Can someone talk me off the ledge?

[alittlelark]

My 15 yr old son went for a routine physical on Tuesday. He complained that his femur hurt. The doctor assumed it was nothing but ordered Xrays. 1 day after the Xrays we were told to go to the orthopedist - the next day. We saw the Orthopedist today. He looked at the Xrays and said they looked fine, then spent time measuring and stretching and palpating the area. He then booted someone off the schedule so my son can get an MRI at 7:30 am tomorrow. He looked concerned.

I am trying to act like it's all fine - but the Orthopedist scared both my son and me by saying it needed to be done immediately.

I don't know if either of us can sleep - he doesn't want me to tell his Dad - He's heading off for another 'vacation' tomorrow.

Can anyone help 'talk me down'?


PS - I'll be making dinner soon (we eat late) and may not be able to answer immediately.


Gina

[RandySF]

1. I cannot tell you to not worry.

I would be worried, myself, but he made have ordered the MRI out of an abundance of caution. At least take solace in the fact that you son apparently has access to a specialist who made him a priority.

[alittlelark]

Thanks for your honesty.

We are in the Kaiser system. They are great for regular issues, but not for anything beyond.

[Downwinder]

2. I have found the MRI to be my friend. It is better to know than to

not know. Without knowledge, my imagination is my worst enemy.

[alittlelark]

4. We will know w/in 16 hours from now.

The Orthopedist told us to plan on spending the day. His finals are next week.

The 'I need to be talked down from the ledge' is my imagination - his as well (cry).

[polly7]

13. I'm sorry .... there's nothing worse than watching a child so worried.

Best of luck tomorrow. Much more often than not things work out better than we fear. :hug:

[alittlelark]

25. Thank You.

I need to get dinner on the table now.

[seabeyond]

8. i tell hubby, well i tell all. imagination is a tough one. it has never been as bad for me

as what my mind allows me to create.

[abelenkpe]

3. O! I hope everything turns out ok!

:hug:

[alittlelark]

5. Thank you.

He and I hope so as well - but he does not want me to tell anyone.

[sufrommich]

6. I'm a nervous Nellie when it comes to my kids, but if the X-Ray

looked fine, then that is a good thing. Maybe the MRI is just to confirm that everything is OK. Try to stay calm for your son, and try not to look too worried. I hope everything is OK,let us know.

[alittlelark]

10. The Xray is why the Orthopedist booted someone

to get my son in.

I have been beyond calm - he is scared.

I'm throwing my stress into this tread and a few friends.

[sufrommich]

12. I misunderstood. I hate the thought of sick kids,I just know he'll

be alright. :hug:

[seabeyond]

7. the reality is....

nothing comes of thinking what might be. nothing comes of it. get it out of your head. in this moment, this time, tonight, you all are fine and you know no different. it does nothing for you and does nothing for your son to be afraid. create a picture in your head he is fine, because that story is as likely as something is wrong. and then, tomorrow, with information, you will be able to take care of what needs to be taken care of.

the best to you all. the very best.

[alittlelark]

11. I aws doing that well for 5 or so hours.

It's kinda crashing all at once.

[snacker]

24. That's very good advice.

Sending some of those strong DU vibes your way. Manifest good and positive thoughts.

[quinnox]

9. Best to find out early if there is a problem

And if there isn't then great.

I had health issues and the doctors couldn't tell me what was wrong, and I saw specialists. Now that is frustrating.

At least if you know what you are dealing with, then you can find a solution.

[alittlelark]

23. He's been telling me for a few months that his bones hurt.

I told him they were 'growing pains'.

[quinnox]

27. Keep us posted on any developments

And fingers crossed it is good news.

[Horse with no Name]

14. It is worrisome...no doubts

It is your kid and you should be concerned.

With that being said...the main thing that you worry about with that type of pain is cancer.

Obviously, it is a GOOD thing you were sent to an ortho doc--and not a cancer doc. That is a good sign.:)

The other common thing is SCFE.
Here is some info:

http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1063/mainpageS1063P0.html


And lastly...kids get preferential treatment. That is just generally how it works.

Be concerned...but don't get freaked out unless someone tells you there is a reason to get freaked out.

:hug:

You will be in my thoughts tomorrow.

[seabeyond]

17. internet is good. and you have a good point.

ortho doc...

[Horse with no Name]

20. Yeah

And with the measuring of the femur...it sounds an awful like the concern is the growth plate. However, it has been MY experience if they thought it were something that could potentially be devastating, the child is usually admitted to the hospital ASAP and a battery of tests, MRI's, etc are run as an inpatient. It is much more expedient that way.

[seabeyond]

26. and

you are a nurse, right? that is what i am remembering. good to hear.

