This lump in my neck (lymph node) is getting worse after I smoke

I have swollen lymph node(s) in the left side of my neck/under my jawbone. I saw a doctor about it two or three months ago (and made a thread here) and he thought it was a salivary stone and to just let it be.

On the 3rd of July I had a small crisis and I was up very late, extremely stressed, etc. When I woke up on the 4th, the lump in my neck had maybe tripled in size, was painful, giving me weird sensations... I went back to the doctor and they ordered blood tests and gave me antibiotics, I've been taking them + ibuprofen for the swelling and it has been getting smaller every day and less annoying.

I got a sonagram done and they told me this morning that there is no tumors, and that either my lymph node or nodes are swollen.

I noticed yesterday though that when I decided to smoke to try and get an appetite that it got worse again. (all the anxiety around this+the crisis I had, the heat, and trying to cut back on smoking has really been fucking with me) I smoked and as I ate I noticed the lymph node was getting more swollen, and then it got a little better over the course of the night. I thought it might have been from eating and everyone I asked thought so too.. it was pizza, a lot of chewing, crust probably irritating, etc.

But tonight I ate a little cheeseburger with my medicine without smoking all day, my lymph node was smaller and hadn't bothered me.

I decided to have one bong hit to help me sleep tonight 30 minutes ago and immediately the swelling kicked back up and I have this really weird numb feeling/tingly feeling in the lymph again. I've been getting this tingly sensation there for a long time after smoking, I thought it was just the effects of the weed, but now it's getting semi-painful.

I asked the doctor if smoking could make it worse and she said no. But after a day of it seeming to be getting a lot better, one hit has made it flare back up again. I've tried googling this shit but I can't find any answers.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

edit: I also get the occasional more sharp/stingy pain.

Edited by fadeddd, 09 July 2011 - 07:50 AM.

that sucks

Maybe you're just over thinking it when you're high? Try to just mellow out and forget about it when you get high. I know when I had surgery on the back of my head (scalp infection, they took out a chunk of it. About 4in long, and pretty deep.) I took a few hits from a pipe because the pain wouldn't let me sleep at all and when I was high I just felt as if the area was being slightly pulled apart (I had stitches in, but it felt weird) and I don't know. It just sort of made it kind of uncomfortable, but after I had started watching TV, and ate a bit it sort of just went away.
It might be in your head, but if it is actually getting bigger and swelling, try to get a feel for the size before and after your smoke. And if your doctor said that smoking wouldn't effect it, then I'm sure there is something else that is irritating it.

You say a tingly numb feeling. Is this feeling in your mouth as well? Or are you sure that it is in your neck?

My first thought was that you were simply more aware once you got stoned of it and so it seemed larger.

If the feeling is in mouth or throat it makes me think allergy. Either way I would find a new doctor. This is not normal and a doctor letting this go for months is super strange.

Good luck to you. You may want to go in to an er and see if a different doctor can figure it out.

I have swollen lymph node(s) in the left side of my neck/under my jawbone. I saw a doctor about it two or three months ago (and made a thread here) and he thought it was a salivary stone and to just let it be.

On the 3rd of July I had a small crisis and I was up very late, extremely stressed, etc. When I woke up on the 4th, the lump in my neck had maybe tripled in size, was painful, giving me weird sensations... I went back to the doctor and they ordered blood tests and gave me antibiotics, I've been taking them + ibuprofen for the swelling and it has been getting smaller every day and less annoying.

I got a sonagram done and they told me this morning that there is no tumors, and that either my lymph node or nodes are swollen.

I noticed yesterday though that when I decided to smoke to try and get an appetite that it got worse again. (all the anxiety around this+the crisis I had, the heat, and trying to cut back on smoking has really been fucking with me) I smoked and as I ate I noticed the lymph node was getting more swollen, and then it got a little better over the course of the night. I thought it might have been from eating and everyone I asked thought so too.. it was pizza, a lot of chewing, crust probably irritating, etc.

But tonight I ate a little cheeseburger with my medicine without smoking all day, my lymph node was smaller and hadn't bothered me.

I decided to have one bong hit to help me sleep tonight 30 minutes ago and immediately the swelling kicked back up and I have this really weird numb feeling/tingly feeling in the lymph again. I've been getting this tingly sensation there for a long time after smoking, I thought it was just the effects of the weed, but now it's getting semi-painful.

