Do you freak out whenever you discover that your toddler’s lymph nodes are swollen?

Last year, around June, hubby and I discovered that Sherilyn’s lymph nodes (on her right neck) were swollen. Careless me didn’t even notice the swell in her glands near her neck until daddy felt it one night as he was cuddling her while reading to her. When I touched it and felt a lump there, I really felt a big lump in my throat, so did daddy. Being the wimp in us whenever health issues affect our 3 precious daughters, we were actually quite worried, more so as the swell was on the lymph nodes in her neck. All sorts of morbid thoughts came flashing through my mind and I was sure daddy’s too, coz I could see he was just as worried but he just put on a “nah…. nothing to worry about wan” look on his face.

We then brought Sherilyn to the paed’s clinic the next day. My poor Sherilyn’s lymph nodes on her right neck, just below her jaw were swollen and infected. She had also been having gluey yellowish-greenish goo on her right eye for the last 3 days and I thought she was just plain ‘yeet hei’ as the chinese say it or heatiness in her body coz she had been eating quite a bit of durian, biscuits, corn flakes and pan-fried tempeh lately. I was also having a strep throat and slight runny nose with phlegm and I guess Sherilyn must have gotten the bug from me.

The paed said Sherilyn’s lymph nodes were infected and if we brought her to the clinic a few days later, the lymph nodes could have gotten inflamed and then more invasive medical treatment would be needed. The lymph nodes got infected as they were trying to fight off virus from invading the body. She also had URTI (upper respiratory throat infection) and the paed prescribed her with antibiotics (Augmentin). She was also given an ointment for her eye and allergy medicine for her nose.

 to be continued…