Worried...

[Vmp]

Hi!
I am 26 yr old female - in pretty good health. I just had my first child in august.

I have had very dry itchy scalp my whole life. It never really seemed to bother me- when I got pregnant the dryness and itchyness seemed to be dormant.

However after I gave birth the dryness came back in full force. It is on the back of my scalp on the left side near my hairline - starting from the bottoms of my hair line to above my ear- all in my scalp.

I tried to look at the area if dryness and it's red with a white crust. Very itchy and burns at times.

The other day I was rubbing my neck and I felt a lump on the left side of my neck. The lump is movable and is not tender to the touch. It feels rubbery.

Now I google this and know I think I have cancer or tb. Then I think I make myself jaw other symptoms- i get very hot at night- I sweat but it's not a soaking sweat.

Other than that - I don't feel tires, I don't have a fever, and the weight I am losing is from my pregnancy- I still have an appetiate. I workout every day and I feel fine.

So any ideas why my lymph node is swollen??

I am not a fan of doctors ans I do have my yearly appointment the first week of January...

[Vmp]

Thank you for your responses. I get very paranoid about things and never want to go to the doctors .... I always fear it is the worst ...

[Molly1998]

It could be a cyst. I have had lots of those. As for the dry scalp I would look at diet or finding possible allergy problems.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
The swollen lump could be a lymphnode which can swell due to dry scalp. You seem to be having seborrhagic dermatitis caused by a fungus residing in the skin called Malassezia furfur. This is treated by lotions, creams or shampoos containing antifungals, anti-inflammatory drugs, something to decrease the sebum or keratolytic agents. The various agents used contain zinc, selenium, ketoconazole and clotrimazole. Keeping the scalp clean is very important. Sometimes Ultraviolet rays and phototherapy also helps. Please consult a skin specialist. Hope this helps. Take care!

[Vmp]

Also-

You can only feel the lump in my neck if you press down or if I tilt my neck to the side. There is no visible lump