Hi love,

I haven't been on this site for awhile, because you guessed it – I got the all clear however I feel like it's important to come on once in a while and reassure others, as I know it's what I so desperately needed when I was worried about the possibility of having cancer.

I had a lump appear on the side of my neck, about the size of a half a ping pong ball in November 2019, it was solid to the touch, and it couldn't be moved and felt like it was twisted into my neck tissue. It was totally painless. 
 

I went to my doctor at the start of December, and I was particularly worried, my doctor took bloods that showed nothing concerning and then I was referred to ENT. They put the camera down my nose and saw nothing - bad sign. At this point I was getting increasingly alarmed, after another round of blood tests there was still no sign of infection and at this point it felt like the doctors started taking it more seriously. At this point I was referred for a CT, and then a ultrasound. 
 

My neck was seen multiple times throughout this period because despite it being painless it started to grow bigger, and eventually led to be being off work as the lump was doing something which resulted in shooting pains up my head and my eyes twitching. When I went to the doctor again they were alarmed and I was sent to A&E. they thought it was something to do with pressure in my head however the test came back negative and I was sent home. Throughout this I was told by the 5 different people I'd seen it was a solid mass. 
 

On the day of my ultrasound and biopsy (New Years eve) i went to the hospital and was in pieces if I'm totally honest. My partner has had Cancer twice and at such a young age I'd convinced myself that it was going to be bad news. But then at the biopsy the doctor doing my ultrasound and biopsy found that it wasn't infact solid, it just appeared to be due to its thick wall. Turns out it was a Branchical Cyst. 
 

Ive spoken to people with Branchial cysts since, as I wanted reassurance and everyone seems to be fine, most end up having it surgically removed (which I was due to have in March) however mine disappeared overnight and has never came back. All biopsies came back as normal and apart from a small scar from where my biopsy was taken and a heightened appreciation for my health - I've returned to normal! 
 

Yes, it could be something more sinister, but there are plenty of simple possibilities out there. ️ 
 

Chin up, fingers crossed for you. 
 

a

Hi

Glad yours is a happy ending. My husband who is a heavy smoker is also experiencing problems with his gland on the right side of jaw. It has swollen, tender to touch but quite hard. He has a pain under his tongue but cannot see anything obvious growing. He has had problems with his glands swelling in the same area previously but they would go down again after a couple of days. We are now coming up to the third week and still no sign of it going down. Sometimes he feels it's going down although still there and about the size of a small cherry tomatoe  but then swells up again after he's had something to eat. It could be the chewing that's making it worse. He has no other symptoms apart from the swollen gland, the pain under his tongue and occasional pain when eating. No night sweats, no fever, no weight loss. With this lockdown it's become so difficult to get gp appointment. He had a telephone appointment with Gp who simply said yes it's worrying that you're a smoker but monitor for a few weeks and if it hasn't gone down, call again. I am absolutely out of my mind with worry and don't think I can wait any longer. I guess I'm on here to see if anyone else had similar symptoms and it wasn't anything sinister. Are there any smokers on here that have had these symptoms? 

Thanks

Hi Serenity,

Welcome to our forum. I am so sorry to hear about your husband's symptoms and, the fact that the glands don't seem to be settling this time.

I am afraid that I cannot help with these symptoms, as I am a breast cancer pilgrim. However, there are other smokers on this site who have had problems with swellings in their jaws and necks. I hope that they will come along to chat to you shortly.

Why doesn't your husband phone his GP again and explain how worried you both are and ask for an early consultation?

Please let us know how he gets on. We are always here for you both.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Jolamine

thank you got your reply. Yes after the bank holiday I will be contacting our GP again and insisting on a face to face appointment. I don't think I want to leave it for a few more weeks as advised during the telephone consultation. Will let you know what they say. Again, if there's any smokers out there that have had similar experiences, I would love to hear from you. 
 

thanks

Hi Serenity,

I hope that you manage to get that face-to-face consultation with your GP and, that he can throw some light on what is happening.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi 

my son has had a lump similar to what you have explained , last year doctor thought he was fighting an infection

however, it is still there, He is going for a scan etc in October but his blood test came back with high bilirubin also

Did you find out why yours was high 

I try not to worry him but I am worried sick

Any advice would be useful on this forum 

I have the same problem. How big are the lumps you can feel?

Thanks 

X

Hi Eh, it was quite large 3-4 inches, it turned out to be a reactive lymph node. I had a CT scan which showed a cyst on my ovaries, I had the cyst removed later that year and it started to go down. I was so positive it was something else as I had breast cancer in 2013, hope you get to the bottom of it quickly, the waited is the worst part x 

Hello

I'm awaiting an ultrasound for a raised neck lymph node, I've been referred on the 2 week pathway, after waiting and watching for 4 weeks.  I had a telephone assessment yesterday with ENT and I'm feeling so scared, I feel so anxious that I sense that I can't swallow, this came on suddenly (I've had this on occasion before when highly stressed). I don't have any signs of infection

xx.