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Does this lump sound like its a swollen lymph node?

About a week ago at most, I had an awful sore throat. It was one of those sore throats were you actually dread swallowing, it wasn't just a minor nuisance. It lasted only one day and there was no redness that I could see so I just put it down to a virus or something.

2 days ago I started getting pains in my right ear and my jaw bone. My jaw felt tender to the touch and after proding about, I felt a hard lump behind my ear and almost feels connected to my jaw bone. It does feel hard, I don't know if I would say its moveable, to me it feels like the skin around it is the only thing moving and its extremely tender and painful to touch. The pain when I touch that or my jaw bone kinda feels like sunburn pain if you know what I mean. Also hurts a little to lie on that side. The lump is about maybe 1-1.5cm big.

My throat has been hurting on and off today but nothing major and my nose is kinda sore and I have a tickly cough that comes and goes.

As you all know I'm the world's biggest hypocondriac (or however you spell it lol). I have a docs appt for Monday, need to get my BP checked for my pill anyway so I'll ask the doc to check it out. I've had my fair share of throat and chest infections but when I've had them I've never though to check my glands so I dunno if this is how they usually feel when you are ill or recovering. I'm also mega stressed with uni, family and shizz if thay goes for anything.


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Its probably just a swollen gland and I wouldn't worry overly... just get the doc to check it over.
Reply 2
I just checked it. The pain in my jaw bone and the surrounding area is pretty much gone and the lump doesn't hurt as much when pressed, still pretty tender though when you do press it but I can now lie on that side at least. Is that a sign the node is going down?
Yea I would say its a good sign the pain is going away.

Are you sure you have only just got this lump? Maybe you have had it a while but that is you just noticing it?
Reply 4
I'm pretty sure I haven't had the lump for more than a couple of days because I am always checking my mouth, neck etc because I am paranoid lol.
Reply 5
Just out of the docs, she said she thinks it is a swollen lymph node and that I have bubbles in my ear the same side where the lump is so it might be an ear infection that is causing it so gave me a weeks worth of amoxicillin and made me a follow up appt for next week to see if its went down and if not, she wants me to get blood work. I'm blooming hoping it goes down! I'm terrified in case it doesn't and it turns out to be lymphoma :frown:

Her attitude wasn't very comforting either. I told her I am worried in case it doesn't go down and it could be cancer and she shrugged her shoulders. Thankfully my next appointment isn't with her.
Original post by Yasmin25
Just out of the docs, she said she thinks it is a swollen lymph node and that I have bubbles in my ear the same side where the lump is so it might be an ear infection that is causing it so gave me a weeks worth of amoxicillin and made me a follow up appt for next week to see if its went down and if not, she wants me to get blood work. I'm blooming hoping it goes down! I'm terrified in case it doesn't and it turns out to be lymphoma :frown:

Her attitude wasn't very comforting either. I told her I am worried in case it doesn't go down and it could be cancer and she shrugged her shoulders. Thankfully my next appointment isn't with her.


To be fair, she probably didn't really know what to say to that. I tend to worry like mad too, but I'm trying to train myself to calm down and be more realistic about things.


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Reply 7
I should have asked her for something to keep my anxiety at bay while I wait and see if the lump goes down! At least she found something that could cause a swollen lymph node, I suppose that's a good sign.
Reply 8
I've just taken my 5th pill of amoxicillin (pack of 21, 3 a day for a week). When should my swollen node start to go down roughly dya think?

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Reply 9
If the lymph node is painful to touch, which you mentioned that it is, that's a sure sign that it's enlarged due to an infection. More suspicious diagnoses for swollen lymph nodes all tend to come from painless swollen lymph nodes. I'm sure you'll be fine.
Reply 10
Its not really painful any more. It was for a few days, I could have cried with the pain but its ok to touch now and has been for a day or so.

Btw how moveable are lymph nodes meant to be? I'm sure I have plenty of swollen ones before but never noticed them. When I stick my neck right out, I can't really move it at all but when I am sitting back or normally, when I push it in it kinda crunches feels as tho it moves up and down a tiny bit.
Reply 11
Mine are fairly moveable, but they are stuck in position - if that makes any sense? Like I can squeeze them, move them around about a wee bit but they're essentially stuck in place.
Reply 12
That's exactly what this one is like. It feels stuck to something, probably muscle, but certain ways I am sitting I can move it slightly up and down.

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Reply 13
Half way through my antibiotics and the lump hasn't went down at all :frown: feels more ball shaped rather than oblong now

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Reply 14
Well that's me on my last day of pills and the node is pretty much the same, maybe slightly smaller but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

I've had a fever since last night and I just took a pic of my throat and there are lots of red dots and red patches up the roof of my mouth and near the top of my throat. Agony to swallow! I also still have earache and not just in the ear where the doc found an infection, but in the other too.

I have a follow up appt tomorrow thankfully.

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Reply 15
Yeah maybe though I have a feeling its probably viral since I've come out in cold sores. Ah well, I'll see what the doc says tomorrow.

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how did you get on at the doctors? it sounds as though your antibiotics have failed but not to worry, your doctor will just give you another one to try :smile:
Reply 17
She said what is causing my white blisters and pain in my mouth is thrush because of the antibiotics and gave me some droplets for it. She checked my ears and said they are healing up nicely from the infection and felt the lymph node and said it wasn't that big (though to me it feels massive) she told me to stop playing about it and it should go down within 6 weeks but if it doesn't or it gets bigger or painful again out the blue, I've to go back. Never mentioned blood work or anything like that which shocked me because the doc I saw last week said I would likely have a blood test. Ah well, I'm gonna try and not worry about it now and not prod at it for a while and see how it goes :smile:
Reply 18
it sounds to me like it could be tonsillitis - I had it a month back and it was exactly like you have described - very painful throat, hard to swallow, very swollen and tender glands in my neck and ear pain - apparently that's related to the fact that the tube that drains fluid from your ear can get blocked by the swelling in your throat so the fluid builds up in your ears.

Most cases of tonsillitis are viral so antibiotics won't make any difference - I wouldn't keep taking them or bother trying others if they've not helped. Its most likely viral and so antibiotics won't do anything. It should just go down on its own - mine took a good week to improve tbh, but slowly the throat swelling went down and my ears unblocked and everything went back to normal :smile:
Reply 19
ohh hang on i've just seen your latest post haha never mind, I should read all the posts before I comment! :colondollar:

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