My son is 4 he has a lump the side of his neck.?

Question

i took him to the doctor at childrens they said it could be a cyst of lympnode. We have to wait 3 more weeks to see if it goes down if it does not they will remove it and biopsy it.Its on the inside not on the skin. Has anyone seen before? help

Answer 1

My grandson had that and it alarmed me. It was actually like a string of pearls down the side of his neck. The doc said it was probably nothing, just enlarged because he was fighting some sort of infection. It went down and all was fine!

This is some info from http://www.drpaul.com/library/29SEP2000.html :

Many otherwise normal children have enlarged or noticeable lymph nodes in the head and neck region.

Lymph nodes are responsible for protecting the body against infection, and, like all lymph tissue - including tonsils and adenoids - they tend to increase in size during childhood and then shrink and become less numerous as a child reaches adolescence.

The most common area where we see lymph nodes is the neck, usually the region under the jaw and sometimes in the back of the neck. Lymph nodes can also be felt or noticed at the back of the head, (called the occipital area) especially in babies).

Although the most common site for lymph nodes is in the head and neck area, we can also find lymph nodes in the groin and armpit areas. Most of these lymph nodes feel like small peas, but can get bigger. As a matter of fact, they get bigger during an infection. For example, a child with a throat infection will usually have enlarged nodes in the neck area. A child with a skin infection around the thigh may have enlarged nodes on the same side in the groin or inguinal area. This enlargement means that the lymph nodes have "reacted" to a local infection to help fend it off.

As a reflection of a local infection, nodes get bigger, then shrink as the infection clears. This cycle can continue a few times during childhood. In general, physicians can tell if the nodes are following a normal pattern, based on their size, texture and location.

Are these bumps or nodes related to serious problems? A possible but infrequent complication of an enlarged lymph node is bacterial infection of the node itself (known as "adenitis"). In this case one can easily tell that there is an infection as the node becomes very big, very tender, painful and quite red. In some cases there may even be associated fever.

How are these treated? When the infection is small and detected early enough, antibiotics taken by mouth are usually prescribed. In other cases, the child may need to be admitted to hospital for intravenous antibiotics and possibly to drain the infected node (which usually contains pus).

Of course not all bumps are nodes, and while most noticeable nodes are not worrisome, in rare cases the cause may be more serious like cancer (lymphoma). This is why lymph nodes persisting in an enlarged form or getting bigger beyond a six-week period are usually removed (biopsy) and examined.

Happily, this is not what usually happens, as most noticeable lymph nodes in children are not serious and shrink or go away on their own.

Answer 2

call your gp in the morning and explain that the lump has moved. ignore the answer that said 'lumps genera;y lead to cancer' as they dont. yes some do but others are simply cysts or just bengin lumps. my nephew had a similar lump in his neck. it started on the side then moved under his chin. it turned out it was some form of non contagious bacterial tb, (i was also caring for another child in day care with the exact same thing.) there are diffferent ways to treat it depending on the hospital and how it responds to treatment etc. my nephew had a very very long course of antibiotics (approx 6 months) and his went down, that was 4 years ago and he is fine. the little girl i was looking after unfortuanlty had to have an op on hers, which can be a bit tricky due to all the nerves in the face, unfortunatly they nicked one of the muscles and now she has a lop sided smile. but thats all. it maybe something or it maybe nothing but either way call the go in the morning, explain that it has moved and that you still havent got a letter and ask if he can chase it up. if your son is in a lot of pain then go to a and e or call NHS direct 0845 4647 and they can advise you too good luck hope he is ok x

Answer 3

Maybe an enlarged lymph node? There are tons at the neck, and these will become infalmmed if there is/were an infection.

That is the reason they told you to wait 3 weeks to see if it goes down. Chances are if it were a malignant tumor (cancerous), then it will get larger very quickly.

My advice is to take the dr.s advice, because an unecessary operation is more costly in every sense then whats needed.

Dont be too worried though, just monitor how his attitude and health is in the next few weeks too, good luck.

Answer 4

A cyst near the lymph node can be a problem in case it's not a cyst.Hopefully it is not cancerous but do not stop checking and re-checking in all ways possible.Don't rely on what even the smartest doctors says.You,your friends and relatives in combination with these doctors can solve any thing in your path towards your sons recovery.Take care.I hope everything goes better than well.Sincerely,Tom Science

Answer 5

Lump On Side

Answer 6

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RE:
My son is 4 he has a lump the side of his neck.?
i took him to the doctor at childrens they said it could be a cyst of lympnode. We have to wait 3 more weeks to see if it goes down if it does not they will remove it and biopsy it.Its on the inside not on the skin. Has anyone seen before? help

Answer 7

my brother had a lump in his neck too. He has had it since he was a baby(he is now 22). The doc said that he wasn't worried about removing it unless it bothered him, and so far, it doesnt cause him any pain and you cannot notice it.

Answer 8

I just had lymph node surgery in May. It was not cancerous, just overloaded with lymph. Neck surgery isn't fun, but if your child does have to have it, he will most likely recover faster and more easily because of his young age.

Answer 9

honey it could be anything...any kind of lump is something to be alarmed by....if it's three weeks before you get an answer i'd take your child to another doctor who can answer you sooner...my motto is better safe than sorry...sorry for your distress...good luck and god bless...

Answer 10

it is most likely a swollen lymph node which means his body is doing it's job to fight off infection. don't worry about it. if it gets worse take him for a follow up. relax.