Hi everyone,

I thought I'd contribute to this thread to provide some reasurance to anyone else here due to similar symptoms. 

I am a 23 year old woman, otherwise very healthy. I had a rubbery, painless, pea-sized lump in the central left side of the front of my neck. It appeared slighly moveable and felt deeper than a dematological problem (i.e. not in or just below the skin). I had not had any reason to believe this was a large swollen lymph node due to infection as I had not been ill for ages - and it was in isolation, i.e. the only one I could feel. I had noticed it only recently, however alongisde noticing it I had been waking up recently with severe night sweats (soaked bed clothes in the morning) - another early symptom of Hogkins Lymphoma. I panicked and imediately concluded I must have cancer. All the signs added up, I was absolutely convinced. I was also sure it wasnt a fatty lump (Lipoma) as it was too deep and too small, which led to two possible diagnoses: a cyst or an enlarged (and possibly early cancerous) lymphoma. I suddenly panicked and had never felt more terrified in my life. I was lucky enough to be able to pay for a private GP who saw me instantly. She said it was concerning enough to have a blood investigation (particularly due to the nigtht sweats too) and to have an ultrasound which I had that afternoon. I am pleased to say that it was not cancer. They couldn't say exactly what it was, but it is either a small cyst or a lymph node which - for an unknown reason - was slightly closer to the skin and had very slightly enlarged (again, for an unknown reason). There was zero evidence of a noticeable bloody supply which would be more characteristic of a tumour. 

I am posting this to demonstrate that whilst you might freeze in panic and automatically expect the worst, it does not mean that you have cancer. I was convinced I did. It is worth getting checked in case even if you're scared as the doctor told me that if you are diligent (like me) and catch it early, the prognosis can be excellent. She has a friend who survived it, even at a slightly later stage, and now is living a perfectly normal life with two youg children. Good luck to everyone and try your absolute best not to assume it's cancer like I did. Merry Christmas x