Anyone know anything about swollen neck glands?

[kissmelittleass]

Ds (17) noticed a swollen gland in the side of his neck just below the jaw a few weeks ago. When I first felt it was shockingly big and long like a monkey nut sort of shape. A week or so later I felt it and it was gone down slightly but remains big enough and have never known a gland as big as that in any of my kids when they were sick. He hasn't had any recent colds etc only flare ups of eczema, he saw the doctor 10 days ago who told him to come back if it was still swollen in 3 weeks. He says its sore to touch sometimes and says today he was gagging and felt breathless (he has asthma) as he ran round the football field. He feels it was down to the lump? I am reassurring him but he's very worried and I am stressing about it just not showing him I am! Anyone have anything like this and all was ok?

[Tanfastic]

My now seven year old ds has a huge swollen gland in the side of his neck. We noticed it when he was four and took him to the GP who seemed quite concerned and referred him under the two week rule for suspected lymphoma . Was a very worrying time.

However when we saw the consultant he was very irritated we'd been referred, said it was nothing to worry about, completely harmless and he could tell that just by feeling it and examining ds. He said it was probably from an infection he'd had as a toddler but the node had never returned to its original size.

It's still there now, no bigger, no smaller but we're not worried.

I'm not saying it's the same kind of thing but not all enlarged nodes are cause for concern. Maybe another trip back to the gp!

[maybebabybee]

If it was sore to the touch it's most likely fine. Lumps that are more cause for concern are painless, hard and fixed to the skin. Just because he hasn't had a noticeable cold or virus doesn't mean he wasn't fighting one off that never materialised.

I've got two very large swollen lymph nodes in my neck. I freaked out about them and went to the GP who said they were fine. Now had them for six years!

I would go to the GP just to get it checked out but honestly this is really common - chances are he's fine.

[kissmelittleass]

Thank you for replies its nice to have a bit of "its really common" reassurrance he is going to go back monday week if there is no change. He forgot to tell me till yesterday that the GP said she would send him for a scan if it hadn't gone down in the 3 weeks since she saw him.

[sleepyhead]

Yep common.

I had one in my neck in my early 20s that wouldn't go down. Got sent to the neck lump clinic (which was v busy) and had a biopsy but the consultant who looked at it was very reassuring even before the biopsy and the results were clear.

It remained enlarged for a good while but it's not now - can't remember when it went away tbh and I'm 43!

There's a protocol of waiting and then referral which they'll follow, but even if referred for further investigation it'll probably be nothing but reassurance for your ds.

[RoobyTuesday]

Yes, me too. I have a lymph node on one side of my neck that swells up like a golf ball for no apparent reason at least twice a year. It stays up for several weeks, is quite often painful and is visible so people comment on the lump in my neck. I've had it scanned twice and been told it's just an infective node. I think now it just reacts to the slightest thing and don't worry about it.

[kissmelittleass]

Aww Thankyou for your replies I feel a lot happier to hear your stories and know everything was ok x

[lapsedorienteerer]

Ever since an "is it/isn't it?" glandular fever" moment in my late 20's (I'm now 50..ahem) I get swollen neck glands as a precursor to virtually every cold.