Lump behind my ear: is it nothing?

Hi!

I’m not sure if anyone is going to respond to this but thanks for reading anyway. Well, I have a lump behind my ear, it feels slightly rubbery and sometimes moves when I put a lot of pressure on it. It kinda hurts and sometimes gives me headache but what worries me is that it’s been there for about 18 months now and I haven’t seen a doctor. I’ve Dutches things online and some sites say it could be an ear infection but others say it could be cancer and I’m really scared. What should I do?

thankyou,

LizzieJo

  • Hello and welcome.  If the lump has been unchanged for 18 months it is probably not a problem but if it is bothering you you can of course ask your GP to take a look.  Don't pay too much attention to googled information.  Because they have not seen the lump or spoken to you they have to cast their net very wide in case, in some alternative universe, it is a something to worry about and they can say they did warn you!  If you think there is any possibility of an infection it is probably a good idea to visit your GP.  Best wishes.  Annie

  • Thankyou so much for you’re advice Annie. I have an appointment with my GP for a couple of weeks time and I’m hoping that he will say it’s nothing to worry about as well.  Thankyou do much 

    LizzieJo

  • Hi LizzieJo,

    Try not to worry.  As AnnieLiz says it is unlikely to be anything nasty.

    A lymph node behind my ear swelled us when I was a toddler (I was prone to ear infections so no surprise), it has never gone down, in fact it hasn't changed at all.  I don't press on it because it does give me headaches, who knows why, maybe just forces it against something else that then gives the headache.

    I'm not a qualified medic, but I did a quick google search and what came up on a medical site was that for swollen ear lymph nodes it is very rare for it to be cancer, and there is a whole list of other benign conditions it could be, with ear infection the most likely (naturally).

    Go see your doctor, but don't be surprised if he puts it down to an infection you had long ago that has now cleared up as that can happen.

    All the best,

    LJx

  • Did you ever find out what it was causing your lump?