My 2Yr Is Being Tested for Cancer!

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I have no words of advice but wanted to say that I hope you get through this and the test results are all negative. Hang in there.

Try to calm down and be thankful that you have a doctor that is actually running some tests...... most docs just pshaw you out of the office without doing a thing these days. Chances are slim that it's anything serious and he's just wanting to rule that out from the get go.

I think the doctor is just being safe rather than sorry. I too would be a nervous wreck! Try to stay positive, I will pray for great results, but my initial thoughts are hes going to be just fine. Hang in there Mama!

Keep us posted! Cannot wait to hear the great news that its just a scare!

I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry yourself to death! You don't know anything right now, so free and calm your mind :)

When my 1st child was about 9 months old, she was tested for leukemia. I forget all the symptoms she had, I really just remember her being crazy energetic (she was walking/running/climbing/jumping by 9 months), but she ALWAYS had a cold.... always! When the pediatrician recommended a pediatric oncologist, I just about flipped!! I was only 19 years old, single, just barely starting my college classes, struggling to work and keep a roof over our heads... and my baby could have LEUKEMIA?! I died a little that day.

Turns out, my kids just loves germs (she actually NEVER gets sick now... I honestly can't remember the last time she had so much as a sniffle)... but the 2 weeks it took to get that negative test back were the longest 2 weeks of my life!!

In hindsight, I wish I hadn't been such a spaz. I know it's a difficult thing to wrap your brain around, because IT'S YOUR BABY (even at 2 years old), but take it one day at a time. There's no use in giving yourself extra gray hairs before you know something for sure.

Fingers crossed for a positive outcome!! Best wishes :)

Praying for your son and for your family! Be thankful that all these tests can be done. As your doctor indicates, being tested for a disease doesn't automatically mean the disease is present; however, if there is cancer, the ABSOLUTE BEST thing to do is to find it right away and start going after it.

This is not a road you wanted to go on with your precious son. But you'll find that the road has company on it. My DIL had cancer as a baby and lost one eye. This was not long after her mama died (hit by a drunk driver). DIL has never said anything to me about it - her stepmama shared it with me one day - because she considers it part of her distant past. She grew up, graduated from college, married my son, and is a fine (and healthy!) person.

Think about calling your local Cancer Society and asking if they can connect you with a parent who has been through this already. Even if your son is cancer-free, just talking to a parent who has been on the same road might make you feel more confident.

My oldest DD hadn’t exactly been tested for cancer BUT she has enlarged lymph nodes on each side of her neck. She was 3 at the time. I took her to the peds office, said it was a cold, but no symptoms , took her to an ENT they said it was a cold, again no symptoms of a cold, gave her antibiotics and no change. Finally took her to a different ENT and they referred us to a general surgeon who then took ultrasounds of her neck and he said all is fine that her nodes are not as covered by a layer of fat that most people have. The whole situation was very scary and I feel your pain. My mother had passed away 18 years ago today, from cancer and I wasn’t taking any chances of having the guilt that I should of done something more. My DD is now 6 and continues to be fine, her nodes are the same and will always feel larger. I can tell you over and over not to worry but as mothers that is just what we do. Run through the tests and pray a lot. Please keep us updated about your little man.

I don't have any stories... except that when my son was a baby he was developmentally delayed and at Children's Hospital. They were bringing in all kinds of people to examine him including an Oncologist. Ignorance is bliss b/c I was a 19 year old mother who had no clue what Oncology was and I didn't find out until 2 weeks later that was the cancer Dr.! He was examined and she saw no reason to see him further.

Hope my stupidity gave you a little smile. At any rate, my son's health problems were scary enough w/out the fear of cancer, so I can't even imagine what you are going through!! We Mamas will be thinking of you and waiting for an update on how he's doing. Best of Luck!!! You can do this Mama!

"You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have"

- unknown

Best of Luck and we will all be pulling for you :-)

You've got 2 doctors at opposite ends of the spectrum. One blows you off because kids do weird things and parents overreact (in her mind), and the other is ordering a whole bunch of tests because a) you went in for a 2nd opinion and b) there are doctors being sued left and right for not catching something. So they have to rule out all the scary stuff. If they don't tell you it's a possibility, you might not get the tests, and they would be guilty of malpractice. So the only option is to tell you the truth and find out. Good luck - hopefully all will work out! Your fear is natural but it doesn't help your child be calm through the tests so do what you can to be optimistic.

I don't have a any stories to share but I do want you to know we will be keeping your family in our prayers.

Sending you hugs! Our family will pray for yours. Please keep us updated.

Sometimes a very very good Dr. will test for the worst possible thing first and then work backwards from there...They also prepare you for the worst so if it isn't that, you can always be very relieved...it probably isn't cancer...my daughter was very sick when she was younger...enlarged glands etc. and of course the Dr. said first they have to rule out leukemia and then work back from that...scared us to death but when tests came back..it was mono, thank heavens..He was an excellent Dr and has since passed away but he did teach a lot of others to follow his example and I'd rather have it that way starting with the worst possible scenario first so you don't have to keep going and going for more and more tests til they finally discover what it really is..

K.,
Sending up prayers for you!

