Why cant I trust the doctor, eben though he has 20 odd years of exp. (re lump on jaw)

A few week before xmas I found a lump on my jaw area (near the back) I made an appointment and was see by a locum who said that as I noticed it about the same time as I had a cold, it was probably a swollen lymph node and should go down in a few days (although she did say it could take up to 6 weeks to go down), I was told to come back after xmas if it had not gone down, it hasn't so I went back last week, could not see my usual doctor, but I did see the older doctor knowing no history about my HA he said it feels like a reactive lymph node and it could take months to go down and nothing to worry about unless it gets bigger or I start to feel unwell.

The trouble is I came away feeling better and reassured, but now a few days later I feeling all panicky again, I mist feel it 50 times a day, I have started to feel unwell, but I sure its the anxiety and I know that thinking about an area your brain muddles up and makes the symptoms worse, I know all this, yet I cant relax and feel as though I am a few weeks away from a .. you have ** months to live chat. Writing this I know how crazy it sounds and tomorrow I might feel differerent, but right now it feels so real.

Sorry to hear your not feeling too good, I know how hard it is too believe what a doctor says sometimes ( well most of the time) and i think you answered the question yourself by saying the anxiety is making it worse and making you feel ill, try and do some relaxation exercises and try to think posotive, easier said than done i know but you will get through this and feel better soon i promise! xxxxx:hugs:

I find that having a plan in place can help enormously with my health anxiety. So for example if I was you I would say okay if after 6 weeks I still ahve this node then I will go back to the Dr and ask for investigations. Or if before then the node gets bigger and I am only allowed to feel it once a day or get a fever then I will go back and ask for investigations.

See if this helps you.

I wish i could give you advice on how to get over this but i just wanted to chime in to let you know your not alone on this, i'm the exact same way, even when they do tests like an ekg, i get the results and feel relieved but later i start thinking maybe the test was wrong or something and i'm sure there is something they missed. Sorry your going through this:hugs:

i fully understand what you are going through as i have just been through the exact same.i have a swollen lymph node.i was told and told by doctors that it was of normal size and would go down in a couple of weeks.well it didnt and my HA got worse and worse.luckily for me my doctor referred me to the hospital and i had a biopsy and it did turn out to be a reactive node.i know mine is 100% ok ,the reason im telling you is because mine is still there coming up to 3 months.so the can remain for some time after an infection.
please try not to worry,i worried myself stupid and my doctor was right in the end and im sure yours is too.
please feel free to pm me if you want to chat
linzi xxx

well today I woke up and it felt much bigger, I freaked out all morning and then this afternoon while I was waiting in a queue I felt it again and it felt really small again, I think something in my head clicked and it was like "Sort yourself out" so I noticed that the lump does move slightly and when its on the jaw line it feels bigger and when its just under it feels smaller, so going to try not to panic, doing well so far.

my consultant told me that if it moves its a really good sign.xx

thanks Linzi that makes me feel much better. xx

Hi all, Iv'e got this lump as well and have had for more than 15 years. I vividly remember the first time i felt it, i was sitting at work with my head resting on my hands when i felt something move underneath my fingers under my jaw. It is safe to say i nearly messed myself and spent the rest of the day asking all my work mates to have a feel and did they think it was cancerous. As soon as the doctors surgery was open i was at the desk begging the seceratary for the first appointment as i was seriously ill, only for the doctor to take one look and say it was a swollen lymph gland. - What a let down!! and to top it off he didn't even want to see me again to check it as i had no other symptoms and didn't feel unwell. Over the years i have seen the doctor numerous times about this, sometimes the lymph has been huge and visible but the prognosis is always the same. In recent years i have also had a problem with the nodes under my armpit and the doc did tests to rule out glandular fever and i have had a mamagram and scan on the area. I have now resigned myself to the fact that i have very sensitive glands that swell every time there is a hint of a bug in the air, and as i write this i can still feel a little pea sized lump under my jaw so something is on it's way, just hope it's not this virus thats going around !!!

Jacq x

thanks Jacq, its reassuring to hear someone with the same thing as me. I found it pretty much the same way but at home asking my hubby to feel it every day with him thinking it was the jaw bone, I am still feeling it 20 times aday, but to be honest its much less than I was feeling it, so progress.