Hi,

Sorry to hear about your previous scare

I'm suffering from a similar thing I found a lump in the right side of my neck a couple of months ago which is also quite hard and doesnt move

I finally got an appointment with a gp on the 24th but my health anxiety is so bad right now the wait is horrible its hard not to convince myself its not something serious like cancer

I have had other symptoms over the last couple of months such as aching muscles all over my body, headaches and nausea but not sure if it could be related or not since my gp put that down to my anxiety 

I have had blood tests and apart from a slight deficiency in folic acid they've came back normal not sure if this is a clear sign it wont be cancer or not scared that they might of missed something 

I understand how scary it must be for you I'm quite scared myself to be honest 

Hi,

I'm a bit further along the road than you.

As far as I am aware the ultrasound can show that the lumps in your neck are either normal or not - it cannot definitively diagnose what is wrong with you.

If your U/S in abnormal you may be referred to a consultant, sent for further scans or a biopsy. 

I know how hard it is waiting for tests and results - fingers crossed for you

P

Hi C,

Thanks for your message and really sorry to hear you're also going through this. It's awful wondering if it's your mind that's making you so anxious you're having physical symptoms or if it's something else.

I had a blood test too and my bloods came back okay. But until they've examined the lump I don't think we will be able to tell anything from just bloods. 

Are you booked for a scan? Did they say what's happening next? 

Hang in there. I hate you're also going through this but I already feel 50% less crazy to know my worries aren't unreasonable and someone else feels the same. I hope that brings you some comfort too. 

Best wishes,

Bee

Hi P,

Thank you for your message and sorry you went through it too but thank you so much for answering my questions. 

I'm glad to know that the ultrasound will give at least some answers (normal or not) even if it's not the full diagnosis I hoped for. I guess patience is key. I am booked to see ENT in May face to face. It's a bit of a wait from the first scan which will be next week but I guess covid is impacting this and again...patience. 

I hope you didn't get bad news yourself and aren't waiting around for treatment if you did. Stay well. 

Best wishes,

Bee

Hi Bee,

I've never have had a cancer scare before but I can understand why this situ would bring all that back.

I have an enlarged lymph node. Have had it since Nov/Dec, blood tests showed my lymphocytes were low, but a second blood test showed they had bounced back to an okay level.

Had my ultrasound on Wednesday and it was 'atypical / abnormal'. Freaked me out tbh.

The process seems to be: you have the scan, and you can ask questions after they're done. They then send a report to your GP. If the ultrasound is done in a hopsital and it looks abnormal they can (I think) do a biopsy there and then.

They told me the report would be send to my doc within 7 days but they did it in a day. Now I'm just waiting to hear from my doc re next steps.

Have no idea re how many are beign vs probelmatic, but hopefully they'll tell you there and then if they see anything is wrong. If they don't, just ask.

The waiting is horrible.

Here if you need to talk.

G x

I know this isn't quite the same scenario but my son had 2 big lumps next to each other for 3 months. Since beginning of December. I was driving myself crazy thinking he had lymphoma because its actually common in young children under the age of 15.

He had his scan yesterday and was told they were both benign and nothing to worry about. Sometimes they flare up because of an infection and just don't go back down. I have one behind my ear for nearly a year now.

Today I had bloods and next week a chest xray but the gp isn't worried and she too said the same sometimes after an infection they don't go back down. I'm just have the xray for precaution because last yeat I had a terrible chest infection. 

Also with regards to Itching and your scalp I was under the impression that your glands in your neck swell because of scalp infections that you might not even know you have. The ultrasound Dr said that to me yesterday about my son.

Please try to stay positive, believe me I know it's scary but the one thing I now want to tell people after experiencing the most anxious 3 months of my life. Google isn't correct, nowhere did I ever find a site telling me "sometimes lymph nodes stay swollen for no other reason then after an infection they never went back down" and that's all I wanted to read for some reassurance. Xx

Hi Georgie, 

Thank you for sharing your experience and answering my questions. Thanks to everyone here, I feel a little more prepared for my scan next week (it's on the 24th). I feel nervous now so I definitely sympathise with you bout freaking out after the results. It really can't have been easy. *Hugs

It's good to hear they got back with the results pretty fast and you're discussing next steps. The wait is the worst so let's try and get each other through this. :happy:

Best wishes,

Bee

Hi Bee,

I'm so sorry to hear about what you're dealing with :( I'm in a bit of a similar situation myself, noticed a lump under and a bit behind my left ear in early January which is immovable, hard and painless. While I have never had a cancer scare before, I am also dealing with sky high anxiety waiting for my ultrasound and so I can only imagine what it's like when you've been through this before.

Your feelings by the way don't make you ungrateful at all and who wouldn't be impatient considering the results you're waiting for? It's such a normal feeling to just want everything to happen quickly and you shouldn't feel guilty. Every feeling you're having is natural and understandable.

Wishing you the absolute best with everything.