Found a lump on DS 12 leg - v worried

[BlogOnTheTyne]

Going to make a GP appointment asap but wondering if anyone else can suggest to me what this lump might be? It's at /near the knee joint but on the outer side of his leg and is hard and about the size of a small egg. DS says it doesn't hurt and may have been there a while. I've not seen it before.

Am wondering about possible causes from something v minor - like sports' injury related - to something catastrophic. I know we'll need medical advice on this but if anyone can suggest what it might be, please do, as I'm panicking.

Good to get it checked out. I'm not medical but think it sounds like bursitis. Near a knee joint we have 11 bursae. A bursa is like a pad filled with fluid. Each bursa - think of it as a sac- has a job to do, cushioning pressure points between our bones and our tendons and muscles next to joints. Your DS has possibly got one or more inflamed.

As I say I'm no expert I found out because I have arthritis so get to hear about stuff. At his age I expect DS has sustained a sports injury but anyway the GP will see.

PS Perhaps try a teatowel wrapped a bag of peas out of the freezer to soothe his knee? Old trick from DD's hockey days. Still get him checked by doctor, he might draw fluid off and give him antibiotics.

Thanks. The lump is not at all tender or painful. Should this worry me more? I've booked an appointment with the GP for tomorrow after school.

Any further thoughts, anyone?

DD1 had for years a large lump on her knee, only really visible when she bent it. Not painful at all. It's been checked out and I can't remember what it was, but it was no problem.

Could be oshgood schlatters disease most likely spelt wrong! My friends ss had this and he had a knee lump

Thanks for the further suggestions. Have googled like mad today but not really found anything that is similar, given his lump doesn't hurt him at all and isn't really on his knee but more to the outer side and slightly higher up than his knee.

I am calming down a bit but really glad we'll see the GP tomorrow night.

my ex-boss had a ganglion on her knee - it was a painless lump.

I was going to say Osgood Schlatters too as DS2 has it, and its a painless egg size as you describe.. but i think it tends to be below the knee.

My friend's son has been diagnosed with osteochondroma. Have a google and see if that's a possibility. I don't know what treatment is planned but I do know that it's not a malignant growth and he will be fine.

Another for Osgood Schlatters. My sister had it and it was a pain free egg shaped lump on the knee. It cleared up after a while.

That was the 1980's. Doctors can do more know.

Could also be a haematoma (harmless) following a bump or bash.

Thanks. I've googled some more and I'm not sure if it's osteochondroma or Osgood Schlatter's...it's not actually on his knee at all but to the outer side of his leg, slightly above the knee area on his mid-thigh, although therefore sort of in the vicinity of his knee IYSWIM.

It doesn't hurt him at all even when pressed or he flexes his leg. However, we were unnerved last night to see that if he flexes his leg, you can feel the lump moving and a strange 'clicking' sound in his leg as he moved it and the lump kind of moving out of synch with the rest of that area of his leg.

I also noticed, for the first time, some strange striatia/ purply wavy lines just above his knees that remind me of strecth marks on a woman/me - but I got these in conjunction with putting on weight and DS1 is very slim to average weight. So I'm now worrying that these may also be connected to something going on.

Oh dear....he sees the GP at 5pm, so not long to wait now.

If you have time let us know, hope doctor puts your mind at rest x

My DFather says he had stretch marks from when he shot up in height as a teenager. So they may be completely unrelated, especially if you've noticed he's grown a lot recently. I hope the GP is able to reassure you.

GP has referred DS for an X- ray and I have to telephone the X ray dept tomorrow at 9am to get an appointment, which will involved horrendous difficulties with work and taking DS1 out of school and not knowing what to do with DS2 meanwhile. May get an X ray tomorrow, the GP said or may be a day or two.

He wouldn't comment on all the things it might be but said it looks like a growth of bone. Obviously this could be something hideous or something OK.

How do you manage this inbetween time of not knowing, with imagination running wild and still keep it together for DCs and work?

