Soft And Squishy Painless Swelling In Lower Neck Has Moved Down To Shoulder

Hi there, my name is Vinay. I m hoping you are feeling a bit better. Let me see if I can help you out by trying to determine if this swelling is something that needs looking at by a doctor near you. I need you to ask yourself a few important questions which may help in deciding if this thing is worth checking into or not. 0) Do you you take Coumadin / Warfarin or any other blood thinner as a treatment for heart issues like arrhythmias or any other reason? If you do, Lumps and bruises can turn nasty and you need to be seen by the doctor that prescribed the meds pronto. 1) Did this lump appear recently and suddenly? Or has it been growing for quite a while? If it s sudden and painless i m inclined to think that it s a swelling of one of the thick ribbon-like muscles in your neck. The one that commonly gets injured like this is the Sterno-Cleido Mastoid (SCM) it s a long flat and thick mucle which actually connects the knob behind your ear to your collar bone. Swellings involving that muscle can cause symptoms like this. If it s been a slower growth then you need to get an ultrasound by your doctor and possibly a biopsy.. the number of possibilities are just mind boggling and the diagnostic information that these tests will give you is VERY valuable. 2) Did the lump appear with some sort of trauma or injury (or even a really violent sneeze)? Or did it appear out of the blue with no warning? Again, if the swelling happened due to trauma... it s probably a bruise and cold compresses will help it go down. You ought to be able to notice some dull achy pain associated with the bruise and (depending on your own skin color) it might start to change color as the blood in it breaks down and is reabsorbed. If the lump appeared without any warning, i d really encourage you to go to your doctor and get it checked out. 3) You said the lump feels soft and squishy thats very useful information. Can you tell me if the lump is mobile? Can you slide it beneath the skin with your fingers? Is it attached to the collar bone maybe and hence difficult to move. Give the little sucker a bit of pressure with your fingers from side to side to see what it wants to hold on too. If it s mobile from below and attached to the skin.. that makes me think it originated in the skin or subcutaneous tissue (a lump of fat or a lymphnode would fit the bill) If it s immobile or fixed to the muscle below then it might be a bruise or something originating from the deeper structures of the neck. Such lumps and bumps need to be seen by your doctor. Lastly, lets tie in the stuffy nose. If you currently have an Upper Respiratory tract infection.. (URI.. head-cold, etc) then your nose is going to be combating the infection by filtering out some of the infected material and sending it to the bunches of lymphnodes that live in your neck. Those lymphnodes help process the infection and send white blood cells to combat it. In the process the lymphnodes that have been activated will swell bit by bit. This is a normal part of the immune response and shouldnt be worried about. In my estimation the lump that you have described is most likely a swollen lymphnode. I hope it is. Because thats something you can sit on for a few days while you deal with your stuffy nose. Once that infection is controlled the Lump will subside. If the swelling keeps growing, becomes painful, or hard then you need to make an appointment to see your doctor. They will examine it and decide if ultrasounds and biopsies are really needed or not. I really hope this helps. Please email me if you want further information or clarification. Vin