[Horse with no Name]

29. Yes. A Pediatric nurse, at that

There is a valid concern by the doctor...no doubts. Especially when it comes to children, bone development, joint development, etc. That gets much more attention--especially in times of growth spurts than you would ever see in an adult.

For instance--a child who breaks a hip will have immediate surgery, an elderly person with the same fracture might languish around a few days before surgery because there is no concern for growth...which in turn can cause deformity if not treated aggressively.

However, I am not sensing ALARM from the caregivers...which would have been an immediate admit into the hospital and tons of tests, repeat Xrays, etc.

I'm still holding Gina close in my thoughts, because it is terrifying for any parent to not KNOW about your kid. It is scary.

[seabeyond]

35. .

:hug: thanks for your post. i hope she comes back in after dinner....

[alittlelark]

41. He was not admitted ASAP...

He was given the 1st available MRI after 4:30 in the afternoon today.

They pushed other ppl back to make room for him.

[Yo_Mama]

15. Most of the time these things aren't what they are looking for

Rest easy knowing you are checking - you are covering the bases. You've got the medical care to find out if anything is wrong and what it is if there is something.

No need to worry now. You will KNOW. No need to assume there is a monster there. Don't be surprised if you are sent for another round of testing after the MRI, and don't panic either.

Since your son doesn't want his dad told now, you can wait until after the MRI results, but then I think you should tell him. A father does have the right to know.

[alittlelark]

21. We are married still

It is a strained relationship.

[Yo_Mama]

34. So I gathered - which is just one more source of stress for you two

But still, the father should know when you get the results of the MRI.

I feel for your heartache, but at least you are getting it checked quickly - I've seen people go through months of this while fighting with insurance cos.

How is your son handling it?

[alittlelark]

42. My son is a really cool strong kid.

But he has been telling me for a few months that his bones hurt.

I told him they were growing pains.

[Yo_Mama]

43. My younger brother had something similar

Your odds for nothing serious are quite good, but not verifying that it's nothing serious would be a bad error.

Most kids do have growing pains. I even remember having them. If the X-Ray looked good then your odds greatly improved. More than that I can't say, and I can only wish you rapid answers and all the best.

[K8-EEE]

16. I relate so totally! Let's just believe they are being overly cautious

Like many people I have had a similar story -- a cyst on my breast that needed to be looked at immediately, I had tons of IMMEDIATE procedures because they ruling out cancer except for they couldn't quite rule it out. The cyst was located where they couldn't do a needle biopsy. Finally they said they needed to get the cyst out and that I should "prepare for the worst" etc. Long story short the cyst turned out to be benign but it was one of the most stressful weeks of my life and everything had to be done IMMEDIATELY which added to my panic.

SENDING THE MOST POSITIVE VIBES YOUR WAY!!! DU LOVE TO YOU AND YOUR SON FROM LOS ANGELES AND PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.

[alittlelark]

19. Thank you...

I am hoping they are just being overly cautious.

[gkhouston]

47. Yeah, that happened to me, too.

Luckily my husband doesn't seem to be put off by "scar titty". :rofl:

[Liberal_in_LA]

49. Something like that happened to me also. arrrgh! Turned out to be nothing.

[Arugula Latte]

18. Hugs to you and your son.

My son is the same age as yours, so I'm really having deep, deep empathy for you. I have no words of wisdom except to say I have been in the position of waiting on medical news and there is not much to be done except sweat it out (oh, and take whatever you need to sleep at night).

:hug: :hug:

[barbtries]

22. i'm sorry Gina

i'd be worried too. what did the doctor say he was looking for? please keep us posted. i hope it's nothing serious!

[riderinthestorm]

28. I have no advice, just a hug. Hoping it's a stress fracture, or a growth plate issue

tendon tear or something else innocent and easily repaired.

I'd tell my husband though. No need to suffer alone. That's why we have partners.

:hug:

[usregimechange]

30. Similar thing happened to me, they often need to rule out serious stuff and when they do

you are left with minor stuff as the cause.

[FarLeftFist]

31. Could just be a fracture. But as a parent myself I completely understand your worries.

Hope everything works out OK. Femur fractures are quite common in active and athletic teens and can vary greatly from slight to complete fractures.

[alittlelark]

40. Definately not a fracture.

These are bone growths.


I need to take 2 glasses of wine and check in in the morning.

[in_cog_ni_to]

32. For now, just postive thoughts. I would be doing what you're

doing too. I have an 18 year old son and would be worried sick. I KNOW how you feel. They ARE our babies. We're suppose to worry. Seabeyond's advice is great! Try to put it out of your mind. See him as being just fine and wait for the MRI results. That's hard as hell to do, but there's nothing else you can do until the test.

I wish you all the best and am sending positive energies your way! Please let us know how this turns out. I'll be thinking about you and your son tomorrow. BEST OF LUCK to you both!

