8 year old with hard lymph nodes

[momwithquestions]

8 year old son has had fevers coming and going with no other symptoms since he was a baby.  He has also had the flu every season at least twice, one year he even got the flu after I gave in and let him get a flu shot.  He had the H1N1 this past flu season then about a month after he got over that he got the seasonal flu.  His temp will go from normal to 103-105 with no other symptoms besides maybe being overly tired then his temp will break in the middle of the night causing him to wakeup to a soaked bed and his temp will go back to normal then sometimes it will come back later that night other times it may be days between episodes.  

He had began complaining about stiff neck about 2 months ago but I was told it was probably just the way he was sleeping or maybe a side-effect from his meds (Zyprexa,Concerta and Tegratol) so I just let it go.  He started getting more grumpy and sensitive and his meds weren't helping at all.  On Thursday August 26th he again started developing a fever but it was a low grade (99-100) for that day but his neck was really bothering him a lot and he seemed very moody.  Friday he seemed very tired and cranky.  By Saturday it was even worse but the temp was staying about the same.  I figured maybe he was getting a cold.  Sunday night his neck looked weird and by Monday morning there was a very noticeable difference in size and he was really not feeling good at all but still had energy.  Took him to the Dr on Monday and they ran blood tests and gave him antibiotics.  

Tuesday I received a phone call saying that his blood tests came back with high levels of CRP and ESR indicating infection/inflammation and that the Dr ordered a CT scan of the neck for Friday.  On Friday Sept 3rd he had a CT scan at 1:30 pm and I was told that the Dr would get the results Tuesday Sept 7th and they would go over it with me.  Well by 3:30 pm on Friday I received a phone call from the pediatricians office stating that they had received the report already from the radiologist and that they determined there was large amounts of swollen tissue in the neck and suggest further investigation into the cause.  So they had setup an appointment with an ENT Dr for Tuesdays Sept 7th at 9 am which is when they open their doors.  That the Dr didn't want to wait any longer to get him in.  

The low grade fever comes and goes every day and last night it got to 102 then broke and again he wokeup to a soaked bed.  Temp was staying down but just a few minutes ago started coming back up again.  His neck is more swollen than before he even started antibiotics but it only hurts it I try to touch area around the lymph nodes, not the lymph nodes themselves.  They lymph nodes are as hard as rocks and almost the size of golf balls hiding under the skin.  The location is right side of the neck right above collar bone starting at the throat going towards the back of the neck with some swelling down into the shoulder.  When I ask how he is feeling he says he just doesn't feel good but can't explain what he means by that.  His skin is pale and dark circles under his eyes are getting worse.  He still has energy but he is usually overly hyper anyways.  He has had a headache almost every night now and is very light sensitive.  

Any advice, info would be great.  Dr's appt isn't until Tuesday then I am hoping we will have some answers.  He already has to miss his first day of school but I get the feeling that he may have to miss more if this doesn't clear up soon.  

[momwithquestions]

Well after a 2 night hospital stay at Children's he was diagnosed with Cat Scratch Fever.  He has been on antibiotics for 2 weeks and he is finally doing a little better but it will be a long road to recovery as it hit his system pretty bad.  They said it could take months to fully leave his system but his lymph nodes will never be normal again because they are filled with dead infected tissue.  The infection is still there and you can now see it because of the redness and feel the heat coming from it.  Still not sure when he got it or where but atleast he has Zithromax now to help him get better.  He will have 3 more Dr visits in the next 2 wks to make sure he is getting better.

[momwithquestions]

He will be seeing the ENT Specialist at 9 am tomorrow.  The swelling has gotten worse and seems to be spreading to the lymph nodes on the other side.  He still feels up to playing just in short spurts. Fever comes and goes and usually he has the fever when he goes to bed and wakes up in soaked bed of sweat.  Hoping to get some answers from the ENT Dr tomorrow.  He is now having a lot more problems with his asthma and says he doesn't feel well.  Nausea set in really bad thismorning and he is having trouble finding anything that he can eat because he said it all makes him want to throw up.  I will post an update tomorrow when I get a chance.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
I am sorry to say but this looks like a bad case of viral disease either H1N1 or EBV or mono or it could be tubercular or cancer.
It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage.  Let the doctors review the case with the imaging reports. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!