ysco

In general, non-reactive lymph nodes should be soft, small (about pea-size) and hardly palpable if at all.

On the other hand, the most worrisome lymph nodes are typically large (>1.5cm), firm, rubbery, nontender, painless, fixed, plus those in conjuction with systematic symptoms (e.g. fever, night sweats, itching).

One of the most important factor as emphasized is whether the nodes have changed in size. If they come and go they are usually not cancer. If they persist and continuously enlarge then they may indicate cancer.

In your case, if they did not change in side then I wouldn't be too worried, even if they are firm and rubbery. This is pretty much uncompelling, they are most likely reactive lymph nodes due to previous infection and such (scalp irritation and even acne can cause nodes to enlarge in the neck too). Even thugh reactive lymph nodes typically clear up after several weeks, some can still take months and even years to completely clear away.

It's always not a bad idea to keep track of enlarged nodes to see if they change in size, just as safety precaution. It is much more worrisome if they grow further rather than not decrease in size in a given time.

This advice applies to you as well.