Off to google madly for possible reasons of bony growths. I can't read the GPs writing on the form but it looks as if he's written, "bony exortion" but I can't read that last word. He's then put "? normal" which therefore means it might be abnormal as much as it might be normal.

Can you call in any favours, ask kindly neighbour/schoolfriend's mum to have DS2 during the X-ray dept visit? I don't know your younger child's age, is DS2 able to sit quietly and read in the waiting room if there is nobody to ask?

The GP didn't leap to any conclusions, nor fob you off. Organising an X-ray doesn't signify any sinister or permanent problem.

Fwiw I would think, okay, if there were a lump on DC's body, I'd rather it were on a limb than the torso, because it won't be near major organs. We can soothe 'til we're blue in the face, you're not going to relax until you know what it is.

Keep calm, it is being investigated, nothing is likely to change in the next 48 hours. Personally I often work through from 'worst case scenario' to 'something quite easily sorted', my DH is the opposite and remains calm and unflappable and refuses to worry before he has anything confirmed by trained medical personnel. He's right, grrr!

Yes. I think it does read bony exostosis. Been googling and it may well be what your daughter had, Walsingham. I just hope it's something benign.

I keep veering between worrying desperately about DS1 and willing to put every single thing on hold till we know what's going on - and then feeling stressed about the logistics of managing hospital appointments - especially over the coming weeks, as there are several out of the ordinary demands in my working life (self-employed single mum), already leading to complications with childcare etc.

DS2 is DS1s twin, but has some SN (Asperger's high functioning) but will be fine in school. It's just if I can't pick him up after school, there isn't an easy solution about where he could go, although I'm sure I could get someone to have him.....

I also have 2 parts of me going on - one is frantically worried about DS1 - who has had a few health scares across his life already - although none came to anything (suspected lymphpma around age 5; suspected heart issues and stomach issues around age 10). He's one of premature twins and has had issues with vomiting across his life and is much thinner than his twin and I and I've always worried about him.

The other part of calmly thinking - it's got to be some kind of benign growth as even though he's had some health scares, he's generally growing well and OK/healthy.

DS1 has had quite a few X rays now across his life, which also worries me as he must have had more than I've had myself even....he's had I think 4 chest X rays, including a barium meal thing and one arm X ray. Will this be quite risky? I know he's needed all of them but I'm now worried about the risks of too many X rays so young.

Just to put hopefully put your mind at resta bit, DS2 has had many X-Rays and MRIs and he's fine.
Interestingly his Osgood Schlatters has resulted in an overgrowth of bone, i've seen the X-Rays (both legs, but one side is worse) and the bones actually have what looks like a big upside down hook stuck on them, which is whats causing the egg shape. Its doesn't give him any problems, his legs just look a bit bumpy in shorts.. try not to worry too much, your DS sounds exactly the same, even down to the age it's been discovered.

Thanks Jellykat. That's helpful, as is everyone else's reassurances. Of course I've been awake since 3.30am worrying but trying not to. Hope we get an X ray for today. Will keep posting here as it just helps to off-load really and feel less alone with it all.

I was also going to suggest osteochondroma. My husband had one on the inside of his upper arm as a teen. It was pretty big - he couldn't put his arm down flat to his side because of it. It had to be removed because its growth was impacting on nerves and he was told by the surgeon that left untreated he would eventually lose the use of his arm (as he was losing sensation in his hand whenever his arm was in a certain position.) From what I can tell that was particularly unfortunate and they're usually not anything to worry about when they occur singly.

Hope it all goes okay for you and ds1 today Blog

My Ds had something similar on is ankle when he was 12. He was generally feeling tired and aching a bit. Had an X-ray. We found out it was extra bone growth. Weirdly the rest of him hadn't caught up I guess.
He is now 2 years older & all fine. It did happen once more on the other ankle 6 months later, but hardly noticeable. He is very thin, & I wondered if it was just more obvious because of his overall skinniness.
I hope all goes well Op
Thinking of you