I asked the doctor if smoking could make it worse and she said no. But after a day of it seeming to be getting a lot better, one hit has made it flare back up again. I've tried googling this shit but I can't find any answers.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

In all honesty the way I see it is... Your having a problem with your mouth right... Now... Regardless of how great the marijuana is, It is still a foreign substance to your body because it is not originally there or made to give your body what it "Needs" in terms of actual needs lol.

You should wait. You could definitely fuck something up.

You say a tingly numb feeling. Is this feeling in your mouth as well? Or are you sure that it is in your neck?

My first thought was that you were simply more aware once you got stoned of it and so it seemed larger.

If the feeling is in mouth or throat it makes me think allergy. Either way I would find a new doctor. This is not normal and a doctor letting this go for months is super strange.

Good luck to you. You may want to go in to an er and see if a different doctor can figure it out.

stared at your sig for a good 10 minutes.. just got it

You say a tingly numb feeling. Is this feeling in your mouth as well? Or are you sure that it is in your neck?

My first thought was that you were simply more aware once you got stoned of it and so it seemed larger.

If the feeling is in mouth or throat it makes me think allergy. Either way I would find a new doctor. This is not normal and a doctor letting this go for months is super strange.

Good luck to you. You may want to go in to an er and see if a different doctor can figure it out.

I've wondered that too, and the swelling might not actually be swelling. My girlfriend doesn't feel it getting any bigger. But I do get a weird tingly feeling in it, I've been experiencing it for a while, only after I smoke. I don't feel the tingly feeling anywhere else in my body, it's like the focal point of my high sensation is that spot in my neck.

I used to think the tingly feeling was because it was a salivary gland problem, and maybe the fact that your salivary glands are slightly inhibited by weed (creating cotton mouth) was why I'd get weird feelings there. Now, I'm just completely confused.

I am switching doctors (because he said it was a salivary thing and not to worry about it and two-three months later I find out it's lymph nodes.. even if it ends out not being serious, what if it was? fucking quack... and both times it's been his physicians assistant who has been actually concerned, he just writes me off)

I know I'm not allergic to bud, and even if I were I think it would cause more of an allergic reaction in other spots too..



OH, I forgot to mention that I wonder if it could be the suction from the bong and not have anything to do with the THC possibly? I dunno..

I've wondered that too, and the swelling might not actually be swelling. My girlfriend doesn't feel it getting any bigger. But I do get a weird tingly feeling in it, I've been experiencing it for a while, only after I smoke. I don't feel the tingly feeling anywhere else in my body, it's like the focal point of my high sensation is that spot in my neck.

I used to think the tingly feeling was because it was a salivary gland problem, and maybe the fact that your salivary glands are slightly inhibited by weed (creating cotton mouth) was why I'd get weird feelings there. Now, I'm just completely confused.

I am switching doctors (because he said it was a salivary thing and not to worry about it and two-three months later I find out it's lymph nodes.. even if it ends out not being serious, what if it was? fucking quack... and both times it's been his physicians assistant who has been actually concerned, he just writes me off)

I know I'm not allergic to bud, and even if I were I think it would cause more of an allergic reaction in other spots too..



OH, I forgot to mention that I wonder if it could be the suction from the bong and not have anything to do with the THC possibly? I dunno..

I would check out this other doctor to be sure. But based on what I highlighted above. I think you have it in your head this will happen or is happening (and not in a bad way) and so it does.
Try playing around with it and see if you can relax and send it to another place. Like have you ever done any of those exercise things where you focus on an object and try to see it differently or anything like that?

I would check out this other doctor to be sure. But based on what I highlighted above. I think you have it in your head this will happen or is happening (and not in a bad way) and so it does.
Try playing around with it and see if you can relax and send it to another place. Like have you ever done any of those exercise things where you focus on an object and try to see it differently or anything like that?

Similar type things, I've been trying to focus on breathing and trying to focus on different parts of my body, but it still feels tingly in my neck/more so under my jaw. And it's been happening longer than I've been worrying about my neck I think. I vaguely remember getting some Neptune OG almost a year ago and it left me with a strong tingly sensation in my jaw for a long time.

Maybe OGs just make my lymph nodes tingle? I dunno. My minds going everywhere with it, for a while it felt like millions of little things crawling around in my lymph node and I wondered if I had some sort of bug infestation... or if it could be a fungal infection from the bong. Or again, if the bong suction might be fucking up some duct or something. This is how my mind works.

