lump at base of head left side,flapping!!

[bexy1970]

hiya
im kind of freaking out,found a round lump at top of neck on the left side,just where neck meets my hair line,its round and painless,cause ive diagnosed myself with cancer,can neone help?? x

[countrygirl]

I'm not a Dr obviously but I have had lumps in same place and they have been raised lymph nodes - they usually go away in a couple of weeks and can be caused by a simple spot or scratch on your scalp or neck. At this stage there is nothing to worry about honest as they are so common. I will get one every few years. Best advice is to wait and see ( yes Iknow!) but if you rush off to the Dr they will only tell you to come back in a month if its still there so I would say wait two weeks before going. don't keep prodding or you will make it hurt as well. Feel it once a day just one feel to see if its is much bigger or not, otherwise leave it alone, if necesary tie your hands together

[bexy1970]

thank you for replying,i do have exema on back of my head which has been sore,so maybe thats whats triggered it,didnt know we had lymph nodes there!!!had one on my groin once and doc said the same x

[bexy1970]

neone else?? x

[Anxious_gal]

ya totally, you can have lymph nodes there, I get them a lot behind my ears in the hairline.

[Phwoffy]

I've had a 'lump' in the front of my neck for ages (had everything checked by doctor recently and she said it all feels fine) but whilst poking around I managed to find a lump in the same sort of place as you've described. It involved getting my head into a ridiculous position (getting me strange looks from my boyfriend!) and if I do it now I will find it again. So I won't!
As everyone says it could be a gland or just some other bump that is either supposed to be there or will go down in a few days. If you're very worried check it next week and see if there's any change; if it's bigger then pop to the doctor to set your mind at rest. Most likely it's nothing and if you don't poke it it'll go down soon

[bexy1970]

lol..ta folks,i know thats my problem,poke,fiddle!!! everyone in works had a feel!!!!trying to leave it alone!!! have got a cut on my back so maybe it is a lymph node!!!xx

[Dying_Swan]

Sounds like a lymph node to me! That's a very normal place to get a raised lymph node, and as someone else said, a scratch or a recent infection could well have caused it.

I'm the queen of lymph nodes....I had one in my neck (in a very different place to yours) which the GP kindly (!) told me might be cancer but just to leave it a while and see!! To cut a long story short, I had bloods, x-rays, scans and and biopsy and I was frantic for a couple of months while it was all going on. Finally I had a scan with a specialist radiologist who said it was completely normal! It's still there 18 months later, and I have two more now. I do worry about them sometimes but they aren't growing so I try to ignore them. I do make sure I don't have any in my armpits or groin.

Note - the more you prod it, the bigger it will feel. Lymph nodes are very sensitive so poking them seems to make them swell a bit. Try to leave it alone, and just keep an eye on it to make sure it's not getting bigger. By all means see the GP for reassurance (I always do when I get one!), and hopefully you will feel better soon!

Take care,