Lump in 17 year old ds' neck. GP practice 'diagnosing' over the phone with photos - worried (and unimpressed)

[LimitIsUp]

Ds has had a lump in his neck for 2-3 weeks. We didn't contact GP immediately in case it was an insect bite / spot / boil or something else that would resolve. Decided to phone yesterday as it was apparent it was none of these, its a lump about the size of a haricot bean.

Asked to be seen and was refused a face to face appointment and told GP would phone. Surely a lump is a good reason for a face to face examination but maybe thats just me! GP rang and chatted to ds and said its probably a lymph node, but as it has been there 2-3 weeks (so longer that would normally be the case), she would arrange for bloods to be taken. Partly mollified by that. So i rang today to chase up an appointment for bloods - 19 July is the earliest appointment!

Yes this could be nothing to worry about and probably isn't sinister - but then again it could be something dodgy. I am considering what to do next

Any thoughts - especially from anyone with a clinical background. Perhaps you can reassure me?

.

Absolutely shocking, is there anyway you can get them done privately?

Its a thought. I shall give it a go - but its surprising how the local private hospitals don't provide comprehensive paediatric services (and he is still considered paediatric despite being 17)

Could you ask a pharmacist to take a look? They usually have a tiny room.

We had the same issue. Our doctors surgery ended up taking a blood sample as paediatric blood testing was so difficult to access.

My DS had a ultrasound at the hospital (within a few weeks) and then another one 6 months later. They said they weren’t worried about the lymph node lump but he should go back if more lumps appeared. Lump has now disappeared another 6 months later.

Here's the NICE guidelines for lump in neck.

I would argue that these guidelines and the investigations they should carry out require a face to face appointment.

If you aren't happy email practice manager and quote this.

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/neck-lump/

Actual link this time!

This makes me so cross. He needs to be seen in person. I agree with the other PP who suggests asking a pharmacist to look at it.

I really wish the people who keep asserting “all GPs are open and you can see them as usual” could see this thread.

And a two and a half week wait for a blood test appointment is not on. For anyone who thinks it’s acceptable, can I refer you to any European country, Canada, Australia or NZ where it would make the papers. That and the two week wait to get the results (recently went through this with my DS). He needs “urgent” repeat bloods and that rigmarole will take us another 5 weeks.

I phoned a friend with a clinical background and she advised me to ask the GP practice to provide me with the blood request form and then I can take ds to the hospital and sit and wait for bloods. I have just rang them (muttering about NICE guidelines - thanks for that) and they said I can collect the form tomorrow morning - which I will, then we will go directly to hospital. Thank goodness I asked a friend with a clinical background, as it would not have occurred to me to request them to do this.

I imagine it will take some time for the results to come back though (as referenced by KaleJuicer above).

Are GP practices waiting for the holy grail of zero covid before they start functioning 'normally'?

Why it takes so long to get an appointment for a blood test is because doctors are not seeing patients, but will happily book you in to see a nurse who has been seeing patients throughout. My son had swollen lymph glands around that age, he had blood tests, which were ok and he had to repeat them a couple of months later. By then the glands did go down. His swollen glands were either side, bottom of neck.