Hi,
I posted this on another thread, but no one has replied, so I am going to try it this way. About 2 weeks ago I found a lump under my jaw close to my neck. I just checked it every once and a while, but it didn't go away, so I went in to my doctor this week. I was running a slight fever when I went in, so she put me on Zithromax for 5 days to see if it would go down. I have not noticed it changing at all in the las 3 days, and have to go back in Monday for a recheck. She said if it wasn't gone by Monday she would send me on to a specialist. Has anyone else had anything like this? I have not had any other symptoms, except the fever, and I have noticed lately that my hair is falling out way more than usual. I am wondering if I should ask her to run some blood work on Monday, or should I wait til she sends me on? I am a little scared about this and would appreciate some advice from anyone that has had a similar experiance!! Thanks!

momof4luvs2run!!!

Hi,
I posted this on another thread, but no one has replied, so I am going to try it this way. About 2 weeks ago I found a lump under my jaw close to my neck. I just checked it every once and a while, but it didn't go away, so I went in to my doctor this week. I was running a slight fever when I went in, so she put me on Zithromax for 5 days to see if it would go down. I have not noticed it changing at all in the las 3 days, and have to go back in Monday for a recheck. She said if it wasn't gone by Monday she would send me on to a specialist. Has anyone else had anything like this? I have not had any other symptoms, except the fever, and I have noticed lately that my hair is falling out way more than usual. I am wondering if I should ask her to run some blood work on Monday, or should I wait til she sends me on? I am a little scared about this and would appreciate some advice from anyone that has had a similar experiance!! Thanks!

momof4luvs2run!!!

When you say lump, how big would you describe it. Any pain? It could be a reactive node

I am trying to get answers for my friend as well, although she has a lump that is in the nape of her neck and has been bothering her for some time...she thought that it was muscle tension and a couple of days ago she either got a bite of some sort or a pimple and anyway it is now kinda raised hard and not moveable.

ANy input?
Bec

I would say it is about pea sized on the surface, but if I press around it, I would say it is dime sized overall. It is hard, and not movable. It does not hurt at all. How fast would the antibiotic cause a swollen node to decrease in size??? Should it be shrinking by now if it was just an infection??

:confused:

Ok, one more question I have...are reactive lymph nodes usually painful or not? I could not find any information on the web. Thanks!!!

my little boy just had 2 reactive nodes removed, they were never painful. He had them for several years and is only 5. It was a bit smaller than an inch and seemed hard to me when I pushed on it. It never went down when he was on any kind of antibiotics throughout the years......

HI momof4luvs2run :wave: i recently had a lymph node which i think is a reactive one coz it appeared when i had an enfection near by and disappeared when the infection cleared up. it was just about the size of a pea but i got worried coz it was not the usual warm, tender or slightly painful like what i usually experience when i have a swollen lymph node. so now i realize some reactive lymph node can sometimes be not painful or tender. hope it helps. :)


-Angel :angel:

Ok, I went back in to the doctor today since the antibiotic did not cause it to go down. She wants to send me on to a specialist, but is unsure where to send me. The lump is under my jaw close to my neck. It is over 1cm. Anyone have any suggestions who to see next??? Thanks!

momof4luvstorun

Ok, I went back in to the doctor today since the antibiotic did not cause it to go down. She wants to send me on to a specialist, but is unsure where to send me. The lump is under my jaw close to my neck. It is over 1cm. Anyone have any suggestions who to see next??? Thanks!

momof4luvstorun

I would see a surgeon - that's what I did. I have a pea size node on the right side of my neck near my collar bone. I discovered it last November when I had a bad cold. It was still there in January so I decided to go to a surgeon. Typically, a surgeon can tell by touch whether a swelling warrants further investigation. It's my experience that general doctors would send you to a surgeon as they never want to take a change and dismiss things like this. I went, he said it was a reactive node, he sent me for a chest xray which was fine. It's June, I still have it! It's still pea size and makes me crazy but I try not to touch it. I have been touching it these past few days because I came down with a summer cold which involves throat activity so I couldn't help touching it.

