DEAR DR. GOTT: In September 2009, the right side of my neck above the collarbone started to swell. By December, the area from beneath my right ear to my collarbone and into my armpit was swollen. It wasn’t painful. It was, as the physician’s assistant put it, a diffuse/overall swelling. The lymph nodes were not swollen. A neck CT scan showed a slight ear infection but no problem with the nodes.

The swelling is not edema because it is “more spongy” (per the doctor). When pressed, it does leave an indentation. I also have a tender spot just to the left of the center of my throat on the outside of my neck, near the base. I also have a symptom that comes and goes — a spot in my throat that feels dry and seems as if it is clinging to the tissue around it. My doctor told me that it is scar tissue from having my tonsils out years ago.
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