Hi just woke up this morning and the gland on the left hand side of my neck has swollen to the size of a golf ball. Any over the counter medicine available or should I go see a doctor?

Go see a doctor buddy, you don't deal with thyroids issues with over the counter stuff,

it can be a benign problem or a beginning of something more serious.......

I can feel the pain up to my ear. Very painful.

Swollen lymph nodes? Could be an infection. I'd see doc now rather than wait for it to possibly go down.

This is almost certainly not your thyroid, thyroid glands do not enlarge overnight like that. It is most likley an enlarged lymph node, usually indicative of an infection, and you need to see a doctor to determine where the infection is. Do not attempt to self-treat.

If possible see a specialist in Infectious Disease, otherwise an internist (GP).

Thanks all I'll go tomorrow.