Urgent bloods and scans for enlarged lymphnode in my 4 year olds neck

[Spiderpanda]

I noticed a lump in my 4 year old son’s neck, a lymphnode, it’s bigger on one side, he’s just been to the dr who has ordered urgent bloods and scans. He said they will be next week. I’m obviously really panicking as I know what he’s looking for. It’s been there a few weeks for sure, we waited a week and a half for an appointment and occasionally I’ve thought does he have bigger lymphnodes but he’s at nursery and always fighting off one thing or another. It’s one side, I’m very stressed, I’m wondering if anyone’s been through it. How often is it nothing… etc. thanks

I obviously can’t know if there is anything wrong with your DS, but I had a very similar experience with my own DS, and at a similar age. He had several swollen nodes in his neck, including one quite large one. We saw a paediatrician several times and had a few blood tests over a period of a few months. There was nothing wrong with him and he is now 18 and in good health- some of the nodes went back down but two or three of them are still inflamed to this day (and they get bigger if he gets a virus).

As a toddler/pre schooler, he had a few bouts of tonsillitis and nasty colds, and the Drs think that the nodes first inflamed in response to one of those illnesses and that for some people, they never go down again.

I really hope it’s a similar situation for your DS. Does he have any other symptoms that worry you?

Currently going through this with my 19 month old. He’s has his lumps roughly 11 months now bigger and more lumps and gp just kept saying it was due to over active immune system response to colds etc especially during winter months. Finally he’s having bloods next week urgently but at the same time she’s still insistent she’s not concerned about the lumps all over his neck

My son had very obvious lymph nodes when he was little; the GP ordered lots of blood tests over the years but eventually concluded that as he was slim, his were jus more visible (no real fat layers to pad them), and his immune system must’ve been really sensitive (he scratched his knee skateboarding and ended up with a lymph node swelling up in his groin to the size of an egg). If there weren’t other symptoms (losing weight / night sweats / not growing etc) then try not to worry.

My youngest had this and was seriously ill too and all turned out to be nothing. They ended up saying it was a virus similar to glandular fever. She had an awful immune system from being a baby (literally had to be kept in isolation for three weeks once as her immune response levels were super low). Until the age of 11 she would get a hideous virus that would wipe her out for weeks at least once a year. She would have to do a part time phased return to school!

I've had a swollen lymph node on one side of my neck for over twenty years now. Sometimes they just come up and don't go back down.
Hoping for the best for your son.

My eldest had this. Dr said it was from his constantly cracked lips

I went through similar with my DD when she was 4. She had been seriously poorly in hospital earlier in the year. It turned out to be nothing - probably just a reaction to a mild infection. She's an adult now and has been fine since.

I had this as an adult and it was a result from a run of recurrent ear infections on that side. I'd thought it had cleared and then it suddenly turned into this huge super swollen lymphnode. I needed a different type of antiobiotics to get on top of the ear infection which then reduced the lymphnode. Sending positive thoughts that it turns out to be something as easily fixed for your DS 🤞🤞

I had a massive swollen lymph node when I was 17 and my sister had had Hodgkin's lymphoma so my mum was panicking. It was nothing...don't know what caused it. Lymphoma usually affects the nodes above the collar bone and because they were ok they didn't even do any tests.

DS had bruises and unusual bleeding plus pallor and fatigue, and GP found raised lymph nodes, so we were sent to A&E for bloods. Turned out to be after-effects of a virus, but was very scary