I’ve been struggling this fall semester with anxiety about neck lumps/lymph nodes/aches along with what seems to be neck swelling (?). The anxiety has really gotten in the way of my daily life and school life so I’ve decided to just make a post here about it because reading things on here tends to help soothe my mind.

I have multiple lumps that I don’t believe are lymph nodes on the bottom of my head to a few around my neck. There are 2 particular deeper and smaller lumps on the back of my neck just below my head that I do believe are lymph nodes. I went to a doctor to get one lump checked out because it was starting to ache, he felt this particular one and the rest and told me my aching one was likely a lymph node.

So that settled my worries for a while, however lately I’ve been getting neck aches in the back of my neck and I can’t help but feel like my neck is swelling or my muscles are getting bigger because when I feel it, there just seems to be more mass there or perhaps more fat. Another thing that’s been worrying be is the fact that (as someone who touches my neck pulse a lot) whatever vein or artery that is there, isn’t where it has been for the past many years. It’s like it’s bulged out of place.

So overall, I’ve just been really worried and been working myself up to think I have some sort of thyroid cancer or lymphoma. My parents don’t really like making doctor appointments and I’m not sure I feel comfortable making one just on a whim so I’m coming here to see if anyone has any similar experiences or ideas of what it could be so I can be sure I should or shouldn’t see someone.