Mass found on salivary/parotid gland

Hi Try to stay calm and please keep off Dr Google that will not help. It’s highly unlikely you would  be given any results. They all have to be reviewed by several experts before we the patients get our results. 2 week referrals are the quickest way of getting seen si don’t read anything into that . We all know the waiting’s the worst part. Try to keep busy  your results could take anything between a few days snd a few weeks again it’s nothing that can be rushed. You’ve done the hard part by going to g p 

let us know how you get on. 
good luck 

Hazel 

Hi LW1701 and welcome to the group.  Ask any questions on here as someone will probably have had similar to you and can offer sound advice.  Nobody will offer a diagnosis; that is for your clinical teams.

What you have said so far seems about right for the course of a diagnosis pathway.  You will probably get a phone call about the date/time of the scan as at this stage things often happen faster than the post can keep up with.  Don't worry. 

Depending on the type of scan will depend on how long it takes and what they do to you.  An MRI for the head and neck can take an hour+.  CT and PET scans are much quicker.  Often you will need an injection of some form or the other, this just makes the various bits of your body clearer to the scanner.

If you are having another ultrasound they may also do a needle biopsy of the mass.  This generally does not hurt and they take some cells from the mass to see if there are any problems in there.

The blood tests will do a number of things, not least give information to the radiographers performing the scans, especially in relation to the injections you may have.

You can realistically expect an answer in 2 weeks or so depending on when the hospital has its cancer meetings (called MDTs) to discuss your results and when the next outpatient clinic is after the MDT.  This is probably the most stressful time awaiting tests and results.  As Hazel says don't Google anything.  It does not help and most information is years out of date and treatments are much better now.

When you get your results try to take your husband along with you.  He will hear and see things at the appointment that you will miss and help you understand what went on when you get home.  I am sure his boss will allow him the time off.

Let us know how you get on and ask away on the questions!

Hi and welcome to our community. Follow Hazel’s advice and stay off Google. Google even manages to diagnose prostate cancer in a young lady. 
The sonographer will likely take measurements that go on a chart in his report and depending on what he finds he might take a series of samples with a fine needle attached to a syringe. Don’t be frightened of this. It can be a little uncomfortable but it’s not really painful. The ultrasound results will be available to your referring doctor in a matter of days but FNA biopsy will take a couple of weeks. 
Difficult I know but try to keep busy. Waiting is awful but it just has to be done. 
Good luck and let us know how you get on. 

PS I’ve presumed you’re going for an ultrasound but Peter has brought up CT and PET/CT

Thank you all so much for your replies this has really helped me understand a bit more what is going to happen. My appointment is on Wednesday this week so I will be glad to get it done and then I'll just see where we go from there.

Don't worry I have stayed away from Dr. Google as I know no good can come of it I'd have just driven myself mad.

I will def keep you all updated and thank you again this has really helped put my mind as ease. 

Hi LW1701

Sorry for late reply, im currently recovering from an op to remove a benign tumour, from parotid gland, mine was situated in the deep lobe, which in simple terms means it was in deep under parotid gland. 

Thankfully it was benign, although due to complications may still need Radiotherapy and will be monitored annually ( MRI Scans)

I totally understand your stress, and like most on here agree the wait is the worse stage. I did mindfullness and meditation to keep me positive and to try and relax and de stress. You can find loads on YouTube if you feel this will help you. 

I agree stay away from Google. 

Thank you so much for replying to me. I hope you start to feel better soon!

I had my appointment with the consultant on Wednesday and he is referring me now for a detailed scan and needle biopsy but he is confident it is benign. The mass is 2cm big and appear to be in the gland. 

Can I possibly ask about your surgery, how long did you have to stay in hospital for and what is the recovery period? Don't worry if these are too personal to respond I just thought I'd ask.

I have been doing some yoga to relax my mind at night thankfully my sister in law is a yoga teacher! Thank you again and I hope you feel better soon. I will keep you all posted on how I get on. Xxx

Your very welcome, they were confident mine was benign too, and that was the end result. 

I went in on a Tuesday morning, op took place at 10.30am and I was discharged 4pm on the Thursday. I had a drainage tube fitted,  as soon as that was removed, I was allowed home. They told me I would be fit to return to work after two weeks. However its been 5 weeks since op and I'm still recovering.  The op was a little more complex than they expected and as a result I've suffered a lot of nerve and muscle damage. However, my tumour was in deep, so I couldn't feel it or see it, it was an accidental find. The tumour was the size of a boiled egg, which was bigger than they initially thought. 

I don't think my experience is the norm, I have spoken to others who have experienced a parodid gland tumour, and they returned to work after 2 to 3 weeks. 

Its a worrying time, but honestly I found comfort in talking to people on this site.  

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Its good to know what the surgery does involve if that's my course of treatment. 

This forum has been so helpful everyone has given such good advice and information. 

Wishing you a speedy recovery! 

Don't be afraid to ask any other questions. Im happy to share my experience with you. 

Stay strong, and be brave, you got this. I had to have CT, MRI and needle biopsy with ultrasound scan. All the tests, and the wait for results was the most worrying part of my journey. It didn't help that my thoughts were all over the place and I was thinking all sorts. But I found crying the most amazing medicine, so did a lot of that too!! Be kind to yourself. 

Hi all

So update: I had my ultrasound tonight and a needle biopsy, I cried it hurt so much. It isn't a cyst as no fluid came out so the radiologist thinks it may be a benign adenoma or lymph node.

The biopsy should take a week to come back and then I will hopefully get an appointment with my consultant to get my results.

I'm not going to lie but I am feeling slightly overwhelmed at the moment, I am waiting for results and I have my final exams for my Masters next week and I am a Trainee solicitor in property.... 3 weeks before the SDLT deadline, there's a lot going on at the moment. I'm going to take the rest of next week off after my exams and have some down time I think.