I've swollen lymph nodes & normal blood work. my dr. sent for a ct scan w/contrast. i'd prefer without. would a neck ct scan be effective w/o contrast?

Depends: It depends what they are looking for exactly. If your only problem is swollen lymph nodes and symptoms are short term - you may be able to do without it at all. If they are hard, very hard or if there are other symptoms you might want to get it done. CT gives radiation and contrast may pose some threat to kidneys but consider the risk vs. the benefit of finding out what the problem is.