Hard Lump Behind My Ear?

Hi,


I have had a hard lump my ear for probably a little over a month. I finally went to a Dr. and she said that I should go to an ENT (ear nose and thoat dr). She said it could be an infected lymph node but she couldnt tell for sure which is why she suggested the ENT. but then she mentioned something about maybe getting a cat scan. then i looked online and got worried that i have lymphoma. Has anyone had this before? Any other things this could possibly be? If anyone has lymphoma can you let me know what it felt like when you found it?


Thank you so much.

Hard Lump Behind My Ear?
I have done many ultrasounds on lumps behind the ear or near the angle of the jaw. Usually they are just swollen lymph nodes. Lymph nodes do swell when you are fighting an infection. This can happen after something as simple as getting your teeth cleaned. Talk to your ENT, and follow that persons advice. But DO NOT freak out in the mean time!





"Lymph nodes, as you know, swell in response to infection. What's really happening is that white blood cells within the lymph node are dividing madly to make more antibody to fight the infection. Think of a toy factory gearing up production for the Christmas rush, and you'll have the correct concept. However, unlike the toy factory after Christmas, when the infection is over, this factory has a bit of difficulty changing gears for the slow season. Some lymph nodes "melt" away after the resolution of an infection, while others remain enlarged for weeks, months, even decades. As long as the node does not exhibit slow growth (which would raise my suspicions for some other sort of tumor), it is safe to watch it."





http://health.ivillage.com/ent/0,,6x3f,0...





AND:





"Lymph node enlargement is not limited to lymphoma at all. In fact, there are several more common reasons for lymph node enlargement than lymphoma.





The most common cause of enlarged lymph nodes is infection. As lymph nodes are a part of the immune system that fights infections in the body, the presence of infection often causes lymph nodes to increase in size. All kinds of infections can cause node enlargement. As infections are far more common than cancers, enlarged nodes in the neck or groin are more often a sign of infection than a cancer."





http://lymphoma.about.com/od/symptoms/f/...
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