Lump in neck not showing on ultrasound - any ideas?? Rather confused.

[BigbreastsBiggerbeard]

There's a lump on the right side of my neck. Been there for as long as i can remember - at least 20 years anyway. It's grown in size, started as a pea sized lump and now more ping pong ball sized (trying to be accurate!) It never, ever goes away.

For the past couple of years it throbs and there's a sensation of warmth around it. And I'm 'aware' of it a lot of the time; I can 'feel' it even though it's not painful. Difficult to describe.

Had an ultrasound scan on it and nothing showed up! How can this be?? The GP is sending me for another ultrasound at this hospital (this one was with some health company - though a GP referral), but I feel like a malingerer! Even as I type this, it's throbbing merrily away.

Does anyone have any idea what this can be?? (I'm presuming not a lymph node as the size doesn't change - it's permanently up and pulsating...)

Watch the Skin Doctor (Channel 5?). She removes all kinds of benign lumps that have sat on people for years. Too big a variety to guess what yours is.

Not to scare you but I had lumps in my armpit that Had been 5ere for a number of years and I thought that it was because I had gained some weight. They didn’t show on an ultrasound when I did mention them to the dr. as they sort of hurt at times of the month with my cycle.

Nine months later they were diagnosed as cancerous when they were double checked as I had developed lumps in my breast literally overnight. The resulting chemo-surgery-radiation treatment was worse than if the armpit lumps had been diagnosed earlier and I was very, very lucky not to have a worse outcome. (Obviously I lived to tell the tale and all is well now.)

You are not a malingerer. It is better to have the lump double-checked especially as it has grown and sounds like it has a blood supply. If it is something that needs to be detected, the sooner it is the better.

I hope it is nothing, and probably it isn’t. Enjoy your Christmas. Attend the hospital ultrasound. My fingers are crossed for you.

UKsounding - thanks, will definitely attend the second ultrasound, when the appointment comes through. So sorry to hear of your experience, but very glad to know all is now well with you. It's helpful to hear of other people's experiences with things like this.

I KNOW this lump is there, although it's not immediately obvious. My neck is also thicker on that side, but it's only noticeable to me, it seems. I'm just wondering what the next step is is nothing shows up on the second ultrasound!

Oh, just remembered, as proof it exists - I had a needle biopsy on it approximately 12 years ago. Although can't remember exactly what the report said, the gist was "nothing to worry about". Which was probably true as I'm still here....