OT older daughter sick now | Arthritis Information
Can't get a break - little one is doing well, so big sis has to freak me out!
She's been saying her leg hurt below the knee for about a week, but wouldn't take our advice to please try wearing something other than flip flops. Wouldn't take Tylenol, didn't want to try anything, etc., but it wasn't swollen and didn't look bad so I just said we have to wait and see.
Well, this morning when she woke up, it looked frightening. Shin bone was whitish, but it was reddish-bruise-ish looking the sides, very painful. No fever, but maybe a little streakish, too. Time to see a doctor.
Actually got to see two. It was one of 'those' visits - flashbacks to my younger one - "Do you mind if I get another doctor to look at this?"
He said it wasn't MRSA (I guess ALL moms around here think that now, but I didn't), but they both thought it was definitely some type of infection, they just didn't know how it got in there. Even though she had bone pain first, he didn't think it was in the bone because she didn't have a fever.
Everybody says definitely not arthritis (which I pretty much knew, too).
Got some amoxicillin, and he said she needs to stay off her feet for two days and put warm heat on it to help the antibiotic get to the tissue (hmm, good AP advice?).
He said he was putting 'cellulitis', but seemed hesitant (and he is probably the most experienced ped there; my friends saw him as kids), and if she gets worse, runs a fever, or "just doesn't feel good", we need to come back.
This is the daughter who passed out cold getting her ears pierced, so it should come as no surprise that I had to work hard to keep her conscious while we waited for the rx. She wanted sugar, but then said she didn't like any of the free lollipop flavors. I was going to buy her cookies, but had no cash, and another customer was going to give me 55 cents (how sweet!), but she came around enough to get to the car.
I'm glad I had a place to lay this out....they couldn't figure out the infection got in her, and when I just remembered the ear piercing...do you think six weeks was too long ago, or could that be it????? Suzanne39363.3405787037
Suzanne,
Oh My! What a mess for you. I don't know if the ear piercing could have anything to do with it but I would have to say it's probable. When I got my ears pierced at 13, I had to remove the earrings after that long because I had an infection that wouldn't go away. Turns out it wasn't the ear piercing that did it, it was the earrings. I have an allergy to certain types of jewelry. Can't wear gold unless it's 14K. Anything less causes rash and itching.
Suzanne, I am so sorry, and it seems that it is an infection. Be very careful with it, and watch the streaking. I hope she settles down a little. I would give her some kids advil to help with the swelling and inflamation. I am surprised that they gave her amox....usually they will give Keflex, which has a little broader range when it is bone involved infections. Keep an eye on it and you should see improvement in about 48 hours. If not get back to them.
Take care of you too. This is very stressful on you, and you need to be resting and eating right too. shel
Thank you both!
Steph - her ears are fine, but of course she has been doing a good job of cleaning them, too. If we have to go back, I will mention that she recently had her ears pierced.
Shelly - he did mention Keflex, but said it was a huge pill and since she can't swallow even little ones now, he didn't want to rx it. He said to start practicing with Tic Tacs. I guess because she is so big, an oral suspsension dose wouldn't work??? Anyway, he said he could give her two amox chewables.
It is stressful, but luckily hubby is in town for this one for a change. He leaves again tomorrow, so hopefully she will seem better tonight and I can relax!
Suzanne39363.3580555556Have you thought of trying the peroxide bath on her?Actually, it did occur to me....
It will have to be okay with her - she's not as agreeable as her sister LOL!
Oh, hugs, sweetie!
This stuff with our kids just freaks us out!
I'm wondering about the ear piercing. If they used a 'gun' it should be clean. They are supposed to clean it and I think the new ones have plastic shields. Then the earings come in plastic bags.
Keep us informed, OK?
Hugs,
Pip
Suzanne,
Has she been swimming (wading, playing) in a lake or river lately? We are having a massive problem with bacteria here lately because we haven't had rain. When we get into severe drought conditions like this, the bacteria that usually aren't enough to cause problems get concentrated and then we are all in trouble.
Just throwing ideas out. Hope that she and all of yours get better soon.
Andrea
Oh I am so sorry about your daughter. how scary. Hugs to you both.
ohh hunny im sooooo sorry your oldest is sick now...BIG hugs to you and the girls...Keep us updated on what the drs sayThank you all again!
Andrea - no lake swimming, but the dr. did note Plantar's warts on the bottom of her feet, so maybe something got in there (let's me still blame the flip flops).
No fever and she seems to feel fine. When she stands up, she says it hurts when the blood rushes down to the red area.
It still looks awful to me. Call me crazy, but I was trying to trace the outline of it on a piece of clear plastic, so I could compare it and see if it was getting bigger (didn't work - couldn't really see and she said it would hurt). It just looks more streaky, almost like flower petals on the edges, but maybe it is lightening in places and getting better, not streaking more.
She is acting like she feels okay, so I guess I should quit worrying. She called friends about homework and that really perked her up. She really isn't much better today. At this rate, she will miss school tomorrow, too.
Still no fever, but it is still very painful to touch. It looks darker today, which I think is like how a bruise gets darker as it heals?
