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Children's health

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Original poster

Enlarged neck gland

28 replies

ruth6692 · 11/01/2012 16:06

Hi my ds is 4 and has a gland on the side of his neck which is the size of a maltesser say - he's had it as long as i can remember i took him to the gp when we lived in Eire and she sent him to specilist to check it out and do bloods she said once it goes up and down (his changes size when he's unwell etc) its ok just keep an eye on it uk gp said same come back if it gets bigger but it is a constant worry to me especially when hes been ill like now and its very noticable (the trouble is i googled the causes and as usual it brought up lots of sinister causes )I just wanted to know if anyone else had come across this or knew of anyone else with it .
thanks

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

LonelyLinda · 11/01/2012 18:14

Sorry Ruth, no experience of this but I would go back for the GP to double check/re refer just for peace of mind if nothing else!

tanfastic · 11/01/2012 21:48

Hello, my ds who is 3.8 went through this last summer, it was horrendous. We noticed a lump in his neck whilst on holiday when he turned his head it bulged out. It was about the size of a kidney bean and rolled around under the skin. We went to see the GP who put the wind up us a bit by asking lots of scary questions like was he having night sweats or lost any weight. He said he could feel another one slightly below the one we'd seen. He checked his armpits and groin and said that if the lump hadn't disappeared in three weeks then to bring him back and he'd refer him for a biopsy

As you can imagine we were thinking the worst and after two weeks the lump was still there. However in the meantime I'd been looking at some videos that I'd taken of him the previous summer over a year before and in one he turns his head and I could see the lump bulging out of his neck. I couldn't believe it had been there that long and nobody had noticed!

Took him back to the GP who said he was going to do an urgent referral for suspected lymphoma. Ge said he wasn't majorly concerned though but wanted to rule it out.

So off we went to see the consultant who took one look at him and said it was perfectly normal. He was angry that he'd been referred for suspected cancer and explained that children his age often have reactive nodes that sometimes never go back to normal size or can take years to. He said if he'd had lymphoma or leukaemia it would have certainly presented itself in some other way within three months. He didn't even want to do bloods or follow up. He said the fact our ds had had lots of hand foot and mouth episodes was probably why his glands had scarred and never gone down. He also explained mobile lumps were usually nothing to worry about. I cried with relief!

Six months on and the lump is still there, no bigger, no smaller but he's perfectly well so I try and ignore it. Since then I've spoken to lots of mums with kids with lingering neck lumps so it must be a lot more common than you think.

Of course it's always best to get things checked over though

Original poster

ruth6692 · 12/01/2012 10:08

Hi Tanfastic thanks very much for your reply its such a relief to hear someone else with this .My ds went to specalist after Gp referal she knew i was concerned about it being sinister she didnt think it was anything to worry about but because it was so big she would refer him she also checked his grion and armpit he had bloods done etc. As the spec said and ive always comforted myself with if it was anything else surely after all this time it would of manifested itself by now. As a baby he had lots os ear infections so maybe it has something to do with this. Thanks again its helped me feel abit more at ease :)

OP posts:

tanfastic · 12/01/2012 10:42

The consultant (paediatric consultant) spent a lot of time explaining to me how lymph nodes work in small children. I was greatly reassured. He seemed quite irritated that the GP referred us and implied that the GP was being over exuberant. However I beg to differ because I really needed mind putting at rest. If you have Googled it (which I'm sure you have as I did) them you'll see hundreds of mothers complaining about the same thing. The consultant's exact words to me after examining my ds thoroughly was "Why on earth does your GP think he has cancer". I said to him that I was really freaked out by the suggestion and worried sick. He then replied really firmly, "Well let me un-freak you out, he's completely healthy". It was at that point I cried my eyes out with relief

It sounds like your child has the same thing, he had a node that's reactive or calcified and may never go back to normal. It's only so noticeable because of their skinny little necks.

I mentioned all this to one of the nursery staff and she told me that her nine year old brother had a lump in exactly the same place (right side halfway down his neck) for years since he was a toddler and she'd noticed that my ds had one too but just assumed it was normal.

Obviously if you are still concerned take your child back to the doctors for a second opinion but in the absence of any other symptoms and your child appears healthy/eating etc then I don't think you have anything to worry about

daytoday · 12/01/2012 11:00

I've just had this myself - had a lump for about 6 months before I mentioned it to doctor - he than ordered blood tests and then an ultrasound a few weeks later - all clear!

Anyway - the specialist said it is so utterly common for your nodes/glands to enlarge and stay that way.

I thought I was dying - convinced it was cancer. It wasn't. If you think you are going to worry about it - request/demand and ultrasound and maybe some blood tests. Honestly, I feel so much better.

Lizcat · 12/01/2012 13:44

I also have a reactive node left side of my neck it has been the size of a Malteser for the last 12 years. They did a fine needle aspirate of it all clear. Sometimes it gets a bit bigger then goes back to malteser.

Original poster

ruth6692 · 12/01/2012 13:49

thanks for your replies its good to hear others with the same thing maybe i can stop scanning childrens necks everywhere i go seeing if anyone else has one .

