swollen lymph nodes the flu or the cold or more serious?

Hi, i'm 20 years old and i'm facing a dilema...

so about the middle of last week, i noticed that on the back of my throat on the left side (presumably where the tonsils are) started hurting when i ate food or drank water. it was a bit unbearable, however i managed to gain a small tolerance (wincing due to the pain nonetheless)

about the middle of the weekend i noticed BOTH sides of my throat hurt when i drank or ate and that my lymph nodes where decently swollen and pretty firm to the touch. at this point, i can drink and eat without wincing, but the dull pain is still there.

i've been told that swollen nodes can indicate a sickness like the flu or the cold or even something more serious. i checked my temperature and it show'd a normal reading (98.6 F) i occasionally am cold or warm as a feeling, but since i'm not feeling like death when when i'm actually sick, i can safely rule out that it's not a cold or something.

strangely enough, when i checked other places where lymph nodes were clumped (armpit, groin...) that they felt perfectly normal (being 2-3 cm. i do have some stiffness in my neck, but it's not where the node in the shoulder is...

the only thing i can think of are some issues with my tonsils which haven't been removed.

so to recap:
- one lymph node in my throat started hurting, then both
- i dont feel sick, temperature is normal, but i switch between warm and cold feelings about 2-3 times a day
- Lymph nodes in my throat are noticeably swollen and feel firm
- Other nodes in the body feel normal (for me at least)

a few things to keep in mind about my physiological and physical being
- i'm roughly 220 pounds, down from 250 in the last four months (the poverty diet)
- i smoke medical marijuana in Colorado* to help with various mental disorders (ADD/ADHD, Bi-Polar, Depression) and back pain (caused by being a drummer in high school for the band mainly)
*I am licensed with the State of Colorado. i'd rather keep the controversy of MMJ out of this issue

so basically i'm asking if there's anything else that could be causing my lymph nodes to enlarge. i am going to my doctor today so someone can physically see what's wrong.