Hi Rose and welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry to hear about the lump you've found and for the worry this is causing.

Waiting for tests is always a scary time but our community are here for you Rose and I'm sure it won't be long until you receive some support and advice from some of our members who have been in a similar situation.

I also hope some of the tips and advice given in this article will help you whilst you wait, but if you feel it may help to talk things through with someone, do feel free to give our nurses a call on 0808 800 4040, Monday - Friday between 9a.m - 5p.m.

We're thinking of you Rose and will have our fingers crossed everything will be o.k.

Kind regards,

Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hey, how are you getting on? I noticed a hard lump under the skin on the back of my neck on Friday and I am in panic mode. I googled which is the worse thing you can do I know. I have a doctors appointment on Friday and feel so sick with worry. I've not told anyone as I don't like worrying my family. The lump is quite small, around 1cm I think and hard, painless and not mobile, which all are warning signs from what I've read.

Hi, silly for me to say when I spent two weeks sick with worry but please try not to worry. I went to the hospital and embarrassingly it had nearly disappeared by the time the consultant saw me! (I avoided touching it as I was so anxious) It was was bigger than 1cm and hard and my GP referred me stating ‘suspected malignancy in neck’ which completely freaked me out, but the neck consultant explained that lymph nodes can sometimes feel hard and immovable and just be swollen and end up going down. They think I had a hair dye allergy which explains the itchy scalp, and when I had the massage and kept touching it, it just irritated the lymph node more. it’s taught me to avoid dr google because the results I was getting typing in a lump in my neck and itchy skin were terrifying! Tests were clear too - it’s really scary but they explained lumps at the back of the neck are rarely anything sinister so try not to worry x

Oh my goodness thank you so much for replying, that has really helped. I feel so much better now, I have told my husband too and he thinks I'm being daft! He said it doesn't even feel like a lump, more like a ridge of muscle. I'm so pleased to hear you got the all clear, what a relief! Thanks again x