Wednesday, July 20, 2011

His first ultrasound

Referred by the child specialist, we took Zac for an ultrasound and he was extremely co-operative. No crying, no whining, my brave boy.

The radiologist at SDMC scanned his swollen cheek (as well as the other side to compare) and wrote this in her report "The left parotid gland is grossly swollen and heterogeneous. It is generally hypodense and appears septated. No obvious upper cervical nodes seen".

I can't really digest what she's trying to say medically but I do know that 'grossly swollen' means I should probably be worried. She concluded her report by saying "This may be post-inflammatory".

So I asked her if this is dangerous and what's next? She said she doesn't really know as she's not a child specialist and suggest that I revisit the child specialist and show her the imaging report and the ultrasound printout and seek further recommendations. I suspect the child specialist will refer me to a ENT specialist. I will need to find time to pay the child specialist another visit soon.

Anyway, the monetary damage at SDMC is RM97.80.

I just hope this is nothing serious and it will go away on its own VERY VERY soon.

Updates:
Spoke to the child specialist Dr Chia who referred us for the ultrasound and told her about the imaging report. She said "no nodes seen" is a good sign but she is still puzzled as to why the swelling and what causes it. She said since it is not pus, not painful and doesn't seem to bother him, it is probably not dangerous and we should wait 2 more weeks to see if it will go away. If it's still there and still the same size by then, she suggests that we consult a surgeon and see if it should be removed surgically. There is no medication to treat it.

Anyway, I am going to get a second opinion from Dr Lee Eng Lam, SDMC since 2 of my friends recommended him [read comments to this post]. Hopefully he will be able to solve this mystery. Maybe I should also see Dr Choy, SDMC who is Zac's paed since he was born for a 3rd opinion? Anyway, I'll decide after meeting with Dr Lee.



The swelling looks more obvious in this photo

3 comments:

Alice Law said...

Which child specialist did you consult? I'd highly recommend Dr Lee Eng Lam, very experience child specialist. So far my kids only go for 1 treatment on every visit, he can even predict whn their condition will subside, really grateful of knowing him!:)

treasure memories said...

Amy, get this done soonest, for the comfort of Zac and yourself. Hope everything will be fine.

Hi Alice, I agree with you. Dr Lee Eng Lam is really good. He's our saver, whenever the GPs near our house cant treat our kids. I had another 2 friends who said the same thing.

Reanaclaire said...

With the modern medical technology these days, Zac will be fine..
Take care.. God bless!