Lump in daughter's neck

[RoEP2018]

Hi All.
Wondering if anyone has had a similar experience.
I first noticed a lump in my daughters neck 8 weeks ago. It's on the front left and feels like a grape lying on its side. That night I had a look in her mouth, not sure what made me look to be honest as she hadn't complained of any pain, but her tonsils were absolutely massive and the one on the opposite side to the lump had like visible blood steaks running through it.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, we had a few telephone appointments with our GP. A face to face where the GP said it was tonsillitis and he prescribed penicillin. The lump is her glands reacting to the infection. After another couple of weeks passed and the lump still hadn't gone and so he referred us to see a paediatric consultant. He actually said, because these things have a marginal chance of being something nasty like Lymphoma we need an ultrasound to check it out. I worried for two weeks waiting. Like made myself ill. I suffer with anxiety anyway but with him saying that it almost tipped me over the edge!!
So we went to see the consultant last week and he said he wasn't worried at all. Said it's just because of her tonsils. She has no other symptoms so is unlikely to be anything to worry about. Although we are to contact him if she becomes lethargic or losing weight. He doesn't even want to scan her.
Now because I've got myself so worked up from what my GP said, I'm really struggling to believe that everything's ok. I'm actually questioning that the consultant was feeling in the right place?! I felt it again before after trying to move on and it's still there 😩

The consultant will have a lot more specialist experience than the GP but did they explain why they didn't think it was a lymphoma or just say don't worry?
You can: ask for a copy of their letter to your GP; ask for a second opinion; and/or speak to PALS at the hospital if you want to take this further.

The consultant will have a lot more experience than the GP

GPs refer things all the time that a consultant takes one look at and says 'no not cancer'

Like the consultant said, she has no symptoms other than a lump. A lump which has remained relatively unchanged in 8 weeks, its really nothing particularly concerning. A reactive lymph node can be there for a long time.

If you are really worried you can get in touch with the department again. But I would trust the consultant, a swollen lymph node feels quite different to a concering lump.

I dont think you need to speak to PALS.

If you need to just contact the department, they can then either get you back in, or explain their reasoning.

My DS has one of these that first appeared when he was three. I freaked out when I first saw it, but everything I read said 'Unless the doctor can see it from the other side of the room, it's nothing to worry about.' We got an ultrasound done on it eventually (weren't living in the UK at the time) and they just said it's a lymph node. It's quite common in small children for them to swell up in response to an infection. After much thinking about it, we concluded it had originated from a mosquito bite on the shell of his ear on the same side, which had got infected and swelled up massively due to there being no flesh there to speak of. The bite went down with anti-inflammatories but the lymph swelling appeared soon after.

He's 11 in two weeks, and it's still there. Never got any bigger, though it goes up and down if he has a cold or something. His neck has always been super skinny so it's quite obvious, but I'm hoping that as his neck thickens with puberty, it'll be less visible. It's certainly not affected his health in any way though.

This happened to my daughter was 3. A lump appeared and it was soon huge. She was lethargic,lost weight,generally very unwell. I was terrified. They have her blood tests and she had glandular fever and was very anaemic. It took a while but she did recover. Hope your daughter is ok

The consultant has a few advantages over the GP including less hurried appointments, and the additional two weeks of symptoms (or lack of symptoms).

We are always managing uncertainty in medicines, and asking parents to do so too. It is hard when worries have been stirred but remember that if the situation changes you can always go back and things can be made to happen pretty quickly for children if the situation warrants it.

@Willowkins thank you for your reply. Yeah he explained how rare that is in a 2 year old but especially so for one that has no symptoms and that after 8 weeks perhaps she'd be poorly if it was something to worry about. But he has kept us open and we do have a follow up appointment in November. Asking for a copy of the letter is a good idea.

@ChubbyPigeon thank you. What you have said makes a lot of sense and has put things into perspective for me. I just think all this has come at the wrong time. Pandemic and all. I'm overly anxious anyway. I have to trust our consultant, he was lovely. Overly cautious but that's a good thing too! Do you have a medical background? I just wonder from what you say about lumps ☺️

@turquoise50 Wow what a worry! Thanks for sharing your story! It certainly sounds like a similar experience doesn't it.

@Dita73 also such a worry for you!! My daughter had a blood test which ruled out glandular fever. She really is fit and well and not losing any weight so I need to take comfort in that.
My anxieties come from when she was born. She had viral meningitis at 2 weeks old and was very poorly.

@Iesugrist thank you for your response also. I feel extremely lucky we have such a wonderful GP that raised concerns and listened to my worries. Are you from a medical background? The consultant has said I can call his secretary anytime with any concerns too which is brilliant.
I'm hypersensitive to her getting ill because of a bad start...

A lump in the neck is always a reason to go to the GP and to ensure they investigate

My son had a swollen lymph node in his neck when he was 2 or 3. It stayed visible for years especially of he turned his head to the side. If the consultant had any doubts at all he would ha e referred for more tests.

Thanks @candle18 that's reassuring to hear.

You're a lovely bunch on here 😁 xx

My son had one when he was 3. It was there for many months and eventually he started getting other symptoms such as repeated temperatures, lethargy, weight loss and picking up every illness going. He was a shadow of himself for about 4 months. We were dismissed by the doctor as a virus multiple times. We paid to go private in the end as we so exasperated and worried with how miserable and unwell he was. After a series of tests he was diagnosed with a nasty bacterial infection. He had a month long course of strong antibiotics which cleared it. The private consultant transferred him to her NHS list and both her and I put in a complaint to the GP surgery. He was a different boy, glands went down and he has been so healthy ever since.

@Trying2310 wow, how awful your poor boy went through all that! ☹️
I feel confident that I'm in a position now that if she did become poorly with this lump, we are through the doors with the NHS. I'm sorry your GP wasn't very supportive. Did you get anywhere with the complaint?

Personally I would insist on the ultrasound. Yes it's "unlikely" but I would want it definitively ruled out. Doctors make mistakes all the time. It's probably nothing but I have been on the receiving on of incorrect doctors opinion so I require appropriate testing rather than "This looks ok to me"!!

We had blood tests at the hospital after a referral for lumps in my sons neck. They were checking for lymphoma but said as he was well, that was unlikely. The outcome was that he just has larger glands, which are till visible now - 2 years later! The doctor said that so long as they moved when manipulated and he was well, they were normal for him. He also has larger than usual tonsils.

I have a swollen lymph node that sits just around my collar bone; it appeared 20 years ago when I had glandular fever and has never gone down. I sometimes move it around, it does feel quite like a grape now you mention it! Smooth and mobile; it's hard, irregular, tethered lumps you worry about.

Oh and my son has had a large one that sticks out from his neck since he was a baby, the GP felt it and said it wasn't anything concerning and it's fairly common for them to be prominent.

@RoEP2018 the surgery apologised sincerely and ever since they have been very good with any appointments I have had with my other children.... Don't know of they have a note on their files to not dismiss us 😂 or I have just got better at demanding a response and action if I am worried.