Do they go away after surgery? I got one probably 1-1.5 cms arent visible to anyone except myself when i dig 2-3 cms under the jaw .
Yes, swollen lymph glands go away after surgery. Thatâs how I found out I had ES - a hard lump under my jaw. I thought it was a clogged salivary gland or lymph gland, but it turned out to be my elongated styloid process. I could also feel it at the base of my tongue where it attaches at the back of my throat. It was very bizarre!
1 Like
so was it a swollen lymph gland or you just thought it to be? coz mine I am pretty sure is either a salivary gland or lymph node small hard and movable, actually, I can grab it if I want to, I guess they call it shotty lymph node. I hope that goes away after surgery. Surprisingly, its the exact same place you just described.
Thank you so much for replying, it relaxed me. I am only 23 and this worries me so much, canât even concentrate on my studies. Does this thing depress others as well ?
Mine turned out to be my styloid process not a lymph gland, but I did have swollen lymph glands in my neck that went away after surgery. When I pressed on the lump I thought was a clogged salivary gland, it sent shooting pains down the front of my neck toward my collar bone. Thatâs when I suspected it was not a clogged salivary gland but something else.
Depression is a common symptom of ES. A couple of potential causes could be irritation of the vagus nerve by the styloids/calcified ligaments, or just by having to constantly deal w/ pain.
I have my lymph node swollen right under the jaw where the styloid ends.I can pull the lymph node and can feel that it is hard. I did notice that the swelling goes away after a week or so and then returns back but it is always there. Even right now I am feeling my hard lymph node in one hand and typing in another.
Raghav,
It could be part of your styloid process & not a lymph node or it could be an irritated lymph node. I could eventually feel âstriationsâ/ridges in the lump which I thought was a swollen gland but ended up being my styloid process. When I looked at my CT scan I could see my styloid processes appeared to be made up of many small segments rather than being 2 long smooth bones. That explained what I was feeling under my jaw. My lump was stationary though. I couldnât move it i.e. wiggle it around & it was very firm/hard. As I said to Shanur, when I poked it, it sent pain down the front of my neck in the area of my thyroid gland. That doesnât mean youâll have the same sensation if you poke or manipulate yours as weâre each âbuiltâ a little differently.
How high was your calcium level. Because I just got tested and my calcium is slight bit over.
Never had mine tested- Iâm UK, not easy to get tests here!!
There are a few forum members who have elevated calcium levels & for some itâs associated w/ parathyroid issues. Most of us do not have elevated blood calcium.
I was presented with a possible ES diagnosis today and my ENT first suspected salivary gland infection or tonsil infection due to swollen submandibular salivary gland and swollen lymph node on that side (the same side my ES would be on, if thatâs what it is.) Itâs very very tender in that area for me too! But the pain feels deeper than the gland, if that makes sense.
I suspect its inflammation caused by the calcification process and/or the calcification occurs because of inflammation. I ready a study recently (cant find it) about woman as they age (50âs & 60âs) these processes worsening re: osteoporosis and osteoarthritis as we age. Given I got the most relief out of a steroid injection and I know I have osteoarthritis in my jaw and other joints, the inflammatory process is a big culprit.
I had a bump behind my left ear lobe that when pressed it hurt and reproduced my symptoms. I wondered if it was the paratoid gland swelling. I pointed this bump out for years to docs and could never get an answer. All I know is that bump is gone now after surgery. I know by operative report that during surgery âa large cluster of lymph nodes with significant hypovascularityâ were resected to get to the styloid process. Well when I looked that up, I found this was common is cancers which scared the hell out of me. I followed up with the pathology report and its not. Hypo means Lacking sufficient [vascularity]; deficient in [blood vessels]. Hyper means âincreased number of blood vesselsâ
I dont know what any of this means in the big picture if anything, but do believe the inflammation process effects our lymph system. Alot of chronic disease process causes inflammation or the other way around. All the more reason to take steps health wise such as what we eat and drink as we age. Easier said than done though. 
2 Likes
Thank you for this update, Snapple2020! Iâm so glad your lymph cluster was non-cancerous. That must have been a huge scare but now a great relief. I agree that inflammation in our bodies, except for that caused when a body part is healing, is detrimental & our bodies will do what is needed to circumvent any problems the inflammation causes. That circumvention then causes other problems & around & around we go. Your final sentence says it all! We have an obligation to take care of our bodies. God only gave us one so we should do our best to take care of it. 
1 Like
wow, thank you for defining brain fog symtoms. I guess I was expecting something different, but I can definately relate to your description. I really appreciate this as I am in limbo right now weighing the pros and cons of having surgery done on my second side.
Im weighing the pros and cons as well. I had my doc do side that hurt the most. The other side is not really bothering me right now although he has in the past. Im going to do it but just not ready to schedule the surgery yet.
1 Like
Me too! I even had a surgery to remove a swollen lymph, solved nothing!
Iâm sorry the surgery didnât help you. How are you progressing w/ diagnosis &/or treatment for ES, sixgunsue?
Jules! Okay so you had a swollen gland, was it always swollen? Did it go away with surg?
I always thought it was down to my wisdom tooth, it wasnât always up but was regularly, and tender, it hasnât happened since surgery I donât thinkâŚ
1 Like