I've put off posting about this for a while, but finally decided to. It's been about 7 weeks since we first noticed a swollen lump on Delaney's neck. In those 7 weeks, I have been to the doctor with her 4 times - 4 times with the same issue, and another visit to come!
1st Appt. - Dr. Patron diagnosed it as Cat Scratch and prescribed 5 days of antibiotics. I asked him if he was pretty sure about that, and he replied, "We'll start with the easiest thing to fix first!" It made sense because she had been scratched by a kitten after trying to dunk it in the water tank!
2nd Appt. -- Lump was still there, but looked a little different. He ordered a blood test and a visit to the ENT. Blood test came back normal.
3rd Appt. - The lump got bigger before this visit with the ENT - ordered 10 days of antibiotics and to come back in 10 days. He diagnosed it as a reactive lymph node that had been infected. If it didn't change during those 10 days, he would probably schedule a biopsy. I have to admit, there was lots of searching the internet on possibilities - I wouldn't recommend it. We knew the chances of this being something serious (like lymphoma) were slim to none, but it was always in the back of our minds. And, the doctor asked me if there was a history of lymphoma in our family - not a very reassuring question!
4th Appt. - I thought there had been no change, he was pleased with how it was looking, however! So, 14 more days of antibiotics and another visit in 2 weeks. We are in the middle of this latest round of antibiotics - so far, no change. He sounded pretty sure that this one should do the trick - we hope so!
I never knew a lymph node could cause so much anxiety (and so many appointments), but it has. We hope it will eventually resolve on its own, but also hope it doesn't flare up again. The good thing is that it has never seemed to bother her. When I was taking pictures of her with her giraffe yesterday, one of the pictures showed her neck fairly well - you can see just how swollen the right side of her neck is (well, to us anyway).
If you've been someone praying for this situation - thanks! It's been a comfort!
1st Appt. - Dr. Patron diagnosed it as Cat Scratch and prescribed 5 days of antibiotics. I asked him if he was pretty sure about that, and he replied, "We'll start with the easiest thing to fix first!" It made sense because she had been scratched by a kitten after trying to dunk it in the water tank!
2nd Appt. -- Lump was still there, but looked a little different. He ordered a blood test and a visit to the ENT. Blood test came back normal.
3rd Appt. - The lump got bigger before this visit with the ENT - ordered 10 days of antibiotics and to come back in 10 days. He diagnosed it as a reactive lymph node that had been infected. If it didn't change during those 10 days, he would probably schedule a biopsy. I have to admit, there was lots of searching the internet on possibilities - I wouldn't recommend it. We knew the chances of this being something serious (like lymphoma) were slim to none, but it was always in the back of our minds. And, the doctor asked me if there was a history of lymphoma in our family - not a very reassuring question!
4th Appt. - I thought there had been no change, he was pleased with how it was looking, however! So, 14 more days of antibiotics and another visit in 2 weeks. We are in the middle of this latest round of antibiotics - so far, no change. He sounded pretty sure that this one should do the trick - we hope so!
I never knew a lymph node could cause so much anxiety (and so many appointments), but it has. We hope it will eventually resolve on its own, but also hope it doesn't flare up again. The good thing is that it has never seemed to bother her. When I was taking pictures of her with her giraffe yesterday, one of the pictures showed her neck fairly well - you can see just how swollen the right side of her neck is (well, to us anyway).
If you've been someone praying for this situation - thanks! It's been a comfort!
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