enlarged lymph node behind right ear

[decade]

My son has chronic cough and always coughing phlegm. So I took him to the doctor a month ago and they took chest x-ray and sputum test to rule out tuberculosis. The test was negative. He was placed on antibiotics for a week for the phlegm. After two weeks he developed a hard painful swelling behind his right ear. It was small at first but noticed it had enlarged but not painful anymore. Worried about the size of the swelling as it is that of a small marble. Also two weeks before he went for the sputum test he had an infection of a pimple like swelling on his right ear lobe. There was pus. I had cleaned it with an antiseptic lotion and had applied an antibiotic ointment. It has since healed.  Please help as I do not know what to do next.

[decade]

Thanks for your reply. The lump was never red but it was pain when first discovered a month ago. It was slightly raised but grew bigger to a size of a small marble. Will take your advice to schedule him to an appointment with an ENT specialist. However, could it be any other causes besides the ones you mentioned. Please let me have your reply. Thank you.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Is the swelling red and does it hurt and also is it increasing in size?
It could be mastoiditis. Mastoiditis is a infection in the air pockets of the mastoid bone. It presents as a painful red swelling. Another cause could be an enlarged lymph node or a vein. It could also be due to an ear infection. I would suggest you to schedule an appointment with an ENT specialist as soon as possible.