GP lump diagnosis 13 May 2021 at 6:35PM in Health & beauty MoneySaving 7 replies 341 views

Reece_

I’m wondering what I should do following a GP appointment regarding a lump on my neck . My surgery isn’t currently booking physical appointments initially , they must be a telephone / video one first , so I booked a telephone appointment and sent the doctor a photo of the area . 

The lump in question has actually been around for probably 2 years, I’ve not been overly concerned and haven’t got round to doing anything about it but it has grown slightly recently although it’s still overall small in size . It’s completely solid and unmovable and doesn’t cause any pain etc and is hard to see as it’s kind of sub dermal . 

Therefore the photo I sent in , you couldn’t see much . The doctor initially said straight away that it’s a cyst and said “I presume it’s soft” which I told her it wasn’t , she then said that it would go away on its own which again I said it’s been there years and appears to be getting bigger . Ultimately the call ended with just the same opinion that it’s a cyst , it will go on its own and to be careful shaving near it in case it ruptures.

I’m just not entirely comfortable with having a lump diagnosed purely off of a bad photo and being told it will go on its own when it’s not showing any signs of doing so . Do I just rebook an appointment explaining I’d like it to be physically checked or is there somewhere else I could go for someone to look at it ? I’m not used to dealing with doctors and whether I should push for another opinion or a physical check or not , I’m still not massively concerned myself but didn’t find the telephone consultation to fill me with much confidence of what it is . 

littlegreenparrot

You are entitled to a second opinion. So two options: call the surgery you are registered with and ask for an in person appointment with a different dr, or call a different surgery in the area and switch. 

If you're worried don't be fobbed off. You have a concern or you wouldn't have asked about it in the first place. There are good and bad Drs same as there is in any other profession. 

Floss

Also consider requesting a referral - if you have to complete an e-consult, explain that you were not reassured as the lump has been with you for 2 years but has recently grown.

Toothsmith

I would suggest trying to take a better photo too. Could a friend get a better photo than you just by being able to get a better angle on it? Try taking with different lighting conditions too. Maybe with a light source coming from the side, you might get a better idea of the lump's 3D characteristics?

Reece_

Toothsmith said:

I would suggest trying to take a better photo too. Could a friend get a better photo than you just by being able to get a better angle on it? Try taking with different lighting conditions too. Maybe with a light source coming from the side, you might get a better idea of the lump's 3D characteristics?

I can try and get a better photo but the issue with it is more that it’s really not that noticeable by eye as it’s under the skin , it’s creating a very small lump that you can see but when feeling it , it is much larger than it appears. It’s also not inflamed or discoloured so there’s really not much to look at . Probably from the surface it appears smaller than a pea but is more marble sized beneath the skin. 

I guess in all likelihood it is indeed a cyst but I don’t have a lot of faith in a diagnosis from a photo that doesn’t show much and more so that the Drs initial assumptions of its soft and it will get smaller on its own were contrary to what is happening but that still didn’t seem to have an effect on the diagnosis .

Reece_

littlegreenparrot said:

You are entitled to a second opinion. So two options: call the surgery you are registered with and ask for an in person appointment with a different dr, or call a different surgery in the area and switch. 

If you're worried don't be fobbed off. You have a concern or you wouldn't have asked about it in the first place. There are good and bad Drs same as there is in any other profession. 

Thanks , I will try and get a physical appointment, I don’t particularly want to switch GP currently as I’ve only actually joined this one after having to leave my previous one because of moving , admittedly not a great start with this surgery for me but then unfortunately all of the ones in the area had fairly bad reviews and no one would recommend any one in particular to me. 

Snuggles

I definitely wouldn't be happy with this. If it was me, I would call the surgery and insist on in in person appointment. If they won't oblige ask to speak to the practice manager. In all likelihood, it's nothing, but I wouldn't feel reassured that a GP can diagnose something like this without a physical examination.

Binkie_Huckaback

Would going private be an option? Just a doctors appointment to get the thing looked at and diagnosed.