Cyst on Neck

Yes. I had one in my neck from teenager to 34 yrs old when I had it removed. It amazed me on how many doctors would note it and then ask me what it was. I got annoyed because strangers would stop me to tell me I had a bump in my neck that needed to be removed. Finally my OB told me he knew exactly what it was (I think it was a pyro dermal cyst) and gave me the name of a plastic surgeon that would remove it. The plastic surgeon said he saw it all the time. He removed it. It was a very minor procedure with local anesthesia. Sent it for pathology and it was exactly as the OB had said. It was benign but they do tend to grow bigger. I am glad it is gone and I no longer have to worry about it.

If it causes discomfort-it may be time to get rid of it.

Think its a good idea to have it biopsied. It could be a Liposarcoma (fatty tumor can can turn cancerous). Since the body likes to encase these things in calcium shells they can go un-noticed and problem free for years, till a hard bump or your body eats the shell away for some purpose, then its bad. It should have been looked at 33 years ago, but frankly back then those things were not as a big concern as they are now. Its never a bad ideal to check them out. My daughters friends mom, a good friend of mine. Had a bump on the back of her neck near the base of her skull for almost 15 years that she remembered. It hurt to sleep on, it hurt to bump it. It never bothered her till it started to grow. She had it checked when she went to a chiropractor for an adjustment cause her neck was always hurting. He sent her immediately to a doctor for a biopsy. Turned out to be cancerous. She had it removed in a very risky operation, which left her with out a very large chuck of meat and muscle in her neck and has since developed Torticollis in her neck, its permanent.

I had one on my left leg upper thigh, just beow the hip region. i had it removed when I was 17 for cosmetic reasons doc did not get it all and said it may grow back, so it did after i had my first child. after i had my third child i had trouble with my left leg went to doc and they found a large cysts inside my femeral neck bone so they went in placed two rods to stablize my bones so that the bone would not break and cause pain, this surgery was like a hip replacement surgery and was major with physical therapy and all! well fast forward after surgery and therapy I was having a lot of trouble with my leg, had tingling and a pulling feeling when walking and one day I get out the shower and the original leg cysts has doubled in size! I went to doc and they said it must come out again! So I just had that done the other week and its simple surgery, does not take long easy recovery, and guess what the pulling feeling and all the dicomfort i thought i was having from the hip surgery was gone as soon as I stepped off the table and stood up! so if you are having trouble sleeping at night on one side it is much worth the minor surgery to have it removed cause it may even be uncomfortable in way that you have learned to live with and will feel instant relieve my cyst was effecting my muscles and my nerves in my leg. I am so glad I had it done again even though I really didnt want to at first...oh yeah and mine was cancer free both times...good luck!

Could be a branchial cleft cyst? My son had one. He was born with it, but I didn't notice it unless he cried really hard, and it looked like he had a giant vein sticking out of his neck. It is relatively harmless unless mucus gets stuck there and turns into an infection. We had his removed when he was two years old because the doctor said it would be easier to have it taken care of when he was a baby, rather than risk some kind of infection later on in life. Good luck!

Hi, A.:

Prevention.

D.

I had one on my neck for years but it turned out to be a fatty tumor. I had it removed once, and it came back because apparently the doctor left a few cells in there. I had surgery again and (knock on wood) it has not come back. The second surgery went much deeper.
It did get painful to turn my neck, which was the only reason I had it removed. Also, friends used to tell me i looked like I had a second head, so I guess it was getting pretty big!
They biopsied it both times, and it was nothing.
Like you, I had it forever, and just didn't pay attention to it.

Could be nothing, and if it hasn't grown, that's probably a good sign. However, it might be good to have someone else look at it and maybe biopsy it. The fact that it causes you pain and interferes with your sleep would indicate that you might benefit from having it removed - I mean, what's the advantage of keeping it there? If it's small like a kernel of corn, then the surgery shouldn't be very involved. I think you are wise to have it looked at.

Could it be a thyroglossal duct cyst? Do a google search on that and see if it makes any sense.