Does your son remember the fits in tthe morning? It sounds like night terrors. Pay attention to whether your son is overtired on the nights it happens. My daughter would complain that her legs hurt and just scream out. All attempts to comfort her almost made it worse. I finally learned to try to distract her. I still am not sure if her legs really hurt when this happens (growing pains?), but she would only complain about them during these episodes. First I let her know she is at home and Mommy is right there. Then I just sing to her, read to her, or take her down to the couch turn on the TV and hold her. Some sort of distraction really helps. Don't offer any of these things, just do it. All offers will be rejected. Another thing that is supposed to help is to try to wake them slightly about an hour after they go to bed. You can just readust them in their bed, you don't have to actually wake them, a small disprution does the trick. Sticking to a strict sleep schedule should help also. It is awful not to be able to comfort our "babies". I could be way off track, but I thought it sounds so familiar. The lump could be a separate issue. You are lucky to have a doctor that is ruling everything out, but I am sorry you will have to go through this as you wait for results. Please do an update, my thoughts are with you.

My son is now 8 and has had "growing pains" for as long as I can remember. He also had night terrors for a long time. The pain in his legs comes and goes, and is more common during sports seasons. Ibuprofin, lavendar, peace and calming oils (from Young Living), have all helped. Best Wishes for you!

Call the doctor back and have him explain everything again. It could all be nothing but it sounds like the doctor is being sure. Hopefully the test results will be back soon.

I have no experience with this. I just wanted to say I'm sorry you're going through this. Prayers for you and your family! Best wishes!

I come from a family of doctor's. When you go for a second opinion they are automatically on alert and do not want to say the exact same thing as the first doctor you went to. A good doctor will "rule out". It's how they do things. I am having ear problems and dizzyness and I had a CT scan and an MRI to rull out a tumor and multiple sclerosis. Of course I was terrified. But they had to know for sure what "wasn't" going on if that makes any sense.

Heart murmur: Don't be overly concerned with that. I have one, my brother has one, and our 71 year old dad has one. Sometimes our hearts skip a beat but it's not a horrible thing. It's very common amongst the population.

Lymph Node:Is it hard and moveable? I was born with one behind my ear and so were both of my daughters. I call them our little infection fighters. It sounds like he may have an infection and it's fighting off something. But I am not a doctor. But that's what lymph nodes do.

Don't be afraid of the tests. It's just routine. They just need to rule out. He will be fine.

I am so sorry you are going through this!! I can only imagine how nerve wracking this must be, hang in there! My pastor's son was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 2, it was a tough road for a while but he is now 14 :D He is doing great and lives cancer free. I truly hope that your son doesn't have cancer of course and I wish you guys the best, saying a prayer for you today!

Hugs to you. I am hoping everytrhing goes okay for you and your family.

I don't have any stories either but im sending hugs and positive energy your way. Until you know for sure try not to stress yourself
Know he is in good hands!

I have not had my son tested but I'm glad you found a doc who decided to get to teh bottom of your son's discomfort. I heard when you are given results for any testing, to bring someone else b/c if it is cancer, you'll just hear the word "cancer" and nothing else the doctor says. BUT I hope and pray it isn't.

My 5 yo started waking up screaming and crying b/c of his legs. After talking to our ped and all my friends w/boys they all said it was growing pains and it was always at night. Try to keep him from jumping off anything (good luck!) or running on hard surfaces.

Please keep us posted on the results. Thoughts and prayers to you!

I haven't had any situations like this occur, but I did have an MRI of my shoulder in which I had to do another one the very next day because they found a mass-like lesion. I was scared to death! My physical therapist that was working with me at the time (I was having a lot of head and neck pain due to carrying my kids and their heavy gear around) calmed my nerves by saying there are many things in our bodies that can be found in various tests doctors do but are totally benign. I held onto this thought through the entire ordeal and she was absolutely right. I just had a mass in my shoulder that was just there and would probably never get any bigger and was NOT cancerous. I would be freaking out too, but I hope this thought comforts you like it did for me. Also hang onto the thought that your doctor said there are a lot of signs that point to it not being cancer. It is good of him to be thorough and rule out everything. I will be praying for your little guy that everything turns out ok. Please keep us posted!
God Bless!
A.

My SIL's 3 year old son was getting really bad headaches (throwing himself to the ground, grabbing his head crying).... They found a tumor in his head but it was BENIGN!!!! It was removed and he does get checked every 6 months. please have faith everything will be fine..
I'm praying for your family :0)

prayers to you. Check your local pediatrics hospital for resources. I would also highly recommend seeking another opinion with a pediatrics specialist.

My oldest had enlarged lymp nodes when he was around a year old and had to be watched. It wasn't anything, they were just being cautious. My daughter was checked for Cystic fibrois when she was little also but she also turned out just fine. Don't borrow trouble, pray that it isn't but don't fret until you have the results back.

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I can't even imagine how scared you must be feeling waiting on the test results.

My nephew had blood tests and bone scans when he was 2 to rule out cancer. He had a long history of fevers with no other symptoms as well as leg pain. Thankfully, he didn't have anything serious wrong with him. The doctors said it was something similar to an auto immune problem that he will outgrow. I know my sister was a wreck during the waiting. Try to hang in there. Try to remember that doctors need to rule out the most life threatening issues first. Just because they are testing him for it doesn't neccessarily mean he has a high risk for cancer. My prayers are with you and your son.

So sorry you are going through all this. I just paused and said a prayer for you and your son. My 6 year old has the same type of night fits (has since he was a toddler) and screams that his legs hurt. After looking at symptoms on the internet I convinced myself it was no big deal. But, who knows?! Please keep us posted. Prayers & Hugs.

Oh, K., I'm so sorry! What a scary thing to go through.

I'm sending positive thoughts and prayers your way. Please let us know when you get the results.

Blessings to you and your son.