Hello! I am a 23 year old female. I noticed a lump on the right side of the back.of my neck almost 2 years ago. It started out dime sized and painless. Around the same time, I started having horrible, almost painful itching in my right ear that did not subside after antibiotic ear drops. I just dealt with it. Over the past 6 months the lump has gotten bigger, but changes sizes throughout the day. Usually it is small and painless upon waking and more swollen and painful as the day progresses. It seems that I get feverish and have a slight headache about the same time the lump grows. I was diagnosed with RA when I was 18, but my ANA levels have been very high which my doctor says may be indicative of lupus. I do not have insurance so I m not sure what to do. Thanks
Hi, dairy have gone through your question. I can understand your concern. You may have some enlarged lymph node due to reactive hyperplasia or some other mass. You should go for fine needle aspiration cytology or biopsy of that lump. It will give you exact diagnosis. Then you should take treatment accordingly. Your RA or LUPUS has no relation with mass mostly. But still biopsy should be done. Hope I have answered your question. If you have any doubts then feel free to ask me. I will be happy to answer. Thanks for using Chat Doctor. Wish you a very good health.