Hi there Anon,

I have had numerous lumps on my neck over the years, for most of which the cause was never found (infections and viruses are, after all, usually not traceable by the time you see your GP about the lump).  I know many people with similar stories.  Necks are one of the most common places to get swollen lymph nodes and although people will generally tell you that swollen lymph nodes go back down after weeks or months some remain swollen permanently.

I have two in my neck that have been swollen for over 2 decades, and one behind my ear that was from when I had mumps 38 years ago.

We're not medically trained on here, but if you know the lump appeared when you had tonsilitis and a qualified medical practitioner told you it was a swollen gland due to the infection then I really can't see that you have anything to worry about at all.

Had the lump appeared in the absence of any obviousl infection/virus then that would be different, but even then it would be most likely that you had an infection/virus of which you weren't aware.  Lumps happen incredibly often but are rarely anything to worry about, and as you saw a GP when this one occured I really wouldn't worry.

LJ

Thank you for your reply! Yes, i’ve heard many stories of glands that have never fully gone back down and am almost 100% sure that’s likely what it is, but of course minds go to the worst! Anyway, I haven’t experienced anything other than the lump so my guess is that it’s just never going to go back down, but I feel like I will be better once i get it double checked by a GP :)

UPDATE: So i went to the GP, and they said that it is a lymph node and that it’s good that it’s movable, small, came up during an infection and that there aren’t others that are swollen. So i have been advised to keep an eye on it to see if it gets bigger or if i experience any other symptoms/lumps. Is this good advice or shall i still be concerned???

It is a really good advice. If you had it for sooo long without other issues, then its pretty normal. It's just one node, a different story would be if more and more start to appear. In that case (where the most probably outcome is still nothing serious) I would investigate more and ask for a referral. But if it has even decreased in size... I wish bad thing could shrink on their own.

Good luck ;)

thank you for the advice :) i’ve unfortunately found googling symptoms is a real bad idea as everything about a lymph node not going down is cancer cancer cancer but i’m glad i’ve found some people also just have year(s)-long nodes that don’t disappear. 

Hi Anon,

That's great advice.

Their mentioning of if it gets bigger or if any other lumps/symptoms appear isn't because they expect that to happen, it is just so you don't get complacent about any lumps you may end up with in the future.  Some people will feel like they are wasting a GP's time going back with a new lump when their last lump was nothing, but it is never a waste of time, all lumps need to be checked out.  Also, while the current situation with that lymph node is that it has done its job properly (it just hasn't had the decency to 'de-swell'), technically you could in the future develop cancer somewhere that then leads to cancer cells in that same lymph node and that would likely lead to the swelling increasing.  So that's why the GP would want you to notify them if it got bigger.  Nothing stopping you having two concurrent issues with the same lymph node sometime down the line.

We're not experts at how different lumps feel, nor can we feel your lump, but your GP will have felt thousands and thousands of lumps over the years.  If I were you I would take this opportunity to feel relief, congratulate myself on being sensible enough to get it checked out, and just continue to be vigilant in the future over any lumps.  I did end up with 8 on my neck at my worst point (this was well before getting cancer), but 6 of them went down many years later.

Dr. Google is NOT your friend, cut him/her off  :D

LJ

Had a small lump just under my jaw for a couple of years before I started to worry and decided to get it checked out. After a couple of ultrasound scans I was told, as you were, that this was likely a swollen gland that did not go back and to come back if t got bigger. This was in fact a salivary gland. Roll on 4 years and I gradually began to be more conscious of this lump. It had grown very slowly so I couldn't really feel if it had gotten bigger, but it had increased from 1cm to 4cm over the 4 years which did not feel this big.  I have since had surgery to remove this and it was confirmed by histology to be Adenoid cystic carcinoma. I am undergoing radiotherapy at the moment. I am not trying to frighten you at all, but for you or anyone else reading the thread, I just wanted to share my experience and advice. I'm sorry I didn't  push for a definite diagnosis at the start. I wish I had pushed for a CT scan to be sure. My prognosis would have been more favourable with earlier treatment. 

Your post has just made me feel a whole lot better and I  don't normally write on forums but I cannot tell you how much this has helped me fight the panic until I can get a doctors appointment tomorrow so I just wanted to say thank you. 
 

My 5 year old has had a hard lump on the side of his neck - I image lymph node - since he had chicken pox which was almost 3 years ago. We've spoken to the doctor about it since but they didn't seem concerned at all as it came up during chicken pox.

I made the mistake tonight of googling lymphoma and am now really worried that it is actually something more sinister. 
He's a really healthy, active 5 year old with no other symptoms of illness but I'm really sure (although I'm now starting to doubt myself) the lump came up when he had chicken pox.

It's really reassuring to hear that others have lumps that have never gone away too and hopefully this will just be an innocent lump!

Thank you