Worried about a lump on the back of the neck

Hi!

 I have had a hard lump at the back of my skull by the muscle for about 2 to 3 years.

 It does not grow and has always remained the same size.

 This is not in the middle but on the right side along the connection of the spine, this bump is not palpable when I turn my head to the right, but it can be felt when I turn my head to the left and when I'm yawning it will get harder and easier to feel.

 This is a hard bump, which I don't feel can move.  It will be about the size of a small marble.  Of course if I google the symptoms I immediately arrive at a bone/brain tumor.  Of course this worries me quite a bit and this is also a big reason why I haven't gone to the doctor yet.

 I tried to massage him last night (maybe a muscle contraction but it normally doesn't last long) and now it has become sensitive.

 I also occasionally suffer from sudden headaches in my eyes and occasional stings during sleep, these last 2 to 3 seconds and are gone again.  I have never linked these together because I also have a lot of stress in my life and experience a lot of fear that something is wrong with my body.

 

 I understand that I have to go to the doctor for this but is it common that you have a tumor at the back of the skull or a swollen lymph node etc?

  • Hello and thanks for your post

    I'm afraid we can never say what’s causing anyone symptoms. 

    The fact that you have had your lump for such a long time and hasn’t grown makes it unlikely to be anything too serious. We always encourage people to make an appointment with their GP if their symptoms are persisting. .

    There are many reasons that people get headaches like straining of the eyes to see or read on a computer screen, stress and changing hormone levels can also bring on headaches. Most of these will settle after a short while and won't be anything too serious to be worried about.  there is some useful information about headaches on the NHS website here. 

    Try not to over think things if you can and avoid googling as this is likely to add to the stress and anxiety you already feel.

    If you want to talk anything over, do give us a call on Freephone 0808 800 4040, we are around 9-5, Monday to Friday.

    Best wishes,

    Celene