Lumps behind the ear

[bac295]

About 6 months ago I discovered 2/3 lumps behind my ear. At first, like many others I thought nothing of them and expected them to disappear. However after a couple of months they were still there. I have consulted my parents a couple of times on this matter however they have just brushed it aside. I have not experienced any side effects that I know of and they do not cause me any pain at all. Neither have the lumps enlarged in size since I first discovered them. I have searched many sites to try and find out what the lumps could be. And I still don't know exactly what they are. My questions are. What are they?,what should I do about them?,are they serious or harmless? And should I be worried or concern d about them?. A reply to my questions would be very helpful as I am becoming more and more worried about the lumps everyday.

[Ken_PA]

I'm glad to have been of help.

What a doc can do is physically examine the suspected nodes: size, movability, etc. If there was cause for concern (which there isn't), a sonogram can look inside the bumps to see what the internal structure is like.

Btw, just having hayfever probably doesn't in itself qualify for having an overactive immune system, but it's a start.

Feel free to post back with any other questions. Good luck to you.

[bac295]

Thank you very much for your help. You really have calmed my nerves and stopped my worrying. I have recently booked a doctors appointment just to make sure and to see wether anything can be done to get rid of them.
I am guilty for always pressing them and now that does explain why that had made them feel a bit tender.
As I do suffer from suffer from hayfever your theory does make sense.
Thanks again for all your help, I didn't expect you to reply but thank you very much again for helping me again. There are not many people out there like you.
Thank you

[Ken_PA]

Scarring in a node can happen from a particularly bad infection, or from an overactive immune system.

Btw, that spot is not likely for lipoma, which is just a benign fatty tissue.

I would not worry over this about cancer.

[Ken_PA]

The thing to keep in mind is that cancers (lymphoma, head-and-neck, or metastasis) are among the least likely causes. The most likely is infection, followed probably by some other immune system causation, such as even an allergy.

There was one study done where out of every 100 people who saw a doctor over concern about long-term enlarged nodes, only 2 had cancer. It's all about the probabilities.

Cancerous nodes rarely hurt. If yours were painful, then shrunk a little and are no longer painful, then that tends a lot against cancer.

Being only 1cm is not cause for alarm.

Having 3 pop up at once tends against cancer, and more to immune reaction.

Btw, pressing on them can cause inflammation and make them seen bigger and more tender.

I wouldn't worry unless they get noticeably bigger. The other causes are not dangerous.  However, you  might have lifelong irritating problems from too much histamine, the immune chemical involved in allergies but also in many other immune processes  and maybe also in anxiety since histamine is also a neurotransmitter. (Benadryl led to the development of Prozac.)

Sometimes nodes get internally scarred from fibrosis and just don't go back down.

[bac295]

How serious are the things you suggested?, I don't think anything unusual happened before they appeared.however from what I can remember I think I had quite a nasty cold before it, but I'm not sure if it was around the same time though,but it was around that time I think.
It was quite sore at first but then that pain went away, however now and again i can feel a slightly strange feeling where I can kind of feel something in that area.
I only take hayfever tablets and I did start taking medication for the cold that I mentioned so they may bbe linked.
None of the lumps are bigger than 1cm, one is slightly larger than the others but it's not huge.
Also thanks for the help and the reply.

[Ken_PA]

I forgot to ask: what is the current size and shape, as best as you can determine?

[Ken_PA]

Hi, possibilities would include:
-lymph nodes enlarged from infection or other immune reaction
-lymph nodes enlarged from cancer: lymphoma or metastases
-sebaceous cyst
--maybe lipoma

Did anything unusual happen before they appeared? Travel, cat scratch, fever, trauma, new medication? Anything?