very swollen and painful nodes in groin

[dlb2612]

I have at least 2 very swollen and extremely painful lymph nodes in my groin. They are both on the right side, one is above the inguinal ligament and is about the size of a marble or acorn, the other is below the ligament and is slightly smaller than a golf ball. The pain started 7 days ago and has grown much worse over the last 3 days. I saw my family Dr. who had me go right to an ER where I had a CT scan that confirmed it was not a hernia but was the lymph nodes. I am now scheduled to see a surgeon in 10 days for further follow up but am quite worried now. I am adopted so I don't know a family medical history and both my family Dr. and the Dr. in the ER both seemed quite concerned with how large and painful the swollen areas were. Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Dr. Safaa Mahmoud]

Hello,

The inguinal lymph nodes are situated in the crease between the leg and pelvis (more on the outside of that crease, i.e., laterally). They drain the penis, the scrotum, perineum, gluteal region, lower abdominal wall, and lower anal canal.

Common causes of enlargement include infections of the leg or foot, STDs (eg, herpes simplex virus, gonococcal infection), lymphoma, and pelvic malignancy.

In general, inguinal nodes larger than 1.5 cm should be considered abnormal. Pain is an indication for the presence of infection (inflammatory changes. This could be the primary cause of the lymph node enlargement or in association with an underlying another cause of lymph node enlargement. Exclusion of malignancy is essential based on the description you provided for these swellings.

The best way to recognize the nature of these swelling is by biopsy. Physicians usually prescribe antibiotics to minimize any associated infection while waiting for the results. CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis may be needed when suspecting diseases that cause generalized lymph node enlargement like lymphoma, some infectious diseases, immune responses or storage diseases.

I would advise you to follow up with your doctor.
Hope you find this information useful.
Please keep us updated.
Best regards.