Lymph Node in the Neck Worry

[Renee]

I felt a lump in the back, right side of my neck. Went to the doctor a week later, he felt it, said it was a lymph node. He told me it was very small, soft and movable, whereas cancerous one are hard and fixed. He said if it is still there in a month he can biopsy it for me. He knows I suffer from anxiety as well. I am so afraid it is not going to go away, it is going to be lymphoma, and so on and so on. I am a 35 year old wife/mom of two. I've stopped poking at it and googling about it, which has helped my anxiety a lot. My Dr. said to check it once a week, and I am sticking to that, howver now I am anxious to check it, afraid I will swirl down the panic attack hole again. Help!

[Ambers]

I have a large gland in my groin which has been there for months. It is the size of a thumb (yep that large). I have already seen a specialist who thinks it is fribrotic - I go back again for my next appoitment today. I have had all the signs of Lymphoma - itching, bruising, tiredness, flu-like feeling - but I think these feeling comes with stress and worry of 'thinking' I have Lymphoma. If it is a pin biopsy this may not confirm cancer so I would seriously consider wether your doctor is just doing this to calm your worries. My specialist confirmed that soft small and moveble are good signs - mine is also soft (but not moveable). In the last few months I have learned so much about this cancer (and not from google - dont do it) and actually what makes this particular cancer much less scary is that it is the 'most treatable cancer there is' so try to angle your fears positively as I have done and now I feel so much less scared of this type of cancer relieving my anxiety in turn relieving my symptoms. HTH x