![]() ![]() ![]() It takes a village to raise a child – and I’m so grateful to be a part of yours. And we’re in a day and age where the internet helps make connections – you can connect with me on there, or e-mail me anytime. A lot of stuff you’ll hear me say in the office will be typed out on there, too. I write a lot about common problems and ailments online – you can find me busy on Facebook and Instagram, and I write articles for the Cook Children’s Checkup Newsroom blog. From diaper rashes to sleep problems to school difficulties - I’m here to help. But I’m also here to make sure you’re educated, to make sure your family is thriving, and to make you feel confident in caring for your kids. Sure I’m here to make sure your kids are healthy and happy at all ages. Thankfully he survived, as did the next one, and they’ve helped me to grow and to help YOU, the parent, in so many ways. He proceeded to make me very aware of how little I actually knew. My education, experience in medicine, and cocky attitude made me feel like I knew it all before my first one came around. "I didn’t realize how important the job of the pediatrician was until I had kids of my own. Get to know Digital Medical Advisor Diane Arnaout, M.D., a Cook Children's pediatrician at Forest Park Any trouble with swallowing or breathing.If a child is losing weight, is extremely lethargic (droopy and exhausted all the time), is having unexplained fevers for more than 5 days, or has soaking night sweats, come in.If you notice more numbers of LNs in an area are getting large.Lymph nodes that are getting larger over time with no illness that seems to be causing it.Lymph nodes that remain enlarged after 2-3 weeks of an illness.So, if LNs are red or very painful to touch, bring them in. We sometimes need to treat them with antibiotics. They can get red or pretty painful if this happens. Sometimes, the lymph nodes themselves get infected.The general rule is, while lymph nodes may actually get large while your child is sick, they tend to shrink back to normal size in 2-3 weeks.So the groin lymph nodes (for the leg) and the armpit LNs (for the arm). If an arm or a leg has an impressive bug bite, allergic reaction, rash, you name it - the lymph nodes that drain the area may get a little larger for a few weeks.Babies have lymph nodes in the back of their head/skull that are very easy to feel.My 8 year old has three in his neck that I can see almost all the time when he turns his head. Kids, in general, are leaner than us, and many of the nodes are close to the surface. You can ABSOLUTELY sometimes feel and see lymph nodes in your kid's neck.What do I get asked about most as a pediatrician? That's just a terrifying path I advise you not take. Usually, lymph nodes are the size of a lima bean and are wiggly under the skin. ![]() Some illnesses, like strep or mono, really commonly cause neck lymph nodes to become big.Sick? Got an infection somewhere? Even just a bug bite or a zit? Nearby lymph nodes may swell up for a bit.They are "hotels" for your white blood cells: they temporarily house our immune cells to help us fight stuff!.People often call them "glands" but they aren't really glands.Let's check out some fast facts so that the next time you see a little lump in your kiddo's neck, or under the chin, or behind an ear, you take a deep breath and remember that a vast majority of the time, it's totally normal. ![]()
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