I have a 3 yr old son who has had "lumps" in his lymph nodes in different places on his body on and off since birth. Everytime I have mentioned this to his dr's they reassure me this is probably normal for him. They have said maybe he has a little virus when I notice them with no other symptoms. Everytime I come across them I am alarmed and get nervous, and then before long they disappear again. Last time I voiced concern to his dr at his 3 yr check up, I was told they could do some tests but they were painful and a last resort. They said he's healthy, growing, energetic, and no reason to believe there is reason for concern. Has anyone else experienced anything like this with your own children that could put me at ease?
My 5 yr old has the same thing, and we have heard the same thing. We did take him to a specialist, but got the same answer there as well. Sounds like the tests would be extremely painful, but my little guy is also healthy, growing and energetic. (I noticed his nodes by 3 also.)
No ill effects yet...
If you are concerned, do a simple blood test to make sure that the red blood cells and white blood cells are reasonably normal or normal enough to accept the "viral" diagnosis. Since it's been going on for a while, I'm sure it's just some peculiarity that your son's body does when he's mildly ill - but why not allay your fears with a simple blood test?
Since you have mentioned this to your doctor on several occasions, I would consider finding a new pediatrician. It bothers me that he has dismissed your concerns without minimal testing. My pediatrician has never dismissed any of my concerns. That's not to say that he hasn't calmed my fears on many occasions. He has been our pediatrician for 14 years and, even though, we now live one hour away from his office, I still would not change doctors because of the concerned, professional care that my family receives from him and his staff.
Best of luck to you!
I just went through this with my daughter at the time 18 months old. She had a swollen node in her neck, I had the DR feel it and they said it was ok. It was about the size of a piece of corn. After 7 weeks it was still there and then suddenly on the same side 3 more popped up behind the ear. She was due for shots so I brought her in and asked them to check them again. Well they did and found several more in her neck on her head behind the ears and on both sides of her groin, which were bigger then the others. They decided after 7 weeks and so many more popping up and no outright signs of infection or viral symptoms to do some bloodwork and a TB test. The DR said the only time she would be alarmed is if she was not thriving and if the nodes were in the armpits and under the clavical, or if they grew, but they decided to make everyone feel better about it and to check for infection, so we did the tests. ALL were fine, totally normal. So they told me not to be alarmed that this is normal for kids, and that they can last a very long time. It could have been from a cold she had several weeks before I noticed it. Well today she still has them. Its been over 2 months since I noticed it the first time. So every once and awhile I feel them and make sure they are still soft, move and are not larger.
Not exactly the same thing, but my 3 yr old son has always had what appears to be a swollen node on his neck. It doesn't go away and doesn't seem to bother him. I asked our doctor about it last checkup and he said that as long as it didn't change and could be easily moved under the skin it was nothing to worry about.
My son is the slowest teether in the world (i.e. almost three and still doesn't have all is 2 year molars). With that said, if he has teeth coming in, his lymph nodes are swollen. I asked the doctor about it. His advice is that if the nodes aren't hard and they can move a little bit, then you're OK.
Hi L.
When my son was born, I noticed a large lump on his neck. When I took him to the dr, they said it was nothing to worry about, just an enlarged lymphnode. As he got older and we had changed doctors, the next doctor took blood test, and because the white count which shows infection was not high, he said dont worry about it. Well now he is 10 and when we went to this doctor, he did a thyroid test and it came back negative. My son is very health, and I can not see the enlarged lympnode, but I have always been paranoid over the years something would develop and it has not. He is very healthy. I would recommend getting a second opinion.
I have 2 year old twin boys and one of them has had it since he was little. They go down but not completely away. Our doctor also said this is normal and said that they can get it from a virus and sometimes they'll shrink but not disappear. It has concerned us too but they said it is just something that happens to some kids. Our son is really sensitive and has a case of ezcema too. I hope this helps a little.
I would absolutely have a blood test done to reassure yourself. You can request a test to check for any abnormal cells. My nephew had a lot of swollen glands and they passed it off as well. It ended up he had leukemia. I have already had my 2 year old checked for it.
Allergies will make glands swell, too. Anything the body is fighting will make for swollen glands.
My son once had pneumonia and the glands deep in his back were swollen. It showed up in his x-ray. They kept an eye on it and had me bring him back several times to make sure those glands went back down. They told me that can be a symptom of cancer. So I'm gathering from that experience that if the swelling is off and on, and not in the same place, it's just his body fighting things off. The glands would swell and stay swollen if it was cancer.
Hope this helps. Being a mom is such a worry!
My daughter is 19 months and I have noticed that her lymph nodes swell up... I have also noticed that I am always able to see the ones in her groin area. I asked her doctor about his and she stated that they can swell from anything from diaper rash to a cold. She said that it's nothing to really worry about unless they stay swollen or irritated.
They don't seem to bother my daughter. As long as they don't bother your son and don't stay swollen for too long I don't think it is really anything to worry about. Just keep track of when they swell (during/after being sick).
Good luck!
I've had a swollen lymph node as an adult. It was in my neck and not painful. I had a scan and test run but nothing ever turned out wrong. It is still slightly swollen to this day but I was told that lymph nodes can swell when you are fighting something off. Unless he starts showing signs of something else, I'd suggest monitoring it. Keep up the diligence. Have you thought of maybe just jotting the locations and when down in a notebook? You could always show that to the dr too if you see a pattern that is concerning. Good luck.
