How can you detect that you have swollen lymph glands?

Feel for them: You can feel for then under the armpits, in the neck, in the area above the collar bones, and in the inguinal region (the front body crease where the leg meets the torso).

Monitoring System: 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.