Symptoms of childhood leukemia

[Minniepinnie2]

Hello. I hope no one minds me asking this but I'm just wondering what the symptoms are of childhood leukemia?

My 9 year old son has been complaining of a sore leg on and off for about a week. He is well within himself, hasn't been ill.

The reason I'm asking about this is because an old friends daughter had leukemia and I remember when she was diagnosed she said the only thing she took her daughter to the doctor was for a sore leg. She didn't mention any other symptoms.

I'm worried sick, can anyone tell me if there would be other symptoms? Am I just worrying myself over nothing.

Dd was 2 when diagnosed, I took her to the GP as she has a petechial rash and looked a bit pale. She also had a couple of bruises which we just put down to being a clumsy toddler.
A few months after finishing her treatment she complained of leg pains which went on for a few days, she had all sorts of tests including bone marrow taken from the shin but they remained inconclusive so could have been an infection or shin splints.
She is now a happy healthy 17 year old.

Thanks for replying friskymare. My husband keeps saying he just has a sore leg and has probably hurt himself whilst at school or gymnastics, but I'm afraid I'm a born worrier, and have been worrying about this an awful lot today. If it's still sore on Monday I will probably make an appointment for him to see the doctor just to be on the safe side as that will be over a week since he started to complain about it x

No problem Minnie, hope your DS is ok.

My friends nephew had leukaemia and whilst he did have limb pains he also had other symptoms which increased over a period of a few weeks. I think he was very tired and couldn't walk far as well as having ear ache, nosebleeds and other symptoms. If he's well in himself I wouldn't think this would be anything to worry about.

My DD was very unwell indeed, extremely pale and lethargic. She became ill very quickly. She was diagnosed at 3.5yrs and is now a healthy adult.

Hope your son is ok.

Thank you. I hardly slept a wink last night. I'm going to call doctors tomorrow although goodness knows how long I will wait for an appointment. It could be next week before I get one x

He is now playing the wii (although not jumping about because he says his leg is too sore), just had his cereal and says he cannot wait until dad gets up so he can have sausages, eggs and bacon, and making jokes.
Surely I'm just worrying over nothing? But I can't help it. My eyes look like pissholes in the snow because I've hardly had any sleep.

It doesn't matter what anyone says, by your own admission you are a worrier (I am a worrier ) and until a medical official tells you otherwise, it will play on your mind.

FWIW chances of sore leg for over a week and no other symptoms, indicating leukaemia, are extremely low. I would expect your DS to be pale, tired, bruising, loss of appetite etc SO hold that thought till you can get an appointment (which I don't think you need for any reason other than reassurance for you).

yes I think you are right there SlightlyJaded. I keep saying to myself By the time we get an appointment at the doctors, his sore leg will probably be away, and I will have aged about 10 years x

Thanks for posting this post Minnie - you actually got me thinking & obviously I am sure it is nothing but going to take my little one to the GP this week to check his symptoms after reading your post & some responses. He has been complaining of sore legs increasingly over the last weeks & he has been run down with a virus/cough for a least a month & looks pale. Hope the GP is helpful for your son & I will let you know how we get on, my son is only 3 but hopefully can still explain where it hurts.

Theboxtrollsareallowed I hope it is just a virus your son has. i do remember my oldest son had a bad virus and he couldn't put any weight on his leg and we took him to A&E. They said it was viral arthritis he had and it would go away, and sure enough it did, but I was a complete state in case they had gotten it wrong. please do let us know how you get on with your little one, I will keep my fingers crossed for you that it is nothing.

My son has been playing away no problem today and has even been running about but now his friend is away he is saying his leg is sore. part of me thinks he is having me on, but another part is panicking, so I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow to see if I can get an appointment x

My daughter was diagnosed almost 4 years ago aged 4. Her only symptom was a sore leg and her blood counts were normal. She almost went undiagnosed til doctors looked at her blood film and saw blast cells. Of course her symptoms would have become progressively worse had she not been diagnosed at that time and I'm sure some of the more well known leukaemia symptoms ie bruising, nose bleeds etc would have materialised.

I look after children with leukaemia
I know it wont be helpful, but it can present in myriad ways - off colour, not picking ip after infection, bruising or pinprick rash, odd aches and pains. Loads and loads of ways.
Unilateral leg pain in a 9 yr old is most likely to be growing pains, but speak to a gp if worried as other things (vit d deficiency, other weird and wonderfuls such as sarcoma) can do these sort of things but usua?ly only wotth worrying about if discomfort persists over weeks/mths and/or disvomfort doesnt respond to paracetamol or brufen

Just to say, one of my smalls couldnt walk for a while due to pain and i was convinced that they had cancer. They didnt.
Knowledge does not protect from the concerned mother worrying.

Thank you for replying. he has an appointment at th doctors in Thursday. and is now saying the pain is gone, and he is acting normal, he's fine, eating normally acting normally, playing normally, so I don't know what to do. Sod's law would be that the pain will come back, and then I will have to wait to get anoth doctors appointment and will continue to worry. Seriously I'm so worried. I'm not one of those mums who take their kids to the docs at the first sign of a runny nose, he is hardly at the doctor. I just can't stop worrying about this. I must say he did have a sore leg a couple of years ago, and I took him then to the doctor and she said he has probably bumped it and if it isn't away in a week or so to go back and see her, and it did go away. I Did tell the doctor about my friend and why I panic about it.

I don't know whether to keep the appointment or not.

Keep the appointment, you need the peace of mind.

I've cancelled the appointment legoqueen. When my son came out of school today I asked him how his leg was, he said it was fine. He then said there is no need for me to go to the doctor I'm okay and off he went, running with his friends! So, I've taken advice from a 9 year old, and cancelled the appointment.

If it comes back again, I will be straight into the doctor.