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Vibes please for DR appt (long)
Hi Ladies! This will probably end up being long. But I haven't really talked to anyone IRL about this other than my parents and DH. Guess I kind of need to get it out there to relieve some of my anxiety.
I have a doctor's appointment today that I am very nervous about. I have a lump on my head right behind my left ear (on the skin between my hairline and ear). It's the size of half of a large marble. I can't remember exactly when it started growing, but I'm guessing a year or two. It isn't hard but isn't soft. And it isn't painful unless I push on it or mess with it too much which then causes me major pain in my ear, neck and into my left shoulder. That ear also has lots of ear aches and sporadic clicking/tapping.
Anyway, it's not normal and I feel like my body is trying to tell me something. But have been pushing off going to the doctor for a long time. A few weeks ago I finally went to a General Practitioner. Dave and my dad thought it sounded like a cyst but the GP said right away that it's not a cyst but a swollen lymph node. She was asking me a ton of questions but didn't hardly look at or feel the bump and then ordered a blood test for me. She wasn't giving me much feedback on what it could be so I had to ask her - what do you think this is? She said it could be something that they just don't know what it is (I thought that was a horrible answer for a doctor to give by the way!) or she said it could by Lymphoma or Leukemia. Then she sent me off to the blood lab. I was in shock and didn't really process what she said until a few days later.
Wow. Those are big possible diagnosis to tell someone without doing anything other than look at and talk to me for 5 minutes. And how could she go from saying it's nothing to saying it could be some type of cancer in the same breathe? She didn't give me any info or support and I felt like she just wanted me out of her office I really didn't like her and will not be going back to her again even for just a cold. My blood work looks to be in normal ranges so I don't think Leukemia could be it and honestly have no idea why the GP would throw that possiblity out there. I did alot of googling which, of course, I probably shouldn't have done and really scared me. From all the questions she was asking me and looking at the symptoms, it looks like she was leaning towards Lymphoma.
I'm going to an Ear Nose & Throat doctor today to further review the results of my bloodwork, discuss my symptoms and have a biopsy or to schedule one for an out-patient visit. Can you please say a quick prayer for me or send out some vibes that whatever is going on is something minor that can be fixed with a bandaid 
And if you made it all the way through my jumbled thoughts, thank you for "listening"!
Re: Vibes please for DR appt (long)
Lots of strong **vibes** coming your way!
I know health concerns can be very confusing & scary, but you're doing the right thing by seeing another doctor. Try not to stress too much until you have definitive answers. ((hugs)) We're here for you! Good luck
First of all, lots of :::vibes::: coming your way that it turns out to be nothing at all. Hopefully the ENT will have better answers for you today.
Secondly, what a biotch. Sorry but to just throw around stuff as shocking as cancer is terrible for anyone to do especially a doctor. If she did nothing more than talk to you for a few minutes she should not have scared you into thinking it was worse than it probably is. Either that or she should have taken a better look. How insensitive.
This! My BF's dr once told her "it might be breast cancer but you're young so I'm not worried". How can doctors be soooooo insensitive!?!
I immediatley thought syst too. DH get's them behind his ear all.the.time and we have another friend that does too. GL and please keep us posted. Not knowing is the worst! ::::::VIBES::::::
Best of luck at the ENT doctor. I'm going to tell you to try and not to worry. I had this exact same thing when I was 20. A large swollen lymph node on my right side between hairline and ear. They call it a posterior lymph node. Were you sick before/at the time it appeared? I know swelling in this area is common with Mono. Mine would wax/wane for many years after it originally appeared. I'm hoping you receive some positive news from the doc.......lots of vibes.
*Thank you so much for your positive thoughts girls!*
Nope, I don't think I was sick before it started appearing. I've never had mono and have always, fortunately, been very healthy.
I think I've gone to a doctor like once for being sick in the past ten years...other than my yearly check-up at the girly doc, eye exams and my 6 month dental cleanings. I hardly call in sick for work - I feel guilty if I do even when I am on my "deathbed". If I'm sick or something is "off" I just push it aside and go on with my life. I even pushed this aside for about 3 weeks before scheduling the ENT appointment. So I can't help but feel weird about going through all this and feel like I'm over-reacting. But I have to remind myself how could I not be at least a little worried when that doctor threw out those big possibilities. I'm really curious what the ENT is going to say about the GP "diagnosis" and how she handled the situation.
Tons of ::::: vibes ::::: that it turns out to be nothing.
I totally understand where you're coming from with the doctor's answer as to what it could be. When we had our u/s 5 weeks ago, the doctor said "it could be nothing or it could be Downs Syndrome." Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum!
((( hugs )))
{Blog: Adventures of AlaskanAlison}