Neck fatter on one side. Please help. Really frightened.

[lyndau63]

Hi I have recently posted on the symptoms forum about a pain in the front of my neck. Unfortunately no replies but that is a lot better now. However my health anxiety is really bad at the moment and I am reaching out for help again as I feel I am going mad
My history of health anxiety goes back many years but won't bore you all with that now
Suffice to say I have been much worse for about 18 months and have now been discharged by the mental health team because of the current crisis. They simply don't have time for me any more. Anyway I am really frightened about my neck at the moment as it is definitely fatter on one side and I keep prodding it to check for lumps. I have also read that a swollen neck can mean thyroid or laryngeal cancer which is what I fear so much. Is it normal to have one side fatter than the other? I also keep feeling something hard on the opposite side. Is this just my health anxiety again?

[carriewriting]

First off, sorry to hear you are feeling so frightened. I have had the asymmetry fear before and learned that our bodies are never equal. It's very easy to get fixated on this though. I had to force myself to stop looking in the mirror until the compulsion went away. The only way to know if something is wrong with your neck is to go to the doctor, but my money is on anxiety. Try giving it a week. Don't look in the mirror at your neck for 7 days. Tell yourself that if on the 7th day you're still worried, you'll go to the doctor. During the week whenever you get the compulsion to check your neck, remind yourself that you're not checking it for a week. Nothing can change in a week, even the things you fear the most. I've used this technique a few times and it's really good with controlling compulsive checking. All the best.

[lyndau63]

Thank you Carrie for your reply. It does help to know that someone else has been through the asymmetry problem. I have spent the whole morning in my bedroom feeling my neck. It doesn't look any different but it feels so much bigger on the left side when I press it and compare it to the right. It feeks like huge swellings and I haven't been able to leave it alone. I have stopped now but don't know how long I can last without prodding it again.

[lyndau63]

This is an update. I eventually decided to ring the doctor, desperately hoping they would see me and check my neck. I had decided that my thyroid is enlarged so my mind is working overtime as you can imagine. There is a definite bump on the left side which is significantly bigger than on the right. Anyway they wouldn't see me but I have been for a blood test to test thyroid function. So I have to wait which I find very hard though I am trying to tell myself there are lots of less sinister thyroid problems than cancer.

[Fishmanpa]

It doesn't look any different but it feels so much bigger on the left side when I press it and compare it to the right.

The reality is much different than your perception. You're creating a fear to go along with the dragon IMO.

Positive thoughts

[lyndau63]

Thank you. That's a help. The dragon has been very busy lately.

[Sparky16]

My neck muscles are more pronounced on my left side than on my right side, and I seem to have more subcutaneous fat on the left side of my neck as well. The weird thing is that it is my non-dominant side. A doctor once told me that this type of asymmetry is developmental, and depends on how you were positioned in the womb.

[lyndau63]

Thank you Sparky, that is reassuring. I have just had my blood test results and they are normal. I now have to wait for my regular appointment with my GP which is on 2nd June to have her actually check my neck but I do feel reassured by the thyroid function results and your comment. I just have to try not to keep checking. Thanks again.

[lyndau63]

Hi again. I have only just drawn a line under this problem so thought I should post. To cut a long story short, I saw my GP a week later than planned because she was on leave. She couldn't find anything wrong with my neck but referred me to the hospital to settle my mind. I saw her on Tuesday at 9 and by 10 I had an appointment at the hospital. I went yesterday (only two days later) and all was well of course. I have to have CT scan to see whether my thyroid is putting pressure on my larynx but that is not urgent so I am trying not to worry about that. Thank you to all who replied to me.
HOWEVER, not surprisingly, the peace and relief I felt was short lived. Today I am in a panic about something else. Do I post it on here to keep the thread of my anxiety going or do I start a new post? It is a bit personal so not sure whether to post in "symptoms ".