Have small lump behind my r ear. painful & lymph nodes in r neck swollen making neck hurt on the r. no other symptoms of infection. what is it? er worthy?

See PCP: It is important to check out multiple lymph nodes enlargement in the neck. It is better to see your pcp so that proper exam, investigations and follow up can be done. Er is for acute illness only.

Not ER worthy.: Sometimes lymph nodes can do this. If these don't resolve or if they spread you should see your doc.

Monitoring Centers: Lymphatic system absorbs/carries things too big to go into the arteries/veins like bacteria eaten by white cells and digested food. Lymph nodes "taste" the lymph for anything bad like bacteria/viruses/cancers, etc. When it detects a problem, it alerts the immune system and your body reacts. They enlarge in response to the inflammation they create when they react. They shrink when all is well.