Hi there, I was wondering if someone more knowledgeable might be able to give me some advice or reassurance!

I'll try to keep this as short as possible!

I (34 years old, female) have an enlarged lymph node above my collarbone which appeared 4 weeks ago. It was very large when I first found it - approximately an inch in size. I also have an enlarged node on the same side where my jaw bone meets my ear (this particular node tends to be up a lot of the time & I was red flagged for it about 6 years ago).

My GP sent me for a chest x-ray & did some blood tests. They both came back clear but he still wasn't happy so referred me to rheumatology via the red flag system. Two weeks passed and I hadn't heard anything from the hospital but I figured there might be a delay due to covid. 

My GP phoned me after the two weeks and told me that the rheumatologist doesn't want to see me! I'm not sure what to do at this stage...

I was extremely worried about this node despite my best efforts to stay calm. I lost my mum to cancer 3 years ago & I've been getting very severe stomach & bowel symptoms which made me worry that if the node was cancerous it may have spread from my bowel (I don't have any of the main lymphoma symptoms). I received an urgent referral to a gastroenterologist in January 2020 but I've been told they won't be able to see me until at least 8-12 months from now (June 2021).

I know nobody can give me an idea of whether this node is malignant or not but I'm not sure what my options are if my referral has been refused? My GP said if it's still there after 6 weeks he'll refer me to ENT but I do have the worry in the back of my head that if it turns out to be cancerous, we're just adding unnecessary delay.

I'd obviously love to have a clear answer of what is going on with this lymph node and hopefully have my mind put at ease but do I have any options other than wait for the six weeks to be up?

Thanks so much if anyone can offer advice.