Neck Lumps And Mass

Can anyone out there help me? My baby boy is 16 years old. In NOV '07 (3 months ago) he noticed a lump in his neck. We got him into a hometown doctor the very next day. It quickly turned into a mass. They sent us directly to Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. He has one of the most respected doctors in the country for head and neck cancers. He is seeing a ENT Oncologist surgeon. My son has now had a CT scan and an MRI. My son was first hospitalized for 5 days and started on IV antibiotics. They ran tests and attempted a CT scan. The outcome was a diagnosis of Congenital Cystic Hygroma pending results of an MRI to confirm this diagnosis. The MRI had to wait until the infection could be cleared up and the swelling in his neck go down so they could see the area of the neck. The past 2 months my son has been on intermittent (10 day) treatments of Avalox 400 mg. (3 times) It's an antiobiotic that was used due to blood tests that were done. His neck mass improved and the swelling went down. Then the mass appeared to be moving or perhaps showing up now toward the front of the neck around the area of the adams apple. It can now be seen as a round (2 inch in diameter) bump  that sticks out. It began as bright red on the skin where the lump is. He started another round of the Avalox. The area is still red around the edges. The skin has peeled due to the infection. The bump/lump is not hard. It is soft and feels like there is fluid in there. Last visit my son had his MRI. It did not show the doctor what he had hoped. They could see no deep masses in the neck. They feel this is in the soft tissue. The doctor wanted to perform a biopsy and remove some cells, but because the infection is still there, he chose to wait and start my son on the Avalox antibiotic again for 30 days, hoping to clear up the infection. The infection has apparently never gone away.  It appears to moving around in his soft tissue. This is what his doctor is assuming. His doctor thinks this is still congenital in nature. His doctor tells us it is not a cancer and it is not a tumor.   They don't know at this point what it is. The next step is to see if this antibiotic takes the current infection away. If it doesn't they are suggesting a neck dissection. I am worried. Just yesterday my son noticed another small pea-sized lump just above his collarbone on the left side of his neck. This is the same size where the much larger lump was found. Any suggestions? Has anyone had a simiar experience and a diagnosis. The doctor asked us if we want to get a second opinion we are welcome to. He is feeling baffled. I don't want my son to have to have a neck dissection, but if it has to be done then so be it. I just feel I should get a second opinion before anyone cuts into his neck. PLEASE RESPOND AND HELP. Thankyou. A worried mother. Pam. 

Always get a 2nd opinion, maybe a 3rd if the first two don't completely agree.

Good luck

You must get a second opinion or a third or a fourth, preferably from a large teaching hospital. I did not do that when I was first diagnosed, nor during treatment, and I really, really regret it. If your son is only 16 and facing a neck dissection, he (and you) need to be able to make an informed decision as to the pros and cons and whatever alternatives may be out there.

I would highly recommend a 2nd or 3rd opinion. A large teaching University would be my best suggestion. Best of luck.