Persistent knee pain

[BethMck]

Hey guys, I posted on here on 28th December as my son, age 3, had been experiencing a pain and limp in his right leg for 2 weeks, after going to a&e twice and seeing the gp twice, he had a blood test which showed low vitamin D but other than that all OK, he has now been referred to pediatrics as it has been 1 month since it started and it is still happening! I was reassured after the blood test but the fact its still happening I am starting to get really worried and waiting for a letter with an appointment for the specialists, has anyone else been through similar with their little one? I'm really hoping we aren't waiting too long to be seen! It is happening every day, he will complain of pain in the front of his knee, last night was the first time it has woken him, 3am he was saying he couldn't stand up because his knee hurts, I'm wondering if they will offer a scan of his leg as I think this is the only thing that will put my mind at rest at this point! I think the fact it's still happening after a month is making me feel uneasy but I'm still hopeful it will be something minor 🙏

Toddlers don't complain of pain for no reason but I don't think the doctors are in a rush to rule out the worst case scenario, I'm starting to feel really stressed with it all and just need some answers. 🫤

This absolutely needs further investigation. Did A&e do an X-ray?

No a&e told me to take him back in 7 days if it was still happening, when we took him back the second time the lady that assessed him sent us to minor injuries instead of the pediatric doctor in the a&e, the gp at minor injuries told me to take him to my gp and request a blood test, which was done.. I also requested an urgent referral to pediatrics, he sent a referral and asked the specialists if they deem his symptoms urgent or not, I received confirmation on Friday that pediatrics would like to see him in clinic and I'll receive a letter in the post in due course, which leads me to believe they aren't planning on seeing him urgently! I feel totally at a loss and don't know what to do

Ok, in this situation I would take him back to A&e and explain that the symptoms are worsening and he is now waking in the night with pain. Be polite but stern that you feel he needs an X-ray. I would try not to leave without one.
if this didn’t work I would try every option possible to get a scan. A different hospital or any way I could find privately to get it done. This could be nothing but it could be something and until he gets a scan I wouldn’t feel it had been ruled out.
good luck op, trust your gut and keep pushing would be my advice.

His hip should also be X rayed

Keep pushing, but don't panic. My DD (age 5) had similar symptoms (including waking in the night). She did eventually get an x-ray, which showed nothing, followed by a hospital assessment. They concluded it was a combination of hypermobile joints and uneven weight bearing/use of her leg (which is why it was only one side). They don't officially diagnose hypermobility until age 8, but 3 of the 5 tests they can do for it were positive. They gave us some exercises to do at home to strengthen the muscles and help with the imbalance, which do seem to have made a difference - but they warned that some ongoing intermittent pain is likely during growth spurts in particular.

Thank you, I think the gp has done the right thing with the referral, he didn't request an urgent referral but he did ask their advice to see if they feel he needs to be seen urgently or not, they say we will hear from them with an appointment but I'm just praying it doesn't take weeks, I'm hoping when we see the specialists they will do an xray and scan and hopefully be able to rule out the bad stuff quickly because I'm really struggling to keep the anxiety at bay.. this morning on the way to nursery he has been walking strangely and when I asked why he's walking like that he said because my knee hurts, it has definitely got worse compared to a month ago when he first started doing it which is making me nervous and the fact it just came out of nowhere, he's never had any problems with mobility in the past, he was up walking at 10 months old with no sign of joint issues

Not to worry you op but night pain is another notch upwards in terms of clinical concern… make sure that gp or someone medical knows this change has occurred. If not A&e then 111 this change needs to be reviewed by his medical team.

The first gp I spoke to mentioned all of this to me and urged me to go to a&e for urgent testing if his pain persisted, got worse or started happening in the night.. a&e weren't interested in seeing him because he was completely well and sent us back to gp, the other gp I saw was clueless and asked why I feel he needs to be seen by pediatrics urgently I was like ermm these can be symptoms of blood cancers or sarcomas and I'd like that ruled out asap, he GOOGLED IT and then said ah yes ill make the referral!! Just waiting on a letter from the pediatrician to confirm when his appointment will be. Everyone around me keeps saying if the doctors aren't rushing then they mustn't be worried, but I have a cousin who's son just turned 4 when he was diagnosed with cancer, he's luckily in remission now but the doctors then weren't interested and took her 4 months of pestering to finally get them to listen and do tests! I know cancer is usually unlikely but it is a possibility and needs ruling out first!