Lump on side of neck

[neil74]

I have a small lump on my neck, it is on the right side about halfway up. It is quite small, probably not much bigger than a pea and it feels like it is located on the neck muscle (of course I suppose it could be behind it and pushing the muscle, I am not qualified to say but I don’t think so).  I have played sport before and it feels to me exactly like the kind of scar tissue you can get after a pulled muscle.  

I have over recent years ‘ricked’ my neck more than once which could point to it being scar tissue however I honestly cannot remember what side I did this on.  I have also lost some weight recently (2-3 stone which planned so it was not unexpected) so it is possible this has been there for years but has been covered in ‘padding’ and not as easy to feel.    I went to the doctors with it about 6 weeks ago and they were not concerned however whilst I am maybe being unfair the doctor was a newly qualified one and did not fill me with total confidence, nethertheless I took the advice and other than make a note to keep an eye on it have not given it another thought until the last day or 2.  I felt it again, I do not think it has changed in size but it is definitely there and after a few minutes of prodding it I noticed later that the my right ear and right gland area around my throat felt a little sore, nothing major but probably no coincidence and I wondered if it had been irritated by me poking around?

So it is worrying me again, I have recently moved house and have just registered with a new GP but it will be a week to 10 days before I can see a doctor.

Advice appreciated.

[neil74]

Hello all,

Another update...

I had the blood test done and that has come back normal too, so the doctor, ultrasound and blood work all say it's ok. The doctor said that it was not overly large and that it is not unusual for nodes to be asymmetrical which is I guess what worried me initially as I have been used to them being consistent on each side (I can barely feel it on the other side of my neck)

This has been going on for about 6 months now and I am pretty sure the size has never changed (hard to tell really as it is subjective for me)  I still find it a little disconcerting as it can still clearly be felt but I am far more comfortable now, I guess I have to get used to it and keep my eyes peeled for a change or other symptoms.

Thanks for all the replies.

Neil

[neil74]

Thanks

[neil74]

I have not had the blood test done yet, the person who does it at my GP was off for 2 weeks and then I was or working away.

I have has a stressful year with my marriage ending and all that goes with that plus living on my own allows plenty of time to worry, I am wondering if this may have been a problem between my ears rather than on my neck, don't get me wrong there was definitely something to be felt that was not on the other side however my current GP was not concerned when he examined it and probably would not have referred me for the ultrasound had I not insisted.  Now the doctor doing the ultrasound at the hospital has said it all looks normal.

I am in 2 minds over the blood test, it would mean another 6-8 weeks of uncertainty which I could probably do without, on the other hand I guess it would give another degree of reassurance over and above the ultrasound.  I'll be going in to see my GP next week so will probably discuss it with him.

[Mochadelicious]

I'm glad you were able to see another doctor and that he was not too worried about it.  I'm also glad he will do blood work and the ultrasound just to be sure.  I think the hardest part is waiting for the results.  I went through that too and it was like torture not knowing.  Did your doctor mention doing a biopsy?  That really is the only way to diagnose blood cancer.  I suppose if they see something on your blood work or ultrasound then a biopsy might be warranted.  

Good luck and keep me posted.

[neil74]

UPDATE

I finally had my ultrasound yesterday and it is good news (I think)
A doctor did the ultrasound and I asked him if he would be able to tell me anything today and he said he hoped to give me a good indication.

Anyway he scanned my whole neck, he said it was a lympth node and looked normal and was nothing to worry about.

I know an ultrasound is maybe not totally definitive and I'll guess I'll get more detail in a week or so when the results reach my GP, overall though I guess I have to be happy with that.

[Ken_PA]

Okay, then I'll say some things that they'll look for, first of which being whether it's a node or not.

If it is a node, then the presence of that fatty hilum just about always means "no cancer" - though the absence of fatty hilum does not necessarily mean that it is cancer.

Next, they look for spots of "hypoechogenicity", meaning the sound waves from the sonogram probe are reflected less than expected. There's also the opposite: hyperechoic spots. E.g., unusual spots can be watery spots, 'cystic' areas. If there are are none then the area is normal.

A node has a structure. Imagine that you slice through a tomato. You can see ribs, the chambers between the ribs, seeds. Now imagine slicing through a potato - everything is the same. When cancer goes through a node, it's structure is 'effaced', like turning a tomato into a potato.

Anyway, those are some terms that might help you converse with the sono tech and learn some things immediately, rather than waiting for a doc to tell you.

Good luck. Please post back with results when you learn them.