfort Sparkle! I feel rubbish today now and off my food so that's added in as well now.
CLKD, do you mean still related to some sort of throat-type infection though???
x
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It is probably an infection. Think how the bodies defence system works! If one sustains a cut, where is the swelling/soreness? ::)
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CKLD - using the word 'probably' is not helpful in this instance ;D I'm only joking....I know nobody can say what it is!
Sparkle, it would have been a problem by now I'm sure and you're bloods are obviously fine.
Megamind, probably just have to wait the usual 3 or 4 days unless any probs. I can't get to have the blood test until tomorrow as in work and have to travel to the hospital to have them with our surgery.
x
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Possibly then :-\ ::)
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:congrats: on going to the docs!! Well done you!
Bet you've got the dreaded lurgy, it's doing the rounds at the moment. My husband sounds just like you in that it brews and brews for weeks on end, coming and going where his immune system is fighting it off. Then usually it hits him like a sledge hammer!
I'm sure all will be well JJ. Don't worry, about a thing, coz every little thing................ ;) x
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I hope so ER! I had to put my big girl pants on and drag myself there!!!
x