Hell izzy0341

I'm sorry to hear that you're dealing with some health concerns at the moment. It's good to know that you already have an appointment arranged with your GP. 

There could indeed be any number of reasons for the lump that you've recently found. Try to keep busy and stay positive whilst waiting for your appointment. Don't be tempted to search Google for information as you won't find definitive answers for your situation but you will be left feeling more anxious. 

Some people find the information on the NHS Moodzone website can be helpful in managing their anxiety during particularly stressful times. 

I hope that your GP is able to give you some reassurance at your appointment next week. 

Best wishes, 
Jenn
Cancer Chat moderator 

I have a neck lump at the moment - the GP felt it a week ago and said if not gone in six weeks she would refer me to ultrasound. I actually think it feels like it's going down now so at the moment I'm not too anxious about it but I was pretty upset when I discovered it.

I have been putting warm compresses on it and doing some very gentle massage - this might have helped - could you try something like this? Be very gentle though so you don't cause any irritation or infection.

Waiting is always so hard - personally I distract myself by doing puzzles - Hanjie is the one I like but obviously there are loads of different ones. 

Unfortunately GPs can be dismissive of young people ( I'm now 55 so not an issue for me any more!) - I would suggest you try something like "I understand it's unlikely to be anything but could I be scanned if it doesn't go away after X weeks?" 

Best wishes - hopefully the lump will go down on its own soon.

Hi, thanks for your message. Thankfully my job is keeping me busy but it's always in the back of my mind. I had my appointment as the doctor has agreed to speak with me again in a month, which is quite disheartening considering I have already been "waiting to see if it goes away" for a month and a half now. I will ask for a scan when I have my next appointment. I hope you're well! 

Thank you for the reply - I think the lump has gone now - I still find myself checking sometimes even though common sense is telling me it's not there any more.  

My brother-in- law had a neck lump that he refused to see a doctor about - eventually it got infected and he had to - but it was there for years. So it is possible for these things to be there for a long time and still not be anything serious.

Do ask about an ultrasound if it still doesn't go - they literally take a few minutes so it's not something which is going to break the NHS and you'd have peace of mind afterwards.

Best wishes - hope you can get a resolution soon.