Hi there 

I'm new here and decided after 6 months of worry I should reach out and ask for some advice. I discovered a small lump on the right side of my neck under my jaw June 2021. When I discovered the lump I was in a shower, pressed on it and immediately felt faint. As I exited the shower, I could not get my balance back and collapsed after walking upstairs, but did not lose consciousness. An ambulance was called and I was given the all clear and was put down to stress and possibly dehydration. I should point out 2 things here:

1. I was going through a brief period of bulimia

2. My Dad had NHL and died aged 46

I saw a practice nurse soon after, who wrote it off as being acne under the skin. Which was possibly the worse piece of advice ever, as I don't get acne. I attended A&E soon after when I felt the lump swelling, the doctor did bloods and a chest xray all came back fine. I then saw my own GP a few months later, who made a referral to ENT but had assured me that with the lump being movable and smooth, it was probably nothing to worry about and maybe a cyst. At the same time, I saw the dentist who said she did not think it was a cyst and possibly a lymph node.

It did swell at this point, but went down a few days later. Fast forward to last month, I had received a letter from the ENT consultant saying the lump didn't sound worrisome and a routine appointment will be made. Last month, I contacted the doctor to make an urgent referral, because my left gland felt swollen and I had seen the dentist again, who seemed concerned. The dentist said, she did not believe this small lump was a build up of calculus or anything dental related but that I should see the doctor again. The GP couldn't feel much else apparently, but sent an email across to ENT to have me seen sooner, but said she could not ask for urgent as "urgent is for things like cancer"

The last couple days, I have felt my glands swollen and a warm dull itch on my neck, between said lump and gland. I have no other symptoms that I am aware of. I have reached the point where I can no longer ignore it and pretend it's nothing. I am a single mother with a little autistic girl, who heavily depends on me. Obviously, losing my dad to NHL doesn't help matters and I remember a lot of his symptoms even though it was 28 years ago, I remember the itching.

If anyone has any advice or experience with this I'd be grateful if someone reached out. I am 43 and an ex smoker, quit 2 years passed. Thank you for reading.