As expected, the ENT specialist wasn't able to determine what's wrong with B. Of course, her neck wasn't swollen when I took her in. That would have been too convenient. So he made a guess as to what it could be.
The problem, in a nutshell, is this: Since August, what I thought was the lymphnode on the right side of her neck, just under her jaw, has been swelling up, then going back down, then swelling up again, going back down, etc. I took her to the doctor in August, did blood work, a thorough exam, and nothing was wrong. Her white count was slightly elevated, but that would be consistent with a virus, which is what the doctor thought she had. So it went away after a few weeks.
But it kept coming back. But it would only last a few days. Sometimes only one day. Then it would be gone. In October, I took her back to the doctor, but got the same diagnosis. Nothing seemed wrong. Well, a week and a half ago I'd had enough. There must be something causing her little neck to swell up like that. Glands aren't supposed to swell up for no reason. So this time her doctor said that because the swelling appeared and disappeared so quickly and for no apparent reason, it couldn't be the gland. He thought it could be a cyst. So he sent us to the ENT specialist. Which is where we went yesterday. He told me to bring her in when it was swollen, so he could really see it and determine what it was. He agreed that it probably wasn't her lymphnode swelling. I was a little disheartened, because who knows when it would happen again.
But this morning, she woke up early and there it was. Sticking out of her neck. It was protruding enough that I could see it sticking out from across the room. So I whisked her down to the ENT specialist's office, and he had another look at her. By the time we got there, the swelling had already decreased by half. He was perplexed. Couldn't tell me a thing. Would only say he wanted to call a colleague of his up at Children's Hospital, and see what he could tell him. And he said he'd call me today to tell me what he found out.
That just makes me nervous. I know it shouldn't, but it does. And to make matters worse, he didn't call. So I know nothing new.
I know it's probably just a harmless cyst (which requires surgery, but still relatively uncomplicated). But not knowing for sure is hard. I wish he'd at least call to tell me he doesn't know anything yet. That would be better than nothing.
I feel gray hairs popping out all over my head.
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