My 2 years son has enlarged lymh nodes on the left side of his nic for more than six months. They appeared after he had ear infection six months ago and the lymph nodes never got smaller after that. The GP thinks it happens a lot with the small children and he did not seem to be worried as they feel rubbery and movable. However, he aksed for the ultrasound and the radiologyst said it is nothing to worry about. I am still worried as he had unexplained fewer for 2 dyas in the last six months without any other symptoms. Did anyone have similar expereince. I appreciate your answers.
Get a 2nd opinion.... not just from a GP Doctor.
Fever, usually means an infection of some kind. It is the body's way of fighting off an infection. Typically.
I would, take him to the Doctor.... or the ER. Perhaps, the ER Doctor would then ALSO look at his swollen neck/lymph nodes... and have a different approach to diagnosing it...
Get a 2nd opinion.
My son has had a swollen lymph node in his neck for about 1.5 years, he is 3.5 years old. The Ped checks it each time we come in and says that children tend to have these because they are small and the nodes stick out a little bit more. My son also suffers from seizures when he is coming down with an illness. I take his temperature constantly and let me tell you kids run fevers for absolutely no reason at all! Low grade, no other symptoms. Ped and neurologist both said this is common for kids. I would not notice the fevers if I was not so concerned with his seizures and illness. If you are really concerned then get a second opinion.
I'm an unfortunate expert on lymph nodes having been diagnosed with lymphoma (specifically Hodgkins - cancer) after the birth of my daughter almost 2 years ago.
The fact that they're rubbery and movable is a really good sign. 95% of all lymph node enlargements are to help the body process infection - chances are, your son is fine, and his nodes are needing time to rebound. I fell in the 5%, and I really had to press the issue. The location of mine was the real concern (collarbone area). If they're tender, that's also a good sign as cancer cells have no nerve endings and won't cause pain in the lymph nodes as they enlarge.
In my case, I found a swollen supraclavicular node (collarbone) after nursing my daughter one night. I went to my OB the next day who "wasn't concerned" because they were small, not really hard, and movable. I went to my Family Practitioner the next day who ordered an ultrasound and ENT consultation.
In the meantime, I returned to work from maternity leave, had contact with literally a few hundred physicians as I was in pharmaceutical sales at the time, and no one really thought it was anything other than post-partum hormones.
The radiologist determined "benign adenopathy", and it took 3 pathologists to confirm my Hodgkins diagnosis.
If your mommy instincts tell you to press, DO IT! The worst outcome if he's OK is that you have peace of mind. Do not get a fine needle biopsy. While it's the lesser invasive type of biopsy, it can often draw inconclusive results. A full biopsy is really going to be more conclusive.
If your instincts are telling you to be concerned, start taking action now and don't wait. I was fortunate to be diagnosed at Stage II - early stage. And, after 5 months of chemo, I've been fortunate to be cancer free for over 18 months.
Lymphomas are common in children - especially Hodgkins with peak ages of diagnosis in the teens to the mid-30's.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need direction.
Chances are, he's fine!
Good luck!
My daughter has had one for almost 2 years also. She had blood tests done and everything came up normal. Her pediatrician said the important thing is that it is free moving and more soft than hard. He said to keep an eye on it and if more appear or it gets larger to bring her in. Which I have had to do. Another lymph appeared one time when she was sick towards the back of her head. After she was sick that one went away, but this one still remains. Sometimes it does look a little larger when she is sick.
Outside of that I was going to tell you my other daughter ran a fever for 2 weeks ago for 3 days with no other symptoms. And 2 of her cousins had the same thing happen. I've also heard of at least three other friends whose children have too. (I've heard there is some type of virus going around.)
Outside of that, of course, if your worried get a second opinion.
My son has had an enlarged lymph node on the side of his neck behind his right ear for 2 years now... If your worried, DEFINITELY get a 2nd opinion!!! 3 doctors that my son saw (and my nurse practitioner friend)said it wasn't anything to be concerned about. It hasn't grown, it moves underneath the skin, and it doesn't hurt him...Don't freak out though, I know it's easier said than done..
My adult friend has had the same enlarged lymph node on his neck for the past 3 years....He is a life extension specialist and deals with medicine and he wasn't concerned either..
My son had this issue when he was younger. He had a cold and his lymph nodes got swollern and stayed that way for a while. The doc explained that lymph nodes in children tend to stay enlarged for a longer time than adults. It just takes longer for them to go down - doesn't neccessarily mean that they are still sick. And she also said to make sure that they feel rubbery and movable - which your son's are so that's good. Just keep an eye on them like you are. Good luck.
I personally would seek out a specialist, an ENT (ear nose throat) doc. A specialist could give you a more solid answer. It is possible, I think, that your son never completely fought off the infection and is continuing to have a series of them, but without symptoms as his body still fights it. The next time he got sick with something, he could be really run down. Maybe getting some nutritional advice (as antibiotics only work for bacterial infections) would help too.
Best to you!
my son, too, had swollen nodes in his neck for a few years between age 2 to 4. they were about M&M sized and moved around when I felt them. they'd get larger and harder when he was sick. About the same time, he started getting strep throat a few times a year. For a while we thought he was a strep carrier. he'd randomly get a fever, too, for a couple days and then be gone. However, when he was 4, he got pneumonia. Oddly enough, in the 3ish years since then, his nodes haven't been swollen and he hasn't gotten sick nearly as much (i hope i didn't just jinx it!).
Sometimes, i guess, these kids' bodies are working to strengthen an immune system without us knowing. Good luck with your son and i hope you're able to get some peace of mind with this! :)
