I have a question ...how painful is a lymph node biospy and are you awake for it ? My 8 year old has a HUGE node on her left side ..you can see it from across the room and another marble size one behind ear. She has NO signs of infection anywhere , so we are going to dentist to have an xray to seeif possible tooth infection somehwere. She does have a cavity . The put her on antibiotics ...but said if they dont make it go down they may biospy due to size.

I have never had one so I don't know , I figured someone here would know . Thanks !! ANd keep your fingers crossed that it is a bad tooth !!

Shar

i so hope its from the tooth infection, i to have an 8 year old daughter and the mere though has me shaking.

i will be keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you.

derek

Shar
Don't worry the treatment for adults and children is very different.
She should at the very least be heavily sedated, noway could they expect a frighted child to remain still for the biopsy.
BUT I really hope it goes down as quickly as it arrived, kids can bounce back quickly.
Sunshine.. love and hugs
Helen

Sharlee,
I am not an eight year old nor was mine done by a dentist. It was a hospital operation done by a ENT surgeon who formerly worked at a CCC. I was under anesthesia for it. Took about a 1/2 hour and I was in recovery for about 2 hours. Got bad news results at that time, no waiting. I was released to go home under care of my husband, still woozy from anesthesia. I had no pain that I recollect and don't even think they gave me pain killers. However, my swollen lymph was only one node and not too large. I had a second biopsy by same surgeon on my voice box with same results. I don't think this is a procedure that is done in one's office. I'd ask lots of questions and find out exactly what they plan to do. I wouldn't be comfortable with a dentist doing this.

Take care,
Eileen

I just hope they only take one from her but get a Dr that knows what is going on and I don't think a Dentist would qualify. She needs a specialist. Good Luck and you have my prayers.

No the dentist isnt doing it ..She is going to the dentist to see f there is some underlying infection o abcess casuing this....If not then blood work and Biopsy ... that is what ER dr said. I will also have to consult with her pediatrician and if it is to be done my an ENT ..I will have MY surgeon do it . I just wasn't sure it it was a procedure that you were awake for or how it worked ..Thanks for all your advice and please cross your fingers

Sharlee - do you have a cat? There is a common disease that children get commonly known as "cat Scratch fever" - major symptom is enlarged lymph nodes. (I used to be a pediatric nurse and we saw many cases) Here's a link to some information from the CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/catscratch.htm
So hoping it's as simple as something like this....

Shar,

Cat scratch fever does infect the LN's but it is very painful at the site as compared to SCC. I was DX'ed with CSF by the 3rd cancer doc I went to and put on heavy meds. At first my nodes shrank in half and my cancer doc shook my hand and said "CONGRATULATIONS, YOU DON"T HAVE CANCER". Three weeks later and no further change to their size and I had a FNA by my 4th cancer doc and the rest is history.

Hoping for the best.

Sharlee,
I hope all is well with you and your daughter. Did your daughters dentist take an x-ray?.. and if so did it show signs of infection?
It is not uncommon for children of your daughters age to develop large nodes in response to a dental abcess of a primary tooth. In children, I have found in my experience, that nodes can become alarmingly large. I become concerned when theses nodes are hard and fixated (immobile). Enlarged, mobile nodes by them self are an indicator that your daughter's immune system is fighting something and working properly. If they are hard and non mobile that presents the possibility that something is not normal.
I know as a parent it is hard to relax when something is affecting your child, but don't get too wound up over node size.
If it is determined that your daughter should have a lymph node biopsy you can rest assured that the surgeon, Dentists don't perform these, that your daughter would be sedated or anesthetized so that it was not a painful procedure. Oral surgeons are qualified and in some areas do perform this procedure. I would assure anyone who is in doubt of an Oral Surgeon doing this that the ones who do are fully capable of performing the procedure. I am only aware of one who does in my region and he usually works in the OR with an ENT.

Shar, let me know how everything goes. Chances are that the cavity has involved the nerve of the tooth and that is the reason for the nodes. You can never be too cautious though, go with your gut.
I'm praying for you and your daughter.

Mike

Shar......I am betting that before you get all of this done, those nodes will have shrunk back down. I had a couple of nodes do that to me recently, and I was a basket case. After they went back down, I realized that they couldn't be cancer.....but that they were just doing their job. I had some sort of infection.........I sure do hope that this is the case for your daughter.

When I was a child, radiation treatments were common for enlarged nodes. I had that treatment, and later, I had part of my thyroid removed because of it.....though it turned out to be benign. Kids have lots of enlarged nodes,,,but at least they don't irradiate them any more!