After 10 days on cipro/flagyl for diverticulitis i now have an 1.5cm swollen occipital lymphnode. a ct and abdominal x-ray was negative. thoughts?

Occipital node: Hard to tie this in with either antibiotics or diverticulitis. If it is painful esp i would think it was reactive ie from skin irritation in neck vs uppper resp. Tract infection. If swellin does not go down need to see your pc.

Probably: Unrelated to diverticular disease or the antibiotics. However you should have some confirmatory tests to document diverticulitis including colonsocopy in 2-3 weeks after resolution of symptoms. An occult malignancy could be present amongst the diverticular disease and without a confirmatory scope you may be missing the correct diagnosis.

Could be anything: Swollen lymph nodes can be caused by anything (even dandruff!). The good news is that your ct was negative and that the occipital lymph nodes aren't generally related to the colon, where your diverticulitis was. You should be following up with your doctor about your diverticulitis anyway, so make sure they know to keep an eye on the lymph node. Chances are, it will go away with time!

Unrelated: Occipital lymph nodes drain the basin of your scalp and maybe auricular area. It may be that you just noticed this lymph node and it was enlarged for sometime. Have your doctor do a thorough exam of your scalp and looking for abnormal moles. It is unlikely but melanoma in your age group can be hidden in hair. Painless lymph node.