I was just wondering if anyone's child has ever had this happen....my son had a small bump in his throat yesterday morning. When I picked him up from daycare in the afternoon the lump had doubled in size and was rubbing his skin so that it is now red on the bump. I was worried and took him to the doc. She said it has nothing to do with the lymph nodes. She said it may be a viral infection and she put him on augmentin. An appointment was made for him to go to a Ear Nose and Throat doc to make sure that is all it is. I don't know how common, or uncommon this is. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you : )
Well, I took him to the ENT Friday and she told me it was probably a cyst. She said it got bigger because it was filling with junk from the cold he had last week. He has been taking the augmentin twice a day and the lump has gotten smaller. They scheduled him for an ultrasound, but said if the cyst got smaller we probably won't have to do it. I will keep an eye on it and if I feel that the ultrasound needs to be done on Wed I will go ahead with it. I am feeling much better now, and thank you to everyone for your responses-they are very appreciated : )
Did they say whether or not it was a lymph node? Last fall my 11-year-old son had a lymph node that got so inflamed that the area where his jaw meets his chin swelled up to the size of a peach. They also put him on an antibiotic. It took several days to go down and actually got worse before it got better. Good luck.
Chances are that the lump on your son's throat is actually a swollen lymph node. Lymph nodes are an integral part of the immune system, and when they are swollen, it means that white blood cells (the bodies soldiers against infection) are collecting there and fighting off some sort of illness. The fact that it is swollen is a big sign that your son's body is doing just exactly what it is supposed to be doing. If it is a viral infection that his body is fighting, the antibiotic that your doctor put him on is not going to do anything but raise your son's tolerance to antibiotics so that they won't work when he actually needs them. Doctors have a tendency to tell worried moms what they want to hear, i.e, your son has a lump on his throat, here's some medication, and just for good measure, we'll send him to a specialist who will do one of two things. Either the specialist will say that everything is fine and your kid's body is doing what it needs to do, or that you kid will probably need some sort of very expensive medication or surgery. By the time all is said and done, and you finally get to the ENT doc, whatever little virus your son is battling will be gone, the lump will go away, and all will be back to normal.
Hi K.,
if the bump sticks around, it might be a thyrogloccal duct cyst (sp?). I guess it forms from left over cells in the throat during development. My son had a bump the size of a large grape that resembled an Adam's apple for quite a while, and had it removed last winter. It was a fairly simple procedure, and they let him go home the same day, but it depends on the doctor. Although surgery is scary, it's not a dangerous condition and doesn't have any long term effects. Good luck- hopefully it is just an infection and will clear up.
Is it on the inside or outside? If you can feel it through his skin, then it may be a swollen lymph node. Both my boys (ages 4 and 20 months) have had this happen when they've fought off colds, etc. Sometimes, the lymph node can end up scarred and stay swollen. At that point you can either ignore it or it would have to be surgically removed. The only other experience I have with this is that my sister had something similar when she was young...hers turned out to be a cyst that had to be removed as it was growing around her vocal cords. I think seeing an ENT is a good idea, tho!
Hi K.,
I am not sure what is going on with your son, but I think it is a good idea to see the ENT. Just a thought, is he allergic to anything. I hope that you can get some answers. Kinda curious why the Dr. put him on an antibiotic for a virus? Anyway, I just wanted to respond because i used to live in Omaha and I hope you are liking it. I grew up in Grand Island all my life. I now live in WI and it makes me smile to hear from people in Nebraska! Are you a husker fan yet? :)
If it's not a lymph node that's swollen, you may want to check out the natural remedy of a charcoal poultice. You can educate yourself at this amazing website: www.buyactivatedcharcoal.com. Even if this isn't exactly what is needed, I'm sure you'll be amazed at the healing properties of charcoal!
It may be a boil. (This could be caused by a number of things in his environment, either nutritional, chemical, or hormonal.) Get some activated charcoal powder from your local health-food store (or buy online at www.buyactivatedcharcoal.com). Mix a poultice (approx 1/2 charcoal, 1/2 ground flax, and enough warm water to mix into a slightly thin paste or goop). You can find instructions on the website listed above. Apply the poultice to the affected area at least twice a day until it clears up. (It won't hurt him, but will draw any toxins out of the affected area that might be causing the infection.) If he eats a ton of sugar, try cutting this out of his diet... sugar is a major health hazard. Use only 100% natural fruit juices, 100% honey, or 100% maple syrup for sweetening (avoid all refined cane and beet sugars, as well as corn syrups).
Probably just a swollen lymphnode. My kids get them even if they're just run down, but you should definitely take him in to the ENT and have it checked out, esp. if it keeps growing, doesn't shrink, or he doesn't get a little sick.
my son had this and within about three days he spiked a 104 fever and ended up having a terrible case of strp throat. i hope everything turns out ok for you.
Hello-
My 4 yr old son has had Lymph nodes on the side of his throat(neck and ear area) under the skin that feel like a soft pea. They were checked by his pediatrician at times when he is sick and at his healthy yearly checks. They are always there and sometimes get a little bigger or smaller..His peds said they are nothing to worry about, that some kids just have them and unless they really change noticeabaly in size we will just monitor them...good idea to have him checked by an ENT though:)
Oh hon, I read this and had to write immediately. We had the same exact thing happen. My son was about 3 years old and one day when we picked him up from daycare, he had a huge lump on his throat. To make a long story short, our family doctor sent us to the Ear Nose and Throat doc immediately. The doctor checked our son over and coldly said, he either has an infection or cancer (called it some big name I can't remember). She said that we need to treat it with an antiboitic and in 2 weeks if the lump doesn't go away, then it is cancer. I was dumbfounded!! How could they just send us home and wait 2 weeks to see what happens? Thank the Lord, the lump was gone within almost 2 days and life is great. Come to find out a couple days later, there was another little girl in the day care that had the exact same thing so it was contagious.
By all means, get your son checked but also ask the daycare if any other kids had the lump.
You are in my prayers, L. Faber
K.,
My sons had this all the time when they were fighting an ear infection, cold, etc. It was always an inflammed lymph node. I assume this is what the deal is since they put your son on antibiotics. When the infection goes down this lump will eventually disapear. Hope everything goes good!
I'm sure the doctor talked to you about this...but I had a lump (that kept getting bigger) and it turned out to be mumps. i had a vaccine for it, but they said it must have been a bad one. i was just put on medicine and was actually better within 48 hrs! my symptoms were a somewhat sore throat, feeling weak, and the lump. just a thought..hope you figure everything out. :)
I would for sure take to see and ENT. I work at Boys Town National Research Hosptial and the ENT's here are fantasitic!! If you would like a personal recomendation just sent me a private message and I will give you a name. Good Luck!
I work in a lab at a medical place. I have ssen this quit a bit. If it is not strep they seem to call it a viral throat infection. I am supprised they put him on anything. Most of the people have to wait it out. I would do at the Dr. told you and go see the ENT Dr. Any way you are not alone good luck!!
