Should I Be Concerned

[pram514]

I went to bed one night and woke up with a small lump in my throat.  Its located in between my jaw and my neck, off the right side directly between my eye and my ear underneath the jaw going down towards my neck area.  At first, I had no pain and the lump had no effect on my voice nor did the lump cause any soreness.  Around the time that this occured, I came down with what I believed to be a fever.  My body felt cold, my bones became achy, and my entire body was burning up (but surprisingly still cold on the inside).  Since then I have noticed this lump on the right side of my neck.  I have had this lump for about a week, thinking that it could be the fact that I slept on a hard floor from camping and awoke with back pains.  The lump has not dissappeared and the more I touch the area the more sensation I get from the area in which the lump is located.  I am not sure if the sensation is psychological but I grow worried with each passing day.  Some peers say that it may be my tonsils while others say that lumps or "balls" in your neck can be a sign of cancer.  The lump or "ball" in my neck is not visible to the eye but once you place some fingures over the area you can feel a grape like ball in between my jaw and neck. Like I said, I have no soreness or pain but the more I put pressure on the lump with my fingures,in some attempt to try to figure out what it may be, the more of a sore feeling I get.  I may be irritating the lump or ball by constantly placing my fingures over it and applying pressure.  Im an in my mid 20's and fear that this may be the biggining of something bigger or symptoms of something worse. My question to you is, is this something that I should be really concerned about?

[pram514]

I saw my primary physician about a week and a half ago.  He informed me that my(not sure which) lymph node or gland was swollen.  He then asked if I had come down with a cold or flu in the past couple of days or weeks.  I informed him of my symptoms and he described the role that my lymph nodes or glands play in the immune system and that the swellness was a result of the fight between my immune system and the virus or infection.  He prescribed me some antibiotics and told me to take them three times a day until I had consumed the last one.  I am almost finished with the medication and the lump has reduced in size but I can still feel a small lump.  Is this normal and should I just give it more time to heel or should I be seeking a second opinion?  Thank you for taking the time to respond to my concerns and dilemma.

[Denise L. Johnson, M.D.]

Please see your family doctor for a check up.