Lucy's Neck and Other Problems

I'm feeling a little concerned about Lucy's neck. While brushing her hair last night she said her neck was sore. On observation I noticed that there was a lump at the base of her scar. It has always been raised there but now it seems more so and she said it was painful when I touched it.

It's hard to see in this photo, but I took it so that I could keep an eye on it and compare it. If it gets any worse I will push to see her consultant sooner. If the soreness doesn't stop I will take her to the GP and see where we go from there.

She had a CT scan on her neck just a few weeks ago, so if there was something wrong surely they would have noticed and contacted me. Sadly, I know this is not always the case, she's had scans before and the consultant has not even looked at them until her appointment. She is seeing the consultant in August so we will know for definite then.

In other news she is being seen in the cardiology apartment this month for a check on her heart. This was requested by the genetics dr we saw in February as she thinks Lucy might have Marfans Syndrome or another form of Elhers Danlos Syndrome rather than hypermobility. Lucy has already had her eyes checked and they came up clear, so maybe her heart will too. Fingers crossed. 

She is also having trouble with her mobility again. We noticed when we were on holiday that she wasn't getting very far without hurting and it seems to be getting worse. She's complaining whenever they have to walk anywhere at school, for example they walk to the local public library which is about half a mile away. Even if we are doing something fun she will complain, it's becoming more regular.

Her gastric problems are not getting any better and she has had several accidents in school over the past few weeks. I was so hoping we could have had this sorted before September, but it doesn't seem so far away now. 

Finally, her sleeping pattern is really bad again and I reckon she's currently getting about five hours a night :( 

That girl is nothing but trouble  sometimes x

Report from the Geneticist.

Today we had an initial report from the geneticist we saw in February.
It says that she looked at Lucy for signs of a connective tissue disorder. She found that she has some mild facial features of a connective tissue disorder, a mild curvature to her spine, her skin was soft and she had lax ankles but her overall joint hypermobility score was only 2/9.

She believes that Lucy's history is in keeping with a diagnosis of hypermobile EDS but wants to exclude other connective tissue disorders. She is requesting a heart and eye assessment.

Lucy has long limbs, long fingers and toes and with her facial features and curvature of the spine it looks like she may have Marfan Syndrome. This could mean problems with her heart in the future and this is why she needs a heart assessment.

We've never really thought there was any reason to think their was anything wrong with Lucy's heart or eyes. However, I can see why the Dr wants them tested, and if it is decided that she has Marfan Syndrome then they will keep an eye on her heart.

I'm not sure how I feel about all this. I was happy that we were referred to the geneticist because at the end of the process we should have a definitive diagnosis. I really thought that she had hypermobility type EDS and I was looking for confirmation of this. It surprised me that she wasn't found to be as hypermobile as we thought. She could still end up with this as her final diagnosis as she does have some hypermobility and has suffered subluxations.

We knew that it was possible that she might have a different type of EDS which is why we thought it would be good to find out now rather than later. To be forewarned is to be forearmed, so they say. Now I find myself struggling to know if I will be able to cope if there is something more serious to be worried about.

There is some cross-over between kyphoscoliotic EDS and Marfan Syndrome, and genetic testing can be done to find out if either of these are present. With either one there are physical features which lucy is showing as well as some hypermobility. Both of them can present cardio problems and eye problems.

After all she has been through already I'm hoping that her physical features are just coincidence and that nothing else is found.

Is it in the Genes?

Elher's Danlos Syndrome can be inherited. It also has several types many of which can be recognised by a person's genes. This is why Lucy was referred to a geneticist, to see if the condition runs in the family and to see if she could possible have one of the other types of Elher's Danlos Syndrome which could cause her more problems in the future.



Lucy is currently suspected to have Hypermobility type EDS.

Last week we had our first visit with the geneticist. Lucy was given a physical examination and as well as her hypermobile joints it was discovered that she has a slight curvature of the spine. She will also need her heart scanned and her eyes tested.

Her full history was taken, as was the relevant history from family members. Particularly from my side of the family. We already know that two of her sisters and her little brother are hypermobile. I am also hypermobile, or I was until I suffered from TM.

We were told that the process could be very long so we won't be expecting answers soon. It's really good to know that she is being cared for properly now though. Whatever is found, if it's bad it will be found in good time to make sure she has the proper help and treatment. If it's not so bad, then we can be more relaxed about the future.

In other news, Lucy has had her mobility allowance stopped. It doesn't surprise me as the bar has been risen for applicants. When we first applied she had to be unable to walk a certain distance without pain, now she has to unable to walk, or virtually unable to walk. I've been pressured to appeal, but as Lucy seems to be doing quite well at the moment I don't need to stress too much. There is a chance that she could get even better, or a lot worse, but at the moment I'm happy that she's coping. She's even managing to walk to school and home, not without complaint, but she's managing it.

A Visit with The Psychologist

Lucy was first referred to her psychologist at four years old. Two years ago she was told that there was no need for her to be seen regularly any more but she was left as a patient in case she needed further help in the future. I was grateful for this because I remember with my eldest that the most difficult years with his autism came when he hit puberty and I really needed the extra support then.

Yesterday we went back for a visit, just a check to see how she was getting on and because her GP was concerned about her sleeping patterns.

We gave her the past history of the last two years and she was shocked that she'd not been kept in the loop. I know that when Lucy was first admitted to hospital I gave the name of her psychologist as they had asked where she had her diagnosis of autism and hypermobility from. However, they had not contacted her. 

She was in a agreement with Lucy's diagnosis of Elhers Danlos Syndrome and asked if we'd been offered genetic testing. When I said no she said she'd arrange it for the rest of the family. 

I will admit that I am a little confused with genetic part of EDS. I know that there are ten different types of EDS and some are due to faulty genes, however the hypermobility type does not have a faulty gene identifier and this is the type that Lucy has. So I'm not sure that genetic testing will show up anything. There are other symptoms present in Lucy though, and it's obvious that other family members have hypermobility, so maybe with us all having some testing it will be confirmed if there is anything else going on. Or anything to look out for in the future. 

Lucy's psychologist was the person who managed to get Lucy all the help she needed in her previous school where she was doing really well. In her current school she has no help at all and I do worry about her. It's not the best school for her but she doesn't want to go anywhere else and doesn't want to be split from her siblings. I've tried all the other schools in the area and there is not one that can take all three, so a school move would mean splitting them. So I have been resigned to leaving them where they are for at least one more year, seeing as it will be Lucy's last year anyway. Now, she has been promised all the extra help she had before, externally. So the school will not have to help her, they'll just have to accommodate her helpers. This will be a lot more comforting. Hopefully this help will continue into her next school as well now. It's a huge weight off my mind. Of course I have to wait for this help to materialise but past experience has shown me that this pyschologist gets things done.