Awaiting diagnosis for neck lump

Good morning! 

I know this is such a worrying time but Dr Google is your worst enemy and will only make you worry even more. You are now in good hands. Soon you will get your results and your specialists will put into place a plan. The best thing you could try to do is spend time doing things you enjoy doing, go out and meet people,  try to rest and build your strength to prepare your mind and body for the treatment. We all know what you are going through and we are here for you. 

Take care.

Sending you loads of positive thoughts. 

Fab1

Oswestryman said:

I can’t focus and all I can think about is my lump and trawling Dr Google.

Hi. That’s one thing not to do. You’re looking for something to tell you it’s not cancer and you end up down a rabbit hole. As you’ve found out Google makes you feel worse. Waiting is awful but all you can do is keep busy and try to put it away for now. 
If you can’t sleep go to your GP for help. 
If it is cancer it’s not only treatable but curable. 
fingers crossed 

Hi and welcome from me.  Too right it is scary, especially the not knowing what it is.  Hopefully you will get an answer soon.  You will need some tests to determine what it is, but for reassurance, in my hospital only around 8% of those people put onto the 2 week cancer fast track actually are diagnosed with cancer.  So there is every chance it is not.  If it is then there is a very high cure rate for the majority of our types of head and neck cancer.

If you are unfortunate enough to be joining our club then we are all here to help one another.  No question is too silly to ask and we are always able to listen if you just want to rant!  As others have said - keep off Google.  Best of luck.

Hi others have already said  but please keep off Dr Google you won’t find your answers there all you will do is frighten yourself silly. If you're unfortunate to join us take heart there’s a good number of us on here happily living our life’s post treatment. I’m 5 years post treatment for tonsil cancer HPV with 7 affected lymoh nides. It’s a waiting game but please keep busy over 90% of referrals aren’t cancer. 
Hazel 

Welcome to the group from me, you have already had some good advice, all I would add is, any questions just ask away, we're all here to help. Fingers crossed it's nothing to worry about.

Ray

hi, thankyou so much for responding …dr Google is now sidelined and I am listening to kind people like yourself.

What may I expect at my first consultation in terms od diagnostics and how soon am I likely to get a result do you think….

Hi. What happened with me was Ent did  s fine needle biopsy in my neck lump.  and I went back a week later to Sombre faced consultant who said squamous cell carcinoma maybe j should have done the camera last week. Oh well she did the camera up the nose snd into throat couldn’t ser anything so booked me jn for  chest x Ray which was all clear. Then following week appointments came for ct scan with contrast then next dsy mri. Week later biopsy under general but by then consultant had reviewed scans snd cancer was hidden in tonsil crypt hd showed me. Within 2 days I had biopsy results snd appointment at Leeds cancer centre with oncologist. I was pre covid but from being put on cancer  pathway  to treatment starting 63 days.
yours could be a similar start.
 Maybe camera on initial visit. 
Hazel. 

RadioactiveRaz said:

from being out in csncef osthwzy to treat starting 63 days.

 Oswestryman 

I was 120 days. Nearly five years on I’m here and well with few side effects. I was 68 when my treatment ended 

hi, in terms of diagnosis , I had lump on side of neck about size of maybe half golf ball maybe slightly bigger. On my first consultation with ENT specialist ( had to go private as GP unconcerned said ingrown hair) he felt lump then camera up nose had look round, prodded tonsils a bit then was able to tell me stage 3 tonsil cancer which had spread to neck lymph nodes. Hopefully you won’t get bad news but if you do remember what everyone in this forum says , not only is it treatable it’s highly curable. Listen to the gurus on here and you won’t go wrong.

Brian the snail said:

hen was able to tell me stage 3 tonsil cancer

That’s what most people present with. You get staged at 3 if it’s in nodes. Still a 90% cure rate which is pretty good odds.