People with overactive immune conditions tend to have unusual things happening with their immune system including the lymph nodes. So that should be encouraging for you :)
The Fx of diabetes explains why some of the tests were given.
I'd *guess* there is some immune condition that caused the node problem and also the growth problem. But you might have difficulty getting a doc to agree about that.
"Do you have a family history of autoimmune conditions?"
Yes, on the maternal side: I have Raynaud's, my father has Raynaud's, and my mother has Raynaud's, Lupus, Sjrogens. My mother, sister, aunt and grandfather all have Type 2 diabetes (I know they haven't ruled conclusively that that is an auto-immune disease, but recent discussions seem to suggest it is, or can be). On the paternal side: his grandfather has rheumatoid arthritis.
"Is he overweight?"
No, the opposite. He's quite small for his age. He's 7.5, and only 46.5" tall and still only 47 lbs. And I think he's lost a bit of weight lately.
"His doctor just said that in the absence of infection, it's not normal for lymph nodes to be swollen."
Do you have a family history of autoimmune conditions?
"I'm pretty sure the doctor would know what's a lymph node"
Nope, not necessarily an easy thing to now just by looking and feeling. E.g.: cyst, lipoma, hernia.
I expect most of those blood tests are unrelated to the suspect nodes (except the CBC of course). Is he overweight?
For blood work he ordered your routine CBC, as well as Creatnine, Urea, TSH, A1C, and one other thing which I think was random glucose?
No, they haven't mentioned much of anything, other than needing to find out what's going on. His doctor just said that in the absence of infection, it's not normal for lymph nodes to be swollen.
I'm pretty sure the doctor would know what's a lymph node (at least I hope so, lol).
No to swimming in exotic locales as well.
"They've pretty well ruled out infection."
I don't know that such can ever be said for sure.
"And they're completely painless, so the doctor said unlikely that the nodes themselves are infected?"
Most likely true, yes. But not certainly true. Did anybody mention granuloma?
Everything is all about probabilities, unless a biopsy is done to know for sure.
Any swimming in an exotic locale? In other words, a parasite that a local doc wouldn't recognize.
A node should be bean shaped. Nodes don't get long and thin from an immune response, they stay bean shaped or get more round. But then we don't know for sure at this point if they even are lymph nodes.
You can ask for a sonogram. That can give a strong indication of being benign (such as presence of a fatty hilum), and set your mind at ease.
They've pretty well ruled out infection. He has not been sick in a looooong time, I mean not even a sniffle. And they're completely painless, so the doctor said unlikely that the nodes themselves are infected?
The two that are visible are long and thin. Kind of firm, rubbery feeling.
Hi, children tend to get more swollen nodes and relatively larger swollen nodes. A lymphoma is one of the least likely causes. Infection is the most likely and can cause all of his present symptoms.
What is the shape of the largest one? Long and thin or more bean shaped?