I have swollen lymph node left side neck on and off for 5 yrs. always starts with really bad sore throat. Only left side swells up but have trouble swallowing when it does. Have hashimtos thyroid but they did ultrasound of thyroid & said this is clearly lymph node in neck not thyroid related. Had Lyme & babesiosis from tick bite in past. Had toxoplasmosis from cat rescue work. Treated for all of those.
HI! Thanks for writing to Chat Doctor! Well, it seems that the lymph node is the active witness to all your illness! Therefore, it just acts as a guard to the insults and ideally If I were your treating Doctor for this case of neck lymph node, I would clearly tell that removing the lymph node, as that is the only cure for this, would not cure your disease! Therefore, first try to prevent/cure the aggravating conditions for this and rule out if any serious disease is with itself! These are called reactive lymph nodes or tonsils and warm saline gargle is necessary when enlarged suddenly and have to treat the specific neck/throat/thyroid inflammation.... I suggest you to go for an FNAC to rule out any significant pathology before consulting a surgeon for its removal! Hope this answers your question. If you have additional questions or follow-up questions then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your questions. Wishing you good health.