Hi Everyone,
My name is Kristin and I'm a 17 year old female. My lymph nodes (where my jaw meets my neck, I believe Submandibular) have been swollen for as long as I can remember, several years at least. I never thought much of this until a little over a month ago, when I noticed new swelling on the underside of my chin (not sure what this one's called). These three swellings are painless. It was then that I began researching lymphoma and registered that there might be a problem.
Some background: When I was a baby, I got frequent ear infections and had to have tubes implanted in my ears. These were taken out long ago and I haven't had problems with my ears since. I have not had regular medical involvement in my life. My insurance situation is weird and my mom has always had a "deal with it yourself" mentality about these things, so I rarely saw a doctor. I last went in the spring (for the first time in years) for irregular periods. My periods had been regular up until about 8 months prior to the appointment. The doctor observed my swollen lymph nodes and suggested bloodwork, but my mom was opposed to that idea. My periods evened out again shortly after, and nothing became of it.

The size of the nodes in my neck has remained constant the past few years. They're definitely swollen, but the swelling has not fluctuated at all. When I found the new one in my chin, I began to freak out. I just started this month at the University of Michigan, where I get free health service. I went in to the health center a couple days after the semester started to get a brief consultation. The doctor briefly examined me and suggested I see the ear, nose and throat specialist, who is not available until this coming Monday (the 24th). I will see him then, but, unfortunately, I got sick with a nasty cold a few days ago, so I'm afraid he will not be able to target the problem while I'm suffering from an infection that would cause my lymph nodes to swell anyway (even though my nodes were swollen long before the infection). I have been obsessing over this for a while now, and just want answers/to be able to rule out the really scary stuff. If he cannot find the problem due to my sickness, I will probably request bloodwork or a biopsy anyway, just to put my mind at ease.

Meanwhile, I was hoping you could give me your thoughts of my situation. Does it sound like it could be lymphoma?

I really appreciate any input.