Rock hard lymph node in neck

[momwithquestions]

8 year old son has swelling in the right side of neck.  Upon feeling lymph nodes it has been discovered they are larger and rock hard, non-movable.  Located right above the collar bone. Swelling from the throat to the back of the neck.  Pain around the node but not on the node itself.  Antibiotics for 1 wk have not helped (cefdinir 300 mg twice daily).  CT scan shows swelling of the tissue in the neck and son was referred to ENT specialist at Children's.  Low grade fever comes and goes, night sweats/cold sweats.  Restless during the day and night, sleeping meds to make him sleep at night. Has history of frequent illness including strep usually twice a year which usually causes swelling of nodes around the ear and bottom of jaw.  This time it is located in a different location (never noticed swelling there before) and glands are hard like rocks.  Won't know anymore until after we see the ENT specialist on Tuesday Sept 7 so just looking for info from anyone who might know what is causing this.  Everytime I do a search it comes up possible Lymphoma.  

[momwithquestions]

I doesn't take just a scratch it can be also caused by a cat licking an open sore.  Thing is though once they get it their levels stay high so they will always come up positive for it even when they haven't been re-exposed to it.  Thats what the Dr told me yesterday.  I was told that they can get a scratch and a month before the other signs show so then you might not remember the scratch and it could heal before they lymph nodes even start to swell.  Really it can be hard to say yes or no on it so they rely on the blood test which just tells them that yes they were exposed to the bacteria that causes it but they can't tell how recent the exposure was or if that is the exact problem without a biopsy of the swollen lymph nodes or the fluid surrounding them.  My son still has a very swollen one right by his thyroid that they are waiting to form into an abscess to see if they can drain it to biopsy it as they still don't know how he got such a bad case when it usually happens with those in a weakened immune system situation.  They also still don't know all the ways a person can get it as they know it is on the nails of a cat and transfered from cat to cat by fleas, more common on kittens or outside cats.  They now say it can be transfered from cat to human in the cats saliva.  Either way his inflammation and infection levels were extremly high but cell count were normal which they said ruled out cancer as that would affect cell count.  I hope they find an answer for your daughter but I was told that sometimes they never find the real answer because all it takes is one little poke on the side of the body where the glands start to swell.  The poke can be anywhere from the head down to the toes and so small you may not even notice (thats what the Dr told me).  Doesn't take much of the bacteria to cause a problem, but the Dr told me the main issue is avoiding infection like staph and finding out if there was something else causing the immune system to get weak and make them sicker.  

[madisonsmum10]

hi i havent been on here lately but have just seen your posts, im glad they have found what seems to be the issue, they also said last year my daughter may have cat scratch too and we have cats so could of fit in BUT my cats never ever would scratch the children they are far too loving and when they admitted her she had no scratches on her lower limbs (apparently due to her groin lymphs being up and infected if it was cat scratch she would of had a mark on her lower leg or foot but she didnt) Madi is due a tonsil op in dec 2010, but is still suffering with certain issues a recent blood test showed esr levels of 81 and should be 4-12 and platelets raised too, they are restesting her in 2 weeks before further action is taken. did this appear in your childs results? im very worried.

[momwithquestions]

Well took my son back to the pediatrician today for a followup (3rd time he has been to the Dr this week) and the Dr said he is safe to go back to school but to followup with the ENT Dr next week and pediatrician again after that to make sure he is still doing good.  It looks like it might break open and so they said to keep it covered when he goes to school.  Lymph node is now basically deformed and won't go back to normal after this but they are hoping to save the lymph nodes and have a little of scaring as possible they also want to minimize the chances of a staph infection.  Cutting him open could cause a big infection and if they just wait it out they might not have to hospitalize him as long as it opens and heals on its own.  It looks really nasty all red and sticking out very noticeably but atleast he has remained fever free and is eating ok which they said was great news.

[momwithquestions]

After a 2 day hospital stay they diagnosed it as Cat Scratch Fever.  Said his immune system was already weakened by the hand foot and mouth disease so his body was to weak to fight off the cat scratch fever.  He was put on zithromax and released but he has to go back today to see the infectious disease Dr again to make sure everything is healing ok.  They told me it could take up to 2 years for him to fully recover with the strong case of it that he got.  They did an ultrasound and chest x-ray at the hospital plus ran a bunch of blood tests.  His CRP and ESR levels were still very high but Cell count was still normal which basically just let them know it is an infection.  Right before they released him (he had been fever free 24 hrs) they got the blood test results back for the Cat Scratch Fever and his exposure levels were very elevated which I guess meant he had a recent exposure to the bacteria found on some cats/kittens claws.  His lymph nodes may never be 100% again so any infection could cause this issue again.  

[madisonsmum10]

Have you had any further news?

I am still waiting for the tonsil op.... my daughters had a terrible week with everything from eating to sleeping sometimes she is eating well other times hardly at all off and one clear running from her nose, very very restless nights, lately including sleep walking.  Bed wetting, sometimes up to 5 times in one night as well as being lifted to the toilet around 1030-11pm.  Health professionals dont seem to be bothered.

Noone has replied to my help question on here :(

[momwithquestions]

My son had his tonsils out when he was 4 years old because they had become so large that you couldn't even fit the tip of a pinky in between them so he was having trouble breathing and couldn't eat solids (he was living off of pediasure and yogurt for a year before they decided on the surgery) and was having sleep apnea.  

He has had strepthroat and ear infections as well as URI's, H1N1, seasonal flu, hand foot and mouth disease....I lost track of everything we have had to deal with in the last year or two.  Dr's just give him antibiotics and that is that.  He was given Tamiflu for the H1N1 and had hallucinations from it (that was scary).  All of those illnesses though had swelling in the same lymph nodes right behind and below the ears and jaw.  So when those glands would swell up they were always soft and in the same spots so we knew.  When this time it came up in a different location and hard as rocks that became something for me to worry about.  I have so much cancer in my family right now that of course first thing my mind goes to is that but I know it could be such a large number of things.  

[madisonsmum10]

my daughters going through same things atm, but havent had recent bloods, she has had 3 operations on groin lymph nodes and now has nodes up where your son has, she was refered to ENT and is having tonsils out although they feel she doesnt have infection in there they feel she has chronic inflamed tonsils, but are not cause of the node issue, so im too at a loss.  We are waiting for the operation it will be her 4th in 10 months....

:( its hard being a mum sometimes

[momwithquestions]

Forgot to add blood tests done a week ago revealed very high ESR and CRP levels but white cell count was normal.