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Thread: Hard lump in neck, can't think of anything else :(

  1. #1

    Hard lump in neck, can't think of anything else :(

    I have a hard lump-like mass on my neck, a few inches below my ear (where my jaw starts). I've made the mistake of Googling this and it's right where some lymph nodes would be. The lump is deep and seems to be underneath my neck muscle. It's not tender at all and is very firm (I can't move or squish it at all). It's not on my left side at all.

    I went to the doctor not too long ago for an immigration physical, and he felt my lymph nodes and said he couldn't feel anything. He didn't press very hard, though, and as I said it's pretty deep so I doubt he could've felt it. I thought that he would comfort me by checking it, but I still find myself thinking and worrying about it all the time. I've made the mistake of going to Google, and of course everything comes up cancer. I'm a horrible carcinophobe and I'm extremely unsure what to do... I don't have any insurance, but I can't think of anything it could be that wouldn't be serious. I just turned 22 and I feel trapped by my fear of the C word right now. I should have insurance in 6-8 months when my immigration finally processes, but until then I feel stuck, and I'm worried about waiting that long. I feel extra silly since I was JUST at the doctor's two weeks ago. Any advice or reassurance would be greatly appreciated! :(

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    66

    Re: Hard lump in neck, can't think of anything else :(

    Hi free, if you're lymph nodes were actually swollen - it'd be very visible, you wouldn't have to press on them to feel, they'd be sticking out of your neck!
    I went through lymphoma scare last year and I would poke and prode at mine all day long.
    Sometimes they would be firm which would scare the hell out of me sometimes not at all, nonetheless it would terrify me to dig my fingers into my neck and feel a lump which I had never really noticed before until I did some googling myself.. but really, you have nothing to be worried about. It's normal and certainly not the "C" word!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    314

    Re: Hard lump in neck, can't think of anything else :(

    Hello!! i have a gland under my jaw where yours is, i was really scared about it to, its grape sized and does feel firm.

    I went to the doctor who said it was nothing to worry about, i know alot of people have a gland just like this under their jaws, it hasnt got any bigger and i first noticed it about 6 months ago (but i think has been there longer)

    If you are very worried go to your doctor they usually know straight away when glands are something to worry about.

    xx

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    444

    Re: Hard lump in neck, can't think of anything else :(

    you do know that there is a bone there too that feels like a hard bump. Feel the other side and see if it is there too. FYI...my right side is a bit bigger than the left. Many Doctors have felt it and said it was my skull.

  5. #5

    Re: Hard lump in neck, can't think of anything else :(

    Jeez, you all make great points... Google really makes it seem like any hard, immovable lump or bump is usually the "C" word - I must learn to stay away!

    MissJennayee: Yes, I'm right there with you! My dad got Hodgkin's when he was my age so it's been in my mind a lot. My more recent (and even less sane) concern is that it's something spreading from somewhere else - believe me, I know how dumb it sounds! Thanks so much for your support, glad to know there are others like me out there.

    meg86: It makes me feel lots better than you have something similar... it just feels quite fixed and firm, and isn't tender when I touch it. I've been having an issue with the ear on the side that it's on (tinnitus mostly) for a while, before I noticed the lump... maybe it's one of those things that swells up and just stays that way or something..

    Stressed32: I can feel something on the other side, but nowhere near the same size.. and it's not quite a distinct bump like on the right.

  6. #6

    Re: Hard lump in neck, can*t think of anything else :(

    Well I still can*t stop worrying/feeling the area... I wish I had a doctor friend who could just feel my neck and tell me if I should be concerned or not. It*s definitely VERY hard (can*t move, not spongy at all), and it feels like it could be something matted which has me even more worried. It*s right underneath my right neck muscle but I can feel it sort of extending. I broke down and went to Google to try and find something non-malignant it could be and had little luck.

    I feel so stupid since I was just at the doctor*s and he felt the area. I really just don*t feel like he was pressing hard enough; he said it felt slightly swollen but that it was probably the muscle, but I*m pretty sure that it*s the lump/mass pushing the muscle out that made it feel that way. I*m scared that he wasn*t checking thoroughly enough because it was just an immigration physical.

