Lymphnode?

S.,
I am not a doctor but when I was a child, I had the very same thing and it sounds like in the same place. Mine was a lymphnode. I just wanted to share. I pray that is what it is.
~K.
mom of a 3 year old son

As a physician's assistant student right now, I am no doctor but, just to reassure you, it does sound like a lymph node and the reason why it is so big right now is because it is doing what it was designed to do. The lymph system was designed to provide for the drainage of surplus tissue fluid and leaked plama proteins to the bloodstream as well as for the removal of cell debris from cell decomposition and infection. Basically, in lay terms, because of all the rearranging of the skull and everything beneath it (tissues being created, etc.) the lymph node had to work extra hard to make sure that there was no accumulation of cellular waste and infection in the skull. I hope this helps you out a bit, and as I said, though I am only a PA student, right now, this is basic things from my studies. If you have any other questions I may be able to answer, feel free to message me. :-)

My son has the same thing too. At 12 months I noticed 2 bumps near the base of the skull. I freaked out and brought him to the doctor. She said it was a lymphnode and she even found one more on the other side of his head. My daughter never had any bumps on her head but the doctor says everyone has them, that some are just bumpier than others. At 2 years old he still has them but I check now and then to make sure they haven't gotten bigger. The doctor said if the grow as large as a kidney bean to let her know.

S.,

first, if you don't trust your doctor, get a second opinion.

But yes, he / she was probably right -- my son had exactly the same "node" for what seemed like an eternity. And it shifted & changed as he got bigger.

And then, it just went away. In fact, i'd forgotten about it until I read your post!

Still, a mother can't rest with "probably" -- a second opinion wouldn't hurt. They can biopsy a portion (with syringe) if it comes to that.

all the best. Please let us know how it goes ~

T.

S., have your son's skull bones ever been realigned? If not, find someone who performs CranioSacral Therapy. This could be a doctor, a physical therapist, or a massage therapist. CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle hands-on therapy somewhat like massage but without pressure; allowing skull bones to realign is exactly what CST does (very gently, I promise). And that may allow your son's body to take care of the lymph node naturally.

To find a CST practitioner, visit http://www.iahp.com. You'll want someone who works with infants, which means calling people who are on the website; the site will tell you who's taken CST core courses but not the extra pediatrics courses.

If you have any more questions, let me know. I practice CST, so I can tell you more about it, but I don't practice on infants or children.

C.

Dear S.,
You should really get a referal to a pediatric neurologist for an MRI and other diagnostic tests. My infant also had some neurology issues. My pediatrician, after telling me not to worry on several visits, finally gave me a referal to a pediatric neurology group at a Children's Hospital. Please do it for your son and for your sanity!

Hi S.~
My firstborn had the same thing. I felt it first and the doctor confirmed my thoughts... an enlarged lymph node. The lymph system helps clean the blood and fight infection, if I remember correctly, and it is normal to have one or some enlarged at different times of our lives. My little one's enlarged node stayed that way for what seemed like forever. I really can't remember exactly how long, but it was months at least. I noticed it when he was 6 weeks old, and at some point it went away. Now, he's a happy, healthy, 4 year old.
So I guess my advice is to keep track of it and make sure your doctor knows about it, then stop worrying. As long as the doctor isn't worried, just keep enjoying your little sweetie. ;) Good luck and good health!
~J