DD has a bruise that isn't going away.

[SaulGood]

8yo dd complained a few weeks ago that she had a bruise on her inner thigh. She said she couldn't remember how she did it. It looked very much like a mark made by her little brother pinching her which on occasion, when frustrated, he does. He also tends to aim for her thigh or the tops of her arms. She's also as active as most 8yos and rides her scooter everywhere, occasionally crashing and bruising her legs. I put it down to that.

A week ago she mentioned it was still there and I had a good look and it had faded to a browny colour but I could feel a lump directly underneath it. Around the size of a pea. She said it was sore.

A week later and it's still there, same size, sort of a reddy colour but she says it's more sore than it was. She does admit though that she squeezes it because there's a lump underneath it and it 'feels funny'. I don't know if that's exacerbating things.

I have a terrible health anxiety, particularly where the dc are concerned and I am jumping to the absolute worst conclusions. Because that helps, obviously.

She's not ill, not tired or not herself. She's perfectly well. She's also had other run of the mill, fell off her scooter or got whacked with a golf club bruises in the last couple of weeks and they've cleared up within a couple of days. It's just this bruise on her thigh.

I've made a GP appointment for after school today as it's preying on my mind but is there a chance this is absolutely nothing and my sky high anxiety and terror is unnecessary? I need to stop googling.

sorry, I was talking about biopsies in general.

different tissues have different pain levels.

I really really hope everything goes well and your mind can be put at rest.

I feel like I've missed something crucial. I was told Addenbrookes just send scans to Birmingham because they're the real specialists.

Don't worry - there's probably just someone at Birmingham who does these things - they need specialist kit etc. Deep tissue biopsy isn't like a quick skin punch - there will be a specific place and teams who do it.
Orthopaedics is just where the fun tools are ;) (and yes they can look unnerving. Which is another reason to do a GA.)

I never even gave the fact it was an orthopaedic hospital a second thought. Addenbrookes soft tissue bods send all scans there as standard apparently and they SWEAR they tell the absolute truth to parents (I asked 83 times).

DD is 10 and the least likely child in the world to panic or get upset. She's a very calm, steadfast and curious child. But the general is routine for all children having biopsies apparently.

M6 A38 sounds simple doesn't it? I do have a cocky smartphone and Google maps. Presumably I can attach it to the screen

Saul- Birmingham QE have accommodation for relatives, its Calle Nutfield House.

I had a transplant there last year and my husband stayed.

I'll ring the number for you, they are amazing, it's £40 per night with 2 singles beds. It's basic, cheap and on sight too.
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Find* auto correct sorry

I'm such a twit, I didn't even think to check your thread for updates as I assumed it would be a given that her lump was just one of those kid-things. Sorry Showy. Just when you thought it was all over, there's a plot twist from Birmingham.

It looks like you've got the practicalities covered and some brilliant advice from other posters. I genuinely am clueless about most medical stuff but If you need someone to be blithely optimistic for you, I'm all yours .

I'm a lurker but I've read your thread with such admiration for you. I live about ten minutes down the road from Birmingham Orthopaedic and I'd recommend staying at the Premier Inn in Longbridge - its opposite a good pizza place, next to some family chain pubs and a HUGE M&S. It's about 15 minutes from the hospital and easy to get to. I will be keeping everything crossed for you and hope it all goes well, I'm sure it will.

Birmingham also deals with soft tissue as well as bones. A friend went there for his sarcoma (a VERY rare cancer indeed). I'm sure they are just being ultra cautious and trying to exclude even the most obscure and unlikely scenario so once this is over you can really feel EVERYTHING has been checked. Could you go by train? Or train between the big places and lift one end taxi the other?

Thinking of you.

Hi
Just seen the update, sorry this isn't over yet but it sounds like Youll be able to put this thing to bed very soon
I work in Birmingham, honestly motorways are easier than normal roads. Any chance you could get the train if you are worried? There's lots of hotels, premier inn or similar might be cheapest? Good luck for the appt.

I've just had a letter from the hospital. DD is booked onto a ward the night before and DH- who has managed to get the day off - can stay in the hospital accommodation for £25. I can stay with DD.

Up until today they've just said we'd have to book a hotel. Is this normal practice? DH is exasperated because I think there's something they're not telling me.

My DD was in a not-local hospital for surgery to remove a 'lump' - routine surgery for an adrenal tumour (didn't feel routine to me!)

Anyway, there was a Ronald McDonald house next door which we were lucky to get a room at, but it was done on order of priority and we had to apply on the ward. We could have applied in advance but DD's surgery was always a maybe right up until the morning of surgery so we weren't able to do that. One parent was able to stay with her overnight on every admission she had.

I also went through all of the questions you have and an extremely high level of anxiety which was just another word for shit scared... here to chat if you want

My DD has been in hospital frequently since Dec, one parent has always been able to stay with her on the ward overnight, when she's been in intensive care we were given a double room just off the unit for both of us.

As far as I understand it family rooms/rooms for a parent are offered first to parents of children in long term or with serious illnesses. Then they are offered to parents of other children who are in. I don't think it necessarily means anything. You're just going to have to ride this horrendous bit out until you get your answers. But that is not easy to do - thinking of you xx

I don't think it's the room for DH or me that worries me. That seemed a generic offer on the letter and just said to ring facilities to ask about accommodation. It's the ward admission for DD the night before the procedure which nobody mentioned previously.

that might be because they do the procedure early in the day.

They said last week she's on the 7.30am surgery list. But followed that up with the statement "you can stay in a hotel or drive home and then come back". It's 2hrs 40mins away!

If she's got to be nil by mouth and on the morning list, they'll have her in the night before. If it's an afternoon list, admission tends to be in a day room (for pre-op checks) then either into a bed space pre-op if they've got discharges freeing up beds or after surgery if they are juggling patients. Sounds complicated the way I've explained it but it does work organised chaos

Oh and what the surgeon says happens on the ward and what actually happens (by the nurses and admissions team who really are in charge ) are often different things!