Strep Never Sounded So Good
Tucker had a lump sticking out the side of his neck. Walnut sized. Noticeable and concerning.
Very concerning.
I tried to minimize the concern, since Tucker’s mind always goes to extreme diagnoses and imminent death. But I can’t say mine didn’t go there too. And I wonder if he’ll ever get to a place in his life with the naivete of taking things in stride.
Turns out, it was a swollen lymph node due to infection. He had strep throat.
The pediatrician said every single parent’s mind goes straight to “The Big C” when they see a lump protruding from anywhere glandular in the child’s body. (Count me among the majority.) He said 99.99% of the time, a swollen lymph node is nothing to worry about, and one way I can tell is that a lymph node will fluctuate in size. A cancerous anything will just get worse, if left untreated.
So the lymph node can stay enlarged for months, with still no need for concern. Well, then. This I can handle.
I’ve lost the privilege of believing it won’t happen to us. It has. It could.
A friend said, “A family like yours deserves a free pass. You’ve done your time.” His family is nine months into a battle with their daughter’s brain cancer. His family deserves a free pass too.
Life doesn’t give it very many of those.
Strep has never sounded so good to me.
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sheri eichar. says:
Brent and I travel alot and chicago is a big rough airport.I heard about the snow report out west.praying for your little boys,,its funny how god starts teaching us to be patient at a young age.They just want their mom back. love your blog.thanks agin for taking on 1 more friend ,sheri eichar w wheels and dog in tow….
Chris Connelly says:
When I was in law school, my lymph node was also swollen to the point that it looked like a bolt sticking out of my neck. Went to the doctor, and it was swollen because I had shingles(!). My mother, the nurse, later admitted that she was scared to death when she saw it, but was relieved at the diagnosis. Glad that Tucker’s was a good one, too.