Cancer Research UK main site

Lumps in neck, waiting for ultrasound

NYsport5
Offline

I'm 19yrs old, October 2019 I discovered 3 lumps in my kneck, the doctor said they were fine felt small rubbery and he wasn't concerned. Recently the lumps have played on my mind, I felt them and they seem to have grown a bit, to me they now feel hard but are movable, had a phone call with the doctor and she's referred me for an ultrasound. ive done the wrong thing and had a google trip and the answers I got all point to them being something bad. Feeling very stressed, scared and confused, I'm young and healthy and the wait for an answer isn't helping. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this?

  • Offline

    Hey! 
     

    ive literally just commented on another post regarding lymph nodes! Have a YouTube and watched cherellethinks videos regarding lymph nodes (most recent lymph node videos)! 
    she does a good job at explaining why we can sometimes feel them and doctors aren't concerned so much! 
     

    An ultrasound will be good to see if they look suspicious! I have several in my neck, collarbone and armpit which don't "look suspicious" but had them since December so having mri Thursday! I'd recommend avoiding google but most cases lymph nodes are just normal maybe fighting an infection you didn't know you had!! It's on one area too which sounds great! Also if you are digging you are bound to find them, everyone has them they have a purpose. They are normally pea/bean size and shaped unless it's growing super crazy, larger than a CM or you have night sweats etc try not to assume the worst !! Your ultrasound will know more than me but I hope this reassured you as obviously I'm not a doctor lol!!

    besides worrying won't help anything anyways! Odds are more likely not cancer than anything cancerous!!

     

    becky ! 

  • Offline

    Hey :) 

    I have also had small, rubbery swollen lymph nodes in my neck for at least the past 6 months. I've been to the doctors several times but they just kept brushing it off as an infection even though I wasn't showing any obvious signs of one. 

    I've had a few other symptoms too like itching and night sweats so I went back to my GP and told them I was convinced it was something bad and she has referred me on a 2 week wait to the haematologists. I am only young as well and I'm feeling really anxious about what will happen :( The wait is the worst!! 
     

    I hope you get good news!! 

  • Offline

    Hey, how did you get on with your ultrasound? 

  • Offline in reply to KrissyRawrz
    Unfortunately still waiting for a letter off the hospital to actually go for the ultrasound :( the wait is horrible and stressful as I just want to go and get them checked, but really trying to not worry too much, hopefully have a better update soon :)
  • Offline in reply to NYsport5

    Try not to stress about it. I know just how horrible it is to spend weeks just waiting for scans and results. The current Covid 19 situation really doesn’t help much either. Whenever I get stressed out about waiting for scans, letters, operations or results I just try to take my mind off things and forget about it. When I was first Ill I would spend weeks not eating properly because I was so stressed out and scared. Not knowing what’s wrong and just waiting around for appointments and scans was always the worst for me. 

     

    Im a 16 year old NH lymphoma fighter, and while I did have lumps on my neck, they were very different to how you described yours, and I had many other symptoms, including fatigue, anaemia, stomach and chest pains, coughing, stiff joints, tinnitus, extreme weight loss, fevers, and others too. Just remember that cancer is so rare in young people. I got extremely unlucky, especially as I lead a healthy lifestyle before my diagnosis. Doctors usually will start with an ultrasound, and if they need more imaging then they may ask for a CT. But they can’t diagnose any lymphoma without a biopsy. 

     

    Have you been told what they’re looking for in the scan? Do they think it is infection based or something else? Hope you get a letter soon for your scan. Have you tried calling your hospital yet? It’s very easy to get lost in the system. Last year my GP told me she’d get me an appointment to have an X-Ray and that I should wait for a letter from my local hospital. A few weeks later I hadn’t received anything. My mum had to call them and it turned out that I wasn’t even in their system yet. Make sure they don’t forget about you. It’s a difficult time for the NHS, but you are still important, and it’s still important that they can get to the bottom of this and get you the treatment you need ASAP. Best of luck.

  • Offline in reply to EllaR27

    Thank you for your response, I'm Sorry to hear about your diagnoses, I hope you stay strong and healthy. The only reason I'm acctually going for an ultrasound is because I told the doctor I wanted one to ease my mind as I was worried for how long they'd been there, the doctor just never seemed concerned. I need to ring up to check if I have been lost in the system but I'm too scared to face anything incase it's bad. 

  • Offline in reply to NYsport5

    Wow you should definitely chase them up, you shouldn't have been waiting that long bless you. I hope you get your scan soon! 

  • Offline in reply to NYsport5

    The fact that your doctor isn’t at all concerned is really good news. Lymph nodes can sometimes take a while to go down after an infection. Ultrasounds are usually quick and painless, and it will be worth it to put your mind at ease.

     

    Many people are scared to go to hospitals or even doctors appointments. I’ve always been terrified, to the point where I hid my illness from my family for weeks because I couldn’t face it. I was in complete denial. But I got so Ill that I was rushed to A&E and taken to intensive care shortly later. My parents were told that I was unlikely to make it through the night. If I’d admitted to myself and my family that something was wrong sooner, I might not have ended up so ill. Obviously I’m ok now. But it’s so important that you face up to your fears instead of hiding away from them. If it is something sinister, then the earlier it’s caught, the better. And no matter what happens, you have people on this website who are very happy to offer support. 

    Hope you are ok.

     

  • Offline in reply to EllaR27

    Thank you for your response and I'm glad to here you're okay!

Speak to a nurse

Quick links

Follow us

Registered with Fundraising Regulator (logo)
Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.