Hi, I Am A 23 Year Old Male, 5'7 190

Hi, I am a 23 year old male, 5'7 190 pounds, I have had a small lump (approximately 1-2cm) on the right side of my neck for a couple years now, maybe longer. It is painless, fairly hard and is somewhat moveable. It has not noticeably changed in size since I noticed it (It may go away/come back from time to time but it is hard to remember, I don't always feel for it). I do not have symptoms such as chills, fever's and profuse sweating at night. I have done some research on this, and the possibility of lymphoma is concerning. I did read something about 'scarred lymph nodes' (inflamed nodes that may stay inflamed for decades?) however I found little information about them.

A background of my history....About a year and a half ago lymph nodes on the back of my head, neck and armpits became extremely inflamed and were extremely sensitive, when I would barely touch them there was excruciating pain (I was fighting a flu before the nodes inflamed). I went to the doctor and they prescribed me antibiotics, and the lymph nodes dwindled in size with 10 days. A biopsy was not done and because the pain/lymph nodes were gone I did not ask my doctor any more questions about the situation. I feel that this lymph node in my neck may have been there before this situation occurred but I am not certain.

I have made an appointment to see my family doctor, however the appointment is not for a couple weeks and I would like some insight on this matter.. My questions are: Is it common to have a swollen lymph node in your neck area for over a year? Are lymph nodes usually benign or malignant in this area/lymph nodes that stay swollen for this amount of time? Is a 'scarred lymph node a possibility? What questions should I ask my doctor to help diagnose this problem.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you so much for your time.