I hate freaking out about my lymph nodes and having lymphoma or something. It’s been like a month and it’s still swollen. The doctor barely did anything and just gave me a blood test which doesn’t even tell if you have lymphoma. Googling things doesn’t help for me. Anyone with this similar heath concern?

Hi there. I know exactly where you’re coming from. I have chronic conditions that make me worry something else could manifest. It’s hard because you worry about your life. “Is something going to be serious this time?” and “They don’t seem to be listening to me and dismiss me” are absolutely valid concerns and feelings, and you always have the right to a second or third opinion. How I approach my health concerns and worries and how I keep myself sane is by altering how I think about it. I’m a realist, but what I do is alter my perspective in a way that is like self-encouragement and self-acceptance. So for instance, I express my concerns to myself, read about my concerns, vent it out in a journal or with my emotions, but then when I am in a better mindset, I think about it and tell myself “I am not sure what’s happening, and I can bring it up with the doctor if I get worse, but for the moment I’m going to be the best person I can be to others and to myself (treat others and myself with kindness), acknowledge that my concerns are valid for my health because I care about myself and want to be heard like everyone else, and live in the present for my own happiness so that I don’t look back and see that I could’ve been doing what made me happy instead of worrying about the potential or existing health issue because I know I put all of the effort that was possible into it. As for Googling health conditions or issues, we all do it. Healthcare professionals do it. You’re curious, of course! However, extensive Googling can most definitely make worries worse, as I know well (and it also doesn’t help being a researcher and having to do that Googling and database searches all the time!), so a great suggestion my therapist made was to get in a comfortable space that makes you happy, such as lighting a candle or having a specific scent or blanket or something sensory with comforting features, and breathe through the worrying curiosity that can be bad for your mental health. I have a biomedical research background and my mom is a nurse and we both know there are too many pathophysiology issues and changes to narrow down anything specifically with a lymph node, but they can be swollen for many different reasons, either naturally, if you’re getting a cold, if you’re getting over a cold, if you’re stressed, etc. The list is too hard to narrow it down, so definitely try to find something that works for you to calm your thoughts. What healthy activity makes you happy, puts you in a good mood, and helps you forget about your worries? It depends on your personality, but... nature walks? Quiet environments? Noisy environments to drown out your own thoughts and make you forget about the world? You always have a right to curiosity, but for me I try to not let it get in the way of my own happiness because I know I deserve to be happy. It’s about listening to yourself and just taking a step back to listen. If something feels way off, though, and you’re like this is literally affecting my quality of life beyond what I know is an existing mental health/health issue and something is off for sure, absolutely get your health checked out as your health is important! I wish you well and I hoped I helped at least a little bit from my personal experiences! :)

Wow, thank you so much for your reply! It means a lot! :) I was doing great with my health concerns until I started getting itchy all over my body and then I looked up how to stop it and it kept saying lymphoma everywhere when I was just looking for my itching so it brought me back to my worries. I’ll try all that, thanks again for your help! :)

Your not alone iv had that. Gone to doctors. They say don't check them