Swollen node behind ear

scaredashell07
scaredashell07 Member Posts: 272
edited December 2017 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned

I went for my surgical follow up. Surgery was a year ago last month. I asked the doc about a hard swollen node I felt behind my ear. I dint even know how I felt it. Might have had some pain in my ear and jaw and started feeling around. It's been there for a couple of months. Maybe was always there. Not sure. I notice every thing now. My oncologist felt it and wasn't concerned. Said we can watch it. I went to my surgeon today and she felt it and wasn't immediately concerned. She said we could do an ultrasound and confirm it's nothing. When I told her it was my there for a couple of months she seemed to pause. Now I'm freaking out. Is it possible it's not cancer? I do feel so some pain in my jaw. But not in the node area. I hate that my oncologist has a wait and see approach so I'm happy my surgeon felt an ultrasound would put me at ease but now I'm wondering if she's actually concerned also. It doesn't move and it's hard and doesn't hurt.

And what does it mean if it did travel? Mets? Is it in the lymphatic system?

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Comments

  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited December 2017

    Lymph nodes behind the ear seem to swell pretty commonly. Actually, as I was leaving work today, one of my coworkers asked me to "look at this hard lump behind his ear". I would take a picture of it to monitor its size, and get an ultrasound if it eases your mind, but it is much more likely to be from a small scratch, pimple, etc somewhere, that you probably cannot even see.

    Keep us posted on it. Hoping it decreases in size. Avoid the urge to keep touching it to sssess its size. That will aggravate it, and potentially make it larger if it is areactive node.


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  • Beatmon
    Beatmon Member Posts: 1,562
    edited December 2017

    My nodes behind my ears swell up frequently with every cold or snotty nose I have. Hopefully yours are something benign like this

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  • scaredashell07
    scaredashell07 Member Posts: 272
    edited December 2017

    but are ther hard and painless? And can they get inflamed and not go down in size even when they are not cancerous?

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  • KBeee
    KBeee Member Posts: 5,109
    edited December 2017

    The ones behind my ear were, unlike other swollen nodes, which were squishier. Mine lasted a few months, but have been gone for several years now. If it concerning, by all means, get it checked. Your family doctor should be able to check it, or cal your MO fro an opinion. Just try to not keep palpating it for size, because it will be irritated from that. That is MUCH easier said than done though. If you get it checked and they feel an ultrasound is necessary, that would help to see what it is, or to at least give a baseline size for future comparison if it continues to be swolled.

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