She thought it looked bigger, but I didn't. Since she never let me trace yesterday (See? That WAS a good idea!), there is no way to compare. I measured it with a tape measure (3 1/2 long by 3 inches wide), and she went crazy from just the weight of the tape measure, no pressure.
It's been more than 24 hours on abx. If she is still unchanged this afternoon, I'm going to have to make another appt. for tomorrow a.m., I guess.
[QUOTE=Suzanne]She really isn't much better today. At this rate, she will miss school tomorrow, too.
Still no fever, but it is still very painful to touch. It looks darker today, which I think is like how a bruise gets darker as it heals?
She thought it looked bigger, but I didn't. Since she never let me trace yesterday (See? That WAS a good idea!), there is no way to compare. I measured it with a tape measure (3 1/2 long by 3 inches wide), and she went crazy from just the weight of the tape measure, no pressure.
It's been more than 24 hours on abx. If she is still unchanged this afternoon, I'm going to have to make another appt. for tomorrow a.m., I guess. [/QUOTE]
Suzanne, do you have a digital camera (or a cameraphone)? Use pictures to document the progress. Use something to measure distance between her leg and the camera, and make sure you take pictures at that same distance every time. Make sure the lighting, angle, and position of the leg are the same as well. Have her hold a tape measure next to it in the picture, for reference. You can print out a ruler
here. Then you can compare the pictures for an objective look to see how it's changed.
We thought about that yesterday, but never did it. That is a good idea, to measure how far away you are. It's hard because you don't want to be too paranoid, or go too overboard - you just want to say, we have the med, she will get better. Then in hindsight, you wish you had done those things.
Her leg is the color of my little one's toe. That is strangely comforting and upsetting at the same time! The toe has been that way since 2005. So why get upset? Now they match. But why do both my children turn reddish-purple? Well, this one is supposed to be a treatable infection. Okay. Why isn't it clearing up yet? And the little one was supposed to have a treatable infection, too. Back in 2005.
This is just getting too familiar, but I'm trying to have faith it will be gone in ten days.
Suzanne -
If it looks darker - take her in now. You already have a rep as an over-protective mom - use it!
;-)
Hugs,
Pip
I called to talk to the nurse and described what was going on. I said the only thing that had changed was the color, and I didn't know if that was good or bad.
She said she didn't know, either, but they do not mess around with infections any more so bring her back in.
Neither dr. from yesterday is there today (great...), so we see somebody else.
Now my daughter is yelling at me and crying that she doesn't want to go back.
Thanks Pip (and Hillhoney from the other thread) for the 'little push'! Argh, Suzanne---it's always something, huh? I hope this is not too bad
a situation. I have nothing constructive to offer except well wishes.
Okay, everybody ready? I HATE DOCTORS!!!!!!!!
My daughter even mustered a 99.1 temp before we went but....
PA came in first. Saw Miss JRAs scratched bug bite and thought she was the patient. I said no, the other one. She thought it was a big bruise.
I said the only change was the darker color. She said yes, the doctor had noted "beefy red" the day before. She said she thought it was good it was getting darker, and she would get the doctor. I said I felt better already!
That was the PA, and that was fine. But the doctor...I HATE DOCTORS!!!!
She said it was an injury. She said it was not an infection. She said do not take any more antibiotics.
But it hurt for a week, with no known injury, before turning red?
Well, she got bitten by a bug in Fla. once, and that made a weird bruise. So maybe my daughter got bitten by a bug, too.
I HATE DOCTORS!!!!
She said maybe she was on her knees on the carpet and it made a 'place'. One knee, and an 11 yr. old has no memory of it.
Makes no sense. She tossed out various other absurdities and said the doctor(s) yesterday were just being overly cautious, but by the way it looked today it was just an injury and it would get better on its own.
I asked my daughter if that made sense to her, and of course she sold me out and said "Yes." LOL. This is child had told me she wished they could give her something to help her walk to the bathroom, and I told the doctor that. I said okay, don't say it hurts worse later; you are agreeing to this.
Of course, I did snatch our antibiotics up on the way out...
Now, she says she does think she had an infection because the antibiotics did help it turn darker and she wants to keep taking them. I think she had an infection because there is no other logical explanation for such a large discoloration.
This is crazy!
Hmm...another mom from just called to get a report and say she was taking her daughter to Urgent Care - unexplained painful bruise on her elbow.....
She also said she would keep giving the antibiotics. She's going to call me when they get back.
Suzanne39364.6010416667Suzanne, I'm going to throw out another idea for consideration - is it possible this is a spider bite?Not that we are aware. We really did try to figure out what was causing the pain for the whole time she was complaining before it turned red.
I just gave her the Augmentin. The doctor kept saying she didn't want her to get diarrhea. If that was the biggest concern, I should have pointed out she was talking to an AP mom. Lots of yogurt around here!
I'm just going to back up to the what the PA said - from what she saw described, it looked like it was getting better.
I hate doctors, too!
Pip
I just keep thinking, if someone had given my little one antibiotics right when her toe turned purple, maybe she wouldn't have the problems she has now. We're going to finish this Augmentin.
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