Swelling under the ear

Carol Parker said:Not sure if this belongs in this thread, but maybe someone here can weigh in.
My five-year-old son has these swollen lymph nodes along his neck line.
You can't really see them just by looking, but you definitely feel them when you palpate the area.
I first noticed them back when he was only about two years old.
His pediatrician basically brushed it off, saying it wasn't a big deal since he had a cold at the time,
but the thing is, they've always been there.
He’s actually due to have his tonsils removed, and he also has an enlarged adenoid.
I guess I'm wondering... could those be related to that?

That is almost certainly due to the tonsils. My kids always had swollen nodes like that until we finally dealt with their tonsillitis. When they had severe infections—like a bad case of strep throat—those lymph nodes would get, I guess, about the size of a marble. It was quite noticeable. Usually, swollen nodes are just a sign of some kind of inflammation in that area. Since your son has chronic tonsillitis (if I understood correctly, you are preparing for surgery), those tonsils are essentially acting as a constant source of inflammation.

William Hughes6 said:Hey, zaboravljena and Melissa Brooks5, could you guys walk me through how you were feeling? What kind of symptoms did you actually deal with?

For me, there weren't any particularly dramatic symptoms—just a lump on my neck (right below the jawline, actually) that kept getting larger. Once it reached about the size of a walnut, I realized this wasn't just some normal part of my body, so I finally went to see a doctor (and that was easily my fifth attempt at getting answers). It did ache from time to time, especially while it was growing. Since I'm only 23 (though I first felt it a few years back), my doctor thought it was a bit unusual, as she mentioned this is much more common for women in their 30s or older.

I’m dealing with some swelling right under my ear as well, and my doctor diagnosed it as inflamed lymph nodes. She put me on a course of Amoxicillin—two pills every eight hours. I’ve been knocking these antibiotics back for two days now, but the swelling hasn't budged an inch, and honestly, the pain is just getting worse. It's becoming absolutely unbearable.

I’ve had this little lump behind my right ear since I was a kid—about the size of a cherry pit. My doctor always told me it was nothing to worry about. It never actually hurt, but lately, I’ve been dealing with these nagging headaches and a weird sense of pressure on that side of my head. Now, things are getting a bit strange: a noticeable thickening has popped up behind my left ear. At first, it was painful, though not totally unbearable, but now it’s just constantly annoying. It feels like a thickened vein when I touch it. Honestly, I wasn't even sure if this was the kind of thing you actually go to a doctor for...

stormyjackal46 said:I’ve had this little lump behind my right ear since I was a kid—about the size of a cherry pit. My doctor always told me it was nothing to worry about. It never actually hurt, but lately, I’ve been dealing with these nagging headaches and a weird sense of pressure on that side of my head. Now, things are getting a bit strange: a noticeable thickening has popped up behind my left ear. At first, it was painful, though not totally unbearable, but now it’s just constantly annoying. It feels like a thickened vein when I touch it. Honestly, I wasn't even sure if this was the kind of thing you actually go to a doctor for...

Honestly, that sounds like it. You should probably get to a doctor as soon as possible before it starts causing you real pain.

I have a question. My ear is killing me whenever I touch it, and there’s some serious swelling right underneath it. Can anyone tell me if this sounds like my parotid glands acting up or something else entirely? 😕

I’ve been noticing this lump on my neck, just below my right ear—maybe a swollen lymph node?—and it flares up every now and then. Then there’s this other spot in my abdomen, about two fingers' width below my bottom left rib, that does the exact same thing.

It’s been going on for quite a while now, and honestly, I’m dealing with a whole laundry list of other health issues too... I’m constantly losing potassium, dealing with neck pain, and my stomach and gut are just a mess. But the problem is, most doctors I've seen so far seem to have this attitude of "you're fine" or, even worse, "let's just wait until things get bad before we actually take you seriously."

Can anyone here see a connection between all these symptoms? I’m really looking for some actual insight or advice that’s a bit more helpful than the "do nothing" approach I keep getting from mainstream medicine.