Help! I developed and discovered a tender swelling in front of my left ear thats not on the other ear. Technically it is an enlargement of the "anterior auricular node". This was 5 days ago. Its about the size of a big lima bean and just sort of sticks out, easily feelable. I went to the doc and he asked if I had any infections, cuts of my face, etc., no I had none. So he ordered blood tests-one was a cbc I know, but I am not sure what else. The results came back normal. I asked him "so do I need this biopsied?" He said no. He doesn't know what is causeing it. Well, its not sore anymore (surprisingly because I poke at it so much), its firm and non movable and I am wondering- well, what do I do now? It doesn't really bother me, except mentally. I asked about lymphoma and he said 99% sure its not, that I have a better chance of winning the lottery than developing a lymphoma. But I can't seem to get rid of the anxiety of it being there. Any advice or do I need to be posting on the anxiety boards? Any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[This message has been edited by moderator1 (edited 03-02-2003).]

Get another opinion fast.

Here's information on lymphoma:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lymphoma.html

If you are still worried, pls get a second opinion.

hi...I am a survivor of non-hodgkins lymphoma...the first doctor I went to told me that I had allergies...passed out cold the very next night so I decided to seek a 2nd opinion...seems that I had a huge mass down my throat and around my heart...soplease, if you are worried about this, it never hurts to get a 2nd opinion...even if it is just to ease your mind...remember also...early detection is the key...GOOD LUCK...Please keep us posted

My husband found his own Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma after being misdiagnosed with asthma and bronchitis for 9 months. Finally he trusted his intuition and got a full body scan (out of pocket). Had he trusted his physicians, he might be dead or in a worse state. We have learned a very important lesson about trusting physicians.

It never hurts to side with caution with regards to your health. You know your body better than anyone, and if you feel ill or something seems "just not right" continue on seeking medical attention until your questions are answered.