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Hi, Anon. Welcome to EmpowHer! And thank you so much for your question.

It sounds like you might have a swollen lymph gland. Do you have a sore throat too, or just the painful bump? How long have you noticed the painful bump?

Swollen lymph glands are very common. Here's a page from the Mayo Clinic that may help:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/swollen-lymph-nodes/DS00880

On that page there are blue links down the left side that take you to pages of symptoms, causes and treatments. Here's an excerpt:

"The most common cause of swollen lymph nodes is an infection, particularly a viral infection, such as the common cold. However, there are other types of infection, including parasitic and bacterial, and other possible swollen lymph node causes. They include:

Common infections

* Strep throat
* Mumps
* Measles
* Ear infections
* Infected (abscessed) tooth
* Mononucleosis
* Wound infections
Other infections

* Tuberculosis
* Certain sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphilis
* Toxoplasmosis — a parasitic infection resulting from contact with the feces of an infected cat or eating undercooked meat
* Cat scratch fever — a bacterial infection from a cat scratch or bite

Immune system disorders

* Lupus — a chronic inflammatory disease that can target your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart and lungs
* Rheumatoid arthritis — a chronic inflammatory disease that targets the tissue that lines your joints (synovium)
* Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) — the virus that causes AIDS

Cancers

* Lymphoma — cancer that originates in your lymphatic system
* Leukemia — cancer of your body's blood-forming tissue, including your bone marrow and lymphatic system
* Other cancers that have spread (metastasized ) to lymph nodes."

The most common treatment for swollen lymph glands is antibiotics. If you've been dealing with this for a week or more, I'd recommend a call to your doctor's office. You might just need to speak to the nurse practitioner or physician's assistant, or they might want to see you to check it out. Either way, you'll feel better.

July 30, 2009 - 8:41am

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