OP posts:

bugsonbuns · 12/01/2012 14:00

Can I ask whether these nodes cause pain/discomfort at all? My DS doesn't have any lump but has been complaining of neck pain for almost 2 years now. The first year we took him to the Dr several times and finally were referred to the peds. They could find no sign of anything problematic and thought it was probably that he was sensitive to pain from his lymph nodes. he does go through spates of complaining about his neck which often are combined with him coming down with something or being tired. Just wondered if any of your DC with enlarged lymph nodes said they hurt or not. Thanks!

chinupbuttercup · 12/01/2012 14:35

We have just been through this with 12 yr old DS - he had v bad sore throat virus over Xmas and gland behind his ear enlarged and was painful. Gp has said fine, it has shrunk a little but not gone, and only last week he complained again that it hurt - I suspect he was probably fighting something else off and it reacted.

We had a similar episode when he was about three with a gland on the side of his neck which was enlarged for months. He saw a ped and had blood tests - they concluded it was cat scratch fever as he antibodies to it in his blood. This node took a long time to go down - you could always see it when he turned his head - but I haven't thought about it for years and it is certainly gone now!

tanfastic · 12/01/2012 15:20

My ds's lump isn't tender but it may have been when he was fighting an infection.

Op, I was the same with my ds last summer, looking at other children's necks to see if I could see anything. Going into my little boy's room when he was asleep to feel if it had got any bigger and willing it to go away. I don't think I ate for six weeks with the worry until we got the all clear. I don't think about it now though.

Labootin · 12/01/2012 15:29

Ds is now 10 .. Aged 3 he had a malteser sized lump in his neck

Dr said as he had had a prolonged period of ear infections / cold that sometimes the lymph glands get slightly scarred. You can still see now it is slightly raised but I keep checking and he is fine.

Also pointed out young children do not have a lot of fat around their necks so anthing sticking out look far more prominent than you would usually see.

Hth and good post by tans tic

Labootin · 12/01/2012 15:32

Ds said it hurt btw bugs

Oh and I totally freaked at the time hence me posting now as it would have helped me .

Original poster

ruth6692 · 12/01/2012 15:50

My Ds's doesnt hurt if he's ill it may be tender but even then he never complains of it. He had several ear infections as a baby so maybe thats what has caused it he has over the last 6 weeks been complaining of his ears and has been on antibiotics and so his lump is quite big right now thats why i was so freaked out with it all i suppose if it is larger than is normal it will be more tender than a child who's gland isnt enlarged .
Labootin does your ds still have the lump ?
I cant believe how relieved i feel i dont think i'll ever be happy about it but i used to feel sick with worry sometimes when he turned his head and i saw it bulging out so thanks v much :)

OP posts:

PandaNot · 12/01/2012 15:54

My DS got a lump in his neck (swollen gland) after his 12 week inoculations and it has stayed there ever since - he's now 7. Very sensible GP just said to keep an eye on it and go back if it got any bigger. It hasn't, it's stayed exactly the same size so is now quite small in comparison to his head!

tanfastic · 12/01/2012 16:39

Op I can almost feel the relief running through you

Labootin · 12/01/2012 21:28

He's filled out a bit haven't seen it in a few years

jasperJohns · 12/01/2012 21:31

I used to have one, for several years - it was the size of a pea but would swell to malteser size if I had a sore throat or wore non-gold earrings.

Haven't seen it for about 10 years now!

Labootin · 12/01/2012 21:32

I only see it when he's ill .. Previously it was always there.. To worry me

That said .. Always check with a doctor and keep a paranoid eye on it !

SkivingAgain · 12/01/2012 21:36

I've had a couple of these for as long as I can remember many years I am quite middle aged. The one on the right hand side of my neck is always enlarged, but grows even bigger when I have a cold or anything. I've never thought anything of it, because it grows and shrinks so can't be sinister, but did have a bit of a worry when I started to read this thread.

Pleased that so many others know of the same and have had checks and reassurance.

paddyclamp · 12/01/2012 21:47

We were referred to children's ENT a couple of years ago for a persistent swollen lymph node that DS had....the doctors at the hosp weren't remotely worried about it..they ran routine blood tests and all was normal.

He's developed another one so we've got to go through it all again...but he's not got any other worrying symptoms and the GP said his abdomen etc felt normal...he also said the 99.9% of swollen glands in children are nothing to worry about...but because i am a worrier i insisted that we were referred back to dot all the eyes and cross all the t's....hopefully all will be well again!

tanfastic · 12/01/2012 22:03

I'm sure it will paddyclamp.

spiffysquiffyspiggy · 12/01/2012 22:13

I had this as a child. It never went away and grew to golf ball sized after a bout of glandular fever. I ended up having it out when I was 19 as it had grown onto my hyoid bone and a second op at 21 to get another one. Consultant's verdict on the cause? "some people are just lumpy" I still get problems when I'm ill but it has never got to as bad as it was. Paracetamol and massaging the area gently can help reduce the swelling.

Original poster

ruth6692 · 13/01/2012 12:08

"some people are just lumpy" i love that !!!! :o when ds asks me what is is i will tell him that !!
maybe i can relax about it now and stop going into panic when i see it :)

OP posts:

spiffysquiffyspiggy · 13/01/2012 12:30

If he had a lot of ear problems as a child then he might be just susceptible to them as it is closely linked to people who have a lot of tonsilitis etc. Basically it is the lymph tissue swelling up when it is fighting infection. For me that lymph node became hyper-reactive so swelled way more than others when I was ill and never returned to a normal size when I was well.

Glad it put your mind at rest. Maybe your DS and I could start the lumpy people club

Original poster

ruth6692 · 13/01/2012 12:58

What a good idea !!!!! :o

OP posts:

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