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Original poster

WTF is this? dd2 with very bad joint pain in her legs

34 replies

geekgirl · 05/03/2008 12:13

Dd2 (6) has had this fluey snot bug since Sunday, she seemed perkier yesterday morning so I sent her to school but I guess it was a bit early
She woke up today feeling obviously rotten and with a temperature, and now won't walk anymore - whenever I try to get her to bear weight on her legs she cries with pain She's all shakey too even though her temp isn't that high - 38.8C. I think she's mainly shaking from the pain in her legs ISWIM.
Dd1 had this bug last week but didn't have any leg problems. I've not really come across this before, someone reassure me please! She's a pitiful sight and can't talk enough to tell me what exactly the problem is.

OP posts:
HereComeTheGirls · 05/03/2008 12:22

38.8C is QUITE high...sounds to me like a flu bug, they can often cause joint pain. Has she had some Calpol?

HereComeTheGirls · 05/03/2008 12:23

Hmm actually, I would call GP/NHS for advice since she wont bear weight!

belgo · 05/03/2008 12:24

I think you need to speak to a doctor.

Psychomum5 · 05/03/2008 12:28

38.8 is high IMO.......tis only .2 from 39, which would be considered high!!!!

is it is flu bug, it may have gone into her joints, meaning she needs to be seen. she may need anti-b's, but I am not a doc or medical person, just going on general mum experience with mine. DD2 had this when she was 2, and needed xrays too to make sure all was ok, and just a reaction to the bug.

it was, she had anti-b's too (altho she does have an immune deficiancy so different treatment anyhow), and was all fine after about 2mths. she was wobbly tho for that time, and needed the pushchair again.

hope she picks up soon.

Original poster
geekgirl · 05/03/2008 12:55

psychomum, dd2 used to have an immune deficiency too - IgA deficiency - thankfully she's outgrown it
She always gets a flu jab, but I guess it comes in so many permutations
I didn't think 38.8 was that high, but maybe I'm a bit too blase about temperatures, dd1 gets very high fevers (41C last week) when she's poorly, without any obvious ill effect.

Dd2 just managed to stagger to the loo, walking on her toes and holding on to the wall

I gav her some ibuprofen half an hour ago and she seems a bit perkier, has stopped shaking and is eating a sandwich...

I'll give it another hour and see how she is then. Didn't know flu could go into your joints like that...

OP posts:
Psychomum5 · 05/03/2008 13:04

see....thats the thing with temps....once you have one that gets them mega high you do get blase.....(my DD3 also gets mega high's of 41 too!)......but yes, it is still high that close to 39.

DD2 has CL3 deficiancy, altho we thik she too has outgrown it now as she is now 12, and hasn;t needed anywhere near the amount of anti-b's that she did when younger....in fact, I cannot remember the last time she did(which is obviously fab).

as for the flu/joints.....nor did I, and I havent' heard of it since or anyone esle having it, but my doc said then that it can happen.....and clearly it did for my DD2.

am glad she is slightly perkier tho, and that she actually managed to go to the loo.

Original poster
geekgirl · 05/03/2008 13:18

Forgot to ask, was there anything obvious from the outside when your dd had her joint infection?
Dd2's legs look just fine .

OP posts:
Psychomum5 · 05/03/2008 13:35

nope....nothing at all.

TBH, I thought at the time that she was aming it all up. was only when she was still falling over a week later that I thought that maybe, just maybe........

and took her to docs, and she again fell for the doc (quite conveniantly too, as she wasn;t in pain as such by then so could walk okayish), that the doc agreed with her and told me that this can happen.

forget now what she called it....maybe I will go google....There was a term for it, and there was never a re-occurence either even tho they warned me that there may be as she then has had to have flu jabs since, and it can also be connected to them (a possible side effect IIRC).

but no, no signs, and no reason for it either in my head at that point, but I was proven otherwise!

I am thinking that if the joint goes hot, or red, or swollen tho you are more inclined to believe aren;t you.....I know I am!

Psychomum5 · 05/03/2008 13:37

try here, i think this has good info

Psychomum5 · 05/03/2008 13:41

not all of it is relevent, but tis worth bearing in mind if it does start to go red.

for my DD however, it went into joint, I left it a week, went to docs, got anti-b's, she referred for xray, xray clear and anti-b's worked.

sounds simple now, but wasn;t so much then, especially with the feeling guilty cos I had 'ignored' for the week that I did. not least tho cos I thought they would just metter 'virus' and shoo me off, like normal

jura · 05/03/2008 13:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
geekgirl · 05/03/2008 13:55

got an appt with the GP at 4:40

poor dd2, she does get the shitty end of the stick she's nowhere near as steady as your average 6 year old anyway, she really doesn't need this too.

