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Swollen glands DD10 - can anyone reassure me?

33 replies

LightShinesInTheDarkness · 26/05/2009 11:40

Health anxiety stalks me and today I am really, really bad.

Took DD(10) to GP today as she has found a lump in neck, under her jaw. It has been there a few days but DD only just told us. I thought it may be a salivary gland.

GP did not reassure me, other than saying its a gland and she has another one next to it, but 'its nothing to worry about - come back in 2 weeks if its still there and we will do some blood tests'. I was almost in tears with worry, and the doctor was surprised I am so worried.

Has anyone else been through this? I am terrified DD may have leukaemia or something.

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LightShinesInTheDarkness · 02/06/2009 13:14

Hi KM. Thanks for coming back.

I am not really any better - DD woke up this morning and said she 'couldn't be bothered to do anything' and was tired. I went into a tailspin of panic again, fearing the fatigue of leukaemia or lymphoma.

In the end I rang the school secretary. I explained that I suffer from Health Anxiety which makes it very hard for me to stay rational about whether my children are ill or not. She said she would ask the teaching assistant to keep an eye on DD for me.

She rang back half an hour later (my heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I saw the school calling) and said DD was out on the field doing PE and seemed fine. She rang back an hour later and said she had specially looked for DD at play time and she still seemed fine.

The gland is still swollen but I think her nose is less runny. DD has complained of a pain in the back of her head, one in her rib and her back - but only for a really short while, then she says it has gone. She did have loads of bruises on her legs but they have all cleared up.

I have a GP appointment on Friday for myself, to try and talk through this terrible anxiety and see what may be done to help me.

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kaylasmum · 02/06/2009 14:31

glad to hear that she seems fine in herself, that really is reassuring. My dd also has lots of bruises on her shins and i worry about them too but i look around at other kids and see that they all have bruises too so that tends to calm me down. My dd is always coming out with aches and pains here and there and i try not to panic, though i usually do! I aslso have 3 older children and one younger. My eldest is 24, then i have a ds of 23 and a dd of 17, my youngest is 2 and a half. When my older kids were little i never worried to the same extent as i do now. For me its the internet that has a lot to do with it, too much knowledge!

I noticed that you've posted on the "nomorepanic" website, i post there quite often too and find it very helpful as the people really understand how you feel. You mentioned in that post that you look up the statistics for cancers, i do exactly the same thing. I felt that i was a complete freak but i understand more about health anxiety now so i know that its an illness and we are just very unfortunate to suffer from it.

I hope that your visit to your GP is productive for you and that you can calm down about your dd. A few months ago i had a big health scare with my little boy and i could'nt eat for a week. I lost about 9 pounds in just a few days so ireally understand how you are feeling.

LightShinesInTheDarkness · 02/06/2009 15:24

Thanks KM. It was someone on MN that recommended the No More Panic site - people have been helpful there.

I really do want to get better. My FIL died 2 months ago and DH really needs my support at the moment, but I have been useless.

Like you say, in the cold light of day, a child who is running about at school all day is not that likely to be dying. But that is in the cold light of day, when that other little demon on the other shoulder is not whispering 'but she might be'.

Maybe you are right about the Internet as well. I might have been less likely to worry if I knew less about what my fears might be.

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loopylou6 · 02/06/2009 20:35

Hi lightshines, i too suffer with horrendous HA,i take 40 mg of citalopram a day to try and control it and stop me poking at myself or the DC's looking for lumps and bumps HA is an awful nasty thing.

Anyway, i think i can maybe make you feel a bit better. I was where you are 5 years ago and was still there till almost a year ago.

DS when he was 4 became very very ill, i noticed he had a gland the size of a golfball (yes really) in his neck under his jaw and kidney bean shaped/sized glands at the back of his neck in a cluster, i took him out of hours GP who said it was fine, not being convinced, i took him to my own doc a couple of days later.

Doc was very concerned, measured the gland, felt for more glands in his armpits/groin, felt his spleen etc, gave him Anti-biotics and wanted to see him again in a a week or so.

Gland did go down slightly but doc jept giving him anti biotics, diff types, glands still did not go.

After a while, he was referred to an ENT specialist who did not appear bothered by the glands, but more interested in his ears

Anyway, cut a long story short, i worried for YEARS, everytime he was ill in the sluightest i worried myself to the point where i thought i was going to have a mental breakdown.

It all came to a climax at the start of the summer holidays last year, he presented with severe tummy pain and was rushed to hospital with suspected acute appendicitus, of course they wanted to take blood and i told DH that we couldnt let them because i was so worried about them finding leukimea, of course they took it and i found out that his white blood count was a bit high, i spent a whole miserable night in the hospital just me and DS with me imagining all sorts of horrible things i cant even bring myself to type some of the dark thoughts i had.

Anyway next day, bloods where re-taken and they had dropped, i was so relieved because that was soooo reasurring... untill months later, when his feet kept swelling up and where so painful he couldnt walk, i googled (stupidly) and found that swollen feet and other body parts can be a sign of leukimea, i took him docs who took the wait and see approach, once DH and DS had left the room i told the doc about my fears, he said it was very unlikely, but as i am sure you are aware of 'very unlikely' is not reassuring enough

i told him he had very recently had blood tests so the doc checked and apparently his WBC was fine, it was the inflammination marker thatw as up, so i finally felt better, BUT the glands are still there,a s large as life to this day, so i suppose my long and rambling boring post is trying to make the point that glands do easily swell in children for whatever reason, amnd they dont just go away either, DS is now 10 and the glands are as big as they where 5 years ago

If you search the archives, you will find lots of Mnetters with the same problem with their children

Hope this has helped a fraction and i havent bored you to tears

LightShinesInTheDarkness · 02/06/2009 22:37

loopy - of course you have not bored me to tears. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your story with me - it must have taken ages to type! Having others tell me they have been where I am and got through it is a relief.

You have reassured me a little. Not just in that your DS is well despite the swollen glands, but also that you have managed to come to terms with your own Health Anxiety.

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loopylou6 · 02/06/2009 23:25

Lightshines, yes it did take a while, but it is time well spent if it really did make you feel at all better.

I feel for you, i really and truely do, i know exactky how you feel and its awful.

I will put this thred on watch, and if you need me, or want to talk further just shout

loopylou6 · 02/06/2009 23:25

thread

LightShinesInTheDarkness · 02/06/2009 23:28

Thanks. DD is asleep (obviously - its 11.30pm!) and I just checked her. Had to remind myself that its really hot weather which is why she feels hot - it is not a 'night sweat'.

Must get some shuteye myself. Thanks again.

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