Hi Angie55

I'm sorry to hear about your dad ans know how anxious you must be feeling.  The not knowing and waiting is definitely the hardest part to deal with.

I went through a similar situation last year.  After noticing an enlarged lymph node in my neck, I gave it 6 weeks before going to my GP.  It was about the size of a walnut. GP sent me straight for ultasound and biopsy.

The first biopsy was done with a fine needle to extract some fluid from inside the lymph node.  These work well for fluid filled nodes, but mine had very little fluid.  They have to send the sample to labs, where they look at the cells to detect any that have cancer.  They can't give you any information at the time, other than it may look suspicious.   I waited about 3 weeks for the results, which were inconclusive.  They requested another biopsy.

The second one was a core biopsy (I think).  They use a larger needle that has a little grab tool.  The needle is inserted into the node and then grabs a sample of tissue. This was done a number of times.  Again, they have to send the sample away to be tested for cancerous cells.  This is also used to determine the type of cancer, if present.  I was diagnosed with stage 3 NHL and have just had my last round if chemo a couple of weeks ago.

In hindsight, I know it's easier said than done, but all the time I wasted worrying, changed nothing.  If you can be really strict with yourself and not spend time thinking about all the possibilities, you'd be doing yourself a massive favour.  Also avoid Google and if you must look stuff up, stick to places like this site and MacMillan.

Wishing you all the best