I think I read that the more you touch something like this, the more active it stays. But, once the cold settles down, I do plan to see Dr. Dave (the surgeon) on another matter and will point this out to him again.

So, my suggestion, go to a surgeon!

We saw a Head and neck Surgeon.

Today she called me and said she talked to another doctor and now I am to just leave it alone and it should go away. This other doctor never even saw me or felt the lump. Should I see a specialist yet on my own??? I am really confused. She never did any blood work or anything. Do I just sit it out and wait to see if it gets bigger, or see someone else right away? Any advice would be helpful! Thanks
momof4luvs2run

Today she called me and said she talked to another doctor and now I am to just leave it alone and it should go away. This other doctor never even saw me or felt the lump. Should I see a specialist yet on my own??? I am really confused. She never did any blood work or anything. Do I just sit it out and wait to see if it gets bigger, or see someone else right away? Any advice would be helpful! Thanks
momof4luvs2run

You're going to make yourself crazy! You sound so much like me. I just made an app't with my surgeon for a mammogram followup. The app't isn't until August but at least I went ahead and did it! At that time, I will have him check this pea size node on my neck again. Right now, I have a summer cold and my throat is bothering me so that leads me to touch the damn thing!

Why don't you do this - either call the doctor's office and ask them for a name of a neck/head/throat surgeon or if you don't want to do that, ask around to your friends who may be able to call their doctor for a recommendation for you to see a specialist. You are not going to relax until you have a specialist tell you it's okay. I am the same exact way. I worry myself to no end about these kinds of things. Fear of the unknown gets you all the time and worry doesn't make it go away, it only magnifies it. If you don't want to call the doctor's office or friends, then call your local hospital and ask for a referral to a surgeon who specializes in node activity.

That's what I would do!

My friend who was diagnosed with throat cancer(actually his tonsil) had a lump about the size of a large walnut. His lymph nodes were swollen too. He went to a doctor who then sent him to an Ear, Nose + Throat specialist. That doctor knew right away it was cancer and forwarded him for a biopsy.The lump was not painful and not moveable. Please push the issue to get peace of mind! If it is cancer it is much easier to treat in the early stage. Good luck & God bless!

Thanks so much for your posts! I call the ENT in our area. It turns out he had a cancellation today and could get me in at 5:30! We are leaving on vacation Sat. and it will be much easier know I have this taken care of! Thanks again, and I'll keep you posted!

momof4luvs2run

Hi there Mom... I am a male, 47 yo. I noticed a "lump" or what was just a marble sized object on the right side of my neck, close to the ear area back in December 2003. I didnt pay much attention to it at the time, as it never hurt or was uncomfortable. Then, in January 2004 it got larger, and still didnt hurt, but felt as if it were "tugging" on my neck area. Well, it reappeared about 6 weeks ago, and it got quite large, and very hard to touch. Still with no pain, but i noticed that my voice was getting very hoarse, and it was hard to breath at times as well.
I went to my GP who ordered a CT of the neck. It revealed a hard "leasion", tumor type of object. I went to see the ENT shortly after this who described it as possible lymphoma. He did the biopsy on me this past Wednesday,. 7-7-04, amnd the results wil be here in a few days. Also, I was having the breathing problem as well, so a second CT ws ordered by my Oncologist. The 2nd CT has shown significant damage to my lungs.
As this type of cancer is noticible in one area, it usually originates from another spot, and right now, it is felt that maybe I could have lung cancer as well.
Whatever you do, please, PLEASE follow through with ALL appointments or rocedures, even though fright might be there, Jesus is there with us as well, I hope to hear from you, good luck to you Mom....
Pat

Thanks everyone for the posts! I went the the ENT and he said it was nothing to worry about! So, good news! It has not gone down at all, but I am still going to keep an eye on it in case it changes in size!!

momof4luvs2run

momof4luvs2run,

A pea sized lymph node isn't even considered swollen, so you shouldn't worry about this at all. You can wait a few weeks without touching it and see if it gets bigger if you like, but I wouldn't even bother. My guess is the very little this node has enlarged is due to the fever you have been having.

