Can't catch a break...

My poor baby can't catch a break! Both of his knees are really swollen and he can barely walk. I think the freezing cold weather is making it worse. He also has a sinus infection and ear infection. It seems like FOREVER before we see the rheumatologist again. I called and told her he seemed to be getting worse but she basically just said we had to wait it out for four weeks and then re-evaluate. Urgh. I feel so helpless! He's really stiff in the mornings and when he gets up from nap. This little heat pack I bought him helps some but not a lot - especially since it's below freezing outside. The Mobic is helping him sleep through the night but doesn't seem to be improving the swelling or stiffness. I guess we will just have to stay the course and continue to pray it goes away on its own.

Rheumatology Visit #1

Well I'm not really sure how to summarize today's doctor's visit. First things first, I am SO thankful we were able to get in to see a pediatric rheumatologist so quickly. Secondly, I really liked her. She took a lot of time to listen to Ryker's full history, do a thorough exam, and answer ALL of my questions. She is definitely concerned about the swelling in Ryker's right knee and how it is affecting his mobility. She also thinks he might have swelling in his right ankle and some of his fingers. She is hopeful that this could simply be a strange post-viral reaction but she is skeptical that it might be Juvenile Arthritis. I have to admit that as a pediatric nurse and someone who has quite a bit of personal experience with autoimmune disease, I do not know much about this diagnosis. I'm really trying not to get ahead of myself though. She put him on meloxicam (Mobic) which is a different anti-inflammatory to try instead of the Naprosyn. She wants us to give him that for 4 weeks and see if he improves. We will see her again on March 18. In the meantime she wants him to see an ophthalmologist to make sure he doesn't have uveitis which is inflammation in his eye; some types of Juvenile Arthritis cause this condition and she would rather be safe than sorry. So the waiting begins...

*Update: Ryker saw the ophthalmologist on February 20 and everything looked fine. Hallelujah!*

Synovitis??

After talking to the pediatrician, he thinks Ryker might have post-viral synovitis. A few weeks ago (on January 19th to be exact) Ryker ran fever for about 4 or 5 days and had a little bit of runny nose and cough. The pediatrician talked with a rheumatologist and they think his body might have just overreacted to the virus - causing swelling in his joints. They are putting him on a prescription anti-inflammatory (Naprosyn) and we are going to try to see the rheumatologist next week. I hope the Naprosyn works better than the every 6 hour Motrin.... it seemed to help at first but after a day or two he seemed to get worse again.

The Curious Case of the Puffy Knees

For a couple weeks now, Ryker has been having trouble walking.... He refuses to go up or down the stairs and won't even step off the little ledge in the garage. At first I thought he was just being a cranky two-year-old, but then he started having stiff legs in the mornings and when he would wake up from nap. Then I thought.... maybe it's just growing pains. As a pediatric nurse who worked with crazy neurological diseases, I try really hard not to overreact to things with my own kid.

Well... today I lost that battle.

Ryker got up this morning and could barely walk. Even after an hour and a half, when I took him to Mother's Day Out, he was still having trouble. I wasn't sure what to think! Maybe he just slept wrong? had outgrown his shoes? needed his toenails cut? It wasn't until he got to school and his teacher took him to the potty that I (and everyone else) knew something was seriously wrong. Both of his knees were the size of oranges! Now let me remind you that my child is only two years old and, although he has always looked a little like the Michelin man, his knees have never been (nor should they ever be) that big!

I FREAKED.

I mean... who wouldn't? More than anything else I felt an extreme amount of guilt. His trouble walking has been going on for a while now and it appears there is a legitimate reason behind it! I immediately called the pediatrician and got an appointment for this afternoon. After seeing the nurse practitioner and getting labs drawn, we started him on Motrin every 6 hours around the clock.... we even have to wake him up at night and give it to him. We are waiting on lab results and further instructions....