My son is 4 he has a lump the side of his neck.?
Answers:
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.
Other Answers:
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.
I GOT ONE ON MY BACK I HAD IT FOR A WHILE MY DOCTOR TOLD ME THE SAME THING IT NEVER WENT DOWN I THOUGHT IT WAS CANCER BUT THEY TOLD ME NO WELL MINE IS STILL THERE AND I HAD IT FOR ABOUGHT 2 YEARS 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.
Source(s):
i work the front desk at a doctor's office and i have a 2 yr old
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.
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 You could try a second opinion.
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...
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