[CoffeeCat]

33. But you said the xray looked fine...

...so, unless I'm mistaken--it sounds as if the x-ray was not the reason he ordered the MRI, correct?

That's a good sign.

He ordered the MRI after measuring, stretching the area, correct?

So--he didn't SEE anything on the x-ray that made him order the MRI--he ordered it because he wanted
to make sure that everything was ok on the inside--probably with the growth plate, etc. Maybe he
was puzzled by the measurements--and just wanted to be safe and do further tests.

I would be reassured by the fact that the x-ray looked fine--as you said.

Some doctors are intense. They're thinking and into what they're doing--and they look terribly
concerned--but really, their minds are just working. So many doctors are like that. They
don't realize that sometimes we mistake their intensity for suspicion of a big problem.

I've had doctors give us quite the scare, and the situation turned out to be nothing.

Wishing the best for your and your son. Please keep us posted.

[alittlelark]

38. He said the Xray looked fine - then he did a physical exam.

Odd boney growths are not uncommon during puberty.
He then spent 15 minutes measuring and stretching....

That was when he got worried.

[themadstork]

36. *hug*

[Tsiyu]

37. Let's hope the Ortho guy is being cautious

and covering his bases.

I have a son this age, and I would feel as you do.

I hope it's a double-check situation to be sure everything is normal, I hope you can get some rest tonight. Til then take a lot of deep breaths when you feel overwhelmed.

Sending good vibes your way.

:hug:

[alittlelark]

39. I hope he is as well.

Thank You - I am taking deep breaths.

[Tsiyu]

44. I can put you on the ASAH group Dec. light and healing thread

lots of good vibes there.

Let me know if you would like that.

Here's a :hug: and one for your son :hug:


(((((((((((((((alittlelark and Boylark)))))))))))))))))))

[RFKHumphreyObama]

45. My thoughts and prayers are with you both

:hug:

[gkhouston]

46. Years ago, my daughter got a bone infection in her ankle.

It just blew up out of nowhere, and it was a scary time while we were waiting for a diagnosis. She's fine now. I hope your son's news is as promising.

:hug: Know that we're thinking about both of you.

[FarLeftFist]

48. Kicking for good vibes.

[Yo_Mama]

50. Waiting and hoping for an update

and that it's good news. I was thinking about this predicament today.

[cherokeeprogressive]

51. I know you said femur, but as a teenager I had pain around the knee...

It was diagnosed as Osgood–Schlatter disease and went away on its own.

What part of his femur does the pain come from?

[TBF]

52. My son is young so I don't have experience in this area -

but I will certainly be thinking of you both. And I would tell my husband - you shouldn't have to be worried about this on your own. He might even be upset that you didn't tell him.

[Joe the Revelator]

53. Kicking for an update

[JoePhilly]

54. Maybe I can talk you down ... my 12 year old daughter just went through something like this ...

She has always been very active.

We joke that she is our "stunt child" ... cracked her elbow at the play ground at 6, then a minor fracture of her growth plate near right knee at about 9 ...

This summer at 12 ... her left knee "hurts". There was no specific injury we could identify.

She plays softball, she pitches ... after the games, her knee hurts, a lot ... sometimes she is having pain after no activity.

We see the docs, we do everything ... use ice, stretch, so on ... the pain remains.

So we get the MRI ... we learn she tore the meniscus in her left knee. She has to miss the two final games of her season. Her team loses both. They fall from first, to 3rd.

She needs surgery. They think she will be unable to put any weight on her leg for 4 - 8 weeks.

She has the surgery ... the injury is not as bad as they thought it would be. They thought she'd be on crutches for 8 weeks, but she's off them in 1 week.

She had the surgery about 3 weeks ago ... and she wants to go out in the yard tomorrow and "pitch some". Its almost as if it did not happen.

Oh ... that urgency ... where the Ortho guy bumps you up ... same happened with my daughter ... they bumped the MRI up, and then they bumped surgery UP. It was all fine.

I'm not sure what your son did, not sure how active he is ... my daughter is very into sports, and I explained to her that if she wants to play sports, she WILL get hurt from time to time.

This time, her injury, while it looked bad on x-ray, and on MRI, it was not so severe ... but they can be.

And as a "sports kid" she needs to know that.

No matter what ... I hope it all goes well for you.

[Lugnut]

55. My husband had a problem with his leg at age 11.

It turned out to be a benign bone tumor that was giving him terrible leg pain. He had surgery to remove the part of his femur that had the tumor and after he recuperated he was fine. At the age of 68 he's still fine and in excellent health. He has a big ugly scar on his leg but he also has two great 40 odd year old kids and we've been married for 45 years.

I know you'll still freak out and I would too but your son's situation might not be dire.

[RainDog]

56. hope all turns out well. let us know n/t