hello,
My son has had swollen lymph nodes on both sides of his neck for 6 months now. He has time periods of running a high fever (most recently 104.5) but when he goes to the dr all tests for flu, mono, strep are negative. He has been tested for mono 2 times since he was having a fever, tired, and swollen lymph nodes and every time it was negative. The past 2 months he has been sleeping with me in bed and i have noticed that he has been sweating at night, so much that his hair, clothes, sheets and my side are wet. I brought him to the doctor and ent and they seem to think he is ok but wanted to do a biopsy (remove largest lymph node) to make sure. He now has swollen lymph nodes in his groin and on the side of his rib (close to his armpit) and seems to get sleepy easier than before. How likely is it that he is severely sick? I'm very worried about him, has anyone else experienced this with their child or themselves??
Thank you
Biopsy came back negative, removed 7 and 2 that were the size of a large grape (quarter shape) Now I am wondering why he was having those symptoms. Lymph nodes are still swollen and he is still having night sweats. We are going to get a second opinion to try to figure this out.
I would definitely take him to a children's hospital or specialist. If lymphoma and leukemia haven't been ruled out with testing, I would want that done immediately. If they have, I would still want a diagnosis. What you are describing is not normal.
Without a doubt, I would be off to the nearest children's hospital....NOW!
I would be worried too. Six months ... if they can't figure it out, I'd say it's time for a new approach. That seems ridiculously long, I get why you are concerned.
My kids have had swollen lymph nodes when they had ear infections, and they were put on antibiotics.
Have they done blood work?
Time to see someone else. Six months is too long.
Good luck and best wishes
How is it that 6 months have gone by and there is no diagnosis? This is ridiculous. You need to get to a children's hospital where the doctors work together and have them figure it out. I'd do THAT before having a biopsy done.
Go to a pediatric specialist. Go to a Children's Hospital. It is not normal, and could very we'll be a serious illness going on. I'm not trying to scare you, but was he ever tested for Leukemia? Anything other then Mono, Strep and flu? If all those were negative , 6 months ago, and he still is having fevers and swollen glands, something else seriously is going on.
Added: I'm so glad for the Biopsy testing. hopefully their will be a diagnosis and treatment for your son. One that isn't serious and can recovery quickly. Will be thinking of you and your son. Please update us on how it went. I've been concerned about this post since Ive read it. Having a son myself, I can't imagine how terrifying this ordeal is for you.
J.
Your son needs to be seen by a new set of doctors.
Call OU - it's a children's hospital and tell them what is going on.
http://www.oumedicine.com/childrens/about-the-children%27...
Your son needs a blood test - checking his CBC.
My son (age 12) gets, what we call Frankenstein nodules on the side of his neck. They first started appearing when he was 2. They do NOT stay permanently. When it first happened, they ran all sorts of tests and said - "his body is working. It's fighting off an infection" - okay - they went down. If your son's are not going down? I would tell the doctor's they aren't doing enough. Thinking outside the box or anything else.
Ask for a sleep study to be done as well. Sweating that much in your sleep is NOT normal.
Fight for your son. Take him to Children's Hospital and bring all the medical records with you and ask them to help your son. Get to the bottom of it.
Good luck!!
i'm having a hard time with the notion that any doctor is really and truly saying 'he's okay' after 6 months of fever, exhaustion, night sweats and swollen glands.
obviously a trip to a specialist and a better doctor is called for.
khairete
S.
I am from OKC and know that the docs at O U Health Science Center are THE DOCS that teach the others to be docs.
BUT I also know that growing up I never knew what an MD was so I think going to Hillcrest Teaching Hospital in Tulsa would be a good choice too, if that's an option. I think D O's are just better docs.
That said.
Your son has something wrong. I would call my insurance and find out how to get my child in to a specialist soon. The insurance company will tell you what the procedure is and how you need to go about getting the right kind of specialist.
If they say your pediatrician has to do a referral then get on the internet where your insurance has their approved docs. Go through each area of them and call the ones that might be a good fit for his symptoms. Call them, find one that has an opening, take that appointment and then call your doc to tell their office you'll be by later to pick up a referral letter to Dr. XXXXX at xxxxxx clinic. Then you'll have your appointment and the letter of referral and be able to get him going forward.
Six months? That's crazy! Head to your closest children's hospital. These folks are dragging their feet too long...
I am so sorry to hear about a 6 month delay in getting a biopsy. I don't want to scare you, but his symptoms are very worrisome. Fever's, night sweats, fatigue, and now that lymph nodes are also swollen in his groin, is a bigger concern. Please, understand, I am not trying to "diagnose" your child, but these are collective symptoms of a type of lymphoma. Get that biopsy and get blood work asap. Insist on it and do not put it off!
Lymphoma's are treatable and often curable, but get on this, in case that would be what you are dealing with, or at least rule it out.
Get to Pediatrician, or a children's hospital, not general practitioners!!! I have seen so many dreadful stories where young people were literally 'blown off' by family Dr's. The mind set for many doctor's, is "too young for cancer".
Cancer is not an old person disease anymore.
I am an Oncology Nurse and see it all too often.
My heart goes out to you, best wishes!
Lymph nodes swell when the body is trying to fight something off - part of the immune system. If your son has a compromised immune system, the lymph nodes are swelling and the lymphatic system is trying to do its job, but is not being successful. That's probably why you are seeing fever and an increased number of swollen nodes - he's trying to fight off something (could be anything) but just can't handle it.
Suppressed immune systems are becoming more and more common - that's why we see "adult" diseases of all sorts in our children.
I would try not to have him sleep with you unless he really needs the comfort - the sweating is a big excessive and the close quarters may be a big part of this.
I've had this before, and it was nothing. But other people have it and it's a sign of a larger problem. I think the fact that they aren't getting anywhere in 6 months is a big clue that you aren't doing the right thing with the right people. (not a critique of you - just of "the system").
I do think you should consult a pediatric specialist and have those other nodes checked. If everything is still negative, you can look into immune system support (a nutritional approach, not a medical one). You can do both at the same time. My son had severe mono and did test positive - did the doctor tell you that a lot of mono tests come out negative anyway? Did they test in the office or did they do the 2nd test in the lab? I know mono is less common in very young kids, but so are many other conditions that didn't use to hit kids. But the point is, it's viral. Same as flu (all strains). Strep of course is bacterial and responds to antibiotics. Is your son's spleen normal size or is there enlargement? (My son's spleen was severely enlarged, to the point that they didn't want him to were a seatbelt - I know, like when does that ever happen? He responded to nutritional supplementation very quickly.
I hope you find out what you need to!
