Today, I woke with a lump behind one of my ears. I’d felt something soft about two days ago, but today, it was hard and I could move the skin around it.

Anyway, with my health being a priority these past few years (mentally, anyway), I made an immediate appointment to see my General Practitioner.

I know my body, and knew that “this” (whatever it was) wasn’t normal or a part of me.

My GP is a great guy, and everything you expect from the National Health Service – one of Britain’s great treasures. I trust him implicitly.

He examined me and at this time there’s no need to worry, as it seems more of an infection in one of the lymph nodes (or glands). Like, a hard pea stuck in your head. And no, not my brain 😮

If all is well, it should go down on its own after fighting off the infection. However, he will of course monitor me/it just in case. My title of this blog post is “When is a lump, not a lump?”.

For someone like me, having battled with depression for 5-years now, I strive to look after my body and mind. As, they are the two things we rely on. I’m the opposite from my late mother’s generation in that, if something isn’t right, I get it checked.

My Mum (God bless her) was born in 1936, when in the UK, you didn’t go to the doctor unless your head was hanging off – literally. Times have changed, but those of my mum’s generation haven’t necessarily. My Mum only discovered she had ovarian cancer, when it was too late. But after her death, I found out that she probably had an idea that something was up.

I write about this, in a book I am working on dedicated to Her Life and our love for each other.

My sisters on the other hand, are readily getting smeared so that they can fight any women’s ailments. We come from fighting stock, Annie Maxwell a wise matriarch.

I guess my message is, even if you feel stupid and don’t want to worry others or waste your doctor’s time etc, if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Get it checked out. That’s what the NHS is there for. So, use it.

If I’m still here in 6 weeks time, all was well.

Take care, Max x.