Hi everyone,

I feel like a bit of a fraud posting here but not too sure where else to go. I'm a 26 year old female (I'm also a smoker) who found a lump on the left side of my neck just under my jaw over a month ago. at first, I dismissed it as a swollen gland, however after three weeks I noticed it had grown although I didn’t have any other symptoms, I called the doctor just in case. They immediately asked me to do a video call and decided I needed an urgent ultrasound, I was told I'd receive an appointment within two weeks but it will be two weeks this Tuesday and I haven’t heard from them (I'm calling my GP to chase this up tomorrow).

The reason I'm writing is because the lump has noticeably grown, its hard and doesn’t move under the skin and its becoming uncomfortable to swallow. I have a slight cough but due to smoking (which I have seriously cut back on and am in the process of quitting) I can’t say if the cough is directly related, I also have a mild each ache on the left hand side and the area surrounding the lump is now becoming painful and tender.

I know I have to wait for the tests; however I was hoping someone might be able to offer some insight, has anyone experienced similar symptoms? What was the diagnosis?