Something not right with 3yr old

[BethMck]

I need some help please, my 3 year old son has had a pain in his right knee for over a month (first day 17th dec) it has been going on every day since, intermittent pain and inability to bear weight on his right leg, some days he will just have a slight limp now and again and say his knee hurts, sometimes he will ask me to pick him up because his leg hurts, gps and a&e doctors aren't concerned as he otherwise looks totally fine. Over the past 2 weeks he's complained of pain in his left leg as well as the right and twice hes said his right arm hurts too.. other symptoms diarrhoea, looking off colour and saying he's tired and needs to lie down on the sofa to rest, these symptoms come and go every couple of days, he has had a blood test that came back normal apart from low in vitamin D. I have read alot of stories from parents who said their child was completely healthy and initial blood tests were normal before other tests were done and turned out to be cancer. Obviously this is my concern and I've expressed this to doctors who dismiss me by saying he looks very healthy so I wouldn't worry about it being anything serious, he has been referred to Pediatrics 2 weeks ago but I still haven't received anything from them with regards to an appointment. Went back to the gp today to discuss the new pain in his left leg and right arm, he wasn't concerned and said to just wait for the pediatrics to get in touch he did mention juvenile arthritis as a possibilty. Everyone around me is telling me I'm just worrying about nothing and the doctors are making me feel like I'm being stupid. I really want all the tests possible to rule out cancer. But I'm being told if doctors were concerned they would be rushing him through for tests. My issue is I had a cousin who was told her symptoms were likely nothing serious and for months she was denied tests, when she finally had tests done she was diagnosed with cancer, due to the delay in diagnosis she sadly lost her battle a year later and passed away at just 22 years old. AIBU in thinking I am being fobbed off and do you think my anxiety is taking over? Should I trust the doctors and wait for the pediatrician to contact me or should I keep pushing for tests? I feel like I'm going crazy, is this an actual parental gut feeling or am I looking into this too much and getting paranoid??
So sorry for the long post. Please help a mama out xx

Still not had the results back and every time I've tried ringing the pediatric department it just rings for ages then cuts off, they don't have an answerphone to leave a message and don't like to answer the phone it would seem... I'm thinking maybe there's nothing to be seen on the scan and I'll get a letter at some point with that information but on the other hand considering she forgot to refer him in the first place what's to say she hasn't forgotten to send a letter out...

Have you got the NHS app? Not sure if it works for kids but I know when I’ve been referred for tests, I’ve got the results available on there before they arrive in the post.

I don't have it for me and I don't know how it works for kids, I should sort that out so I can use it if it's ever needed considering I have 4 children lol! Would have come in handy right now! I'm pressuming no news is good news and hoping I'll get a letter through the post to confirm this asap but who knows

If you ring the main hospital number you can say to the operator you're trying the paediatric secretaries and they're not answering. The switchboard should then try alternative numbers and help you get hold of someone.

The other route is calling pals. You were in touch with them a little while ago right?

I will try the hospital switchboard tomorrow I don't know why I didn't think to do that today! The person that did the scan said he was going to send the report to her the same day so I was really hoping she would have called straight away even if it was to tell me everything was normal and it could put my mind at ease at least!

It’s only a week since the scans isn’t it? If you’re waiting for a letter that’s really not long.

if the scans had anything worrying they’d phone you 😊

I too find the NHS app much better for speed of results as they often get uploaded directly or at least on arrival at the GP practice. I often see results that the gp never calls about because they are normal

have you tried your GP reception?

Any luck with the results yet @BethMck ?

Any news @BethMck . Been thinking of you x

Hope you and your little one are well @BethMck

Hope everything is fine and you can move on x

Hi thanks everyone for checking in, I've still not heard about the results, guessing I will get a letter next week to say everything is normal. He is not complaining of the pain half as much as he was, it's just now and again out of the blue he will say it hurts or he will wobble on it when he's running but not as much as he was doing, I'm wondering if this means it's just going away by itself whatever it was... his cold did start going away but he's just got another full blown one but we have all had it, he did get a very high temperature for one day when he started with it but other than that hes ok, I'm sure if there was anything to report they would have been in touch so maybe it's just one of life's mysteries and we'll never know what caused it, and for such a long time too!

Oh glad to hear he’s a little bit on the mend and no news must be good news regarding the scan, although I’d still chase them up in a few weeks if you haven’t heard anything.

He’s probably just one of those kids who catch every bug that’s going. Good for his immune system in the long run I suppose 😆

Have you tried a some anti inflammatory gel and a support stocking? I broke my kneecap at 11 I sometimes have pain in my knee making walking difficult. But doing that really helps. Ask at pharmacy if there’s anything suitable for his age.

Transient synovitis?

If the scan hasn't shown anything then I'd think Transient synovitis is the likely cause, I just never heard of it lasting so long, I'm going to try call the department again tomorrow and double check they haven't forgotten the results, the guy who did the scan said he was sending the results back to her the same day so I thought I'd have had a letter by now tbh! It's all very strange and really don't know what has been causing it but if there's been nothing alarming in the tests he has had then I'm sure it's all fine and hopefully will just stop happening by itself and not happen again!

Did you ever get the scan results @BethMck ?

My son had really similar issues at the same age (he’s now 10), turned out to be joint hypermobility syndrome. We ended up seeing a consultant privately in London who referred him to a physio at great ormond street (paid privately again). Once he was seen via NHS and they agreed with the diagnosis he also had hydrotherapy and orthotics. He still gets leg pain/knee pain and will limp, especially when having a growth spurt and will also get really tired and have loose bowels during a flare up. Literally everything you describe in your DS! He also used to get arm pain and neck pain.
We had to push for everything though, i thought I was going out of my mind and in the end went to A&E three times in 48 hours with him just to get a consultant review and they then did scans etc but no one had any answers as everything came back “normal” but I had a lethargic child who could barely walk..

hes now incredibly sporty and active and the stronger he is, the better it is for his joints!

Hey, still never got round to getting the results back but we haven't noticed any limping recently and he hasn't complained of pain for a while so I am thinking it has just cleared up itself and the scan showed nothing concerning and the consultant just never bothered to send a letter to explain this! I'm currently having a health scare myself and just feeling so sick of being worried atm! I'm keeping an eye on him and if he does start to do it again I'll be straight back on the phone. I feel so relieved though that he is doing much better and I think possibly Transient Synovitis could have been the cause and it just lasted way longer than usual? We are back for a check up with the consultant next month and if he continues to show no other signs of pain etc then she will discharge him, but he seems to be doing ok. Thank you to everyone here for their continued support during a very stressful experience, it really meant a lot to have people to offer advice, suggestions and a hand hold when my mind would get carried away with itself! Xx