Edited by fadeddd, 09 July 2011 - 07:47 AM.

I don't know if we had the same thing, but it can't hurt to try.

I'm not going to go into all of it but I basically had the same thing. I suggest you try some Homeopathics, they come in small cases like this (http://homeopathyfor...hy-pills-42.jpg) and are very cheap ( 5-9$), you can find them at Whole Foods.

The 2 I used which helped me were Mercurius Solubilis, and Phytolacca Decandra. They are naturally occuing in your body so they can't hurt you, and you can't Od so there worth a try. I also began taking Probiotics supplement, because I just got off antibiotics, and they can't hurt, but I doubt thats what helped me.

Good luck.

I don't know if we had the same thing, but it can't hurt to try.

I'm not going to go into all of it but I basically had the same thing. I suggest you try some Homeopathics, they come in small cases like this (http://homeopathyfor...hy-pills-42.jpg) and are very cheap ( 5-9$), you can find them at Whole Foods.

The 2 I used which helped me were Mercurius Solubilis, and Phytolacca Decandra. They are naturally occuing in your body so they can't hurt you, and you can't Od so there worth a try. I also began taking Probiotics supplement, because I just got off antibiotics, and they can't hurt, but I doubt thats what helped me.

Good luck.

Are those the same homeopathic remedies that they dilute to the point that the original "medicine" is gone?

I'll try the probiotics once I get off the antibiotics, though. People have recommended them to me in the past for other issues.

Man, I really want to smoke tonight. Do you guys think I should try a joint instead of the bong?

Salivary stones are quite painful, as you have noticed. The amount of swelling in the glad will vary depending on how much saliva is backed up behind the stone. As you increase your appetite you secrete more saliva hurts more.

Salivary Gland Stones (Salivary Calculi) | Health | Patient UK

however, most stones do not block a duct completely. A stone may only partially block saliva flow or not block the flow at all if it is embedded in the body of the gland. In these situations the symptoms can vary and include one or more of the following:

• Dull pain from time to time over the affected gland.
• Swelling of the gland. Swelling may be persistent or vary in size from time to time.
• Infection of the gland may occur causing redness and pain. This may develop into an abscess (ball of infection and pus) and make you feel quite unwell.

Some people with salivary gland stones have no symptoms at all. A stone may be found by chance on an X-ray picture taken for another reason

Are those the same homeopathic remedies that they dilute to the point that the original "medicine" is gone?

I'll try the probiotics once I get off the antibiotics, though. People have recommended them to me in the past for other issues.

They work for almost any time I am sick, doubt them if you want, but I love them.

Salivary stones are quite painful, as you have noticed. The amount of swelling in the glad will vary depending on how much saliva is backed up behind the stone. As you increase your appetite you secrete more saliva hurts more.

Salivary Gland Stones (Salivary Calculi) | Health | Patient UK

Since they told me it was my lymph node I stopped thinking about salivary stones in general, but maybe the swelling in the salivary gland is pushing against my also swollen lymph node and that's the source of the discomfort?

Smoke a load of weed. If something happens sue the fuck out of the doc. Lol. Jk ...... do you swim a lot or have you lately? I know when I have ear infections or get strep throat my notes swell on and off like all hell. If the doc said smoking shouldn't hurt you it shouldn't.

Weed causes vessels to dilate and fill up with blood. That's what is there. Might make it feel inflamed too due to white blood cell presence. Try sitting down or caffeine/LSD (any vasoconstrictor). Might help them shrink a bit. Drink water too and avoid a lot of movement.

Smoke a load of weed. If something happens sue the fuck out of the doc. Lol. Jk ...... do you swim a lot or have you lately? I know when I have ear infections or get strep throat my notes swell on and off like all hell. If the doc said smoking shouldn't hurt you it shouldn't.

No, not much of a swimmer, especially not lately. The pain/swelling at its worst does go behind my ear and down the side of my neck, along with under my mandible like always.

The doctor said it should be fine but it's so damn uncomfortable, I wondered if he might've said that because he didnt think about the fact I take big bong hits where I'm sucking into a vacuum and shit. I guess I'll see if a joint does the same thing to me, and if so, I'm sort of at a loss as to what I'll be doing for sleep.

Try a joint. And try to get into an ear nose and throat specialist somewhere. They WILL find a diagnosis.

i only read the first page of this thread, so apologies if this has been mentioned already...

if the smoke is irritating your throat try edibles?