Worried about a lump on my neck
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4 posts since
12 Sep 2020
Hello Everyone,
I am 22 years old and I have recently discovered a small lump on the right side of my neck, behind my ear, with the size (at touch) of around 1.5 / 2 cm. It feels rubbery and kind of moves but comes back into its place. It is not visible at all and the area around it doesn’t have any redness / worrying signs around. I discovered it 1 week ago as I had a bit of a stiff neck and I was rubbing it. I am, however, not sure exactly if it has been there or not before. It did not change its size / and it is not painful at all.
This little guy has been keeping my mind busy for the last week and I am very very anxious. I have been looking online and I am almost sure it is an enlarged lymph node, but everything that is hard / unmovable / doesn’t change shape seems to point towards the unthinkable (things such as lymphoma).
I recently moved in a new town and I am still registered to my old GP that is very far. I want to go and have a look at it on Monday but I am not sure if I should just walk in and ask for help (bringing the GMS1 with me).
What would be your suggestion? Are rubbery / unmoveable lumps that don’t go away everytime a sign of cancer?
At the moment I just want my brain to focus on something else but I cannot. I should stop touching my lump / be looking into something else, but the truth is, I am so worried that I even made this post. I try to calm myself thinking that I have never really been sick / felt bad. This forum has a lot of different situations and outcomes that are both reassuring and worrying but overall I learned a lot from it.
983 posts since
5 Feb 2018
Hello and thanks for posting
Easier said than done but try not to over think this and I suggest you steer clear from reading anymore on the internet as this can be unhelpful and lead to even more worry.
Lumps and bumps can appear for lots of different reasons and most thankfully won’t be harmful and will settle down after a short while. Others can be reactive lymph nodes caused by infection that can stay swollen for many months and sometimes lumps are just a part of someone’s normal anatomy. I would try and leave it alone for a couple of weeks and see how it goes. If after 2 weeks it is still there then for your peace of mind it is probably worth getting it looked at by a doctor.
As you have recently moved try and call your nearest surgery and ask about registering with them. Most surgeries are only allowing patients in who have been triaged first by a doctor and have been assessed as needing to be seen face to face.
Just to say at your age any cancer would be rare and usually with lymphoma people often also mention other symptoms as well as a lump or swelling. But even then most of these people won’t go on to be diagnosed with cancer.
I hope your mind can be put at ease soon.
Take care
Naomi
4 posts since
12 Sep 2020
Hey Naomi,
Thank you for giving me this information! It is very useful and it calms me down a bit.
Yes, I realised that the efficiency of learning medical things online is an up and down slope. Initially you learn a lot and get educated on the topic enough to take it seriously, but then everything else is sinister and probably should not be looked at so closely.
I ended up registering to a new GP and I will have a call with a clinician tomorrow. I will update you with what happens and hope for the best.
The truth is, I got quite scared and now my anxiety went a bit too far, so I will try to improve on that.
Serban
4 posts since
12 Sep 2020
Update:
My GP called me and asked about the sympthoms. After I told them all the things I described above they said that “it sounds benign” and that I should try to wait 6 more weeks to see what happens. In case I still have it I should come to a consult and have a blood test taken, which, in case it ends up badly, I will get an ultrasound. This was all a phone call.
When they said that “You should wait 6 more weeks” it sounded to me more like “Survive with the fear 6 more weeks”. Minutes later I made an appointment to a ultrasound clinic here in London and went there today. They looked at it and said it is nothing to worry about and it all looks alright.
The doctor mentioned that my lymph node can be as big for 3 months and still being healthy. The extra checks should generally be done when the lymph node is bigger than 1cm in the small axis, and in case it changes shape a lot / weirdly / comes with aditional symptoms. Also, I can always come back for a check if the lymph node doesn’t dissapear.
I also got a full check of my neck and everything went ok, tomorrow getting further advice and conclusions in a personal e-mail.
I can finally breath again.
4 posts since
15 Feb 2020
Hi! Glad your ultrasound all went ok!!
Can I ask where did you go for your scan? I’m the same as you I’ve found a bean size squishy lump that rolls under my finger in the side of my neck and can only get a telephone call from my Dr! Anxiety sufferer so very worried!
4 posts since
12 Sep 2020
Of course, Katie
I really understand you and I hope that you are fine. I was never anxious and I thought that nothing really breaks me mentally (until this thing did). So, I cross my fingers for you, but I am sure chances are you will be good! I am not a doctor but it seems that the fact it is squishy and rolls under finger is already something good!
I had the scan at a private clinic in London.
Let me know how it goes for you!
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