On December 26th,2008 - I noticed that something wasn't right when I got home from work,because my neck was hurting due to a painful lump that feels like a golf ball in the throat that normally isn't there.

It's been 3-4 days since I noticed the lump and the pain is more on the outside of the throat then the inside. There has been some difficulty with swallowing,because it feels like the stuff goes down but the mucus stays and I'm coughing a lot...sometimes to the point where I'm about get sick. Other symptoms include back pain (for the first 2 days),fever,and lots of dry coughing.

At the day care where I work, it's normal for someone to get sick,but it's not normal to have a lump the size of a golfball that won't go away/causes a lot neck pain. I'm hoping to go see the doctor tomorrow to see what the heck it is,because I'm 100% sure that it's not normal because my neck normally does not itch when I'm sick either.