Firm, tender, immobile bump infront of ear has me worried.
 

Hello,

About 5 or 6 days I noticed some pain whenever I would touch my right cheek just infront of my ear (under my sideburns). When I poked some more I realized it is a small mass about the size of a green pea, deep under my skin. Maybe 1cm or little bigger.

It is firmly fixed in place, I can't move it. It feels smooth and painful tender to touch. However it doesn't hurt to chew or swallow or open my mouth wide or anything like that. It just sort of aches and hurts when I touch it.

I don't have any other symptoms (no recent fever or sore throats in a long time)

About 6-8 months ago this same exact thing happened on the same side. After a week or so the pain went away and I sort of forgot about it. I'm not sure if the lump ever went away, but the pain did. And now it has returned, so I'm not sure if the lump went away too and returned, or if it was there the whole time and just the pain has come back.

This has me worried, and I won't be able to see a DR for several days.

Could this be something serious?

I would try warm compress to see if that improves anything.
If not try cold compress, or alternate warm/cold 20 mins each see what happens if anything..
Then follow up with dr if nothing improves, or if gets larger or more painful.

Could be ingrown hair, clogged duct/gland, pimple, small boil.. or something else..

You can also develop stones in a salivary gland. Those
Typically need to be surgically removed.

Do you notice less saliva in your mouth?

Do you have gout? People with elevated blood uric
Acid can develop deposits under the skin.

I think a doctor's visit is inorder if modest heat
Applications don't work.

Hi, thanks for the reply.

No I don't have gout, I'm mid 30's and generally healthy.

It's not a boil or pimple or ingrown hair, this is like under the surface not something on the surface like a boil would be.

I can feel this lump through my skin, however the skin on the surface looks fine.

It does not hurt to eat food, even things that cause saliva flow like citrus. I don't think it's a saliva stone, I mean I suppose it could be. But I've had citrus beverages and sour candy today and my saliva flow seemed fine...

This is like deeper within. It might be a lymph node I think, but it's very firm. Or it's some sort of hard growth just above my jaw and infront of my ear.

I have tried holding a warm compress on it a couple times, but it has not seemed to make a difference so far.

I guess I'll have to call my DR (I was just there for a checkup a few weeks ago! I wish this popped up sooner!) I'll have to wait to call him Tuesday since Monday is a holiday.

Also, by coincidence I had my yearly checkup 3 weeks ago like I said (before this popped up) and it was normal. It was just my regular yearly exam. He did the usual, checked my BP, reflexes, lungs, throat, ears, etc.

He also did my yearly checkup bloodwork, Red/white CBC, liver, kidneys, fasting blood sugar, cholestorol, etc... The usual stuff he does every year.

Everything was normal, and I went on my way and said "see ya next year Doc!"

And suddenly this popped up 5 days ago, spontaneously. I try not to worry about stuff like this usually, but it hurts and it won't go away. And it's in such a weird spot.

First thing that came to me a cyst. My daughter at 18 or so had a growth behind her ear and it was a cyst. It's been a long time ago and I forget what happened. She was in the hospital having a cataract implant due to being hit by a paperclip by a nasty kid in our apt. She's 52 and it's not been talked about since way back. I don't know what I'd do, I've had a gangleion cyst on my wrist for 25 yrs. check out Sebecious (sp) cyst.

It's not a sebaceous cyst. I've had one of those before, behind my ear and it was a red nasty looking bump on the surface of the skin. Like a huge pimple.

This isn't like that.

This is a firm growth, or node or something, under my skin. It's firm, smooth feeling, and fixed in place, and its tender to the touch. It kind of feels like it's attached to the muscle where my jaw begins, just infront of my ear.

I dunno, I'll have to see the DR. I'm worried it's a lymph node.

I just don't know why a lymph node would swell up like this, I haven't been sick recently.

Do u still have your wisdom teeth ? Sounds like a tooth problem to me..
\

Yup, I do (on that side).

I had one removed on my left side 2 years ago since one of them was sideways.

This lump that has formed is on my right side, where I still have both of my wisdom teeth. However my wisdom teeth on that side are fully erupted and straight and feel perfectly fine, I just use them as additional molars.. and my dentist has never said anything was wrong with them. In fact when they took the other one or he said we might as well leave the ones on the right there since they are easy to keep clean and not impacted. Like I said, I don't have any pain chewing or eating or salivating right now.

It's just this pea sized hard bump that's very tender which has decided to pop up for no apparent reason 5 days ago. I've poked and prodded all around there and I don't feel any other pain or hard bumps. This lump almost feels like it's fixed to the top of my jaw bone in front of my ear.

The only comfort I'm taking is that lymph nodes swollen due to cancer are usually painless (or so I've read) and this is definelty tender to the touch.

I dunno, I'm just gunna have to go see my DR, he's gunna think I'm crazy since I was just there for my yearly check up a few weeks ago.

Calcium spurs and uric acid spurs often pop up along tendons and joints. They are hard and sometimes painful.

You can get a calcium deposit along any tendon/and or joint.

They show up on x-rays.

They sometimes resorb and return. These are very common.

You'll have to verify this with your doctor.