OP posts:
Original poster
geekgirl · 05/03/2008 13:57

jura, I remember home visits and leisurely weeks and weeks off school with obscure ailments - I have very fond memories of having pneumonia age 8 and getting to stay off school for 3 weeks, honing my drawing skills

OP posts:
Psychomum5 · 05/03/2008 16:33

was coming here to ask how it went, but it isn;t yet doctor time, let alone time for you to be able to post either......

let us know

BoysOnToast · 05/03/2008 16:37

ooh,

ds1 was admitted to hospital this week for something like this. turned out, in ds1s case, to be something called irritable hip, which is nothing to worry about, but they did say that any kind of temp and he would have been kept in... do get ti checked, they were v serious and quick about it all with ds1. i only took him to gp at lunchtime monday and he was admitted, xrayed and bloods taken for testing in no time. we did get out at about 8pm, but had beds sorted 'in case' we had to stay.

Psychomum5 · 05/03/2008 16:39

boys.......

we bin missin you......and you been in hospital

many hugs>>>>>>

and THAT was what DD2 had....irritable hip!!!!!. only I guess she had the anti-b's cos of immune deficiancy...

BoysOnToast · 05/03/2008 16:43

hi psycho - yes, be nice to hook up agin soon for sure.

and yes, if there were any other indications they were poised to take measures.. but he was so well, walking about, only limping a bit, eating, smiling, no temp, no illness at all...

bloody term irritable hip kept escaping me all day too!

Psychomum5 · 05/03/2008 16:47

yes yes yes........hooking up is sooooo needed.

DD1 especially keen, and DD3 obviously needs you as she still smitten.

many hugs for your wee man tho, and you cos tis so rotten when they poorly.

BoysOnToast · 05/03/2008 16:50

ah thanks, but no support needed really. hes absolutely fine!

it was a stark reminder how lucky i am to have such healthy dc and almost never set foot in hospitals etc. my heart goes out to parents of dc with serious or ongoing health issues.

Notquitegrownup · 05/03/2008 16:51

Hi. Hope your GP was helpful. DS1 had this, on his sixth birthday, after a bad cold. Our doc said it was a virus which had settled in his knee joints. It was extremely painful for him to move his legs, or for him to bear any weight on them - going to the loo was quite a challenge. He recommended ordinary painkillers and lots of TV. It did clear, eventually, getting a little better each day - took about ten days to clear completely.

The doc said we were lucky. Some people get it settling into every joint of the body, poor souls

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 05/03/2008 17:15

Hopefully it is just joint ache from the flu. But to add to the various joint stories here...

My DD1 had reactive arthritis following a bout of bronchitis. Similar symptoms to your DDs, we visited GP and were immediately referred to A&E to rule out Septic Arthritis, which can be very nasty.

Anyway, after lots of tests (consultant not happy with her blood tests) we finally had a diagnosis. She was put on vast quantities of painkillers and anti-biotics. It took a week before she could stand, another week before she could limp around the house and after that she got back to normal quite quickly.

Do both hips hurt the same? You can test this by asking her to lie on her back and then lift her legs one at a time. Any pain in knees, ankles, elbows etc?

Hope all is OK.

saltire · 05/03/2008 17:19

DS2 has been sent home from school 2 days running {blush] with joint pain. His seems similar to what I had. We have all had varying forms of slapped cheek, and DS2s for some reason has taken almost 3 weeks to get fully out his system. he has still got the rash, but only on the joints that are sore.

Psychomum5 · 05/03/2008 19:37

geekgirl.....

anyt news?????

Original poster
geekgirl · 05/03/2008 20:11

thanks for asking - just got back from the children's ward - we're home for the night and have to go back in the morning for blood tests.
Her paed (who was luckily there tonight!) pretty much ruled out that it's anything to do with one specific joint and think it's probably just this virus giving her muscular aches, as her legs are obviously painful but she doesn't react specifically to the joints being tapped, she just winced whereever on her legs they touched her IYSWIM.

I'm glad I took her to the GP now. She still seems really sore and has a fever, I would have just ended up taking her to the out of hours GP in the middle of the night otherwise.

OP posts:
msappropriate · 05/03/2008 20:16

My ds had this at 4. Was in A&E for 8 hours having all the tests. He couldn't walk for over 24 hours but had no other symptoms and nothing wrong with x-rays or blood tests. They put it down to a virus or growing pains.