Tim,
Welcome to the site. Sorry to hear about the lymph nodes. You have the right attitude based on your "it is what it is" statement.
Lymph nodes means chemo. Chemo sucks!
I didn't need chemo so I can't comment much on what that is going to be like.
Glad to hear you know about not lifting. I have had two different surgeries to repair multiple hernias (4 the first time and they stopped counting at 5 the second time when they put some mesh thing in there).
I'm a business consultant and mine came from putting my bag in the overhead bins of airplanes (and helping others with theirs). It does not take much to cause some nasty hernias. From a prone position on my back if I lifted my feet off the ground it looked like that scene from alien! Kind of gross.
However, it was what it was. Not as bad now (two years later).
Be really careful and check into one of the belt things or something when you do get to start lifting things again.
Hope the chemo goes well. Others here have been through chemo due to lymph node involvement and are now doing fine. You are going to need to stick to your follow up schedule for monitoring even after the chemo because the risk of micro-mets (metastasis that is too small to see right now) is much higher once it gets into the lymph system.
Keep in touch and let us know how it all goes. Your experiences will be here for the next person in your shoes with lymph involvement.
Good luck with the chemo!
Mike