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Small moveable lump on the right side of my neck.

xoanxiousqueen143
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Hiya, im 25 and on the 13 of July I found a lump on the right side of my neck. It's around the size of a pea, moveable and doesn't hurt. I'm a palliative healthcare assistant so I immediately made an appointment on the Monday with my gp to have it checked. He basically made me feel like the appointment was a waste of time and that it was a swollen lymph node and it would go down in 2 weeks, could be a sign of an infection coming. 
I had routine blood tests done and everything was fine bar from raised blood count (they wasn't very specific tbh) and have to have them done again in another 6 months. 
Anyways, the lump is still there and I did the worse thing someone could do by googling it. My mother also had cancer (cervical that spread to the lymph nodes and then lung) but now I get so panicky over anything I find. 
I'll be making another appointment tomorrow morning, but anyone had a nothing similar. 
Thank you xo

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    Hi,

    Sorry to hear your brain isn't being very kind to you right know, and that Dr Google made it worse! We've probably all been there :laugh:

    Your GP wasn't wrong in what he said, lymph nodes do swell when there's an infection - so if yours has been swollen for quite some time now then there's a chance something else is going on (although mine have been known to swell as a physical reaction to stress/anxiety which is unhelpful!). You have every right to make an appointment and ask for it to be investigated further, especially if you have family history (I would mention this).

    Sorry I can't offer more info or help, I'm still waiting for diagnosis and further tests, but I hope you get some answers soon and in the meantime I recommend calling Macmillan, the nurses are very knowledgeable and reassuring.

    Wishing you all the best xxx

  • Hello xoanxiousqueen143 and thanks for posting,

    I am sorry to learn that this lymph node is causing worry. The most common reason for a lymph node to get bigger is infection; after an infection clears up most nodes go down again although sometimes they can be quite stubborn and linger on. Lymph nodes can sometimes get bigger because of cancer, but this is less common and cancer at your age is also rare, so another explanation would be more likely.

    I think with your job and your mother, it is understandable to feel a bit anxious about new symptoms, but health wise the probability is that there is no reason to at your age. I hope you can easily get an appointment to confirm this.   

    Sometimes anxiety can become a problem and the anxiety, more than the health worry (assuming it has been checked out), is what needs to be looked at. If this is what is happening or if it starts to happen then do talk to your GP about it. I am sorry the GP wasn't more understanding when you saw them before and hope things go better at your next appointment. 

    Please give us a ring if you want to talk anything over. Our number is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and we are around weekdays 9-5.

    Best wishes, 

    Julia

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