Hard lump in neck, blocked ear? HA is high!

[Mipsy]

Hi, I'm new to No More Panic. It's been very helpful reading some posts. I've suffered from HA for 10 years now, since the birth of my first child. I've had some CBT and I'm better than I was, but occasionally some symptom brings it hurtling back!
For a while now I've had a hard lump on the right side of my neck, just below my main ear bone. It's brick hard and not shaped like a pea. Just a large lump. I put it down to dental work I've had over the past year (root canal). However, it's still there. Constantly touching it doesn't help either.
I also have a clicky jaw which could be due to dental problems (grinding at night). Inside my ear crackles. It also feel quite sinusy on my right side. My right eye weeps and gets blurry.
I went to the docs on Friday and he suggested I had a blocked eustachian tube and has prescribed me beconase steroid nasal spray. I'm also taking sudafed. It has helped a little but my ear is still blocked. I feel like I just want it to pop. I still have the hard lump.
A friend has leant me a facial steamer which I may try later.
My HA is telling me the hard lump which has been there for a good few months is something sinister. I stupidly googled adenoid cancer!
Has anyone else had similar symptoms I.e. hard lump, blocked sinus and ear tube and weeping, blurry eye?
Thank you all in advance :0)

[Anxious_gal]

I would guess yours is far more likely to be a cyst of some sort since it is hard :)

I get blocked ears too, it's worse when I'm walking :( I do have some sort of sinus issues but I use this sea salt water nose spray which is really good. I do wonder too if the TMJ might somehow be adding to he blocked ears :/

[Mipsy]

Hi AG, thanks for your reply. I might try the salt water spray.
I still keep prodding the hard lump. Getting anxious again. Need to do some CBT.
Anyone else had similar symptoms which I stated in my original post?
M x

---------- Post added at 23:27 ---------- Previous post was at 22:19 ----------

I stupidly googled as a colleague told me that glands can calcify causing them to be hard. I looked on a site that linked calcification and cancer. Now panicking again. Help!

[flori]

Mipsy, It sounds as if it`s just as doc said. It will be coming off the blocked tube. The hard lump will probably be a swollen gland.

[Mipsy]

Thanks Flori.
Anyone else had similar symptoms?
Many thanks x

[Patrick8]

My ears crackle ALL the time. It's quite common I think most people just don't notice it. That happens to my eye sometimes too. Often when waking up. I don'y worry about it. Again I think it's quite common.

As far as the bump if the doc examined it I would feel confident as they are typically very good at diagnosing bumps. They feel them all the time. I went 3 times(3 different docs) over a year to get some of my bumps felt and all the doctors took a matter of seconds to diagnose them as lipomas which are benign. I think yours is a swollen node? But still the docs know what to look for. Take confidence in that.

[Mipsy]

Thanks Patrick. It's reassuring to know I'm not alone.
I went to a private dr today. He gave me acupuncture and homeopathic medicine. He also felt it was an enlarged gland. I'm feeling more reassured. Thanks.

[Mipsy]

The lump in my neck below my ear still hasn't shown any signs of reducing. Can they stay hard and big for quite some time? Any experience anyone?
Thanks in advance.

[Mipsy]

Anyone? X

[sar_uk]

Mipsy this is so strange! I posted about the exact same issue 2 months ago although at the time I thought I had a cancer of the lymph nodes because everytime I typed in lump below ear into google it told me i had lymphoma.

Anyway i saw 2 docs. The first said I had a small chance of having lymphoma which sent my HA through the roof and even though she said it was small,she never gave me another option of what else could be causing it. She sent me for bloods and an ultrasound. While waiting for these tests I went to see a different gp(by chance as my gp wasnt in on the day i needed an appointment) for help with my anxiety as i wasn't sleeping. This time he did a thorough examination and said he thought it was due to a eustachian tube blockage and prescribed me a nasal spray. He also told me that it might never go down as some lymph nodes stay enlarged up to years after this type of issue but this is just your body defending it self and it just shows your body is doing what it should.

Fast forward 2 months and a crazy amount of anxiety. My blood test was clear and my ultrasound showed it was a normal swollen lymph node that will probably be permanently enlarged. I have finished the nasal spray and still have occassions when my ear feels blocked or I hear buzzing but it is alot better than it was. Apparently sometimes it can never be completely fixed.

So, yes my lump is still there but now I see it as a good thing. My body is still trying to tackle my ear problem and hasn't given up doing so even though my nasal spray is finished. I have had this lump for 3 months and expect it to be around for a while longer. You never know one morning I might just wake up and it will have vanished.

I'm sure you are fine but if anxiety is taking over your life go have a chat with your GP. In the end it did me the world of good -i hope this helps xx

[Mipsy]

Hi Sar uk, thank you for your reply. Relieved that yours turned out to be just as the second dr said.
I've stopped the nasal spray as it hurt. I'm taking sudafed, doing steam inhalation and taking homeopathic medicine for sinuses.
I'm hoping the blocked feeling will reduce and the lump will go down.
It's hard to say if the lump was there before as I haven't checked.
I've had 2 years of CBT and thought I was fine but I'm under a lot of stress ATM, so probably the reason for my HA returning.
Thank you once again. I'll let you know how I get on x