When evaluating enlarged lymph nodes the first consideration is whether these nodes are localized (in one or two adjacent regions of the body) or generalized (spread throughout the body, which can include the spleen - the largest lymph node - which is found just under the rib cage in the left upper part of the abdomen). But by the time a baby is several months old, healthy, growing, learning lymph nodes are frequently obvious enough to be noticed by parents - to their alarm. In a newborn infant, the lymph nodes are often small enough and soft enough not to be felt. These enlarged nodes can become a refuge where the invaders can hide and proliferate.
Our defenders can be taken over by a cancer or an infection. Sometimes the lymph nodes are overwhelmed in the process. Lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, study the foreign material so that they can produce antibodies, killer cells, and other substances to protect the body from the threat. The lymph nodes also function as schools. Active lymph nodes enlarge as they attempt to destroy the unwelcome material. Tiny vessels called lymph vessels carry germs, foreign particles, and unhealthy or malignant cells to the lymph nodes, where they are trapped. This network of nodes functions as a powerful, intelligent filtration system to keep the insides of our bodies clean and healthy. All of us have hundreds of lymph nodes scattered throughout our bodies as a critical part of our immune systems. No wonder, then, lymph nodes are such a cause of concern - particularly for those who have had a previous experience with cancer. Occasionally, though, they are an early sign of a serious infection or malignancy. Most of the time, these turn out to be normal. Shelley Haukoos - Industrial Lab Tech - Hibbing, MinnesotaĪlmost every day, Shelley, concerned parents ask me about lumps in their children’s necks or scalps. Please give me all the information you can. They sent her home with pain pills only to find a few months later it was cancer. When my mother went in with pain in her liver area, they didn't even think of cancer. What type of tests need to be run on her to rule this out? Also what other problems could these symptoms indicate?Īfter losing my mother to cancer at a very young age due to initial misdiagnosis, I do not want to take any chances with my beautiful little girl. I have looked up these conditions on the net (anemia, swollen glands) and found them similar to those of lymphocytic leukemia. She has always been a happy, healthy baby. She is active and has been pulling herself up and standing alone along furniture since she was 6 months old. She has a humongous appetite, but is very thin. She is in the 95th percentile for length, but 50th percentile for weight.
Correct me if I am wrong, but this sounds much more serious. Well, they have not gotten any smaller, and her hemoglobin was 11.3. They said that she could be getting over an infection (she has only been sick once and that was last week). Greene, our 7 month old daughter Elise has had swollen lymph nodes in the back of her neck and head for about 3 months.
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