Hi All, New member a 52 year old male with quite a high degree of health anxiety.
Been anxious about head/neck/salivary gland cancers for years. Started out with what felt like a hard lump on one side of my hard palate and was referred. The consultants said it was nothing more than just the way I was built and don't worry but it planted a seed in my mind which has always been there about head and neck issues.
Back in about 2014 I was seeing the GP about something else and mntioned whilst I was there a small nodule a few cm down from my ear lobe and a slightly larger one just underneath the submandibular salivary glands of which both of mine on each side are quite prominent, although again not 100% sure if you should be able to feel those either! He basically said they were just lymph nodes that had obviously risen after an infection but had never gone down on that side and not to worry about it. They had probably been there for quite some time before that appointent and in fact have been there for as long as I can remember. Pretty much forgotten about them until a few weeks ago.
I then had a phone conversation a few weeks ago with a GP about a little sore on the cartilage of my right ear that had been coming and going for about 6 months. I only noticed it when drying my hair and took a photo for the GP. It was just a little red spot which would scab over, go away, and then come back a little while later and the process would repeat. She saw the photo and said it looked like a mild skin infection and to contact her if it came back again which thankflly hasn't now for a few weeks. At the same time I had pain in my gum, again on the right side, which my dentist said was just inflamed gum from early gum disease and that side had receded. He gave me some stronger toothpaste and that is now ok. Problem is because of all these right sided issues I became suddenly obsessed again about those two "lymph" nodes on that side to the extent that below my ear is quite sore because I've stupidly been prodding and probing for the last few weeks.
Had a phone consultation with the GP and she said to come in so she could put my mind at rest. She had a look and said she "thought" they were lymph nodes and mentioned that both left and right side of my jaw were a bit prominent, of which I replied "is that a good thing?" because I can only notice the lymph nodes on the right side. She basically asked if they were getting bigger? I have no idea but I don't think so. I can "feel" or I am aware of it because I've been stupidly poking away and I suspect that prodding anything for two weeks would inflame it somewhat! She didn't seem sure at all because it's the first time that she has seen it so nothing to compare it with and whilst she said that if it has been the same for 8 years odd it "probably" is nothing but in my stupid reading of Dr Google I am paranoid about slow growing cancers either in neck or salivary glands!
She has referred me to the Urgent Head and Neck Clinic and said if I hadn't heard anything in two weeks to give her a call. Not sure if she is just covering herself, trying to put my mind at rest or if she is genuinely concerned about something. For a GP to not be sure if it is lymph nodes was quite concerning. On top of that I am a Type 2 Diabetic and my last HBA1c wasn't the best so going into hospital is a concern as diabetes puts you at a higher risk of severe illness with Covid.
Worried and concerned to say the least! Sorry for the long post.
***Update - Literally just received a phone call booking me in at my local ENT at 4.30pm tomorrow. Not sure if such a quick appointment is a good or bad thing as I only saw the GP at 2pm today! :shocked:
