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Non Movable Lump In The Jawbone. Neck Discomfort, Throat Pain And Breathing Difficulty. Overweight, Smoking Addiction. Spot In CAT Scan
Question: i have a pea sized NON movable lump that seems to be attached to the inner side of my jawbone on the lower right. hurts to bother with it but otherwise not really. slight neck discomfort and throat pain/annoyance. its appeared in the last month. i do have difficulty breathing also but attribute it to being 35lbs overweight and smoking. i did have a catscan that saw a spot in a lung a year ago and not sure if related. no health insurance and im worried. what could this be?? please help! thanks
Hi,
Thank you for your query.
1. The exact location of the lump, it's exact size and characteristics will help identify the cause. Is it soft, firm or hard? Does it move on swallowing or protrusion of the tongue? Is the overlying skin normal or discolored? Is it growing in size? Is it pulsatile? Is it compressible?
2. The most common cause will be an inflamed lymph node (there are about 300 lymph nodes normally present in the head and neck region). The lymph node of the tonsil is known as the Jugulo Digastric (JD) node and is next to the angle of the jaw in the neck. Other painless lumps include the salivary glands, thyroid nodules, laryngoceles, cysts, bursas, lipomas, and so on.
3. Get a physician's opinion. Get Neck X-rays and an Ultrasound of the Neck done by a Radiologist. Sometimes a CT Neck Scan will be advised to rule out deeper extensions. A FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) by a Pathologist will settle the diagnosis.
4. Get a videolaryngosocpy done. This is important as breathlessness is present.
5. Since you are overweight, results of your tests. This will help in suggesting further treatment.
I hope that I have answered your queries. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.
Regards.
Thank you for your query.
1. The exact location of the lump, it's exact size and characteristics will help identify the cause. Is it soft, firm or hard? Does it move on swallowing or protrusion of the tongue? Is the overlying skin normal or discolored? Is it growing in size? Is it pulsatile? Is it compressible?
2. The most common cause will be an inflamed lymph node (there are about 300 lymph nodes normally present in the head and neck region). The lymph node of the tonsil is known as the Jugulo Digastric (JD) node and is next to the angle of the jaw in the neck. Other painless lumps include the salivary glands, thyroid nodules, laryngoceles, cysts, bursas, lipomas, and so on.
3. Get a physician's opinion. Get Neck X-rays and an Ultrasound of the Neck done by a Radiologist. Sometimes a CT Neck Scan will be advised to rule out deeper extensions. A FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology) by a Pathologist will settle the diagnosis.
4. Get a videolaryngosocpy done. This is important as breathlessness is present.
5. Since you are overweight, results of your tests. This will help in suggesting further treatment.
I hope that I have answered your queries. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
the exact location of the lump is under the lower part of jawbone in the front of mouth area 3molars from the back of mouth. DOES NOT move as stated in first question i asked and also HARD as previously stated not compressable. skin looks normal around it. feels like bone but wasnt there before and feels annoying even though its a pea size. not really growing or its growing very slowly.
all i know is it wasnt there before and not on the other side of mouth either. i cant go to the doctor for all these tests as you say with no health insurance or job. i came on this site because of those factors. i just want to know what it could be when its HARD and NON MOVABLE . not what tests i should get at a doctor i cant go to. you are the physician im getting an opinion from. thats why i paid for this. its all i can afford. i keep reading on sites about movable ones but cant find what NON MOVABLE ones can be. please tell me what they can be?? thank u
all i know is it wasnt there before and not on the other side of mouth either. i cant go to the doctor for all these tests as you say with no health insurance or job. i came on this site because of those factors. i just want to know what it could be when its HARD and NON MOVABLE . not what tests i should get at a doctor i cant go to. you are the physician im getting an opinion from. thats why i paid for this. its all i can afford. i keep reading on sites about movable ones but cant find what NON MOVABLE ones can be. please tell me what they can be?? thank u
Hi,
Thank you for your query.
1. This is most likely an enlarged lymph node. Other common possibilities are cysts (sometimes related to a tooth), or sub-mandibular salivary gland stones, calcification, fibrosis or enlargement or a minor salivary gland adenoma. If it is attached to the jaw bone, it may be a bony overgrowth or exostosis, a dental root / fractured root due to a previous tooth extraction or root canal, a cold abscess. It may be a lipoma, keratosis, papilloma, an embedded foreign body, a fungal / chronic granulomatous disease. The list runs into hundreds of conditions.
2. The moment you say it is hard and immobile, at least a physical palpation, X-ray, USG and FNAC are mandatory. It is impossible to diagnose this on history alone because there is a large number of causes for such a lump.
3. You need not worry if it is not growing. Sub-centimeter lymph nodes are considered reactive and not cancerous. Though overwhelming, most of these conditions listed above are benign and can be ignored if they are asymptomatic.
4. If health insurance or cost is your problem right now, you may ignore it for some time without any fear.
I hope that I have answered your queries. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.
Regards.
Thank you for your query.
1. This is most likely an enlarged lymph node. Other common possibilities are cysts (sometimes related to a tooth), or sub-mandibular salivary gland stones, calcification, fibrosis or enlargement or a minor salivary gland adenoma. If it is attached to the jaw bone, it may be a bony overgrowth or exostosis, a dental root / fractured root due to a previous tooth extraction or root canal, a cold abscess. It may be a lipoma, keratosis, papilloma, an embedded foreign body, a fungal / chronic granulomatous disease. The list runs into hundreds of conditions.
2. The moment you say it is hard and immobile, at least a physical palpation, X-ray, USG and FNAC are mandatory. It is impossible to diagnose this on history alone because there is a large number of causes for such a lump.
3. You need not worry if it is not growing. Sub-centimeter lymph nodes are considered reactive and not cancerous. Though overwhelming, most of these conditions listed above are benign and can be ignored if they are asymptomatic.
4. If health insurance or cost is your problem right now, you may ignore it for some time without any fear.
I hope that I have answered your queries. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.
Regards.
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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