Let me know what you learn,
Matt LaBelle,

Just wanted to update what was going on here! I went back to an ENT today. He said the lump in my neck was too hard to be a reactive lymph node, and the location does not really indicate lymph node. He wants me to go back in, in six weeks, and see how much it has grown. At that time we will decide if a biopsy is in order. I am so glad that at least we finally have a plan of action!! Thanks for all your posts and concern! I am just praying this turns out to be a benign growth and nothing serious!

momof4luvs2run

Hi, everyone,
Tomorrow I go back to the ENT after a six week wait to see what the lump in my neck did. It has grown to about marble sized. I was wondering if I should now insist on a biopsy. I have been messing with this since the beginning of June! Any insight would be helpful!

momof4luvs2run

I am having a biopsy next Tues! Finally we will find out for sure what this is!
The doctor thinks it is just a cyst!

momof4luvs2run

I am having a biopsy next Tues! Finally we will find out for sure what this is!
The doctor thinks it is just a cyst!

momof4luvs2run
Good luck momof4

It really seems like to me that you like I have got to stay on the doctors to get them to beleive that something is wrong. I have heard on these boards the squeaky wheel gets the grease and I beleive that is true. You will be in my thoughts and prayers for good news.

Chazzzzzz

I was wanting to see how things went today.. I hope all went well for you. Please, let us know. I feel like we are in the same boat as far as the waiting game goes.
When do you get the results?
Did the surgeon say anything?
Sorry, I am also nervous for me and don't really know what to expect.

wish

Hi,
I just want to say thanks to everyone for their concern. The surgery went really well. It only took less than an hour. They just gave me some drugs to make me sleepy and a local anesthetic SP?? Anyway, they did not find a cyst. Instead they said they removed a bunch of "tissue". This is being sent to a lab for evaluation, so I guess I get to wait some more. The Doctor said it didn't look like anything serious, so that is good. I have to go back in, in a week. I will let you know how it goes! Thanks again for your concern, and please let me know how everything goes with the rest of you!!!

momof4luvs2run

Hi,
I just want to say thanks to everyone for their concern. The surgery went really well. It only took less than an hour. They just gave me some drugs to make me sleepy and a local anesthetic SP?? Anyway, they did not find a cyst. Instead they said they removed a bunch of "tissue". This is being sent to a lab for evaluation, so I guess I get to wait some more. The Doctor said it didn't look like anything serious, so that is good. I have to go back in, in a week. I will let you know how it goes! Thanks again for your concern, and please let me know how everything goes with the rest of you!!!

momof4luvs2run

When will the results be in? I heard a usually it is about 2-3 days.. Let us know how it all turns out.. I hope it all goes well..

wish

where are you momof 4luvstorun?
I've been reading all the posts and I'm concerned about you. Did you get the results back yet?
I've gone through and am still going through what you are and I can relate to the anxiety and all the distress that goes along with finding a Dr.who really listens to us and pursues an answer.
Please write back.
Sincerely,
Linda

Hi,
Thank you for the concern. We left for the weekend, so I wasn't around a computer at all. I am still waiting on the biopsy results. I go back in for a recheck on Tues. so I should find out more for sure by then. Thank you so much for your concern, and I will keep you posted as soon as I know anything!

momof4luvs2run

Hi,
Had my doctor's appointment today. It was a benign fibroid tumor! Thank you all for your concern!

momof4luvs2run

:bouncing: :bouncing:
:) :) :)
That is great news that it isn't cancer...

So, are they going to remove it or what is the plans?

wish

The doctor thinks he got it all when he did the biopsy. I have to go back in a month from now when the swelling is down, so he can feel around and find out for sure!

momof4luvs2run

I hope it is all gone...

wish