Swollen lymph gland in the left side of my neck and hurts to swallow. what should i do?

See an ENT or: Your doctor - an ENT is an ear nose and throat doctor. You need to be examined to determine the reason for the swollen gland and get treated.

SEE YOUR DOC: You need to be examined by your physician to see if it is actually a lymph node or a gland. If it is a lymph node then the cause of the inflamed node must be found and treated.

Monitoring Centers: Lymphatic system absorbs/carries things too big to go into the arteries/veins like bacteria eaten by white cells and digested food. Lymph nodes "taste" the lymph for anything bad like bacteria, viruses, cancers, etc. When it detects a problem, it alerts the immune system and your body reacts. They enlarge in response to the inflammation they create when they react. They shrink when all is well.