Do I have a fever? No. Do I have a sore in the mouth? No. Do I have a cough? No. How about a cold? Yes, but I think it is more on allergy and not common cold or flu? Then why the hell the lymph node in my neck is enlarged? Am I sick? Do I need a Singapore thyroid surgery? These were the questions I was asking myself.
Enlarged Lymph Node
It was an ordinary day in the office. I was sending emails to the clients, answering calls, and attending meetings. Everything was pretty normal. Dinner in my house was ordinary as well. I ate the dish my mum prepared for me, washed up my body, and lay down on my bed. Yet, after two hours of lying on my side, craning my neck towards my phone, I felt the call of nature.
So, I sat up, ready to go to the bathroom until I felt something wrong. The right side of my neck hurts. I thought I had a stiff neck, but no. Stiff neck is much more painful. Maybe a strained neck muscle? I tried looking to my side, and there was a pain. I tried massaging my neck and groping the source of pain until I felt something solid. A swollen lymph node! The first thing I did? Obviously not visiting the sleep and ENT clinic in Singapore.
What Dr Google Said
I studied biology at school, and I am well aware our lymph nodes swell whenever our immune system fights infections.
There were several times I felt larger than their original size. Whenever I am sick, they are as big as Hershey's Kisses. But on that day, my lymph nodes were larger than normal. It was as long as my thumb.
I did what most people do. I consulted Dr Google. The results gave me chilling results: leukaemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma.
I was expecting a goitre since my grandmother had it. I was ready to get my Singapore thyroid surgery.
So based on Dr Google's diagnosis, I am dying ( although Hodgkin's lymphoma has a high survival rate.)
What my ENT Specialist in Singapore in Novena Said
The following day, I visited Dr Gan Eng Cern - Sinus & ENT Specialist, an ENT and sleep clinic in Singapore.
Honestly, the anxiety I had on my way to the clinic was gone the moment I spoke to my ENT specialist.
So I told my doctor about my condition. She examined the lymph nodes on both sides of my neck. She even put her hand inside my mouth to fully assess the size.
After the physical exam, she indeed said it was my two-centimetre long node. She asked me about my symptoms like fever, cold, cough, and sore throat.
When she said sore throat, I suddenly remembered I had a sore throat a week ago. But it was a different kind than a normal sore throat. It was rougher; it felt like sandpaper is rubbed against my throat every time I swallow.
Strep Throat
Strep throat was her diagnosis. I asked if it was a goitre. She said my lymph node was swollen and not thyroid, so I won't likely get a Singapore thyroid surgery.
I also consulted her about my frequent sneezing. After a few questions, she concluded it was allergic rhinitis. She said if I neglect my allergy, it could lead to nodules, sinus infection, and worse, I may need sinus surgery in Singapore.
She prescribed me antibiotics for my strep throat infection and nasal spray for my allergic rhinitis.
One week later
I went back to Dr Gan Eng Cern - Sinus & ENT clinic and consulted my ENT Specialist in Singapore in Novena. My lymph nodes didn't shrink. She did a physical exam again to check the size.
I was worried that maybe Dr Google was right. It was some kind of cancer. I was freaking out internally while I was inside the sleep clinic in Singapore.
She instructed me to continue my medication. She said if the lymph node did not shrink a bit, I should consult her the following week with an ultrasound of my neck.
My allergy has gotten better, too.
Another week later
I went back with the ultrasound of my neck in my hands. The lymph nodes got smaller based on the result. It was 1.3 inches long.
When I submitted the result to my ENT specialist in Singapore in Novena, she concluded it was an infection. She said that multiple lymph nodes in the left side of my neck were swollen, too-- an indication of infection.
She also recommended getting a biopsy if I wanted peace of mind but added, it was unnecessary.
I am still alive
Months later, I am still here, well and alive. My doctor was right; it would take time for my lymph nodes to shrink back to their original size. My nodes are normal now.
If you have a similar problem, I highly recommend Dr Gan Eng Cern - Sinus & ENT Specialist. They are the experts when it comes to ENT problems.
