Hello

I'd like to share my experience of chasing referrals to see if anyone has any advice.

About 8 weeks ago, I found a lump in my neck. I'd also been suffering from bad itching of my legs every night for a few months before this. Since I hadn't been ill, I thought the lump was a bit strange and as it didn't go away after 3 weeks, I booked an appointment to see my GP. He said that he wanted to rule out lymphoma so was referring me under the 2 week wait system to ENT and Haematology. He also prescribed a sedating antihistamine to help me sleep at night and reduce the itching.

To cut a long story short, the GP surgery made a mistake and the referrals weren't actually sent off until 2 weeks later. I received an appointment date for ENT but nothing from haematology. I went along to the ENT appointment at the neck lump clinic where I had nasoendoscopy and an ultrasound on my neck, and they told me that the lump had no concerning features and only felt big because it is sitting on my carotid artery.

This reassured me somewhat but it's still enlarged and I don't know why. I'm also uncertain why I'm still suffering such bad itching, along with increasing fatigue now. I have had 2 blood tests, a month apart, which showed my neutrophil white blood cell levels were low but other counts were fine. The first was 1.43 and the latest was 1.16. My ENT appointment was a week ago and I've heard nothing from my GP, so I completed an E-consult yesterday and have been told that a colleague will chase the haematology referral. It's now been 6 weeks since I first saw my GP and I'm feeling pretty anxious about it all. Should they be contacting me to review my symptoms / have another blood test / re-refer me, or do you think they are assuming everything is fine now I've seen ENT?

I'm really not sure what next steps to take and having had weeks of chasing the surgery and the appointment, I'm feeling pretty disheartened by it all.

Any advice is appreciated, or stories of similar experiences or symptoms. Thanks so much.

Beth.