Help with the lymph nodes!

Nursing Students Student Assist

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I'm a sophomore in my nursing program and I'm currently taking Physical Assessment, my first real nursing course. I have a question regarding the palpation of the lymph nodes: are they supposed to be palpable even when a person isn't sick or doesn't even have an infection? My physical assessment lab teacher keeps saying you won't feel anything unless they are sick so how I am supposed to know what I'm feeling for? When we're practicing in lab, I feel sort of weird feeling around willy-nilly for something I'm "not supposed to feel". But then I read my textbook and it says you should be able to feel them regardless. Help? Thank you! :)

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Can you feel your own? My submandibular nodes are always palpable, but just slightly. When I'm fighting some kind of infection, they're quite swollen and often tender.

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Some of your lymph nodes you are not supposed to feel such as the ones in your armpit. But if they are palpable that is a sign of infection.

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Right now we're doing the lymph nodes of the head and neck and I can't seem to feel any of them. :( And no, I can't feel any of mine either.

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I'm a sophomore in my nursing program and I'm currently taking Physical Assessment, my first real nursing course. I have a question regarding the palpation of the lymph nodes: are they supposed to be palpable even when a person isn't sick or doesn't even have an infection? My physical assessment lab teacher keeps saying you won't feel anything unless they are sick so how I am supposed to know what I'm feeling for? When we're practicing in lab, I feel sort of weird feeling around willy-nilly for something I'm "not supposed to feel". But then I read my textbook and it says you should be able to feel them regardless. Help? Thank you! :)

I just finishes physical assessment. And I know every school is diff but I was told u can't palpate them unless they are inflame but as long as u know where the nodes are and what area u should be examining .. how this helps.

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Yeah your not really supposed to feel them, for the head to toe you just need to know where to palpate, how to palpate, and what you should be looking for if they ask...We have to do a video of a full physical assessment in about a week, and we just learned lymph nodes last week...

also the ones in your neck are very unlikely to be palpable, as are the claviculars...but you just need to know where they are and how you are supposed to feel them

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