Lump under my right ear..?

[JDMFanYo]

Around 6 months ago I felt a noticeable lump under my right ear.

If you follow your jaw line from your chin, it turns goes vertical pretty much in line with your ear lobe.

I can feel a noticeable lump then behind this bit (where you can then feel your neck muscles), though when I brought this up with the doc, they seem to think that there's nothing there. After a minute of somewhat massaging she said 'it doesn't feel cancerous' and that was it..

Could it be a swollen gland of some sort? I thought the glands were a little lower down

It also aches every now and then

And what the hell does cancer feel like?

Edited by JDMFanYo on Thursday 11th February 15:00

[Matt Evans]

I've had something similar to your description. Felt like a round, hard ball just where my ear lobe joins my head. If I remember correctly, mine was just a bit of gristle, or a deep spot. Either way it went away eventually.

Probably now wedged in my brain or something.

[dougc]

JDMFanYo said:

And what the hell does cancer feel like?

Edited by JDMFanYo on Thursday 11th February 15:00

A bit like a swollen gland that aches every now and then...

[JDMFanYo]

Matt Evans said:

I've had something similar to your description. Felt like a round, hard ball just where my ear lobe joins my head. If I remember correctly, mine was just a bit of gristle, or a deep spot. Either way it went away eventually.

Probably now wedged in my brain or something.

Yep, exactly that!

dougc said:

JDMFanYo said:

And what the hell does cancer feel like?

Edited by JDMFanYo on Thursday 11th February 15:00

A bit like a swollen gland that aches every now and then...

I was curious as to whether it had some sort of 'texture', so to speak. When the doc says '"doesn't feel like cancer", I assume it has it's distinct properties?

Edited by JDMFanYo on Thursday 11th February 15:39

[RDMcG]

Cyst?..quite common,those

[MacGee]

cancer has certain tactile properties...which I wont go into....

[Daisy Duke]

Whilst tumours do feel different to other lumps such as cysts, you can't tell the difference between a benign and a cancerous lump purely by touch. I suspect your doctor felt a cyst as this sounds like a cyst in the Parotid salivary gland. In which case it will probably go away by itself. If it doesn't, it can be removed surgically, if need be. You don't mention having any problems with saliva flow so it's unlikely to be a salivary gland stone.

[ScottishSamurai]

I had the exact same thing last week, almost gone now. Was wondering WTF it was

[Moose.]

Could be a salivary gland. Does is hurt/swell more during/after eating? I get occasional stones in my lower ones which cause the gland to swell up and hurt during eating. They usually pass in a few days or so and it all goes back to normal. If it's not passing you might need to have an ultra-sound to see what's up. I had one last a few weeks once which was pretty painful!

[AMLK]

As others have said, it sounds like a parotid salivary gland. You say that you felt it about 6 months ago - is it still there? If so, I would pop back to the docs and asked for it to be checked again. It probably is just a cyst, but for piece of mind I would want it checked.

[ScottishSamurai]

Hmmm mentioning glands. I had started glandular fever last June/July and I'm still getting blood tests etc etc, it's just my livers that are having problems now but could it be related at all?

The swelling is miniscule now,barely notice it.

[JDMFanYo]

Yeah still got the lump, just feel like a dick going back to the doc, it's as though I'm undermining her and she brushed it off last time as if I was imagining things.

[dougc]

Mate, don't spare your doctors feelings if you think you have a problem.

If it helps, go and see a different doctor at the same surgery and ask for a second opinion...

[pistolp]

Don't listen to specualtion on the internet from a bunch of petrolheads, you'll just worry yourself sick when no one here has a clue about these things. get a second opinion from another doctor and ask for a scan if necessary - it is probably a gland but better to be on the safe side

[Turbo cab]

JDMFanYo said:

Yeah still got the lump, just feel like a dick going back to the doc, it's as though I'm undermining her and she brushed it off last time as if I was imagining things.

From experience if its cancerous it wouldn't ache.

When i was sixteen I noticed a lump in my neck, Went to the doctors only to be told it was a gland.

Over the space of two years and several more doctors appointments I had them running from close to my shoulder blade to near the back of my ear - Some had grown in size and they had started appearing again on the other side of my neck.

Another doctors appointment insued only to be told again it was just glands, Anyway I demanded to be refered to a specialist, Lucky my parents had private healthcare and I was covered.

They removed one of the lumps for inspection only to be told two weeks later it was cancer - Hodgkins disease.

Having just turned 18 it didnt exactly go down well .

Anyway the moral of the story is it didn't ache one bit, More than likely a swollen gland or blocked sweat gland.

[AB]

I was always told that cancerous lumps arent painful which is why when the lady doctor was poking my testicles and they were hurting she seemed quite happy.

Lumps under the ear, probably glandular.

[JDMFanYo]

Yeah I appear to have pissed it off by poking it a lot, so it's suddenly got rather large!

Will book an appointment sometime next week, our local surgery is utter ste.

Reception: "Is it an emergency?"
Me: "Well, I don't think I'm dieing"
Reception: "You'll have to call back tomorrow"

This happens pretty much every time I call, you can only book an appointment the SAME DAY, and first come first served basis when you call after 8:30am (phones engaged for an hour). Once booked for the day, you have to try the next day.

wkers.