I have a small lump in my neck

How should I take this: I have had this small lump of cells for 1.5 yrs and recently it has begun to bother me. It feels bad for me to swallow anything and I have to cough a lot and then it feels odd in that area too. I visited a nose-ear-throat specialist with it and he said it (tissue of cells -?-) is located in between of 2 large neck-veins (there where that large neck-vain divides to 2). It is something like 'hard' tissue around that small thing which produces white cells. He said that I can wait and check it in every 2 weeks if it has grown or go into a biopsy... what should I really do or react to that? Yesterday I decided to get an appointment from cancer-specialist in our nearest big city. I have an appointment for him in 14th of Jan. All I would like to know is that: is there any possibility for that to be something 'not bad' or do I have to check it out every now and then for the rest of my life and be worried about it? My father had a kidney-cancer. He died in 1992 and I was pretty young then - I miss him a lot and he struggled well when he got sick. I am afraid of cancer - I do have to admit that. I saw how much my dad had to do trying to keep alive - and I believed all the time that he would be ok someday. It surprised me to hear that he was dead though I had seen how cancer had made him smaller and he had to use a wheelchair. I believed that he had every chance to come back to normal life till he died - but no, he just died suddenly (within 2 yrs). I kept hopes up even though he got that machine to give him painkillers and it was difficult to put in right place (that needle came out too easily) and then he suffered a lot. We took care of him at home but I wasn’t able to be there for him. My mom and sis helped him and I tried to help too - but I felt bad of seeing him in that condition. I want to remember him as he was: strong and so full of energy and ready to help others. I didn’t believe that he would die before getting very old. I know I could have done something more - but still I know that I didn’t have any tools to do so. I just wasn’t able to do anything more than I did. So actually - I have 2 problems - this small group of abnormal cells and- how my father’s disease and that he died to it - bothers me.

Get it checked out! Watch it closely, and if you feel that there has been a change GET IT CHECKED OUT! If you can get a biopsy, do that. The only definite way to know what something on the inside of your body is....take it out... Try not to stress too much over this, but pay attention to your body. If you haven't already done so, read a few good books on cancer, and steps you can take to help reduce the risk. A big one is eat more fruits and vegetables, cut back on white sugar and processed and fried foods. But remember, it could be nothing. The only way to know is to check it out. And when the tests show that it is nothing to worry about, if it changes in the future, check it out! Don't just let it go without following it up. I had squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Mine started with a sore throat, flu like symptoms, and then a lymph node on the side of my neck grew to the size of a grapefruit. I have never been a smoker, so the doctors thought it was just my lymph nodes making white blood cells to kill the infection. I kept going back to the doctor (saw several) over a 5 month period before I finally saw a doctor that said it was not normal and sent me to ENT, who immediately did a biopsy. It came back cancer, and a week later I had my first surgery. The point is, I kept going to the doctor to check it out. I am alive because of my persistence and God's grace. So, it is your body. Check it out. Good luck and God bless.

Kimberly T - just wondering how long ago you had your cancer. Was it throat or tongue cancer. Where did you go for treatment. What type of surgery did you have? My 35 year old daughter has tongue cancer T2, N2 and will have surgery on August 19 at MD Anderson.

I would like to get the biopsy done for the lymph node I have in my neck. Do you know the best place to get this done? I saw an ENT specialist and he suggested a CT scan. My worry is, how much is the biopsy going to cost? And does the cost depend on where you get this done? Thanks.

It's been a long time since your post, but this may interest you. I had a carotid body tumor excised 15 years ago. It nested in the bifucation of the carotid artery, and stuck out of my neck right next to my adam's apple. Mostly painless, but pushed uncomfortably on my windpipe when turning my head. Was told they were always benign. Fast forward to 2003. Routine chest x-ray reveals metastatic disease widespread throughout lungs and spine. After many more scans and biopsies and much discussion, the consensus is that this is a metastases of that carotid body tumor. So stay vigilant and research as much as you can about what your pathologist's report says.

I agree you need to get it checked out. If it's nothing, good for you, if it's something, you can get treatment now rather than later and increase your chances. I had squamoous cell of the head and neck. A CT scan will show it's involvment with other structures in the area as well as any other enlarged lymph nodes. I suggest taking AHCC 6 grams a day well before your surgery if needed. Numerous studies showing prevention of metastasis and reduction of tumors using AHCC. I have a web site with my story as well as 100+ studies and trials done using AHCC published in most major medical journals. Help yourself to them.. Good luck. homepage.mac.com/jcsutton/

 

On 3/3/2005 Daveb wrote:

It's been a long time since your post, but this may interest you. I had a carotid body tumor excised 15 years ago. It nested in the bifucation of the carotid artery, and stuck out of my neck right next to my adam's apple. Mostly painless, but pushed uncomfortably on my windpipe when turning my head. Was told they were always benign. Fast forward to 2003. Routine chest x-ray reveals metastatic disease widespread throughout lungs and spine. After many more scans and biopsies and much discussion, the consensus is that this is a metastases of that carotid body tumor. So stay vigilant and research as much as you can about what your pathologist's report says.

Hi, red your post from several years ago. Just wondering if you are out there still and still going strong.  If so would love to hear from you as my husband similar metastases and would like to hear about your treatment.

TX

Merja,

This is definitely something you need to get checked out as soon as possible. My father had the same symptoms (lump, swallowing challenges, etc...), but waited a long time before getting it looked at. As we learned, the longer you wait, the more complicated things will inevitably be. I hope and pray that things will be okay, good luck to you.

 

My apologies, I just realized that this original message was from 2003.