LYMPH NODES, PAINFUL, ON BOTH SIDES OF NECK UNDER JAW AND BEHIND EAR
Description and Possible Medical Problems
Whenever both sides of the neck swell up, most people automatically think of swollen glands. However, you may actually have a condition in which nodules have formed on your lymph glands. The symptoms of both conditions are virtually the same—fever, a stuffy nose, body aches—with one important distinction: swollen glands are soft and palpable; lymph nodules are small, hard, and painful.
Sometimes, in the presence of a viral or bacterial infection, small, hard masses will form in the glands on both sides of the neck behind the earlobe. These nodules are similar in scope to the painful glands that occur with viral infections such as mononucleosis or chronic fatigue syndrome, though they can also be a symptom of a bacterial infection.
If the nodules are caused by a viral infection, there’s not much you can do but wait until the infection clears up on its own in about a week or two. Take aspirin or acetaminophen to soothe the pain of the nodules as well as the other symptoms.
For a bacterial infection, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic that will clear up the infection and the ensuing symptoms. Be sure you finish all the medication prescribed, or the nodules and the infection may return before they’re completely cleared up. Nodules on the lymph nodes that are caused by a bacterial infection are often painful and are difficult to differentiate from a viral infection. If they occur along the hairline, a hair gland is probably infected. The best treatment for a bacterial infection is warm, moist towels applied over the hair gland for about five minutes at a time, three or four times a day.
*264\167\8*
