I've had a cold a few days, but there's a right throat lump near the jaw. how come i didn't get a lump with my last cold?

Different bug: Different germs elicit different immune responses from the body. This lump is most likely a lymph node swelling in response to the infection...Doing its job.. If it becomes painful see your doc as the node itself may be infected. You may have a throat infection (pharyngitis) causing it to enlarge. It is common for lymph nodes to swell. You last cold didn't' need that kind of response.