Wild Life

Mary "Always an Adventure" Grace was at it again yesterday. You might remember that back in April she was diagnosed with Toxic Synovitis following an odd limp that turned into a refusal to walk. At the time I was told it is "very rare" and would clear up in 7-10 days. Bed rest was suggested and our lives returned to normal within the week.

And then yesterday happened.

Mary Grace woke up saying that her "yegs" hurt. She refused to walk. I set her down and she would crumple in a ball crying. Although she is a major drama queen, even this was a bit much for her. Not being the overly hysterical type I planned to go on with my day as normal and see what happened. My first moment of major concern came when she declared that she was hurting too bad to go to our play date at Splash Pad with Cooper and Lily. After talking with Brent we decided that it was in our best interest to go ahead and call the doctor.

By the time her 2:00 appointment rolled around she was back to about 60%. She was walking with a limp, but otherwise not really complaining unless specifically asked. Her doctor informed me that it was highly unlikely she was having a recurrence of Toxic Synovitis. She worried Mary Grace had been misdiagnosed back in April (since there isn't really a conclusive test) and immediately ordered x-rays and blood work. That meant we were headed for Children's Hospital.

Before leaving the doctor's office Mary Grace was given what should have been a quick exam to make sure we weren't missing any related symptoms. Dr. Seeley listened to her heart over and over again in various positions. Then she let the med student who was observing listen. They kept exchanging glances. Apparently Mary Grace has a heart murmur. Wishful thinking on my part I asked "so this is related to why her legs hurt?" And, of course, I was told "no, this is something completely separate." Great!

Currently the plan for the heart murmur is to wait until her 3 year check up (next month) and if the murmur is still present we will be referred to a pediatric cardiologist just to make sure it isn't an abnormal/serious problem. More than likely she will eventually grow out of it.

So off we went to the hospital. Mary Grace had at least 16 x-rays taken of her hips, legs and feet. And then she had blood drawn. She did really well through all of it and enjoyed picking out tons of stickers. They had us wait around for a while to hear the results, but eventually sent us home because they were waiting on a consultation.

Mary Grace's doctor called me a little bit later to report that all of the tests came back negative/clean. The good news is that we've ruled out a fracture, leukemia, and any type of bacterial infection. The bad news is we don't have a clear explanation for the pain. As of right now she is diagnosed as "the one in a billion kid that got Toxic Synovitis twice." If the pain occurs again in a month or two we will proceed with seeing a pediatric orthopedist. There is a small chance this could be the very early start of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). Our prayer is that it is not! She does not really have any of the other symptoms, so it is unlikely...but still a concern.

And then...not even 20 minutes after arriving home from the hospital...

Mary Grace managed to pull her entire dresser over on herself. We have all bookcases bolted to the wall, but I had no idea that a 29lb child could pull over a very sturdy, solid dresser. Of course she was upset. Immediately she told me that her "yegs hurt"...which is where we started our day. Images of returning to the hospital and having them repeat the x-rays ran through my head, but thankfully she was fine!

Today Mary Grace woke up with a huge smile on her face and a jump in her step. Totally back to my crazy little girl! Hopefully the heart murmur will disappear by next month, the leg pain will never return, and Brent can figure out a way to bolt down every piece of furniture we own!

Oh, and last night Brent and I were sitting on the back porch talking about the wild day and I remembered my favorite quote of the day:

Me to the med student: "Thank you so much for your help"

Med Student: "No, thank you! This has been SO educational"

I'm thinking she might be able to do her residency in our household alone!