    I thought I*d get over this after my physical, but I guess not :( I just want to feel like it could be something normal but it doesn*t seem that way. It*s not at all tender, movable or squishy. I*m not positive that it*s a lymph node or anything but it just seems most likely as it*s in the correct area for that, and I don*t know of anything else that would cause a lump in the neck. It still isn*t visible (only when I feel it) but as I mentioned I*m really just worried that it*s a sign of something spreading from elsewhere. I wish there were a more affordable way of getting peace of mind here than taking another trip to the doctor!

  7. #7

    Re: Hard lump in neck, can't think of anything else :(

    Well, I leave on holiday tomorrow, wish me luck... still have the lump and still can't stop thinking it's metastatic cancer . Hopefully a nice vacation will help...

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    314

    Re: Hard lump in neck, can't think of anything else :(

    aww freeme i feel your pain, doctors are good at diagnosing lumps like this, it does sound like a lymph node to me. if you put lymph node in the search bar you will see lots of posts with people with a lump similar to yours in that area.

    Also if you keep prodding you will just end up making it sore and more enlarged.

    These glands under our jaws can sometimes stay enlarged after a infection and never go back down, if it was something sinister your doctor wouldnt dismiss it!

    I did get myself in a worry about it though, im ok about it now but for a while it bothered me.

    I hope it doesnt ruin your holiday! its more common than you think! take care!! x

  9. #9

    Re: Hard lump in neck, can't think of anything else :(

    Sorry to resurrect my own old post, but I didn't want to start a new thread as this is still my concern...

    My neck lumps are still there. I've been feeling the right side of my neck and comparing to the left and the right side just feels solid and hard by comparison. I made the mistake of googling "hard neck mass" and they say that it's almost always a sign of malignancy in adults (I'm 22). To quote one site, "A fixed mass is extremely ominous, with the exception of some infections, that’s going to mean malignancy in almost every patient." My neck mass is VERY hard and completely fixed.

    I'm sorry to rehash everything again, but I feel like I'm back at square 1... it hasn't gone away in 3 months though I don't think it's changed that much in size if at all. I have a full feeling in my right ear all the time and have trouble hearing, which I read is another sign that it's malignant. I'm absolutely terrified right now and think I should go to the doctor, though I'm still completely without insurance and barely can afford my monthly bills... I want to be told I'm just being silly and that it's not cancer but every sign points to the big C. I don't see what else it could be at this point. I'm supposed to be working right now and all I'm doing is obsessing and freaking out! Everything is so negative when it comes to neck masses like mine. One forum I went to had someone who posted with similar symptoms as mine - that is, next to nothing except for the mass - and they wound up having stage 4 cancer. I'm so scared right now and don't know what to do. Sorry for whining :(

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    1,082

    Re: Hard lump in neck, can't think of anything else :(

    Hi freeme

    My thoughts are that you must be pressing awfully hard into your neck to be able to feel this if its really down as deep as you say. What I would say to you is that if we were all able to press so deeply into body tissue anywhere on our body, we would all feel something. Some parts of our bodys are just not meant to be felt...they are just there if you see what I mean. If your lymph nodes, or glands were swollen or you had a cyst then you would see them, they would be visible. Your doctor has examined your neck in a way that doctors would do when looking for something that should'nt be there. If he could feel anything strange he would have referred you to an ENT specialist.

    You've obviously told the doctor about what you can feel and how long youve been aware of it, so he would've borne this in mind when examining you...why would he just ignore you? He knows what feels right and what doesn't. I would say you havent got cancer, you'd have far more symptoms by now if you had and would be quite ill. You're at the age when its common for neck glands to swell...its very common in teens and 20s..glandular fever is almost exclusive to young people, another name for it is the kissing disease. Its also common when you get a cold or an ear infection for you neck or jaw to be affected.

    To press so hard and deeply you could be feeling just a normal part or your throat. Perhaps its all the pressing and probing that making it feel bigger?

    Best wishes
    GH xx

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