I have taken Harvoni for 17 days and I'm Getting Swelling in my Lymph Nodes

[Anchor]

Hi All,

I am 54 years old and most likely contracted Hep C in the late 70's.

I started Harvoni 17 days ago and I have a swollen lymph node behind my ear and some pain under my left arm.  Anyone else experiencing this?

Thanks and Cheers, Anchor

[KimInTheForest]

Hi Anchor. And welcome to the forums and to the Harvoni journey! I just have 18 days to go on my 12-week Harvoni+Riba journey. Hang in there! It will be worth it to get cured!

Re: lymph nodes - I noticed significant lymph node swelling by Week 8 (but I think it had started sooner). Also, Hepatitis C itself is associated with chronically enlarged lymph nodes and even lymphoma.

In my case of the sudden and rather extreme lymph node enlargement while on Harvoni+Riba, I viewed it as a positive thing - part of the healing process. A tremendous amount of garbage is generated in our bodies during treatment in the form of millions of dead virus particles, dead liver cells, drug residue, and for those of us on Ribavirin, dead red blood cells as well. Also lots of other stuff that is part of the pill-fueled biological massacre our bodies are undergoing right now.

It falls to the lymph nodes to strain most of that floating garbage heap out of our lymphatic fluid then return it to the liver where it is sent out through the bowel. So I would expect lymph node swelling at some point during treatment - and I certainly got it! It is possible for those lymph nodes to get clogged when they pick up such a sudden burden, especially if our lymphatic drainage is sluggish to begin with.

I had a lymph node under my right jaw that had swollen up like a golf ball very quickly and was quite sore. So it did some lymphatic self-massge everywhere on all lymph nodes (I just followed the instructions of a really good online tutorial), plus I doubled down on deep breathing (stimulates lymphatic movement within abdominal area) and some Qigong exercises that specifically stimulate the inguinal (groin) and axillary (armpit) lymph nodes and thymus gland in chest. Even brisk walking with long strides and good arm-swing will work those lymph nodes. And I did a warm epsom salt bath with more lympahtic self-massage. And boy did it make a difference! My lymph nodes went down by the next morning, and I had 7 days of diarrhea starting then as well. It was all the garbage exiting my body.

I feel in my case it was an extremely positive and important part of the healing/purging process.

But enlarged lymph nodes could also signify something medically concerning. So if you have any doubts, see what your doctor says. In my case, I am convinced I simply needed to drain these clogged lymph nodes. I finally used the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) to turn off the diarrhea, and that too worked almost immediately.

Good luck Anchor!
kim

[Anchor]

Thank you KimlnTheForest!  I have noticed it going down today, it not as painful as yesterday.  I have the weekend ahead and will do some walking and swimming in the ocean.  That should help. 

No matter what happen, it is so worth it to get rid of this virus.  I am very grateful I have had easier than many others.

Thanks again for you thoughtful words! Anchor